Culture of Corruption

Jury Finds Former Ill. Gov. Ryan Guilty

2006-04-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO - Former Republican Gov. George Ryan was convicted of corruption Monday in the scandal that ended his political career in 2003 at the same time he was winning international acclaim for commuting the sentences of everyone on Illinois' death row.

Ryan, 72, sat stone-faced as the verdict was read, and vowed afterward to appeal.

The jury in the state's biggest corruption trial in decades found Ryan guilty on all counts, including fraud, lying to the
FBI' and racketeering conspiracy, which alone could bring 20 years in prison at sentencing Aug. 4.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called Ryan's actions "a low watermark of public service." Fitzgerald, who also led the Washington investigation of the CIA leak, added: "If they keep stealing, we'll keep chasing them."

- Associated Press

Campaign Turns Into Reed's Nightmare

2006-04-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ralph Reed is going to own this room. Granted, it's only a standard-issue campus auditorium at Emory University, half-filled at best for the annual Georgia College Republicans convention. But to the former boy wonder of evangelical politics, it looks like heavenly shelter on this drizzly February morning. The Christian Coalition co-founder's first campaign for public office — lieutenant governor of Georgia, a position Reed and his fans envision as a stepping stone to bigger things — has turned into a waking nightmare.

Every week brings a new revelation about the millions in dirty money Reed earned by duping his fellow evangelicals into putting their political muscle behind "Casino Jack" Abramoff's gambling clients. Reed's huge leads in both popularity polls and fundraising have almost disappeared. Instead of making his triumphant debut as a politician, the man Time magazine called "The Right Hand of God" is fast becoming the new poster boy for Christian-right corruption.

http://www.cbsnews.com

DeLay Announces Resignation From House

2006-04-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Succumbing to scandal, former Majority Leader
Tom DeLay said Tuesday he will resign from Congress in the face of a tough re-election race, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled political style.

"I have no fear whatsoever about any investigation into me or my personal or professional activities," DeLay said in a statement to constituents. At the same time, he said, "I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative, personal campaign."

He said the voters of his Houston-area district "deserve a campaign about the vital national issues that they care most about ... and not a campaign focused solely as a referendum on me."

On Yahoo....

Good riddance!

GOP fundraiser charged in Ohio coin scandal

2006-02-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Prosecutors charged a prominent GOP fundraiser Monday with theft and money laundering in an investigation of a controversial state investment in rare coins that has embroiled Republicans in scandal during an election year.

The 53 charges against coin dealer Tom Noe conclude a 10-month investigation by state and federal prosecutors into the $50 million rare coin investment Noe managed for the state insurance fund for injured workers.

Noe's attorney has acknowledged a shortfall of up to $13 million of the money Noe invested for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. The state attorney general has accused Noe of stealing up to $6 million.

Noe, 51, already faced charges of using colleagues and associates to illegally funnel $45,000 to President Bush's re-election campaign. The new counts include forgery, theft, money laundering and tampering with records.

Rep. Ney to Temporarily Cede Panel Chair

2006-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - Rep. Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican implicated in a lobbying corruption investigation, said Sunday he will step aside temporarily as chairman of the House Administration Committee.

"Unfortunately it has become clear to me in recent days that the false allegations made against me have become a distraction to the important work of the House Republican Conference and the important work that remains ahead for the House Administration Committee," Ney said in a written statement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060116/ap_on_go_co/ney_abramoff

Next, the indictment! ; )

The New Face of the Republican Party

2006-01-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

Abramoff Plea to Conspiracy, Mail Fraud, and Tax Evasion, January 3, 2006.

2006-01-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/abramoff-plea1.html

Abramoff Makes Plea Deal, Will Cooperate

WASHINGTON - Lobbyist Jack Abramoff will plead guilty to federal charges in Washington and Miami, clearing the way for him to cooperate in a massive government investigation of influence peddling involving members of Congress, lawyers said Tuesday.

As part of the deal, prosecutors filed conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion charges against the embattled lobbyist. The filing outlined lavish gifts and contributions that it said Abramoff gave an unnamed House member, identified elsewhere as Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee, in return for Ney's agreement to use his office to aid Abramoff clients.

Former Enron Accountant Strikes Plea Deal

2005-12-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

HOUSTON - Enron's former chief accounting officer, Richard Causey, has struck a plea bargain with federal prosecutors and will avoid going to trial with the fallen energy company's two top executives, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Causey was expected to plead guilty Wednesday to one or more of the 34 criminal charges pending against him, this person told The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the discussions.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051228/ap_on_bi_ge/enron_causey_8

Columnist Resigns His Post, Admitting Lobbyist Paid Him

2005-12-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 - A senior scholar at the Cato Institute, the respected libertarian research organization, has resigned after revelations that he took payments from the lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for writing columns favorable to his clients.

http://nytimes.com/2005/12/17/ po...artner=homepage

What Viveca Novak Told Fitzgerald

2005-12-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

It was in the midst of another Washington scandal, almost a decade ago, that I got to know Bob Luskin. He represented Mark Middleton, a minor figure in the Democratic campaign-finance scandals of 1996. Luskin kept Middleton out of the spotlight and never told me much. Still, there is the occasional source with whom one becomes friendly, and eventually Luskin was in that group.

We'd occasionally meet for a drink--he didn't like having lunch--at Cafe Deluxe on Wisconsin Avenue, near the National Cathedral and on my route home. In October 2003, as we each made our way through a glass of wine, he asked me what I was working on. I told him I was trying to get a handle on the Valerie Plame leak investigation. "Well," he said, "you're sitting next to Karl Rove's lawyer." I was genuinely surprised, since Luskin's liberal sympathies were no secret, and here he was representing the man known to many Democrats as the other side's Evil Genius. I began spending a little more time than usual with Luskin as I tried to keep track of the investigation. But how it all bought me a ticket to testify under oath to special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald still floors me.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1139780,00.html

Another, um, "journalist" bites the dust.

Democracy For Sale

2005-12-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

Call it Tonto's revenge: The outrageous rip-off of Native American tribes by a top Republican lobbyist is leading inexorably to a reckoning for the allegedly morally superior religious and political right.

snip...

Overall, both Reed, once the religious right's boy savior, and Abramoff, the former head of the College Republicans, a "pioneer"-grade fundraiser for President Bush, and a stalwart friend of Texas Representative Tom DeLay, come off as morally degenerate political savants in the Senate committee's files. Reed seems possessed by the gods of greed as he exults, "I need to start humping in corporate accounts!"

Plea Deal Near With 2nd Abramoff Associate

2005-12-09T11:42:00.001-08:00

Federal prosecutors have all but finalized a plea agreement with a second business partner of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for cooperation in the ongoing criminal investigations of Abramoff, congressional aides and Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), lawyers in the case said yesterday.

Adam Kidan, a longtime confidant of Abramoff's, has agreed to testify against Abramoff in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., next month when he is to face trial on fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with their purchase of a fleet of Florida casino boats. A Kidan plea would tie Abramoff's legal troubles in Florida more closely to the Washington investigation into his lobbying practices, pressuring Abramoff to reach a deal of his own that could implicate members of Congress and other government officials, lawyers involved in the case said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/08/AR2005120802232_pf.html

DeLay's money laundering charges upheld

2005-12-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

AUSTIN, Texas - A judge dismissed a conspiracy charge Monday against Rep.
Tom DeLay but refused to throw out far more serious allegations of money-laundering, dashing the congressman's hopes for now of reclaiming his post as House majority leader.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051206/ap_on_go_co/delay

Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes

2005-11-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO - Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges, admitting taking $2.4 million in bribes in a case that grew from an investigation into the sale of his home to a wide-ranging conspiracy involving payments in cash, vacations and antiques.

Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.

Cunningham answered "yes, Your Honor" when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of official duties.

Second Reporter Asked to Testify on Leak

2005-11-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - A second Time magazine reporter has been asked to testify in the
CIA' leak case, this time about her discussions with Karl Rove's attorney, a sign that prosecutors are still exploring charges against the White House aide.

Viveca Novak, a reporter in Time's Washington bureau, is cooperating with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, who is investigating the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity in 2003, the magazine reported in its Dec. 5 issue.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051127/ap_on_re_us/cia_leak_time

State by state GOP scandal scorecard

2005-11-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

WayneMadsenReport.com Nov. 21, 2005

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/gopscorecard.htm

Every now and then...

2005-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

Then...

Published: Jan 28, 2005

GEORGE W.Bush has committed the US to pulling its troops out of Iraq if its new leaders ask them to leave following tomorrow's landmark democratic elections.

However, the US President said he expected the new government, which will inherit a crippling insurgency, would ask US forces to remain "as helpers, not occupiers".

Mr Bush's election-eve comments came amid reports that the US and Britain, the key drivers of the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein almost two years ago, had agreed on an exit strategy.

"I've heard the voices of the people that presumably will be in a position of responsibility after these elections, though you never know," Mr Bush said in an interview with The New York Times.

"But it seems like most of the leadership there understands that there will be a need for coalition troops at least until Iraqis are able to fight."

Asked if US troops should be withdrawn if the new Iraqi administration requested it, Mr Bush said: "Yes, absolutely. And this is a sovereign government - they're on their feet."

http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-b...gi?

Now...

Iraqi Leaders Call for Pullout Timetable -- CAIRO, Egypt - Iraqi leaders at a reconciliation conference reached out to the Sunni Arab community by calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces and saying the country's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance.

A day after the communique was finalized by Iraqi Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni leaders, Washington reiterated Tuesday that the United States would stay only as long as it takes to stabilize Iraq.

The communique condemned terrorism but was a clear acknowledgment of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if they don't target innocent civilians or institutions that provide for the welfare ofIraqis.

Woodward's plamegate "source" is a male

2005-11-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

From Larry King Live...

WOODWARD: ... I guess a few weeks later. So I said to this source,
long substantive interview about the road to war. You know, at the end
of an interview like this, after you do an interview on television, you
might just shoot the breeze for a little while. And so, I asked about
Wilson, and he said this.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/duncanblack/booby.htm

Scanlon Pleads Guilty, Cooperates in Abramoff Probe (Update2)

2005-11-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Michael Scanlon, a former associate of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty to conspiring to corrupt public officials and defraud clients, clearing the way for his cooperation in an investigation of his one-time partner.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle today accepted a plea agreement proposed by the Justice Department and Scanlon, which may help prosecutors widen the probe to include lawmakers. The Justice Department asked that sentencing be delayed while Scanlon cooperates. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and repayment of $19.7 million to clients.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aM0MEONh7DpE

Meet the Press

2005-11-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

11/20/05

MR. RUSSERT: You think we'll be out of Iraq by the end of 2006?

REP. MURTHA: I think we'll be out of there; if not completely out of there, we'll be very close to being out of there. I think we could be out--yeah, I predict we'll be out of there--it'll be 2006.

MR. RUSSERT: By Election Day 2006?

REP. MURTHA: You--you have hit it on the head.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10042399/

Bingo!

How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball'

2005-11-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

BERLIN — The German intelligence officials responsible for one of the most important informants on Saddam Hussein's suspected weapons of mass destruction say that the Bush administration and the CIA repeatedly exaggerated his claims during the run-up to the war in Iraq.

Five senior officials from Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, said in interviews with The Times that they warned U.S. intelligence authorities that the source, an Iraqi defector code-named Curveball, never claimed to produce germ weapons and never saw anyone else do so.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-curveball20nov20,0,1753730.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Big surprise, not

2005-11-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

According to CIA sources, Ibn al Shaykh al Libbi, after two weeks of enhanced interrogation, made statements that were designed to tell the interrogators what they wanted to hear. Sources say Al Libbi had been subjected to each of the progressively harsher techniques in turn and finally broke after being water boarded and then left to stand naked in his cold cell overnight where he was doused with cold water at regular intervals.

His statements became part of the basis for the Bush administration claims that Iraq trained al Qaeda members to use biochemical weapons. Sources tell ABC that it was later established that al Libbi had no knowledge of such training or weapons and fabricated the statements because he was terrified of further harsh treatment.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1322866&page=1

CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described

2005-11-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sources Say Agency's Tactics Lead to Questionable Confessions, Sometimes to Death

Nov. 18, 2005 — Harsh interrogation techniques authorized by top officials of the CIA have led to questionable confessions and the death of a detainee since the techniques were first authorized in mid-March 2002, ABC News has been told by former and current intelligence officers and supervisors.

1. The Attention Grab: The interrogator forcefully grabs the shirt front of the prisoner and shakes him.

2. Attention Slap: An open-handed slap aimed at causing pain and triggering fear.

3. The Belly Slap: A hard open-handed slap to the stomach. The aim is to cause pain, but not internal injury. Doctors consulted advised against using a punch, which could cause lasting internal damage.

4. Long Time Standing: This technique is described as among the most effective. Prisoners are forced to stand, handcuffed and with their feet shackled to an eye bolt in the floor for more than 40 hours. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation are effective in yielding confessions.

5. The Cold Cell: The prisoner is left to stand naked in a cell kept near 50 degrees. Throughout the time in the cell the prisoner is doused with cold water.

6. Water Boarding: The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner's face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1322866

The Terrorist Temptation

2005-11-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Bush administration is so accustomed to torturing the truth, it can’t face the facts. Murtha’s outburst on Iraq has shown it is time to stop deluding ourselves.

Nov. 18, 2005 - Over a glass of Champagne and under the eyes of raging priests on a vast Old Testament tapestry, I caught up with Paul Wolfowitz in Paris earlier this week. The current World Bank president and former U.S. deputy secretary of Defense, who is seen by many as the architect of the Iraq invasion, was talking mainly about bird flu and development issues in Africa. The cost of fighting the avian-borne pandemic, he said, might be as much as $1.5 billion. He made that sound like an awful lot of money, and probably it is when he’s scrounging for funds from international donors. But since $1.5 billion is about what the United States spends each week in Iraq, I asked Wolfowitz if he didn’t feel a few regrets about that venture.
Wolfowitz has a very pleasant way about him, professorial and quietly passionate. Regrets? No. “It’s extremely important to win the fight in Iraq,” he said. At the cocktail party after the conference in the ornate reception room of a grand palais, I buttonholed Wolfowitz again. We all wanted to get rid of Saddam Hussein, I said, but when it became obvious in 2002 that we didn’t have a decent plan for occupying Iraq, shouldn’t we have thought again? “I think there shouldn’t have been an occupation,” said Wolfowitz. He thought we should have trained more Iraqis to take over. He didn’t elaborate—he was running out the door—but Wolfowitz always thought that Ahmad Chalabi should run post-invasion Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10099807/site/newsweek/

Fitzgerald is clearly "looking at new defendants or new charges."

2005-11-19T08:12:00.000-08:00

The prosecutor in the CIA leak case said yesterday that he plans to present evidence to another federal grand jury, signaling a new and potentially significant turn in the investigation into the unmasking of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Three weeks after indicting I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and declaring the investigation nearly complete, Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald announced a new phase in the investigation after the disclosure this week that a senior administration official revealed Plame's CIA connection to Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward in mid-June 2003.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/18/AR2005111800958.html

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was not the senior Bush administration official who told Washington Post editor Bob Woodward that White House critic Joseph Wilson's wife worked for the CIA, a Rice aide said Saturday.

"Secretary Rice wasn't Woodward's source," Rice senior adviser Jim Wilkinson said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/19/AR2005111900488.html

That dog won't hunt...

2005-11-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

The Republicans keep repeating this over and over...

Collective paraphrasing... "We can't set a timetable for withdrawal in Iraq".

So, we stand up, say 1,000 Iraqi's for example on such and such a date, and can't bring an equal number of troops home??

OR, is something ELSE going on here other than "Stay the course, things are going GREAT"???

- Cozumel

How the Bush administration sold the Iraq War to American people

2005-11-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

Edited...

September 7, 2002 - White House chief of staff Andy Card referred to the effort in an interview with The New York Times and said, “From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”

September 8, 2002 - White House marketers delivered their product, a New York Times front-page story. U.S. says Hussein intensifies quest for A-Bomb parts. Judy Miller attributing the story to Bush administration officials reported, “Iraq has stepped up it’s quest for nuclear weapons and has embarked on a worldwide hunt for materials to make an atomic bomb. In the last 14 months, Iraq has sought to buy thousands of specially designed aluminum tubes meant for Iraq’s nuclear program.

September 9, 2002 - Vice President Dick Cheney referred to that article in a speech and again later in a scheduled appearance on “Meet the Press” that same day. He pointed out, “That he is in fact actively and aggressively seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.”

September 9, 2002 - On FOX News Sunday, Colin Powell, said about Saddam, “We saw in reporting just this morning, he is still trying to acquire, for example, some of the specialized aluminum tubing one needs to develop centrifuges.”

September 9, 2002 - Gen. Richard Myers, former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff said “Our intelligence is always imperfect and we usually find out that what we don’t know is the most troublesome. In this case, so we don’t know. Our estimate is at this point he does not have nuclear weapon, but he wants one.”

September 9, 2002 - On CNN, when Condoleezza Rice was asked if it’s possible the tubes were not for nuclear weapons. She replied, “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” The nuclear claims led the papers and the nightly newscasts for two days in a row. Then on the anniversary of 9/11, President Bush said, “We will not relent until justice is done and our nation is secure. What our enemies have begun, we will finish.” The nuclear claims led the papers and the nightly newscasts for two days in a row...

September 11, 2002 - President Bush said, “We will not relent until justice is done and our nation is secure. What our enemies have begun, we will finish.”

September 12, 2002 - The next day at the United Nations, Bush discussed Iraq’s alleged nuclear ambitions. “Iraq has made several attempts to buy high-strength aluminum tubes used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon.” Bush continued, “ Should Iraq acquire fissile material, it would be able to build a nuclear weapon within a year.”

The following week, Congress began debating a war resolution. While the Clinton administration and intelligence agencies around the world had suspected Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, the Bush administration was the first to argue Saddam posed a direct threat to the continental United States.

In early October, the president spoke again about Iraq’s efforts to buy aluminum tubes, echoing Condoleezza Rice, “We cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.”

Four days later, the Senate and the House voted to allow President Bush to launch a war on Iraq if Saddam doesn’t disarm. The resolution stated that Iraq posed, a continuing threat to the United States by, among other things, actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9962149/

Important Speech on the War in IRAQ

2005-11-18T19:40:00.001-08:00

November 17, 2005 - The Honorable John P. Murtha - War in Iraq

(Washington D.C.)- The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.

General Casey said in a September 2005 Hearing, “the perception of occupation in Iraq is a major driving force behind the insurgency.” General Abizaid said on the same date, “Reducing the size and visibility of the coalition forces in Iraq is a part of our counterinsurgency strategy.”

For 2 ½ years I have been concerned about the U.S. policy and the plan in Iraq. I have addressed my concerns with the Administration and the Pentagon and have spoken out in public about my concerns. The main reason for going to war has been discredited. A few days before the start of the war I was in Kuwait – the military drew a red line around Baghdad and said when U.S. forces cross that line they will be attacked by the Iraqis with Weapons of Mass Destruction – but the US forces said they were prepared. They had well trained forces with the appropriate protective gear.

We spend more money on Intelligence than all the countries in the world together, and more on Intelligence than most countries GDP. But the intelligence concerning Iraq was wrong. It is not a world intelligence failure. It is a U.S. intelligence failure and the way that intelligence was misused.

I have been visiting our wounded troops at Bethesda and Walter Reed hospitals almost every week since the beginning of the War. And what demoralizes them is going to war with not enough troops and equipment to make the transition to peace; the devastation caused by IEDs; being deployed to Iraq when their homes have been ravaged by hurricanes; being on their second or third deployment and leaving their families behind without a network of support.

The threat posed by terrorism is real, but we have other threats that cannot be ignored. We must be prepared to face all threats. The future of our military is at risk. Our military and their families are stretched thin. Many say that the Army is broken. Some of our troops are on their third deployment. Recruitment is down, even as our military has lowered its standards. Defense budgets are being cut. Personnel costs are skyrocketing, particularly in health care. Choices will have to be made. We can not allow promises we have made to our military families in terms of service benefits, in terms of their health care, to be negotiated away. Procurement programs that ensure our military dominance cannot be negotiated away. We must be prepared. The war in Iraq has caused huge shortfalls at our bases in the U.S. Much of our ground equipment is worn out and in need of either serious overhaul or replacement. George Washington said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” We must rebuild our Army. Our deficit is growing out of control. The Director of the Congressional Budget Office recently admitted to being “terrified” about the budget deficit in the coming decades. This is the first prolonged war we have fought with three years of tax cuts, without full mobilization of American industry and without a draft. The burden of this war has not been shared equally; the military and their families are shouldering this burden.

Our military has been fighting a war in Iraq for over two and a half years. Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty. Our military captured Saddam Hussein, and captured or killed his closest associates. But the war continues to intensify. Deaths and injuries are growing, with over 2,079 confirmed American deaths. Over 15,500 have been seriously injured and it is estimated that over 50,000 will suffer from battle fatigue. There have been reports of at least 30,000 Iraqi civilian deaths.

I just recently visited Anbar Province Iraq in order to assess the conditions on the ground. Last May 2005, as part of the Emergency Supplemental Spending Bill, the House included the Moran Amendment, which was accepted in Conference, and which required the Secretary of Defense to submit quarterly reports to Congress in order to more accurately measure stability and security in Iraq. We have now received two reports. I am disturbed by the findings in key indicator areas. Oil production and energy production are below pre-war levels. Our reconstruction efforts have been crippled by the security situation. Only $9 billion of the $18 billion appropriated for reconstruction has been spent. Unemployment remains at about 60 percent. Clean water is scarce. Only $500 million of the $2.2 billion appropriated for water projects has been spent. And most importantly, insurgent incidents have increased from about 150 per week to over 700 in the last year. Instead of attacks going down over time and with the addition of more troops, attacks have grown dramatically. Since the revelations at Abu Ghraib, American casualties have doubled. An annual State Department report in 2004 indicated a sharp increase in global terrorism.

I said over a year ago, and now the military and the Administration agrees, Iraq can not be won “militarily.” I said two years ago, the key to progress in Iraq is to Iraqitize, Internationalize and Energize. I believe the same today. But I have concluded that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is impeding this progress.

Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces and we have become a catalyst for violence. U.S. troops are the common enemy of the Sunnis, Saddamists and foreign jihadists. I believe with a U.S. troop redeployment, the Iraqi security forces will be incentivized to take control. A poll recently conducted shows that over 80% of Iraqis are strongly opposed to the presence of coalition troops, and about 45% of the Iraqi population believe attacks against American troops are justified. I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis. I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation. I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a “free” Iraq.

My plan calls:

To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.
To create a quick reaction force in the region.
To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines.
To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq

This war needs to be personalized. As I said before I have visited with the severely wounded of this war. They are suffering.

Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That’s why I am speaking out.

Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME.

Priceless

2005-11-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

Scanlon Charged With Conspiracy to Defraud

2005-11-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - Michael Scanlon, partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was charged Friday with conspiring to defraud Indian tribe clients of millions of dollars in a scheme that lavished golf trips, meals and campaign donations on a member of Congress.

In a one-count criminal information filed by the government, Scanlon was charged with conspiring with another lobbyist, who was identified only as "Lobbyist A." It has been a matter of public record for more than a year that Scanlon and Abramoff had a fee-splitting arrangement and represented several Indian tribes.

Documents filed Friday say that Scanlon and Lobbyist A recruited a member of Congress, identified only as Representative No. 1, with gifts, trips, meals, entertainment and campaign contributions to aid their effort to pass legislation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_go_ot/lobbyists_tribes

The wheels are falling off...

Fitzgerald sees new grand jury proceedings

2005-11-18T09:21:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in court filings that the ongoing CIA leak investigation will involve proceedings before a new grand jury, a possible sign he could seek new charges in the case.

In filings obtained by Reuters on Friday, Fitzgerald said "the investigation is continuing" and that "the investigation will involve proceedings before a different grand jury than the grand jury which returned the indictment" against Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051118/pl_nm/bush_leak_dc

Yahoo! More Fitzmas presents! ; )

Abramoff Witness Frustrates Panel

2005-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

"Unfortunately, she is critical to me."

That's how former lobbyist Jack Abramoff once summed up his relationship with Italia Federici, the president of a Republican environmental group. He told colleagues that although Federici's help was expensive, it was important. Over three years, he directed Indian tribes he represented to contribute about $500,000 to her group.

Yesterday, Federici proved a combative witness before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. She tangled with senators demanding explanations for a stack of e-mails that suggest she exploited a personal relationship with former deputy interior secretary J. Steven Griles to secretly help Abramoff lobby the department and obtain inside information affecting Abramoff's tribal clients.

More...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111701682.html?nav=rss_business

"Cheney is vice president for torture'

2005-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

11.35PM, Thu Nov 17 2005

A former CIA director has exclusively told ITV News that torture is condoned and even approved by the Bush government.
The devastating accusations have been made by Admiral Stansfield Turner who labelled Dick Cheney "a vice president for torture".

http://www.itv.com/news/index_1447362.html

Cheney Lied

2005-11-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

From Meet the Press

"Russert: If your analysis is not correct, and we’re not treated as liberators, but as conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?"

"VP Cheney: Well, I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators. I’ve talked with a lot of Iraqis in the last several months myself, had them to the White House. The president and I have met with them, various groups and individuals, people who have devoted their lives from the outside to trying to change things inside Iraq. And like Kanan Makiya who’s a professor at Brandeis, but an Iraqi, he’s written great books about the subject, knows the country intimately, and is a part of the democratic opposition and resistance. The read we get on the people of Iraq is there is no question but what they want to the get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that."

One piece of ignorant horse shit after another, but I'll start with that.

MUCH more to come, gathering open source information about the Bush administration, and, oh yeah, Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay etc.