A civil war has broken out among rival terrorist groups fighting U.S. forces in Iraq, with Sunni insurgents turning on groups run by al Qaeda's chief of operations in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
Last Sunday, a gun battled erupted between al Qaida and Sunni insurgent groups at a central intersection in Ramadi, the capital of the Sunni province of Anbar.
According to the Knight Ridder newswire: "As many as two dozen men fired automatic weapons and blasted away with shoulder-mounted rockets as al-Qaida in Iraq ambushed members of three local [insurgent] groups."
The violent clash left residents speculating that the strong support al-Qaida had in Anbar province "is starting to fracture, if not completely break," Knight Ridder said.
One key bone of contention - the decision by Sunni groups to participate in the vote on Iraq's constitution three weeks ago.
Another is the growing resentment by indigenous Iraqi insurgents angry over al Qaida's continuing terror campaign against Sunni civilians. Al Qaida in Iraq is comprised mainly of Islamic radicals from other countries. Zarqawi, for instance, is Jordanian.
An insurgent split in Ramadi, said Knight Ridder correspondent Mohammed al Dulaimy, "could blunt the influence of al-Qaida in Iraq, as the city in the so-called Sunni Triangle has been at the epicenter of fighting for the past 18 months and generally is seen as the heart of the group's power in the country."
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Howard Dean's Dismal Fundraising
After eight months as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, how is Howard Dean doing? Poorly -- at least from a financial perspective.
Republicans are handily winning the fundraising race by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, reports the Washington Post. That massive imbalance has caught the attention of Democratic leaders, who are worried the party will suffer as a result in the 2006 midterm elections.
Dean, a former Vermont governor, assumed the top DNC job amid questions from leading Democrats who wondered if he was suited for a job that traditionally has centered on fundraising. The latest figures are an indication those concerns were well founded.
From January through September, the Republican National Committee raised $81.5 million, with $34 million remaining in the bank. The DNC, by contrast, showed $42 million raised and $6.8 million in the bank.
The degree to which the fundraising has not been competitive is obviously troublesome," former Rep. Vic Fazio, D-Calif., told the Post. He expressed confidence in Tom McMahon, Dean's executive director at the DNC.
One House Democratic leadership aide put it more bluntly: "There is plenty of time, but the red flashing sirens should be going off there."
Republicans are handily winning the fundraising race by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, reports the Washington Post. That massive imbalance has caught the attention of Democratic leaders, who are worried the party will suffer as a result in the 2006 midterm elections.
Dean, a former Vermont governor, assumed the top DNC job amid questions from leading Democrats who wondered if he was suited for a job that traditionally has centered on fundraising. The latest figures are an indication those concerns were well founded.
From January through September, the Republican National Committee raised $81.5 million, with $34 million remaining in the bank. The DNC, by contrast, showed $42 million raised and $6.8 million in the bank.
The degree to which the fundraising has not been competitive is obviously troublesome," former Rep. Vic Fazio, D-Calif., told the Post. He expressed confidence in Tom McMahon, Dean's executive director at the DNC.
One House Democratic leadership aide put it more bluntly: "There is plenty of time, but the red flashing sirens should be going off there."
Experts: Saddam's Uranium Enough for One Nuke
Though President Bush didn't mention it in his speech yesterday rebutting critics of his administration's use of intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, experts say that Saddam Hussein had stockpiled enough partially enriched uranium to produce at least one full-fledged nuclear bomb.
Commenting on Saddam's enriched uranium stash after the U.S. Energy Department removed it to Oak Ridge, Tenn., in June 2004, top physicist Ivan Oelrich told the Associated Press:
"[Saddam's] 1.95 tons of low-enriched uranium could be used to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make a single nuclear bomb."
Oelrich, a leading member of the Federation of American Scientists, is not alone in that assessment.
Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, told the New York Times that Saddam's partially enriched uranium "could have been further enriched to make it useful in a weapon."
After the U.S. removed Saddam's nuke fuel stockpile, interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi confirmed that it posed a great danger to the region's security interests.
"These materials, which are potential weapons of mass murder, are not welcome in our country and their production is unacceptable," Allawi told Agence France Press.
Even Saddam's 500-ton un-enriched uranium stockpile, which he stored at the same nuclear weapons research facility where inspectors found his partially enriched stash, posed a potential threat.
In a March 2003 op-ed piece for London's Evening Standard, Norman Dombey, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Sussex, calculated that Saddam's yellowcake could have yielded a staggering nuclear arsenal.
"You have a warehouse containing 500 tons of natural uranium," Dombey wrote. "You need 25 kilograms of U235 to build one weapon. How many nuclear weapons can you build?
"The answer is 142 [nuclear bombs]," he said.
Commenting on Saddam's enriched uranium stash after the U.S. Energy Department removed it to Oak Ridge, Tenn., in June 2004, top physicist Ivan Oelrich told the Associated Press:
"[Saddam's] 1.95 tons of low-enriched uranium could be used to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make a single nuclear bomb."
Oelrich, a leading member of the Federation of American Scientists, is not alone in that assessment.
Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, told the New York Times that Saddam's partially enriched uranium "could have been further enriched to make it useful in a weapon."
After the U.S. removed Saddam's nuke fuel stockpile, interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi confirmed that it posed a great danger to the region's security interests.
"These materials, which are potential weapons of mass murder, are not welcome in our country and their production is unacceptable," Allawi told Agence France Press.
Even Saddam's 500-ton un-enriched uranium stockpile, which he stored at the same nuclear weapons research facility where inspectors found his partially enriched stash, posed a potential threat.
In a March 2003 op-ed piece for London's Evening Standard, Norman Dombey, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Sussex, calculated that Saddam's yellowcake could have yielded a staggering nuclear arsenal.
"You have a warehouse containing 500 tons of natural uranium," Dombey wrote. "You need 25 kilograms of U235 to build one weapon. How many nuclear weapons can you build?
"The answer is 142 [nuclear bombs]," he said.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Poll: Condi Rice Should Run in 2008
Almost half the voters in a NewsMax Internet poll believe Condoleezza Rice should be the Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election.
Just under 45 percent of respondents voted "Yes� to the question: "Do you believe Condi is the best candidate the Republicans could nominate?�
When Rice was matched against five other potential GOP candidates, the results were:
Condi Rice, 35 percent
Rudy Giuliani, 21 percent
John McCain, 13 percent
George Allen, 10 percent
Jeb Bush, 6 percent
Mitt Romney, 4 percent
Also in the poll, a whopping 91 percent of voters said they believe Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2008.
But when asked who they would vote for in a Hillary vs. Condi race, respondents � who numbered well over 150,000 � overwhelmingly chose Rice, 89 percent to Hillary�s 11 percent.
Condi has maintained that she has no interest in running for president, saying it is not "what I want to do with my life.�
Just under 45 percent of respondents voted "Yes� to the question: "Do you believe Condi is the best candidate the Republicans could nominate?�
When Rice was matched against five other potential GOP candidates, the results were:
Condi Rice, 35 percent
Rudy Giuliani, 21 percent
John McCain, 13 percent
George Allen, 10 percent
Jeb Bush, 6 percent
Mitt Romney, 4 percent
Also in the poll, a whopping 91 percent of voters said they believe Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2008.
But when asked who they would vote for in a Hillary vs. Condi race, respondents � who numbered well over 150,000 � overwhelmingly chose Rice, 89 percent to Hillary�s 11 percent.
Condi has maintained that she has no interest in running for president, saying it is not "what I want to do with my life.�
Court Orders 'Deletions' in Clinton IRS Report
A three-judge panel overseeing Independent Counsel David Barrett's investigation into abuses by the Internal Revenue Service under the Clinton administration has ordered Barrett to make "discrete deletions" is the draft he submitted 15 months ago.
The deletion order "has stoked speculation that [it] has more to do with the next presidential campaign," reports the Wall Street Journal, noting widespread rumors that "the draft report contains information potentially embarrassing to another Clinton administration figure, former first lady and current New York Sen. Hillary Clinton."
"The one Clinton official rumored to be implicated in the report is former IRS Commissioner Margaret Richardson, a friend of the former first lady," the paper said.
The Clintons' lawfirm Williams & Connolly has reportedly filed numerous motions with the court in a bid to trim the report and stall its publication
According to the Journal: "The judges agreed with [individuals named in the report] that some deletions were needed 'to protect extremely confidential information.' They also told Mr. Barrett to omit one section before publishing the report, but to include that material with the report to congressional leaders of both parties."
The section at issue is said to cover "investigations of alleged obstructions of justice and tax-related matters."
The deletion order "has stoked speculation that [it] has more to do with the next presidential campaign," reports the Wall Street Journal, noting widespread rumors that "the draft report contains information potentially embarrassing to another Clinton administration figure, former first lady and current New York Sen. Hillary Clinton."
"The one Clinton official rumored to be implicated in the report is former IRS Commissioner Margaret Richardson, a friend of the former first lady," the paper said.
The Clintons' lawfirm Williams & Connolly has reportedly filed numerous motions with the court in a bid to trim the report and stall its publication
According to the Journal: "The judges agreed with [individuals named in the report] that some deletions were needed 'to protect extremely confidential information.' They also told Mr. Barrett to omit one section before publishing the report, but to include that material with the report to congressional leaders of both parties."
The section at issue is said to cover "investigations of alleged obstructions of justice and tax-related matters."
Barnes: Bush Fights Back on WMD Claims
Saying its "amazing it took the White House this long to get it back together and fight on this issue,� Fred Barnes said President Bush and his administration are ready to state their defense for fighting the war on terror and liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein.
Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, told Fox News that the president and his team will launch an aggressive defense against the misleading and vicious attacks - primarily by hypocritical Democrats - that "Bush lied� about the war in Iraq.
"Steve Hadley, the national security adviser, certainly refuted the critics Thursday,� Barnes said. "He told the critics who said the president manipulated WMD intelligence that they are mistaken, citing all of the comments made by high-ranking Democrats [such as Sens. Clinton, Kennedy, Kerry, Schumer, Reid, Rockefeller etc.] who backed the war based on the same information.�
The negative comments by Democrats about the war in Iraq have damaged President Bush�s credibility, as reflected in his plummeting poll ratings. Barnes is confident that those numbers will rise as Americans are reminded that Saddam was a killer and his history of possessing and using weapons of mass destruction made it essential that he be removed from power.
If you�ll notice, Democrats say �Bush Lied� but they never cite specific examples,� Barnes said. "That�s because they were saying the same things and many of their comments are captured on tape.
"To say that the president lied about the reasons to liberate Iraq is just incorrect. Ask the people of Iraq and they'll tell you that Saddam had to be removed. There is no doubt about that."
Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, told Fox News that the president and his team will launch an aggressive defense against the misleading and vicious attacks - primarily by hypocritical Democrats - that "Bush lied� about the war in Iraq.
"Steve Hadley, the national security adviser, certainly refuted the critics Thursday,� Barnes said. "He told the critics who said the president manipulated WMD intelligence that they are mistaken, citing all of the comments made by high-ranking Democrats [such as Sens. Clinton, Kennedy, Kerry, Schumer, Reid, Rockefeller etc.] who backed the war based on the same information.�
The negative comments by Democrats about the war in Iraq have damaged President Bush�s credibility, as reflected in his plummeting poll ratings. Barnes is confident that those numbers will rise as Americans are reminded that Saddam was a killer and his history of possessing and using weapons of mass destruction made it essential that he be removed from power.
If you�ll notice, Democrats say �Bush Lied� but they never cite specific examples,� Barnes said. "That�s because they were saying the same things and many of their comments are captured on tape.
"To say that the president lied about the reasons to liberate Iraq is just incorrect. Ask the people of Iraq and they'll tell you that Saddam had to be removed. There is no doubt about that."
President Forcefully Fires Back at War Critics
"It's About Time !" J.R.
President Bush forcefully attacked critics of the war in Iraq on Friday, accusing them of trying to rewrite history and saying they are undercutting American forces on the front lines.
"The stakes in the global war on terror are too high and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges," the president said in his combative Veterans Day speech.
Defending the march to war, Bush said that foreign intelligence services and Democrats and Republicans alike were convinced at the time that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
"Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and mislead the American people about why we went to war," Bush said.
He said those critics have made those allegations although they know that a Senate investigation "found no evidence" of political pressure to change the intelligence community's assessments related to Saddam's weapons program.
He said they also know that the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing Saddam's development and possession of weapons of mass destruction.
"More than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power," Bush said.
The president's remarks at the Tobyhanna Army Depot were part of the administration's effort to bolster waning U.S. public support for the war in which at least 2,059 U.S. troops have died. Bush offered a forceful defense of the war in Iraq, saying it is the central front in the war on terror and that extremists are trying to establish a radical Muslim empire extending from Spain to Indonesia.
"We will never back down. We will never give in. We will never accept anything less than complete victory," he said Friday.
Bush said the United States and its allies are determined to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of extremists and prevent them from gaining control of any country.
President Bush forcefully attacked critics of the war in Iraq on Friday, accusing them of trying to rewrite history and saying they are undercutting American forces on the front lines.
"The stakes in the global war on terror are too high and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges," the president said in his combative Veterans Day speech.
Defending the march to war, Bush said that foreign intelligence services and Democrats and Republicans alike were convinced at the time that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
"Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and mislead the American people about why we went to war," Bush said.
He said those critics have made those allegations although they know that a Senate investigation "found no evidence" of political pressure to change the intelligence community's assessments related to Saddam's weapons program.
He said they also know that the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing Saddam's development and possession of weapons of mass destruction.
"More than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power," Bush said.
The president's remarks at the Tobyhanna Army Depot were part of the administration's effort to bolster waning U.S. public support for the war in which at least 2,059 U.S. troops have died. Bush offered a forceful defense of the war in Iraq, saying it is the central front in the war on terror and that extremists are trying to establish a radical Muslim empire extending from Spain to Indonesia.
"We will never back down. We will never give in. We will never accept anything less than complete victory," he said Friday.
Bush said the United States and its allies are determined to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of extremists and prevent them from gaining control of any country.
Saddam�s ex-No. 2, al-Douri, reportedly dead
Media say �most wanted� Iraq fugitive and alleged insurgency leader died
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, former No. 2 to toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and allegedly a leader of the Iraqi insurgency, has died, according to media reports Friday.
Arabiya TV and Agence France Presse both reported al-Douri�s death but provided no details. Both said they were quoting from a statement by Iraq�s dismantled Baath Party.
�The leader of the resistance died on Friday, November 11 at 2:20 am,� Agence France Presse reported, quoting the statement that it said was signed by the �Baath command.�
Al-Douri was the most senior member of the former regime still at large and had been a top insurgent leader. He is number six on the U.S. military�s list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis, with a $10 million reward offered for his capture.
Following the capture of Saddam Hussein on Dec. 13, 2003, he became the most wanted man in Iraq.
A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told NBC News that U.S. authorities have no information to confirm the reports of his death. However, members of the former Baath Party also told NBC�s Baghdad bureau that al-Douri had died.
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, former No. 2 to toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and allegedly a leader of the Iraqi insurgency, has died, according to media reports Friday.
Arabiya TV and Agence France Presse both reported al-Douri�s death but provided no details. Both said they were quoting from a statement by Iraq�s dismantled Baath Party.
�The leader of the resistance died on Friday, November 11 at 2:20 am,� Agence France Presse reported, quoting the statement that it said was signed by the �Baath command.�
Al-Douri was the most senior member of the former regime still at large and had been a top insurgent leader. He is number six on the U.S. military�s list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis, with a $10 million reward offered for his capture.
Following the capture of Saddam Hussein on Dec. 13, 2003, he became the most wanted man in Iraq.
A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told NBC News that U.S. authorities have no information to confirm the reports of his death. However, members of the former Baath Party also told NBC�s Baghdad bureau that al-Douri had died.
Happy Veterans Day !
Veterans of World War II are now dying at a rate of about 2,000 per day. I was recently sent an email that contained the following link to a website, www.beforeyougo.us, that has a slide presentation and a song as a tribute to our WWII Veterans.
It is a OUTSTANDING tribute in memory of our WWII Veterans and the price they paid for our freedom.
As a favor to me please go to the website and play the song and watch the slide presentation, I guarantee it will move you.
Another favorite of mine is "Welcome Home Brother" a Vietnam Veteran Tribute Song by my good friend Lloyd Marcus from his Album "United We Stand"
Thanks
J.R.
It is a OUTSTANDING tribute in memory of our WWII Veterans and the price they paid for our freedom.
As a favor to me please go to the website and play the song and watch the slide presentation, I guarantee it will move you.
Another favorite of mine is "Welcome Home Brother" a Vietnam Veteran Tribute Song by my good friend Lloyd Marcus from his Album "United We Stand"
Thanks
J.R.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Former CIA officer says Vallely lying
Former CIA officer and one time FOX contributor Larry Johnson is calling retired general and FOX military analyst Paul Vallely a "right wing [hack] making up facts,� after Vallely said former Ambassador Joseph Wilson told him his wife worked at the CIA as both waited to appear on FOX programs.
This as liberal Websites say they have proof Vallely is lying, saying research service LexisNexis shows Vallely and Wilson never appeared on FOX on the same day. But in fact, Vallely and Wilson appeared on the same day nine times in 2002, and on the same show twice � on September 8 and September 12, when both men appeared within 15 minutes of one another.
This as liberal Websites say they have proof Vallely is lying, saying research service LexisNexis shows Vallely and Wilson never appeared on FOX on the same day. But in fact, Vallely and Wilson appeared on the same day nine times in 2002, and on the same show twice � on September 8 and September 12, when both men appeared within 15 minutes of one another.
Jordanians rally against Zarqawi
Jordanians Rally to Denounce Al-Zarqawi, Day After Group Claimed Responsibility for Hotel Bombings
Hundreds of angry Jordanians rallied Thursday outside one of three U.S.-based hotels attacked by suicide bombers, shouting, "Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!" after the terrorist's group claimed responsibility for the blasts that killed at least 56 people.
In an Internet statement, al-Qaida in Iraq linked the blasts at the Grand Hyatt, the Radisson SAS and the Days Inn hotels to the war in Iraq and called Amman the "backyard garden" for U.S. operations.
The Amman protest was organized by Jordan's 14 professional and trade unions made up of both hard-line Islamic groups and leftist political organizations traditionally a vocal critic of King Abdullah II's moderate and pro-Western policies.
Protesters including women and children gathered outside a bombed hotels, shouting, "Death to al-Zarqawi, the villain and the traitor!" Drivers honked the horns of vehicles decorated with Jordanian flags and posters of the king. A helicopter hovered overhead.
"We sacrifice our lives for you, Amman!" the protesters chanted.
State television said a second rally was planned in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where attackers using Katyusha rockets narrowly missed a U.S. ship and killed a Jordanian soldier in August.
Hundreds of angry Jordanians rallied Thursday outside one of three U.S.-based hotels attacked by suicide bombers, shouting, "Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!" after the terrorist's group claimed responsibility for the blasts that killed at least 56 people.
In an Internet statement, al-Qaida in Iraq linked the blasts at the Grand Hyatt, the Radisson SAS and the Days Inn hotels to the war in Iraq and called Amman the "backyard garden" for U.S. operations.
The Amman protest was organized by Jordan's 14 professional and trade unions made up of both hard-line Islamic groups and leftist political organizations traditionally a vocal critic of King Abdullah II's moderate and pro-Western policies.
Protesters including women and children gathered outside a bombed hotels, shouting, "Death to al-Zarqawi, the villain and the traitor!" Drivers honked the horns of vehicles decorated with Jordanian flags and posters of the king. A helicopter hovered overhead.
"We sacrifice our lives for you, Amman!" the protesters chanted.
State television said a second rally was planned in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where attackers using Katyusha rockets narrowly missed a U.S. ship and killed a Jordanian soldier in August.
Ahmad Chalabi Denies Passing Faulty WMD Information
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Wednesday with Iraq's controversial Deputy Prime Minister. Mr. Chalabi is denying charges he provided U.S. officials with faulty information about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction programs.
Mr. Chalabi is meeting senior Bush administration officials amid a background of controversy in Washington over his role prior to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Democratic lawmakers say they would like Mr. Chalabi to answer charges that, as an Iraqi exile figure prior to the war, he provided U.S. officials with inflated or outright false information about Saddam Hussein's weapons programs that prompted the decision to invade.
In a talk with reporters after the half-hour meeting with Secretary Rice, Mr. Chalabi flatly denied he was responsible for providing false intelligence, while brushing aside another question about his pre-war role, saying the focus should be on the situation in Iraq now.
Mr. Chalabi is meeting senior Bush administration officials amid a background of controversy in Washington over his role prior to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Democratic lawmakers say they would like Mr. Chalabi to answer charges that, as an Iraqi exile figure prior to the war, he provided U.S. officials with inflated or outright false information about Saddam Hussein's weapons programs that prompted the decision to invade.
In a talk with reporters after the half-hour meeting with Secretary Rice, Mr. Chalabi flatly denied he was responsible for providing false intelligence, while brushing aside another question about his pre-war role, saying the focus should be on the situation in Iraq now.
Sen. Sessions Skewers Democrats on WMD Rhetoric
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) called on his Democratic colleagues Thursday to stop their false and destructive criticism of the Bush administration's handling of pre-war intelligence.
"This Senate," Sessions warned, "should never, never, never parrot the false charges of our enemies."
"The world hears what we say here," he continued, "Please remember that exaggerated political charges can do more than sting our political opponents here at home."
Sessions was responding to recent claims of Senate Democrats that the Bush administration misled the American public into the Iraq war.
On November 1, Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) invoked a rarely used procedural rule to alter the Senate's agenda, alleging the Bush administration "manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq."
Sessions responded directly to those claims. "Our leaders did not lie us into war," he said. "We Senators heard the same intelligence and we voted to authorize this war."
Making false charges for domestic political gains is dangerous and wrong," Sessions said. "Undermining our nation's position in the world, encouraging our enemy to falsely believe that this nation is divided, and leading the enemy to believe that we may quit if they just kill a few more soldiers or Marines is wrong, wrong, wrong."
Sessions then mentioned a series of reports that clear the administration of what Republicans claim are slanderous allegations.
He noted:
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued a unanimous bipartisan report in July 2004 clearing the administration of charges of manufacture or manipulation of pre-war intelligence.
The Robb-Silverman Report, partially named for co-chairman and former Democratic Senator Charles Robb (D-Va.), concluded there was "no evidence of political pressure to influence the intelligence community's pre-war assessment of Iraq's weapons programs."
The final United Nations report upon exiting Iraq concluded Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Sessions pointed out, "virtually all intelligence agencies in the world, including the French who were certainly not under our control, agreed."
Other Republicans might soon join Sessions in excoriating Democrats for their "Bush lied" rhetoric.
Anonymous White House aides told CNN Tuesday that they are planning a "campaign-style" strategy. They plan to provide GOP officials with quotes by prominent Democrats who made similar pre-war claims regarding Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.
Republicans will not have to look far. Most Democrat leaders - including former President Bill Clinton - made statements strikingly similar to those made by Bush administration officials in the months preceding the Iraq war.
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) noted the Web site of Senator Reid in a speech on the Senate floor Monday.
"What is my position on Iraq?" Reid asked on his own Web site as recently as Monday.
"Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator," Reid answers, "who presents a serious threat to international peace and security. Under Saddam's rule, Iraq has engaged in far-reaching human rights abuses, been a state sponsor of terrorism, and has long sought to obtain and develop weapons of mass destruction."
"This Senate," Sessions warned, "should never, never, never parrot the false charges of our enemies."
"The world hears what we say here," he continued, "Please remember that exaggerated political charges can do more than sting our political opponents here at home."
Sessions was responding to recent claims of Senate Democrats that the Bush administration misled the American public into the Iraq war.
On November 1, Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) invoked a rarely used procedural rule to alter the Senate's agenda, alleging the Bush administration "manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq."
Sessions responded directly to those claims. "Our leaders did not lie us into war," he said. "We Senators heard the same intelligence and we voted to authorize this war."
Making false charges for domestic political gains is dangerous and wrong," Sessions said. "Undermining our nation's position in the world, encouraging our enemy to falsely believe that this nation is divided, and leading the enemy to believe that we may quit if they just kill a few more soldiers or Marines is wrong, wrong, wrong."
Sessions then mentioned a series of reports that clear the administration of what Republicans claim are slanderous allegations.
He noted:
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued a unanimous bipartisan report in July 2004 clearing the administration of charges of manufacture or manipulation of pre-war intelligence.
The Robb-Silverman Report, partially named for co-chairman and former Democratic Senator Charles Robb (D-Va.), concluded there was "no evidence of political pressure to influence the intelligence community's pre-war assessment of Iraq's weapons programs."
The final United Nations report upon exiting Iraq concluded Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Sessions pointed out, "virtually all intelligence agencies in the world, including the French who were certainly not under our control, agreed."
Other Republicans might soon join Sessions in excoriating Democrats for their "Bush lied" rhetoric.
Anonymous White House aides told CNN Tuesday that they are planning a "campaign-style" strategy. They plan to provide GOP officials with quotes by prominent Democrats who made similar pre-war claims regarding Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.
Republicans will not have to look far. Most Democrat leaders - including former President Bill Clinton - made statements strikingly similar to those made by Bush administration officials in the months preceding the Iraq war.
Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) noted the Web site of Senator Reid in a speech on the Senate floor Monday.
"What is my position on Iraq?" Reid asked on his own Web site as recently as Monday.
"Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator," Reid answers, "who presents a serious threat to international peace and security. Under Saddam's rule, Iraq has engaged in far-reaching human rights abuses, been a state sponsor of terrorism, and has long sought to obtain and develop weapons of mass destruction."
Don't expect a real woman president in 2008
Poll respondents say women, minority candidates likely to wait until 2012
Despite the success of new TV drama �Commander in Chief,� don't expect a real-life woman president anytime soon, according to an MSNBC.com-Zogby audience poll.
Zogby International, the national polling company, teamed up with MSNBC.com to ask our audience questions about politics and entertainment. More than 12,000 readers took the poll, which asked questions ranging from political bias in Hollywood to whether or not privilege is the key to being elected to public office.
�Commander in Chief,� which stars Geena Davis as the first woman president, has been a consistent ratings winner this season for ABC. However, when asked if a woman would be elected president in 2008, 61.3 percent of the survey respondents declared it was not likely (29.7 percent said it was slightly likely). Respondents were more optimistic about the future, though. Fifty-two percent said it was slightly likely that a woman would be elected in the 2012 election, with 17 percent saying they thought it was highly likely.
When asked who would win if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ran against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the nation's highest office, the Democratic former First Lady got the nod by 53.5 percent, to 31.8 percent for Rice.
Respondents had similar thoughts about the chances of a minority politician occupying the Oval Office. Almost 65 percent said it was unlikely a minority candidate would be elected in 2008, but 54 percent thought it was slightly likely and 15 percent thought it highly likely in 2012. Forty-three percent believe an African-American will be the first minority president, while 42 percent believe a Hispanic-American will be the first.
Hollywood � and its perceived biases � also were singled out in the poll. When asked if Hollywood followed social trends or set them, 41.6 percent thought the entertainment industry followed them, while 33.5 percent thought the industry blazed the trail.
Sixty-five percent believe Hollywood has a liberal political bias, while just 4 percent thought it skewed toward conservative points-of-view. Twenty-four percent said they didn't believe there was any political bias.
Fifty-five percent of respondents believe Hollywood uses TV shows to influence the national political debate, while 32 percent disagree.
Despite the success of new TV drama �Commander in Chief,� don't expect a real-life woman president anytime soon, according to an MSNBC.com-Zogby audience poll.
Zogby International, the national polling company, teamed up with MSNBC.com to ask our audience questions about politics and entertainment. More than 12,000 readers took the poll, which asked questions ranging from political bias in Hollywood to whether or not privilege is the key to being elected to public office.
�Commander in Chief,� which stars Geena Davis as the first woman president, has been a consistent ratings winner this season for ABC. However, when asked if a woman would be elected president in 2008, 61.3 percent of the survey respondents declared it was not likely (29.7 percent said it was slightly likely). Respondents were more optimistic about the future, though. Fifty-two percent said it was slightly likely that a woman would be elected in the 2012 election, with 17 percent saying they thought it was highly likely.
When asked who would win if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ran against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the nation's highest office, the Democratic former First Lady got the nod by 53.5 percent, to 31.8 percent for Rice.
Respondents had similar thoughts about the chances of a minority politician occupying the Oval Office. Almost 65 percent said it was unlikely a minority candidate would be elected in 2008, but 54 percent thought it was slightly likely and 15 percent thought it highly likely in 2012. Forty-three percent believe an African-American will be the first minority president, while 42 percent believe a Hispanic-American will be the first.
Hollywood � and its perceived biases � also were singled out in the poll. When asked if Hollywood followed social trends or set them, 41.6 percent thought the entertainment industry followed them, while 33.5 percent thought the industry blazed the trail.
Sixty-five percent believe Hollywood has a liberal political bias, while just 4 percent thought it skewed toward conservative points-of-view. Twenty-four percent said they didn't believe there was any political bias.
Fifty-five percent of respondents believe Hollywood uses TV shows to influence the national political debate, while 32 percent disagree.
U.S. Marine Corps: The Few, the Proud, the Very Best of All
Philip V. Brennan
The other day I read a piece about the state of readiness of an Iraqi military unit that is performing extremely well. After complimenting the Iraqi unit's advancement, the writer added that "of course, it's not the First Marine Division � but then, nobody is."
Right on. What the writer was saying is that the First Marine Division in its perfection stands alone among all of the world's military. The same can be said about the entire Marine Corps. It simply has no equals. Not a one.
This needs to be said in the face of the release of the film "Jarhead," a sniveling anti-war film that slanders the finest fighting force on the face of the earth as a bunch of deranged primitives living in a progressive age.
Writing in Opinion Journal Tuesday, Brendan Miniter describes the film as "a succession of deflating experiences leading up to the conclusion that war is a waste of time and it destroys all those who engage in it. ...
"What Hollywood is tossing up on the silver screen is a political strategy the left hopes to employ: using disillusioned warriors to discredit the war."
The other day I read a piece about the state of readiness of an Iraqi military unit that is performing extremely well. After complimenting the Iraqi unit's advancement, the writer added that "of course, it's not the First Marine Division � but then, nobody is."
Right on. What the writer was saying is that the First Marine Division in its perfection stands alone among all of the world's military. The same can be said about the entire Marine Corps. It simply has no equals. Not a one.
This needs to be said in the face of the release of the film "Jarhead," a sniveling anti-war film that slanders the finest fighting force on the face of the earth as a bunch of deranged primitives living in a progressive age.
Writing in Opinion Journal Tuesday, Brendan Miniter describes the film as "a succession of deflating experiences leading up to the conclusion that war is a waste of time and it destroys all those who engage in it. ...
"What Hollywood is tossing up on the silver screen is a political strategy the left hopes to employ: using disillusioned warriors to discredit the war."
Happy 230th Birthday to U.S. Marine Corps.
The United States Marine Corps celebrates its 230th birthday today as the proudest, most elite military force on the face of the earth.
Time and again for more than two centuries, those who serve in the USMC have lived up to their bold and beautiful promise � to be among "The Few, The Proud, The Marines.�
Founded Nov. 10, 1775 by the Second Continental Congress, the "Soldiers of the Sea� have gone on to signify � in the words of Gen. M.W. Hagee � "all that is highest in warfighting excellence and military virtue.�
From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, and beyond ...
Hagee, in a letter posted to the Marine Corp. Web site, thanked all Marines for their "continuous combat operations overseas and distinguished service here at home� on behalf of Americans and defenders of freedom throughout the world.
Hagee cited the Marine Corps. role in natural disasters and battles around the globe as a testament to the dedication of the Marines who serve.
"Marine compassion and flexibility provided humanitarian assistance to thousands in the wake of the South East Asian Tsunami, and here at home, Marines with AAVs, helicopters and sometimes with their bare hands saved hundreds of our own fellow Americans in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,� he writes.
"Across the full spectrum of operations, you [Marine veterans] have showcased that Marines create stability in an unstable world, and have reinforced our Corps� reputation for setting the standard of excellence.�
From all of us at NewsMax.com, Happy Birthday Marines - you have our deepest admiration and respect.
Semper Fi.
Time and again for more than two centuries, those who serve in the USMC have lived up to their bold and beautiful promise � to be among "The Few, The Proud, The Marines.�
Founded Nov. 10, 1775 by the Second Continental Congress, the "Soldiers of the Sea� have gone on to signify � in the words of Gen. M.W. Hagee � "all that is highest in warfighting excellence and military virtue.�
From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, and beyond ...
Hagee, in a letter posted to the Marine Corp. Web site, thanked all Marines for their "continuous combat operations overseas and distinguished service here at home� on behalf of Americans and defenders of freedom throughout the world.
Hagee cited the Marine Corps. role in natural disasters and battles around the globe as a testament to the dedication of the Marines who serve.
"Marine compassion and flexibility provided humanitarian assistance to thousands in the wake of the South East Asian Tsunami, and here at home, Marines with AAVs, helicopters and sometimes with their bare hands saved hundreds of our own fellow Americans in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,� he writes.
"Across the full spectrum of operations, you [Marine veterans] have showcased that Marines create stability in an unstable world, and have reinforced our Corps� reputation for setting the standard of excellence.�
From all of us at NewsMax.com, Happy Birthday Marines - you have our deepest admiration and respect.
Semper Fi.
Al-Qaida Links Jordan Bombings to Iraq War
Al-Qaida claimed responsibility Thursday for three suicide bomb attacks on Western hotels that killed at least 56 people, linking the deadly blasts to the war in Iraq and calling Amman the "backyard garden" for U.S. operations. Police continued a broad security lockdown and authorities sent DNA samples for testing to identify the attackers. Land borders were reopened after being closed for nearly 12 hours.
Government spokesman Bassel Tarawneh lowered the death toll by one, citing confusion in the early hours after the blasts. He said the number was likely to rise slightly.
He said the victims included 15 Jordanians, five Iraqis, one Saudi, one Palestinian, three Chinese, one Indonesian; 30 others hadn't been identified.
The nearly simultaneous attacks late Wednesday also wounded more than 115 people, police said. They detained several people overnight, although it was unclear if those being held were of suspects or witnesses.
The al-Qaida claim, posted on a militant Internet site, said Jordan became a target because it was "a backyard garden for the enemies of the religion, Jews and crusaders ... a filthy place for the traitors ... and a center for prostitution." The authenticity of the posting could not be independently verified, but it appeared on an Islamic Web site that acts as a clearing house for statements by militant groups.
The claim of responsibility, signed in the name of the spokesman for Al-Qaida in Iraq, said the attacks put the United States on notice that the "backyard camp for the crusader army is now in the range of fire of the holy warriors."
Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba said the attack should alert Jordan that it needed to stop playing host to former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
"I hope that these attacks will wake up the `Jordanian street' to end their sympathy with Saddam's remnants ... who exploit the freedom in this country to have a safe shelter to plot their criminal acts against Iraqis ."
He also said Iraqis may have had a hand in the attacks.
The al-Qaida organization has become as a plague that affected Iraq and is now transmitted by the same rats to other countries. A lot of Iraqis, especially former intelligence and army officers, joined this criminal cell," Kubba said.
Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said shortly after the blasts that al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a "prime suspect." The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi is known for his animosity to the country's Hashemite monarchy. The claim of responsibility did not name King Abdullah II but twice referred to the "tyrant of Jordan."
Government spokesman Bassel Tarawneh lowered the death toll by one, citing confusion in the early hours after the blasts. He said the number was likely to rise slightly.
He said the victims included 15 Jordanians, five Iraqis, one Saudi, one Palestinian, three Chinese, one Indonesian; 30 others hadn't been identified.
The nearly simultaneous attacks late Wednesday also wounded more than 115 people, police said. They detained several people overnight, although it was unclear if those being held were of suspects or witnesses.
The al-Qaida claim, posted on a militant Internet site, said Jordan became a target because it was "a backyard garden for the enemies of the religion, Jews and crusaders ... a filthy place for the traitors ... and a center for prostitution." The authenticity of the posting could not be independently verified, but it appeared on an Islamic Web site that acts as a clearing house for statements by militant groups.
The claim of responsibility, signed in the name of the spokesman for Al-Qaida in Iraq, said the attacks put the United States on notice that the "backyard camp for the crusader army is now in the range of fire of the holy warriors."
Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba said the attack should alert Jordan that it needed to stop playing host to former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
"I hope that these attacks will wake up the `Jordanian street' to end their sympathy with Saddam's remnants ... who exploit the freedom in this country to have a safe shelter to plot their criminal acts against Iraqis ."
He also said Iraqis may have had a hand in the attacks.
The al-Qaida organization has become as a plague that affected Iraq and is now transmitted by the same rats to other countries. A lot of Iraqis, especially former intelligence and army officers, joined this criminal cell," Kubba said.
Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said shortly after the blasts that al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a "prime suspect." The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi is known for his animosity to the country's Hashemite monarchy. The claim of responsibility did not name King Abdullah II but twice referred to the "tyrant of Jordan."
FTC subpoenas Big Oil firms in U.S. gasoline probe
The Federal Trade Commission has sent subpoenas to Big Oil companies in its investigation of gasoline price manipulation and oil refining capacity constraints, and hopes to complete the probe next spring, the agency's head told a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday.
The agency sent out "dozens of subpoenas" to companies, including oil giants Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. , ConocoPhillips, and the U.S. units of BP Plc. (BP.L) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc., FTC Chairwoman Deborah Majoras said.
She spoke following a hearing on energy profits held by the Senate's energy and commerce committees. "It is a major investigation."
Executives from the five companies mentioned testified earlier in the day on their record profits and high energy prices.
Majoras said subpoenas were sent to companies that operated pipelines, refineries and terminals.
The FTC is asking the companies only for information at this point, but agency staff said the companies' officials could also be asked to testify in the investigation.
"If there is anticompetitive behavior going on between and among these gasoline companies, we'll find that and we will prosecute," Majoras said.
The commission plans to finish its investigation and report its findings to Congress next spring, she said.
The FTC probe was ordered by Congress last summer as part of a broad energy bill with $14.5 billion in industry incentives. Lawmakers included the provision because of a steady climb in crude oil and gasoline prices throughout 2005.
Less than a month after the bill was signed into law, Hurricane Katrina thundered through the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, flooding eight major refineries and halting most offshore oil production. The national average retail price of gasoline surged to a record $3.07 a gallon soon afterward.
Lawmakers on the two Senate panels expressed concern about the sharp increase in gasoline prices.
"The FTC staff is looking at pricing decisions and other conduct in the wake of Katrina to understand what has occurred and to identify any illegal conduct," Majoras said.
Majoras also warned that the United States is "vulnerable to these price spikes as long as we accept the tight refining capacity and the dependence that we have on foreign oil," she said. "We are going to be in for a tough road."
Consumers are understandably upset when they face sharp price increases at the gasoline pump, Majoras said.
But congressional proposals for a federal law prohibiting price profiteering are not necessarily the answer, she added.
"Price gouging laws that have the effect of controlling prices likely do more harm than good," Majoras said. "While no consumer likes price increases, in fact, price increases lower demand and help make the shortage shorter-lived than it otherwise would have been."
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have protections against price gouging. But some state attorneys general, consumer groups and lawmakers believe it is time to have a federal law to also fight price gouging.
"When there is a natural disaster or emergency situation in one area of the country that affects the supply and pricing of an essential, nationally distributed product, as (gasoline was) with Katrina, Congress should provide a mechanism that reduces the volatility of prices across state lines," New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey told the panel.
"For this, a federal law could protect all American consumers against price gouging during national or regional disasters or abnormal market disruptions" said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.
Bills to prohibit oil price profiteering after natural disasters or national emergencies have been offered by several Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican, said last month he would support such legislation "if the facts warrant it."
Earlier Wednesday at the Senate hearing, top executives of Exxon Mobil and the four other major oil companies defended a jump in third-quarter profits, which reflected the recent record-high prices of gasoline, crude oil and natural gas.
The agency sent out "dozens of subpoenas" to companies, including oil giants Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. , ConocoPhillips, and the U.S. units of BP Plc. (BP.L) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc., FTC Chairwoman Deborah Majoras said.
She spoke following a hearing on energy profits held by the Senate's energy and commerce committees. "It is a major investigation."
Executives from the five companies mentioned testified earlier in the day on their record profits and high energy prices.
Majoras said subpoenas were sent to companies that operated pipelines, refineries and terminals.
The FTC is asking the companies only for information at this point, but agency staff said the companies' officials could also be asked to testify in the investigation.
"If there is anticompetitive behavior going on between and among these gasoline companies, we'll find that and we will prosecute," Majoras said.
The commission plans to finish its investigation and report its findings to Congress next spring, she said.
The FTC probe was ordered by Congress last summer as part of a broad energy bill with $14.5 billion in industry incentives. Lawmakers included the provision because of a steady climb in crude oil and gasoline prices throughout 2005.
Less than a month after the bill was signed into law, Hurricane Katrina thundered through the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, flooding eight major refineries and halting most offshore oil production. The national average retail price of gasoline surged to a record $3.07 a gallon soon afterward.
Lawmakers on the two Senate panels expressed concern about the sharp increase in gasoline prices.
"The FTC staff is looking at pricing decisions and other conduct in the wake of Katrina to understand what has occurred and to identify any illegal conduct," Majoras said.
Majoras also warned that the United States is "vulnerable to these price spikes as long as we accept the tight refining capacity and the dependence that we have on foreign oil," she said. "We are going to be in for a tough road."
Consumers are understandably upset when they face sharp price increases at the gasoline pump, Majoras said.
But congressional proposals for a federal law prohibiting price profiteering are not necessarily the answer, she added.
"Price gouging laws that have the effect of controlling prices likely do more harm than good," Majoras said. "While no consumer likes price increases, in fact, price increases lower demand and help make the shortage shorter-lived than it otherwise would have been."
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have protections against price gouging. But some state attorneys general, consumer groups and lawmakers believe it is time to have a federal law to also fight price gouging.
"When there is a natural disaster or emergency situation in one area of the country that affects the supply and pricing of an essential, nationally distributed product, as (gasoline was) with Katrina, Congress should provide a mechanism that reduces the volatility of prices across state lines," New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey told the panel.
"For this, a federal law could protect all American consumers against price gouging during national or regional disasters or abnormal market disruptions" said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.
Bills to prohibit oil price profiteering after natural disasters or national emergencies have been offered by several Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican, said last month he would support such legislation "if the facts warrant it."
Earlier Wednesday at the Senate hearing, top executives of Exxon Mobil and the four other major oil companies defended a jump in third-quarter profits, which reflected the recent record-high prices of gasoline, crude oil and natural gas.
Andrea Mitchell: I 'Misspoke' on Plame ID
NBC's senior diplomatic correspondent Andrea Mitchell is claiming that her comments have been deliberately distorted in reports covering a 2003 interview where she said Valerie Plame's identity had been "widely known" before her name appeared in a Robert Novak column.
"The fact is that I did not know [Plame's identity] before the Novak column," she told radio host Don Imus on Thursday.
"I said it was widely known that an envoy had gone [to Niger]," she insisted. "I said we did not know who the envoy was until the Novak column."
But the actual exchange in question shows that Mitchell was questioned specifically about Plame's CIA employment, not her envoy husband.
"Do we have any idea how widely known it was in Washington that Joe Wilson's wife worked for the CIA?" she was asked by host Alan Murray in an Oct. 3, 2003 interview on CNBC's "Captial Report."
Mitchell replied: "It was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger. So a number of us began to pick up on that."
Confronted with her comments Thursday morning, the top NBC reporter insisted: "[The quote] was out of context."
When pressed, a flustered-sounding Mitchell explained: "I - I - I said it was widely known that an envoy had gone - let me try to find the quote. But the fact is what I was trying to say in the rest of that sentence - I said we did not know who the envoy was until the Novak column."
Moments later, however, Mitchell changed her story, saying she was talking about both Plame and Wilson:
"I said that it was widely known that - here's the exact quote - I said that it was widely known that Wilson was an envoy and that his wife worked at the CIA. But I was talking about . . . after the Novak column."
"That was not clear," she finally confessed, before admitting, "I may have misspoken in October 2003 in that interview."
Still, despite her admission, Mitchell blamed partisan "bloggers" for distorting her comments:
"We've got a whole new world of journalism out there where there are people writing blogs where they grab one thing and ignore everything else that I've written and said about this. And it supports their political view."
"The fact is that I did not know [Plame's identity] before the Novak column," she told radio host Don Imus on Thursday.
"I said it was widely known that an envoy had gone [to Niger]," she insisted. "I said we did not know who the envoy was until the Novak column."
But the actual exchange in question shows that Mitchell was questioned specifically about Plame's CIA employment, not her envoy husband.
"Do we have any idea how widely known it was in Washington that Joe Wilson's wife worked for the CIA?" she was asked by host Alan Murray in an Oct. 3, 2003 interview on CNBC's "Captial Report."
Mitchell replied: "It was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger. So a number of us began to pick up on that."
Confronted with her comments Thursday morning, the top NBC reporter insisted: "[The quote] was out of context."
When pressed, a flustered-sounding Mitchell explained: "I - I - I said it was widely known that an envoy had gone - let me try to find the quote. But the fact is what I was trying to say in the rest of that sentence - I said we did not know who the envoy was until the Novak column."
Moments later, however, Mitchell changed her story, saying she was talking about both Plame and Wilson:
"I said that it was widely known that - here's the exact quote - I said that it was widely known that Wilson was an envoy and that his wife worked at the CIA. But I was talking about . . . after the Novak column."
"That was not clear," she finally confessed, before admitting, "I may have misspoken in October 2003 in that interview."
Still, despite her admission, Mitchell blamed partisan "bloggers" for distorting her comments:
"We've got a whole new world of journalism out there where there are people writing blogs where they grab one thing and ignore everything else that I've written and said about this. And it supports their political view."
Pew Poll: Bush Not Treated Fairly by Press
Nearly 50 percent of Americans believe the press is unfair to the Bush administration, according to a new Pew Research Center. Similarly, an increasing number of Americans say the press is too critical of the administration.
"Republican perceptions of press coverage of Bush have changed dramatically,� noted the survey.
More than 60 percent of self-identified Republicans believe the press is unfair and too critical of Bush. Just 16 percent of self-identified Democrats believe the press is unfair, and 45 percent say the press has not been critical enough of the president.
Republican perceptions are bolstered by a report released in July by the non-partisan Center for Media and Public Affairs. In "No Second Term Media Honeymoon for Bush,� the Center found network coverage of President Bush was twice as negative � two times as many negative-leaning stories as positive-leaning stories - in the first 100 days of the president�s second term.
ABC News was the worst offender, according to the survey, with 78 percent of comments aired on "World News Tonight� deemed critical of the president.
A new study would likely reveal increasing negativity after July � spurred by Hurricane Katrina and the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney�s former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter� Libby.
"Republican perceptions of press coverage of Bush have changed dramatically,� noted the survey.
More than 60 percent of self-identified Republicans believe the press is unfair and too critical of Bush. Just 16 percent of self-identified Democrats believe the press is unfair, and 45 percent say the press has not been critical enough of the president.
Republican perceptions are bolstered by a report released in July by the non-partisan Center for Media and Public Affairs. In "No Second Term Media Honeymoon for Bush,� the Center found network coverage of President Bush was twice as negative � two times as many negative-leaning stories as positive-leaning stories - in the first 100 days of the president�s second term.
ABC News was the worst offender, according to the survey, with 78 percent of comments aired on "World News Tonight� deemed critical of the president.
A new study would likely reveal increasing negativity after July � spurred by Hurricane Katrina and the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney�s former chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter� Libby.
Kurds Campaign Thanks U.S. for Liberation
A group representing Kurdistan thanks America for liberating that nation from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship of terrorism.
"The Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan just want to say �thank you for helping us win our freedom. Thank you for democracy. Thank you America.�
The print and broadcast advertisements are sponsored by the Kurdistan Development Corporation, an organization created by the government of Kurdistan to encourage international investment.
The ad campaign began Monday in the United States with ads in The Wall Street Journal and on Fox News Channel. Ads begin airing Nov. 14 airing in Europe.
The group describes Kurdistan as a place "where peace and prosperity have reigned since liberation from Saddam Hussein.�
Indeed, though Kurdistan contains nine percent of the total area of Iraq, not a single coalition solider has died in the territory since March 2003.
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Chairman of the Kurdistan Development Corporation and Kurdistan�s High Representative to the UK, says the commercials are necessary to counter the American media�s largely negative coverage of Iraq.
"We feel the mainstream media,� she tells Newsmax, "is focusing on the negative stories coming out of Iraq and very rarely highlighting the good news.�
"We�re not saying that the media doesn�t tell the truth. They do tell the truth. There is violence. There is an insurgency. But it�s not the whole truth, or the whole picture.�
"The truth is that while there is violence,� she continues, "there are big strides being taken towards democracy in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan. There are vast sections of Iraq, and again particularly Kurdistan, where the region is safe, stable, and people are getting on with their lives, doing business, trying to build a future.�
Indeed, not a single coalition soldier has died in Kurdistan since March 2003.
Rahman worries, however, about suggestions that the United States should pull out of Iraq.
"If people are saying that America should withdraw their troops now, that would be a catastrophe, not only for the people of Iraq but also for the Middle East and the wider intentional community and the United States,� she says.
Kurdistan President H.E. Masoud Barzani thanked President Bush for his dedication to Iraqi freedom in an Oct. 25 visit to the White House.
"It was a brave decision that you have made,� Barzani told the president, "you have liberated a people from a dictatorial regime that has hurt a lot of people.�
"The Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan just want to say �thank you for helping us win our freedom. Thank you for democracy. Thank you America.�
The print and broadcast advertisements are sponsored by the Kurdistan Development Corporation, an organization created by the government of Kurdistan to encourage international investment.
The ad campaign began Monday in the United States with ads in The Wall Street Journal and on Fox News Channel. Ads begin airing Nov. 14 airing in Europe.
The group describes Kurdistan as a place "where peace and prosperity have reigned since liberation from Saddam Hussein.�
Indeed, though Kurdistan contains nine percent of the total area of Iraq, not a single coalition solider has died in the territory since March 2003.
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Chairman of the Kurdistan Development Corporation and Kurdistan�s High Representative to the UK, says the commercials are necessary to counter the American media�s largely negative coverage of Iraq.
"We feel the mainstream media,� she tells Newsmax, "is focusing on the negative stories coming out of Iraq and very rarely highlighting the good news.�
"We�re not saying that the media doesn�t tell the truth. They do tell the truth. There is violence. There is an insurgency. But it�s not the whole truth, or the whole picture.�
"The truth is that while there is violence,� she continues, "there are big strides being taken towards democracy in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan. There are vast sections of Iraq, and again particularly Kurdistan, where the region is safe, stable, and people are getting on with their lives, doing business, trying to build a future.�
Indeed, not a single coalition soldier has died in Kurdistan since March 2003.
Rahman worries, however, about suggestions that the United States should pull out of Iraq.
"If people are saying that America should withdraw their troops now, that would be a catastrophe, not only for the people of Iraq but also for the Middle East and the wider intentional community and the United States,� she says.
Kurdistan President H.E. Masoud Barzani thanked President Bush for his dedication to Iraqi freedom in an Oct. 25 visit to the White House.
"It was a brave decision that you have made,� Barzani told the president, "you have liberated a people from a dictatorial regime that has hurt a lot of people.�
Exonerated Marine to tell his story in book
Pantano faced possible death sentence for killing insurgents
A Marine officer exonerated after a high-profile, year-long investigation into an accusation he murdered two suspected Iraqi insurgents is publishing a memoir.
As WorldNetDaily reported, 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano, a platoon leader in the volatile Sunni Triangle, insisted he acted in self-defense against suspected insurgents during a weapons-cache raid in the spring of 2004. But Marine Corps prosecutors contended Pantano broke the military code and executed the Iraqis to send a message to the enemy.
Before being cleared by his commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, Pantano had faced a possible court-martial and death sentence.
The tile of Pantano's upcoming book, "WARLORD: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy," alludes to a sign he placed on the insurgents' vehicle with the words of revered 1st Marine Division commander Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis. The slogan meant Iraqis who sought justice, freedom and peace would find no better friend than the United States, while those who engaged in terrorism would meet no worse enemy.
Simon & Schuster's new imprint Threshold Editions
Threshold's editor-in-chief is leading Republican political strategist Mary Matalin.
"Lieutenant Ilario Pantano represents the best of America," Matalin said in a statement. "His extraordinary Marine's story is a resounding semper fi to courage, conviction, valor and American values."
Pantano says his story is about "the love of being a father and a son, both to my own flesh and to America's sons that were entrusted to me."
"It's a story about a love so strong that you would give your own life or use whatever brutality is required to protect it," he said.
Pantano announced his resignation from his Marine Corp commission in June.
A Marine officer exonerated after a high-profile, year-long investigation into an accusation he murdered two suspected Iraqi insurgents is publishing a memoir.
As WorldNetDaily reported, 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano, a platoon leader in the volatile Sunni Triangle, insisted he acted in self-defense against suspected insurgents during a weapons-cache raid in the spring of 2004. But Marine Corps prosecutors contended Pantano broke the military code and executed the Iraqis to send a message to the enemy.
Before being cleared by his commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, Pantano had faced a possible court-martial and death sentence.
The tile of Pantano's upcoming book, "WARLORD: No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy," alludes to a sign he placed on the insurgents' vehicle with the words of revered 1st Marine Division commander Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis. The slogan meant Iraqis who sought justice, freedom and peace would find no better friend than the United States, while those who engaged in terrorism would meet no worse enemy.
Simon & Schuster's new imprint Threshold Editions
Threshold's editor-in-chief is leading Republican political strategist Mary Matalin.
"Lieutenant Ilario Pantano represents the best of America," Matalin said in a statement. "His extraordinary Marine's story is a resounding semper fi to courage, conviction, valor and American values."
Pantano says his story is about "the love of being a father and a son, both to my own flesh and to America's sons that were entrusted to me."
"It's a story about a love so strong that you would give your own life or use whatever brutality is required to protect it," he said.
Pantano announced his resignation from his Marine Corp commission in June.
Agent: Feds told of threats to blow buildings
Judge had sealed woman's testimony regarding Oklahoma City blast
Unearthed by a Salt Lake City, Utah, attorney, statements made by a Tulsa Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agent in a federal courtroom confirm that a confidential informant did warn the agency of plans to bomb federal buildings before the attack in Oklahoma City that left 168 dead and hundreds more injured.
Moreover, a federal judge in Oklahoma ordered that the information be kept sealed because of its potential impact on the trial of bomber Timothy McVeigh, records show.
Civil attorney Jesse Trentadue submitted as an exhibit a transcript from a 1997 federal court proceeding in Tulsa that contains admissions by a BATF agent that she had prior warning of a bomb plot being discussed inside a right-wing paramilitary compound in eastern Oklahoma called Elohim City.
The information emerges now because in May of this year a federal judge in a Utah Freedom of Information case ordered the Oklahoma City FBI office to surrender all responsive documents requested by Trentadue � without redactions. The FBI has been fighting the order ever since.
As part of that suit, Trentadue on Friday responded to the FBI's delivery to the judge of just under 100 pages of documents related to a little-known undercover operation involving the Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC; the FBI; and the $85 million OKBOMB investigation.
presenting the documents under seal to the court, lawyers for the Department of Justice once again argued that the identity of certain SPLC informants and others � along with important details of the undercover operation involving McVeigh and the far right � should be kept secret from the public.
Almost since the day of the bombing, there has been considerable information emerging that various law enforcement agencies had intelligence pointing to a bomb plot by McVeigh and others well ahead of the attack.
Trentadue has obtained a 1997 transcript from a Tulsa federal court case that casts doubt on BATF claims that the agency had no advance warning of an Oklahoma City bombing.
The 1997 case involved a Tulsa BATF contract informant who stood accused, along with a boyfriend, of making bomb threats in 1996.
With no media present, Carol E. Howe's BATF handler, Angela Finley-Graham, responded to questions from Howe's attorney, Clark Brewster, about her work for the agency.
In particular, Finley-Graham was asked whether Howe had warned the BATF in 1994 and 1995 that Andreas Strassmeir and others at Elohim City were plotting to bomb an Oklahoma federal building in the spring of 1995.
The transcript of Graham's testimony includes this exchange:
Brewster: And Ms. Howe told you about Mr. Strassmeir's threats to blow up federal buildings, didn't she?
Graham: In general, yes.
Brewster: And that was before the Oklahoma City bombing?
Graham: Yes.
During the proceeding, Graham also acknowledged that she was aware Howe traveled to Oklahoma City with members of the radical group before the attack and had later reported the incident. Upon her return to Tulsa, Howe was debriefed and then taken to Oklahoma City to show Graham the areas she visited with the individuals who were part of a wide-ranging terrorist investigation that was receiving substantial funding and attention in Washington, D.C.
In a closed-door, "in camera" hearing on April 24, 1997, U.S. District Judge Michael Burrage commented on the BATF records involving Howe's undercover file and referred to a mass-murder case that was not before him.
Burrage: With that McVeigh trial going on, I don't want anything getting out of here that would compromise that trial in any way.
Brewster: What do you mean by "compromise"? Do you mean shared with McVeigh's lawyers?
Burrage: Yes, or something that would come up � you know, we have got evidence that the ATF took a trip with somebody that said buildings were going to be blown up in Oklahoma City before it was blown up or something of that nature, and try to connect it to McVeigh in some way or something.
Brewster: That would be up to their representation of the client in some regard, Your Honor. If you are asking me not to share any documentation from these files with those lawyers, then I won't.
Howe was not allowed to testify in the McVeigh trial. However, after she was acquitted of all charges brought by the DOJ against her in Tulsa, the former beauty queen and debutante was allowed to testify in a very limited manner in the Terry Nichols trial in Denver.
Under strict orders by U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, Howe was not allowed to tell Nichols' jurors that she was under contract for the BATF when she visited Elohim City in the months before the bombing.
Unearthed by a Salt Lake City, Utah, attorney, statements made by a Tulsa Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agent in a federal courtroom confirm that a confidential informant did warn the agency of plans to bomb federal buildings before the attack in Oklahoma City that left 168 dead and hundreds more injured.
Moreover, a federal judge in Oklahoma ordered that the information be kept sealed because of its potential impact on the trial of bomber Timothy McVeigh, records show.
Civil attorney Jesse Trentadue submitted as an exhibit a transcript from a 1997 federal court proceeding in Tulsa that contains admissions by a BATF agent that she had prior warning of a bomb plot being discussed inside a right-wing paramilitary compound in eastern Oklahoma called Elohim City.
The information emerges now because in May of this year a federal judge in a Utah Freedom of Information case ordered the Oklahoma City FBI office to surrender all responsive documents requested by Trentadue � without redactions. The FBI has been fighting the order ever since.
As part of that suit, Trentadue on Friday responded to the FBI's delivery to the judge of just under 100 pages of documents related to a little-known undercover operation involving the Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC; the FBI; and the $85 million OKBOMB investigation.
presenting the documents under seal to the court, lawyers for the Department of Justice once again argued that the identity of certain SPLC informants and others � along with important details of the undercover operation involving McVeigh and the far right � should be kept secret from the public.
Almost since the day of the bombing, there has been considerable information emerging that various law enforcement agencies had intelligence pointing to a bomb plot by McVeigh and others well ahead of the attack.
Trentadue has obtained a 1997 transcript from a Tulsa federal court case that casts doubt on BATF claims that the agency had no advance warning of an Oklahoma City bombing.
The 1997 case involved a Tulsa BATF contract informant who stood accused, along with a boyfriend, of making bomb threats in 1996.
With no media present, Carol E. Howe's BATF handler, Angela Finley-Graham, responded to questions from Howe's attorney, Clark Brewster, about her work for the agency.
In particular, Finley-Graham was asked whether Howe had warned the BATF in 1994 and 1995 that Andreas Strassmeir and others at Elohim City were plotting to bomb an Oklahoma federal building in the spring of 1995.
The transcript of Graham's testimony includes this exchange:
Brewster: And Ms. Howe told you about Mr. Strassmeir's threats to blow up federal buildings, didn't she?
Graham: In general, yes.
Brewster: And that was before the Oklahoma City bombing?
Graham: Yes.
During the proceeding, Graham also acknowledged that she was aware Howe traveled to Oklahoma City with members of the radical group before the attack and had later reported the incident. Upon her return to Tulsa, Howe was debriefed and then taken to Oklahoma City to show Graham the areas she visited with the individuals who were part of a wide-ranging terrorist investigation that was receiving substantial funding and attention in Washington, D.C.
In a closed-door, "in camera" hearing on April 24, 1997, U.S. District Judge Michael Burrage commented on the BATF records involving Howe's undercover file and referred to a mass-murder case that was not before him.
Burrage: With that McVeigh trial going on, I don't want anything getting out of here that would compromise that trial in any way.
Brewster: What do you mean by "compromise"? Do you mean shared with McVeigh's lawyers?
Burrage: Yes, or something that would come up � you know, we have got evidence that the ATF took a trip with somebody that said buildings were going to be blown up in Oklahoma City before it was blown up or something of that nature, and try to connect it to McVeigh in some way or something.
Brewster: That would be up to their representation of the client in some regard, Your Honor. If you are asking me not to share any documentation from these files with those lawyers, then I won't.
Howe was not allowed to testify in the McVeigh trial. However, after she was acquitted of all charges brought by the DOJ against her in Tulsa, the former beauty queen and debutante was allowed to testify in a very limited manner in the Terry Nichols trial in Denver.
Under strict orders by U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, Howe was not allowed to tell Nichols' jurors that she was under contract for the BATF when she visited Elohim City in the months before the bombing.
Al-Qaida ops busted at Mexican border?
Congresswoman drops bomb in announcing bill to halt issuance of driver's licenses to illegals
In announcing the introduction of legislation aimed at preventing illegal aliens from getting driver's licenses yesterday, a North Carolina Republican member of the House of Representatives casually dropped a bombshell that went over the heads of most of the media covering the event � that three members of al-Qaida were recently captured trying to enter the U.S.
"This isn't aimed at any one race," said Sue Myrick, who is being mentioned as a potential candidate for governor of the state. "Our main concern is: Who's in our state? This is a critical issue today. They just arrested, down on the border, a couple of weeks ago, three al-Qaida members who came across from Mexico into the United States."
That's how she was quoted in her local daily � the Charlotte Observer. An audio recording of the event confirms the quotation's accuracy.
There was no follow-up by the reporters present
The capture of al-Qaida operatives trying to gain entry to the U.S. from Mexico or anywhere else would be a spectacular development in the war on terror.
Attempts to reach staffers in Myrick's office after hours were unsuccessful.
In announcing the introduction of legislation aimed at preventing illegal aliens from getting driver's licenses yesterday, a North Carolina Republican member of the House of Representatives casually dropped a bombshell that went over the heads of most of the media covering the event � that three members of al-Qaida were recently captured trying to enter the U.S.
"This isn't aimed at any one race," said Sue Myrick, who is being mentioned as a potential candidate for governor of the state. "Our main concern is: Who's in our state? This is a critical issue today. They just arrested, down on the border, a couple of weeks ago, three al-Qaida members who came across from Mexico into the United States."
That's how she was quoted in her local daily � the Charlotte Observer. An audio recording of the event confirms the quotation's accuracy.
There was no follow-up by the reporters present
The capture of al-Qaida operatives trying to gain entry to the U.S. from Mexico or anywhere else would be a spectacular development in the war on terror.
Attempts to reach staffers in Myrick's office after hours were unsuccessful.
Terrorism Analysis: The Truth About the Somali Pirate Attack
by Jim Kouri, CPP
In spite of the news media distancing the recent attack on a cruise ship off the coast of Somalia from global terrorism, intelligence experts believe this is just the latest operation initiated against the United States and the West by Al-Qaeda.
Recently a failed assassination attempt on the prime minister of Somalia, as well as the attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship, has intensified apprehension and fear that the shaky Somalian government is losing to Al-Qaeda and Wahhabi terror groups.
Three people were mortally wounded in a terrorist attack on the Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi,while he was visiting the war-torn capital of Mogadishu. He survived the deadly encounter which entailed an explosion set off near his convoy, according to security experts. Mr Gedi was merely visiting since his government is in quasi-exile in Jowhar. The danger in the Somali capital is so great that the transitional government must avoid setting up their headquarters there.
Since 2003, Somalia has witnessed the growth of a brutal network of Jihad with strong ties to Al-Qaeda. In fact, when the US forces faced a bloody battle in 1995 during what became known as the Black Hawk Down incident, it was Al-Qaeda joining with a local warlord who killed and wounded US special operations soldiers.
Somalia has been without a functioning national government for 14 years, when they received their independence from Italy. The transitional parliament created in 2004, but has failed to end the devastating anarchy. The impoverish people who live in the ruined capital of Mogadishu have witnessed Al-Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed counter-terrorism agents engaged in a bloody war that few support and even fewer understand.
In an incident that gained American press attention, Somali-based terrorists armed with rocket-propelled grenades launched an unsuccessful attack on Seaborn Spirit as it rounded the Horn of Africa with American, British and Australian tourists on board. For unexplained reasons, the attack is being treated as an isolated incident and the terrorism link is being all but ignored by journalists. The term "pirates" is routinely used with only a few reporters calling the attackers "terrorists."
The ship came under attack during the early morning hours when the heavily armed terrorists in two speedboats began firing upon the ship with grenade launchers and machine guns. They assailents were repelled by the ships crew who implemented their security measures which included setting off electronic simulators which created the illusion the ship was firing back at the terrorists..
According to passenger accounts of the attack, there were at least three rocket-propelled grenades or RPGs that hit the ship, one hit a passenger stateroom without inflicting injuries.
There are now some counterterrorism officials who wish to deploy a naval task force to try to prevent attacks, and kill or apprehend these modern-day pirates in Somali waters. Most travel advisories issued by nations throughout the world recognize this area as being among the most dangerous in the world.
There are some who oppose this combative approach fearing the opening of a new front in the war on terrorism. But these opponents of using force have no suggestions for dealing with these dangerous terrorists and thugs who prey on people on land or at sea.
During the 1990s, a group of Saudi-educated, Wahhabi militants arrived in Somalia with the aim of creating an Islamic state in this dismal African country. Also, the renowned Al-Qaeda established an operations base and training camp. They would routinely attack and ambush UN peacekeepers. In addition, they used Somalia to export their brand of terrorism into neighboring Kenya.
Leading members of Al-Qaeda continue to operate, mostly in secrecy, in Somalia and have built up cooperation with some of the warlords who control food, water and medicine. And the people of Somalia starve, mourn and die.
In spite of the news media distancing the recent attack on a cruise ship off the coast of Somalia from global terrorism, intelligence experts believe this is just the latest operation initiated against the United States and the West by Al-Qaeda.
Recently a failed assassination attempt on the prime minister of Somalia, as well as the attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship, has intensified apprehension and fear that the shaky Somalian government is losing to Al-Qaeda and Wahhabi terror groups.
Three people were mortally wounded in a terrorist attack on the Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi,while he was visiting the war-torn capital of Mogadishu. He survived the deadly encounter which entailed an explosion set off near his convoy, according to security experts. Mr Gedi was merely visiting since his government is in quasi-exile in Jowhar. The danger in the Somali capital is so great that the transitional government must avoid setting up their headquarters there.
Since 2003, Somalia has witnessed the growth of a brutal network of Jihad with strong ties to Al-Qaeda. In fact, when the US forces faced a bloody battle in 1995 during what became known as the Black Hawk Down incident, it was Al-Qaeda joining with a local warlord who killed and wounded US special operations soldiers.
Somalia has been without a functioning national government for 14 years, when they received their independence from Italy. The transitional parliament created in 2004, but has failed to end the devastating anarchy. The impoverish people who live in the ruined capital of Mogadishu have witnessed Al-Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed counter-terrorism agents engaged in a bloody war that few support and even fewer understand.
In an incident that gained American press attention, Somali-based terrorists armed with rocket-propelled grenades launched an unsuccessful attack on Seaborn Spirit as it rounded the Horn of Africa with American, British and Australian tourists on board. For unexplained reasons, the attack is being treated as an isolated incident and the terrorism link is being all but ignored by journalists. The term "pirates" is routinely used with only a few reporters calling the attackers "terrorists."
The ship came under attack during the early morning hours when the heavily armed terrorists in two speedboats began firing upon the ship with grenade launchers and machine guns. They assailents were repelled by the ships crew who implemented their security measures which included setting off electronic simulators which created the illusion the ship was firing back at the terrorists..
According to passenger accounts of the attack, there were at least three rocket-propelled grenades or RPGs that hit the ship, one hit a passenger stateroom without inflicting injuries.
There are now some counterterrorism officials who wish to deploy a naval task force to try to prevent attacks, and kill or apprehend these modern-day pirates in Somali waters. Most travel advisories issued by nations throughout the world recognize this area as being among the most dangerous in the world.
There are some who oppose this combative approach fearing the opening of a new front in the war on terrorism. But these opponents of using force have no suggestions for dealing with these dangerous terrorists and thugs who prey on people on land or at sea.
During the 1990s, a group of Saudi-educated, Wahhabi militants arrived in Somalia with the aim of creating an Islamic state in this dismal African country. Also, the renowned Al-Qaeda established an operations base and training camp. They would routinely attack and ambush UN peacekeepers. In addition, they used Somalia to export their brand of terrorism into neighboring Kenya.
Leading members of Al-Qaeda continue to operate, mostly in secrecy, in Somalia and have built up cooperation with some of the warlords who control food, water and medicine. And the people of Somalia starve, mourn and die.
Weldon to reveal new 'Able Danger' details
Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., who says the Defense Department is maligning a special unit called "Able Danger" to cover-up warnings of terror attacks, will hold a press conference this morning to provide new details of his findings.
The vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees will hold the press conference at 12:30 p.m. Eastern to discuss the latest findings of his own investigation.
He claims Able Danger provided to Defense officials information about terrorist activity in the Port of Aden prior to the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in October 2000. He will also reveal the discovery of another Able Danger member who confirms the Pentagon is not accounting for data. He also says the Defense Intelligence Agency is trying to smear Able Danger member Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer who broke the silence about the Pentagon�s efforts to track al-Qaida worldwide prior to Sept. 11.
"Able Danger" is described as a secret data-mining operation that allegedly named Mohammad Atta as an al-Qaida operative a year before Sept. 11, 2001. It was a small, highly classified operation reportedly created at the behest of then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Hugh Shelton in 1999 to develop a campaign against international terrorism and, in particular, al-Qaida.
The vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees will hold the press conference at 12:30 p.m. Eastern to discuss the latest findings of his own investigation.
He claims Able Danger provided to Defense officials information about terrorist activity in the Port of Aden prior to the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in October 2000. He will also reveal the discovery of another Able Danger member who confirms the Pentagon is not accounting for data. He also says the Defense Intelligence Agency is trying to smear Able Danger member Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer who broke the silence about the Pentagon�s efforts to track al-Qaida worldwide prior to Sept. 11.
"Able Danger" is described as a secret data-mining operation that allegedly named Mohammad Atta as an al-Qaida operative a year before Sept. 11, 2001. It was a small, highly classified operation reportedly created at the behest of then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Hugh Shelton in 1999 to develop a campaign against international terrorism and, in particular, al-Qaida.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Feds Indict 2 in Missile-Smuggling Scheme
A federal grand jury indicted two men Wednesday for allegedly conspiring to smuggle surface-to-air missiles into the United States for use abroad. Such missiles are designed to bring down aircraft.
The U.S. attorney's office said the charges marked the first time a 2004 anti-terrorism law has been used. The law calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Chao Tung Wu, 51, and Yi Qing Chen, 41, are naturalized U.S. citizens born in China, authorities said. The conspiracy did not involve domestic terrorists, and the two men were told by an undercover agent that the missiles would be sent abroad, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.
The indictment specified that bribes, including one for $2 million, were to be paid to certain foreign officials. Authorities declined to identify the countries involved.
Gerson Horn, an attorney for Wu, said an undercover agent had tried to buy weapons from Wu and that Chen was allegedly involved in the negotiations. He said the agent "initiated the negotiations and persisted in the negotiations but it never bore fruit ... with either one of them."
He said his client was innocent and that the case was "conceived, nurtured and orchestrated by the undercover agent, who worked this case for a number of years."
Horn also said no weapons or weapons components changed hands.
An attorney for Chen did not immediately return a call for comment.
The men have been in custody since August when they were arrested as part of a federal undercover probe into smuggling in Southern California. They were originally charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and Ecstasy and importing millions of counterfeit cigarettes.
The men were previously ordered held without bond. An arraignment hearing on the new charges was scheduled for Monday.
"Today's indictment shows a willingness of the smugglers to acquire practically anything for importation, no matter how dangerous or destructive," U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang said in a statement.
The U.S. attorney's office said the charges marked the first time a 2004 anti-terrorism law has been used. The law calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Chao Tung Wu, 51, and Yi Qing Chen, 41, are naturalized U.S. citizens born in China, authorities said. The conspiracy did not involve domestic terrorists, and the two men were told by an undercover agent that the missiles would be sent abroad, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.
The indictment specified that bribes, including one for $2 million, were to be paid to certain foreign officials. Authorities declined to identify the countries involved.
Gerson Horn, an attorney for Wu, said an undercover agent had tried to buy weapons from Wu and that Chen was allegedly involved in the negotiations. He said the agent "initiated the negotiations and persisted in the negotiations but it never bore fruit ... with either one of them."
He said his client was innocent and that the case was "conceived, nurtured and orchestrated by the undercover agent, who worked this case for a number of years."
Horn also said no weapons or weapons components changed hands.
An attorney for Chen did not immediately return a call for comment.
The men have been in custody since August when they were arrested as part of a federal undercover probe into smuggling in Southern California. They were originally charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and Ecstasy and importing millions of counterfeit cigarettes.
The men were previously ordered held without bond. An arraignment hearing on the new charges was scheduled for Monday.
"Today's indictment shows a willingness of the smugglers to acquire practically anything for importation, no matter how dangerous or destructive," U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang said in a statement.
The Bush Policy in Iraq Is Working
By Roger Aronoff | November 8, 2005
The problem is that much of this gets lost in a fog of news in the U.S. that is more about discrediting the Bush administration, its motives for going to war, and its handling of various domestic issues.
Though it lasted only one day, it was important to see former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on trial. While some groups complained about the trial, those doing the judging or the possibility of capital punishment, it should have been recognized as one more milestone in a long road to transforming the Middle East. It will show the rest of the world what happens to brutal dictators. 2005 may yet prove to be one of the more remarkable years in the history of that region, and the world.
The past year has brought us democratic revolutions in parts of the world where it seemed most improbable. There's still a long way to go, but the benchmarks are everywhere. Democratic revolutions have occurred in Ukraine, Georgia and Lebanon. Elections have been held in Egypt, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Pressure is mounting on countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran to begin their own democratic transformations. And these are not happening in a vacuum. They are happening because the U.S. and its allies are staying the course in Iraq.
The problem is that much of this gets lost in a fog of news in the U.S. that is more about discrediting the Bush administration, its motives for going to war, and its handling of various domestic issues. Certainly criticism and healthy debate are necessary, and many conservatives have been critical of the administration too. But looking through the fog, there is a lot of good news.
Several recent stories reflect those reasons for optimism. The Washington Times pointed out the increase in the vote that took place in Iraq between January's parliamentary elections and October's referendum on the draft constitution. Voter turnout increased from 58% in January to between 60 and 63 percent in October. Part of that is that many of the Sunnis who chose not vote in January were now convinced that it was in their interest. The Times quoted one citizen who voted against the constitution, and said, David Gelernter, the Yale professor who often writes for the Weekly Standard, wrote a column for the Los Angeles Times about Condoleezza Rice's appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He points out that Rice got it right when she explained that while we "Just to vote against was an amazing thing, and very important." They also pointed out that this time around, the security for the election was handled largely by Iraqis trained and equipped and moving toward the new Iraq.went to war because of the potential threat of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism, the plan now is "for a freed Iraq to inspire and stabilize the entire Middle East and to promote democracy everywhere."
Rice explained that that is how the world works. She gave the example of World War II, and that we didn't go to war to build a democratic Germany.
Gelernter expanded on Rice's analogy: "Democracies rarely declare war to improve the world�They fight to protect themselves, sometimes to fulfill treaty obligations. But once a war is underway, free peoples tend to think things over deeply. Casualties concentrate the mind. We refuse to let our soldiers die for too little. America at war has lifted its sights again and again from danger, self-interest and self-defense to a larger, nobler goal. Same story, war after war, Iraq fits perfectly."
Another optimistic realist on the war is Cliff May, a former reporter for the New York Times, and now president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "This is not the kind of war the Pentagon ever wanted to fight," May pointed out in a recent column, "�a war in which Stealth Bombers and nuclear submarines play no role. Nevertheless, against a determined and ruthless enemy, Americans have lost not a single battle. More and more Iraqi troops are being trained and deployed. U.S. Special Forces and Marines have been doing what Americans do better than anyone else in the world: identify problems and devise creative solutions. Day by day, a military machine designed for the 20th Century is learning how to win post-modern conflicts."
In spite of the continuous negativity coming out of the media on the war and the constant questions about the administration's ability to execute, sustain and win it, there is reason for optimism and gratitude. The sacrifices of our soldiers are for a noble cause that is transforming the Middle East.
Our side is winning. Of course, the media don't like to think of themselves as being on "our side." And that is part of the problem our troops face day after day.
The problem is that much of this gets lost in a fog of news in the U.S. that is more about discrediting the Bush administration, its motives for going to war, and its handling of various domestic issues.
Though it lasted only one day, it was important to see former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on trial. While some groups complained about the trial, those doing the judging or the possibility of capital punishment, it should have been recognized as one more milestone in a long road to transforming the Middle East. It will show the rest of the world what happens to brutal dictators. 2005 may yet prove to be one of the more remarkable years in the history of that region, and the world.
The past year has brought us democratic revolutions in parts of the world where it seemed most improbable. There's still a long way to go, but the benchmarks are everywhere. Democratic revolutions have occurred in Ukraine, Georgia and Lebanon. Elections have been held in Egypt, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Pressure is mounting on countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran to begin their own democratic transformations. And these are not happening in a vacuum. They are happening because the U.S. and its allies are staying the course in Iraq.
The problem is that much of this gets lost in a fog of news in the U.S. that is more about discrediting the Bush administration, its motives for going to war, and its handling of various domestic issues. Certainly criticism and healthy debate are necessary, and many conservatives have been critical of the administration too. But looking through the fog, there is a lot of good news.
Several recent stories reflect those reasons for optimism. The Washington Times pointed out the increase in the vote that took place in Iraq between January's parliamentary elections and October's referendum on the draft constitution. Voter turnout increased from 58% in January to between 60 and 63 percent in October. Part of that is that many of the Sunnis who chose not vote in January were now convinced that it was in their interest. The Times quoted one citizen who voted against the constitution, and said, David Gelernter, the Yale professor who often writes for the Weekly Standard, wrote a column for the Los Angeles Times about Condoleezza Rice's appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He points out that Rice got it right when she explained that while we "Just to vote against was an amazing thing, and very important." They also pointed out that this time around, the security for the election was handled largely by Iraqis trained and equipped and moving toward the new Iraq.went to war because of the potential threat of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism, the plan now is "for a freed Iraq to inspire and stabilize the entire Middle East and to promote democracy everywhere."
Rice explained that that is how the world works. She gave the example of World War II, and that we didn't go to war to build a democratic Germany.
Gelernter expanded on Rice's analogy: "Democracies rarely declare war to improve the world�They fight to protect themselves, sometimes to fulfill treaty obligations. But once a war is underway, free peoples tend to think things over deeply. Casualties concentrate the mind. We refuse to let our soldiers die for too little. America at war has lifted its sights again and again from danger, self-interest and self-defense to a larger, nobler goal. Same story, war after war, Iraq fits perfectly."
Another optimistic realist on the war is Cliff May, a former reporter for the New York Times, and now president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "This is not the kind of war the Pentagon ever wanted to fight," May pointed out in a recent column, "�a war in which Stealth Bombers and nuclear submarines play no role. Nevertheless, against a determined and ruthless enemy, Americans have lost not a single battle. More and more Iraqi troops are being trained and deployed. U.S. Special Forces and Marines have been doing what Americans do better than anyone else in the world: identify problems and devise creative solutions. Day by day, a military machine designed for the 20th Century is learning how to win post-modern conflicts."
In spite of the continuous negativity coming out of the media on the war and the constant questions about the administration's ability to execute, sustain and win it, there is reason for optimism and gratitude. The sacrifices of our soldiers are for a noble cause that is transforming the Middle East.
Our side is winning. Of course, the media don't like to think of themselves as being on "our side." And that is part of the problem our troops face day after day.
Vallely 'outs' Wilson on national television
Army general says on 'Hannity & Colmes' he has 'no personal vendetta' in CIA leak
Calling it "a potentially explosive development in the CIA leak investigation," Fox News analysts Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes grilled retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely tonight about his claim that Ambassador Joseph Wilson "outed" his wife as a CIA agent in 2002, a year before her identity was exposed by a political columnist.
"There's no personal vendetta here," Vallely told the pair, "I want to make that clear. It all came about questioning why the special prosecutor did not include in his inquiry bring under oath Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame or anybody in the CIA as far as we know, so the question is out there to be answered."
The interview on Fox News was the first time Vallely addressed the revelation on national television. A search of Lexis-Nexis newspaper archives reveals major media outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times and Washington Post have not reported a single story about Wilson's alleged 2002 disclosure.
As we talked about our families, he did not say she was an agent, only that she was employed by the [Central Intelligence] Agency," Vallely reiterated on TV tonight.
"WorldNetDaily and I both were absolutely a little shocked on Saturday evening when we got an e-mail from Joe Wilson's lawyers in Washington really asking us to 100 percent retract our statements that were made on the radio show," Vallely told Fox. "I'm not gonna back down on the fact we had a casual conversation. The fact is we were there together, we didn't agree on a lot of the things about the war, but we can agree to disagree."
When asked by Hannity if he knew if any other person was told by Wilson himself that his wife worked for the agency, Vallely responded, "I have friends back in Washington, D.C., [who] have told me that on the social circuit back there, the State Department, the social circles, also in CIA that it was very well known she worked for the agency. She was an analyst, not a covert agent."
Texas voters approve ban on same-sex marriage
Texas voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, voters rejected a conservative-backed proposal to repeal the state's new gay-rights law.
The contest in Texas was lopsided _ the ban was receiving about 76 percent support with about half of precincts reporting. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings.
"Texans know that marriage is between a man and a woman, and children deserve both a mom and a dad. They don't need a PhD or a degree in anything else to teach them that," said Kelly Shackelford, a leader Texans For Marriage, which favored the ban.
Gay-rights leaders were dismayed by the outcome, but vowed to continue a state-by-state battle for recognition of same-sex unions.
"The fight for fairness isn't over, and we won't give up," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "These amendments are part of a long-standing effort by the extreme right to eliminate any legal recognition for gay people and our families."
In Maine, voters spurned a measure placed on the ballot by a church- backed conservative coalition that would have repealed a gay-rights law approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The lawmakers expanded the state's human rights act to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, a step already taken by the five other New England states.
With about 48 percent of the precincts reporting, 57 percent of voters had opted for keeping the new law.
The contest in Texas was lopsided _ the ban was receiving about 76 percent support with about half of precincts reporting. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings.
"Texans know that marriage is between a man and a woman, and children deserve both a mom and a dad. They don't need a PhD or a degree in anything else to teach them that," said Kelly Shackelford, a leader Texans For Marriage, which favored the ban.
Gay-rights leaders were dismayed by the outcome, but vowed to continue a state-by-state battle for recognition of same-sex unions.
"The fight for fairness isn't over, and we won't give up," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "These amendments are part of a long-standing effort by the extreme right to eliminate any legal recognition for gay people and our families."
In Maine, voters spurned a measure placed on the ballot by a church- backed conservative coalition that would have repealed a gay-rights law approved by lawmakers earlier this year. The lawmakers expanded the state's human rights act to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, a step already taken by the five other New England states.
With about 48 percent of the precincts reporting, 57 percent of voters had opted for keeping the new law.
Democrats Win Gov. Races in N.J., Va.
Democrats swept both governors' races Tuesday, with Sen. Jon Corzine easily winning New Jersey and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine taking Virginia despite a last-minute campaign push for his opponent from President Bush.
In Texas, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage, while Republican Mayor Mike Bloomberg surged ahead in his bid for a second term in heavily Democratic New York. Voters also picked mayors in Detroit, Houston, San Diego and Boston.
Kaine had 860,719 votes, or 51 percent, to Kilgore's 789,273 votes, or 46.8 percent, with 88 percent of precincts reporting.
In New Jersey, Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine trounced Doug Forrester, pulling in 54 percent of the vote to the Republican's 42.8 percent, with 55 percent of precincts counted. Corzine had 605,915 votes, and Forrester had 480,477.
In California, several government-overhaul measures on the ballot were seen as a referendum on GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who campaigned hard for them.
In Texas, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage, while Republican Mayor Mike Bloomberg surged ahead in his bid for a second term in heavily Democratic New York. Voters also picked mayors in Detroit, Houston, San Diego and Boston.
Kaine had 860,719 votes, or 51 percent, to Kilgore's 789,273 votes, or 46.8 percent, with 88 percent of precincts reporting.
In New Jersey, Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine trounced Doug Forrester, pulling in 54 percent of the vote to the Republican's 42.8 percent, with 55 percent of precincts counted. Corzine had 605,915 votes, and Forrester had 480,477.
In California, several government-overhaul measures on the ballot were seen as a referendum on GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who campaigned hard for them.
Calif. Proposals 'Terminated' by Voters
a stinging rebuke from voters who elected him two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government were rejected during a special election that darkened his prospects for a second term.
The Republican governor and former Hollywood actor, who likes to say he can sell anything, on Tuesday saw all four of his signature ballot proposals rejected.
The election pitted the once-dominant Republican governor against two of California's powerhouse political forces - public employee unions and Democrats who control the Legislature.
The unions spent millions of dollars to beat Schwarzenegger's propositions to limit the use of their member dues for political purposes, cap state spending, redraw legislative districts and restrict public school teacher tenure.
It was a sobering evening for a man once considered among the most popular politicians in America. The contest represented the biggest test yet of a faltering Schwarzenegger's leadership.
Voters overwhelmingly defeated Proposition 76, the governor's centerpiece proposal to slow the growth of state spending. Proposition 77, which would have redrawn legislative and congressional districts, was knocked down by a similar margin.
Failing by slimmer spreads were Proposition 74, a plan to make teachers work longer to achieve tenure, and Proposition 73, which would have restricted political spending by public employee unions.
Poll after poll showed it was an election that Californians didn't want, with a total lineup of eight initiatives that didn't connect with every day issues such as gas prices, housing costs and the war in Iraq.
Schwarzenegger's conflict with the unions made him a target for teachers, nurses and firefighters. Their television advertising blitz helped push his popularity ratings to record lows.
Union leaders and Democrats who opposed the governor chanted "sweep, sweep" at their Sacramento victory party. "I'm very grateful to Arnold Schwarzenegger for really working people up," said Deborah Burger, president of the California Nurses Association.
Schwarzenegger's proposals to curb spending and weaken unions inflamed passions on both sides, partly because of the election's roughly $50 million cost in a state that repeatedly faces budget shortfalls.
Appearing before supporters at a Beverly Hills hotel after learning that at least two of his initiatives had failed, a smiling governor did not concede defeat.
"Tomorrow, we begin anew," Schwarzenegger said, his wife Maria Shriver beside him. "I feel the same tonight as that night two years ago ... You know with all my heart, I want to do the right thing for the people of California."
Though some of the measures were complex, Schwarzenegger cast the election in simple terms: Support him and the state moves forward - vote no and protect a broken system of government in Sacramento.
In other ballot measures decided Tuesday:
Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, voters rejected a conservative-backed proposal to repeal the state's new gay-rights law.
Voters in the Texas community of White Settlement, named 160 years ago after white settlers moved into a mostly Indian area, emphatically rejected a proposal to change the town's name to West Settlement.
In Ohio, where the 2004 presidential election was marked by complaints of unfair election practices, four election-overhaul measures backed by Democratic-leaning groups were on the ballot, but all were defeated. One of the failed items would have taken redistricting powers away from legislators.
The Republican governor and former Hollywood actor, who likes to say he can sell anything, on Tuesday saw all four of his signature ballot proposals rejected.
The election pitted the once-dominant Republican governor against two of California's powerhouse political forces - public employee unions and Democrats who control the Legislature.
The unions spent millions of dollars to beat Schwarzenegger's propositions to limit the use of their member dues for political purposes, cap state spending, redraw legislative districts and restrict public school teacher tenure.
It was a sobering evening for a man once considered among the most popular politicians in America. The contest represented the biggest test yet of a faltering Schwarzenegger's leadership.
Voters overwhelmingly defeated Proposition 76, the governor's centerpiece proposal to slow the growth of state spending. Proposition 77, which would have redrawn legislative and congressional districts, was knocked down by a similar margin.
Failing by slimmer spreads were Proposition 74, a plan to make teachers work longer to achieve tenure, and Proposition 73, which would have restricted political spending by public employee unions.
Poll after poll showed it was an election that Californians didn't want, with a total lineup of eight initiatives that didn't connect with every day issues such as gas prices, housing costs and the war in Iraq.
Schwarzenegger's conflict with the unions made him a target for teachers, nurses and firefighters. Their television advertising blitz helped push his popularity ratings to record lows.
Union leaders and Democrats who opposed the governor chanted "sweep, sweep" at their Sacramento victory party. "I'm very grateful to Arnold Schwarzenegger for really working people up," said Deborah Burger, president of the California Nurses Association.
Schwarzenegger's proposals to curb spending and weaken unions inflamed passions on both sides, partly because of the election's roughly $50 million cost in a state that repeatedly faces budget shortfalls.
Appearing before supporters at a Beverly Hills hotel after learning that at least two of his initiatives had failed, a smiling governor did not concede defeat.
"Tomorrow, we begin anew," Schwarzenegger said, his wife Maria Shriver beside him. "I feel the same tonight as that night two years ago ... You know with all my heart, I want to do the right thing for the people of California."
Though some of the measures were complex, Schwarzenegger cast the election in simple terms: Support him and the state moves forward - vote no and protect a broken system of government in Sacramento.
In other ballot measures decided Tuesday:
Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, voters rejected a conservative-backed proposal to repeal the state's new gay-rights law.
Voters in the Texas community of White Settlement, named 160 years ago after white settlers moved into a mostly Indian area, emphatically rejected a proposal to change the town's name to West Settlement.
In Ohio, where the 2004 presidential election was marked by complaints of unfair election practices, four election-overhaul measures backed by Democratic-leaning groups were on the ballot, but all were defeated. One of the failed items would have taken redistricting powers away from legislators.
Election Deja Vu for Bush
After last night's gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats are celebrating President Bush's loss of political clout as they salivate over the prospect of retaking the House and Senate in next year's midterm elections.
Not so fast, says the New York Post's John Podhoretz.
He notes that the results were much the same for Bush in 2001 - a year before he steered his party to historic gains in the House and Senate - and three years before he beat back a Democratic onslaught in his own reelection race.
"Bush won Virginia by 8 percentage points in 2004," notes Podhoretz, "while Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore appears to have lost by 5 points. But if you think Kilgore's loss reflects Bush's weakness and a nightmare for the GOP in 2006, consider this:
Bush won Virginia by eight points in 2000, too � and the following year Democrat Mark Warner became governor with a 5-point margin of victory. The next year, in 2002, Republicans won a stunning midterm victory, taking four Senate seats and expanding their majority in the House of Representatives."
The same thing happened in New Jersey four years ago, when Republican Bret Schundler lost to Democrat James McGreevey.
What's more, there's a fly in the ointment for Hillary Clinton, the Dem's presumptive 2008 nominee. As the Post's Deborah Orin notes, last night's vote in Virginia, where Democrat Tim Kaine rode to victory on the coattails of his term-limited popular predecessor Mark Warner, only boosted Warner's status as a Democrat who can win red state votes.
That's something Hillary has yet to demonstrate she can do. And with Warner also on the party's presidential short list, anything that makes him look good hurts the former first lady.
Not so fast, says the New York Post's John Podhoretz.
He notes that the results were much the same for Bush in 2001 - a year before he steered his party to historic gains in the House and Senate - and three years before he beat back a Democratic onslaught in his own reelection race.
"Bush won Virginia by 8 percentage points in 2004," notes Podhoretz, "while Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore appears to have lost by 5 points. But if you think Kilgore's loss reflects Bush's weakness and a nightmare for the GOP in 2006, consider this:
Bush won Virginia by eight points in 2000, too � and the following year Democrat Mark Warner became governor with a 5-point margin of victory. The next year, in 2002, Republicans won a stunning midterm victory, taking four Senate seats and expanding their majority in the House of Representatives."
The same thing happened in New Jersey four years ago, when Republican Bret Schundler lost to Democrat James McGreevey.
What's more, there's a fly in the ointment for Hillary Clinton, the Dem's presumptive 2008 nominee. As the Post's Deborah Orin notes, last night's vote in Virginia, where Democrat Tim Kaine rode to victory on the coattails of his term-limited popular predecessor Mark Warner, only boosted Warner's status as a Democrat who can win red state votes.
That's something Hillary has yet to demonstrate she can do. And with Warner also on the party's presidential short list, anything that makes him look good hurts the former first lady.
Carl Levin: Saddam Had Nukes
Iraq war critic, Sen. Carl Levin made a startling admission Monday night - confessing that he believed the Bush administration was not wrong when they claimed Saddam Hussein posed a nuclear threat.
"Look, there was plenty of evidence that Saddam had nuclear weapons," Levin told MSNBC's "Hardball." "That is not in dispute. There is plenty of evidence of that."
Unfortunately, the White House's nuclear claims are in dispute - and by none other than Sen. Levin himself.
"When they said that the aluminum tubes that Saddam Hussein was seeking could only be used to make nuclear material, that was not true," the Michigan Democrat told the Senate the same day. "There is a pattern of exaggeration, distortion, misleading statements by the administration prior to the war."
We tend to think Levin's "plenty of evidence" statement is closer to the truth - especially given the fact that Saddam had 500-tons of uranium at his disposal and centrifuge parts and blueprints stored away for a rainy day.
"Look, there was plenty of evidence that Saddam had nuclear weapons," Levin told MSNBC's "Hardball." "That is not in dispute. There is plenty of evidence of that."
Unfortunately, the White House's nuclear claims are in dispute - and by none other than Sen. Levin himself.
"When they said that the aluminum tubes that Saddam Hussein was seeking could only be used to make nuclear material, that was not true," the Michigan Democrat told the Senate the same day. "There is a pattern of exaggeration, distortion, misleading statements by the administration prior to the war."
We tend to think Levin's "plenty of evidence" statement is closer to the truth - especially given the fact that Saddam had 500-tons of uranium at his disposal and centrifuge parts and blueprints stored away for a rainy day.
Patrick Fitzgerald Ignored Witnesses who Contradicted Wilson
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's Leakgate investigation is coming unraveled, as witness after witness steps forward to challenge a key premise of his controversial probe.
Was the identity of Joseph Wilson's wife Valerie Plame really a deep dark secret before she was "outed" by columnist Robert Novak in July 2003?
The number of witnesses now saying "No" has climbed to four - and none of them have apparently been interviewed by Fitzgerald's investigators.
On Wednesday, Wayne Simmons, a 27-year veteran at the CIA, told Fox News Radio: "As most people now know, [Plame] was traipsed all over Washington many years ago by Joe Wilson and introduced at embassies and other parties as 'my CIA wife.'"
Last week, Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told WABC Radio's John Batchelor that during a 2002 conversation with Wilson while the two waited to appear on a TV show, Wilson casually mentioned that his wife worked at "the Agency."
In Oct. 2003, NBC's diplomatic correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, told CNBC that Plame's occupation "was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger."
Mitchell added: "So a number of us began to pick up on that."
And in Sept. 2003, NationalReviewOnline's Cliff May wrote that when Plame's CIA connection was mentioned in Novak's column - "That wasn't news to me."
"I had been told that [Plame was CIA] - but not by anyone working in the White House. Rather, I learned it from someone who formerly worked in the government and he mentioned it in an offhand manner, leading me to infer it was something that insiders were well aware of."
The day his report appeared, May told the Fox News Channel's John Gibson: "I knew this, and a lot of other people knew it."
In fact, rumors now swirl around Washington that Plame used to take her friends to lunch at the CIA's cafeteria.
So what has Mr.Fitzgerald - who was hailed as a "prosecutor's prosecutor" only weeks ago - done with the avalanche of testimony that contradicts his stated claim that Plame's job "was not widely known"?
Apparently nothing.
In the six days since he's gone public, Gen. Vallely says prosecutors have yet to contact him.
Ms. Mitchell has been mum since her "widely known" comment resurfaced last week, offering no indication whether Fitzgerald has bothered to check her story out.
If Mr. May has been interrogated, he's also keeping it to himself.
And Mr. Simmons has made no mention of any contact with Fitzgerald's team.
On the other hand, the prosecutor's prosecutor made a big show of interviewing two of the Wilsons neighbors just four days before he announced his indictment of Lewis Libby - in a bid to establish whether Ms. Plame's occupation was indeed secret.
It was, as far as her neighbors were concerned. But the revelation that Fitzgerald had waited till the last minute to confirm such a key aspect of his case raised more than a few eyebrows.
Now, with four witnesses on the record saying they knew what the Wilsons' neighbors didn't - and two of those witnesses coming forward even before the Leakgate investigation began - it's beginning to look like Mr. Fitzgerald deliberately ignored critical testimony that would have compelled him to close up shop well before he ever got to Mr. Libby.
Was the identity of Joseph Wilson's wife Valerie Plame really a deep dark secret before she was "outed" by columnist Robert Novak in July 2003?
The number of witnesses now saying "No" has climbed to four - and none of them have apparently been interviewed by Fitzgerald's investigators.
On Wednesday, Wayne Simmons, a 27-year veteran at the CIA, told Fox News Radio: "As most people now know, [Plame] was traipsed all over Washington many years ago by Joe Wilson and introduced at embassies and other parties as 'my CIA wife.'"
Last week, Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely told WABC Radio's John Batchelor that during a 2002 conversation with Wilson while the two waited to appear on a TV show, Wilson casually mentioned that his wife worked at "the Agency."
In Oct. 2003, NBC's diplomatic correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, told CNBC that Plame's occupation "was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger."
Mitchell added: "So a number of us began to pick up on that."
And in Sept. 2003, NationalReviewOnline's Cliff May wrote that when Plame's CIA connection was mentioned in Novak's column - "That wasn't news to me."
"I had been told that [Plame was CIA] - but not by anyone working in the White House. Rather, I learned it from someone who formerly worked in the government and he mentioned it in an offhand manner, leading me to infer it was something that insiders were well aware of."
The day his report appeared, May told the Fox News Channel's John Gibson: "I knew this, and a lot of other people knew it."
In fact, rumors now swirl around Washington that Plame used to take her friends to lunch at the CIA's cafeteria.
So what has Mr.Fitzgerald - who was hailed as a "prosecutor's prosecutor" only weeks ago - done with the avalanche of testimony that contradicts his stated claim that Plame's job "was not widely known"?
Apparently nothing.
In the six days since he's gone public, Gen. Vallely says prosecutors have yet to contact him.
Ms. Mitchell has been mum since her "widely known" comment resurfaced last week, offering no indication whether Fitzgerald has bothered to check her story out.
If Mr. May has been interrogated, he's also keeping it to himself.
And Mr. Simmons has made no mention of any contact with Fitzgerald's team.
On the other hand, the prosecutor's prosecutor made a big show of interviewing two of the Wilsons neighbors just four days before he announced his indictment of Lewis Libby - in a bid to establish whether Ms. Plame's occupation was indeed secret.
It was, as far as her neighbors were concerned. But the revelation that Fitzgerald had waited till the last minute to confirm such a key aspect of his case raised more than a few eyebrows.
Now, with four witnesses on the record saying they knew what the Wilsons' neighbors didn't - and two of those witnesses coming forward even before the Leakgate investigation began - it's beginning to look like Mr. Fitzgerald deliberately ignored critical testimony that would have compelled him to close up shop well before he ever got to Mr. Libby.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Today's Voting Could Be Test for GOP
U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, a Democrat, acknowledged a little nervousness as he voted Tuesday in his race for governor of New Jersey, one of several contests being closely monitored for evidence of how the GOP's recent struggles are influencing voters.
Tuesday's voting in New Jersey concluded a campaign that featured more personal attacks than actual talk about the issues. The races there and in Virginia - together the biggest contests in this off-year election season - broke spending records in both states, got progressively nasty and yet remained close.
Several New Jersey voters said Tuesday they were turned off by the candidates' negative campaigning.
"There's just too much mudslinging," said Mike Myers, 52, of Bridgewater. "Why can't they talk about what's important instead of battering each other and their families?"
Corzine, facing Republican businessman Doug Forrester, voted shortly after the polls opened at a fire station in Hoboken. Coming out of the voting booth, he told reporters he was "a little nervous, a little worried but confident."
few hours later, Forrester voted at a senior center, giving a thumbs-up and expressing only optimism about his chances.
In Virginia, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine chatted with neighbors in his Richmond neighborhood before going to the polls with his wife, Anne Holton.
Kaine's Republican challenger, Jerry Kilgore, got support Monday from President Bush, who made a last-minute dash into Virginia to urge die-hard conservatives to help turn out voters for the former attorney general.
"The thing I like about this fellow is he grew up on a farm," Bush said in a brief stop on his return from a South American trade mission. "He doesn't have a lot of fancy airs."
At a campaign event for Kaine, Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner welcomed the arrival of Bush, who even in reliably Republican Virginia suffers job-approval ratings of around 40 percent.
"If they want to compare how things are going in Washington versus how things are going in Virginia, I'll take that comparison every day of the week," Warner said.
In other contests Tuesday, the cities of New York, Detroit, Houston, Boston, San Diego and Atlanta had mayoral races. Seven states considered ballot issues, including four proposals backed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that were trailing in the polls.
Tuesday's voting in New Jersey concluded a campaign that featured more personal attacks than actual talk about the issues. The races there and in Virginia - together the biggest contests in this off-year election season - broke spending records in both states, got progressively nasty and yet remained close.
Several New Jersey voters said Tuesday they were turned off by the candidates' negative campaigning.
"There's just too much mudslinging," said Mike Myers, 52, of Bridgewater. "Why can't they talk about what's important instead of battering each other and their families?"
Corzine, facing Republican businessman Doug Forrester, voted shortly after the polls opened at a fire station in Hoboken. Coming out of the voting booth, he told reporters he was "a little nervous, a little worried but confident."
few hours later, Forrester voted at a senior center, giving a thumbs-up and expressing only optimism about his chances.
In Virginia, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine chatted with neighbors in his Richmond neighborhood before going to the polls with his wife, Anne Holton.
Kaine's Republican challenger, Jerry Kilgore, got support Monday from President Bush, who made a last-minute dash into Virginia to urge die-hard conservatives to help turn out voters for the former attorney general.
"The thing I like about this fellow is he grew up on a farm," Bush said in a brief stop on his return from a South American trade mission. "He doesn't have a lot of fancy airs."
At a campaign event for Kaine, Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner welcomed the arrival of Bush, who even in reliably Republican Virginia suffers job-approval ratings of around 40 percent.
"If they want to compare how things are going in Washington versus how things are going in Virginia, I'll take that comparison every day of the week," Warner said.
In other contests Tuesday, the cities of New York, Detroit, Houston, Boston, San Diego and Atlanta had mayoral races. Seven states considered ballot issues, including four proposals backed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that were trailing in the polls.
Poll: Most Americans favor border fence
3/4 say a candidate's stance on immigration will influence vote
Nearly two-thirds of Americans would favor the construction of a fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, while three out of four say a politician's stance on immigration will influence the way they vote in coming elections.
According to a new survey by Rasmussen Reports, 60 percent of those surveyed like the idea of a barrier along the U.S. Southwest border as a means of dramatically reducing illegal immigration from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.
The poll also found that 75 percent of Americans say the issue of immigration is "somewhat important" or "very important" in terms of how they plan to vote for president and members of Congress. That compares with just 21 percent who said a candidate's stance on immigration was "not very important" or "not at all important" to them.
In addition, a plurality of those surveyed � 49 percent � said they favored legislation that would end a concept known as "birthright citizenship," which is the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the United States. Forty-one percent were opposed to such legislation.
Birthright citizenship comes from U.S. courts' repeated reliance on the opening sentence of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."
Critics say the law is being abused by illegal aliens who break into the United States just to have children, who then automatically become U.S. citizens entitled to generous government-provided benefits.
They also say the amendment was never supposed to be interpreted as granting automatic citizenship to the offspring of illegal aliens. They say the authors of the Civil War-era amendment included the citizenship provision so newly freed black slaves would be legally considered citizens of the United States, whereas they were not before slavery was abolished.
They point to the words of Sen. Jacob Howard, co-author of the citizenship clause of the amendment, who declared in 1866: "Every person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons."
Currently, some congressional Republicans are considering legislation that would end birthright citizenship and accompanying provisions calling for the construction of a border fence.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans would favor the construction of a fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, while three out of four say a politician's stance on immigration will influence the way they vote in coming elections.
According to a new survey by Rasmussen Reports, 60 percent of those surveyed like the idea of a barrier along the U.S. Southwest border as a means of dramatically reducing illegal immigration from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.
The poll also found that 75 percent of Americans say the issue of immigration is "somewhat important" or "very important" in terms of how they plan to vote for president and members of Congress. That compares with just 21 percent who said a candidate's stance on immigration was "not very important" or "not at all important" to them.
In addition, a plurality of those surveyed � 49 percent � said they favored legislation that would end a concept known as "birthright citizenship," which is the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to anyone born in the United States. Forty-one percent were opposed to such legislation.
Birthright citizenship comes from U.S. courts' repeated reliance on the opening sentence of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."
Critics say the law is being abused by illegal aliens who break into the United States just to have children, who then automatically become U.S. citizens entitled to generous government-provided benefits.
They also say the amendment was never supposed to be interpreted as granting automatic citizenship to the offspring of illegal aliens. They say the authors of the Civil War-era amendment included the citizenship provision so newly freed black slaves would be legally considered citizens of the United States, whereas they were not before slavery was abolished.
They point to the words of Sen. Jacob Howard, co-author of the citizenship clause of the amendment, who declared in 1866: "Every person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons."
Currently, some congressional Republicans are considering legislation that would end birthright citizenship and accompanying provisions calling for the construction of a border fence.
Ship Blasted Pirates With Sonic Weapon
The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend, the cruise line said Monday.
The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard.
The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. He had no further details.
Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said.
The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.
The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.
American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.
The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said.
The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard.
The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. He had no further details.
Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said.
The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.
The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.
American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.
The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said.
Defense lawyer in Saddam trial killed
Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying two lawyers defending some of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants in a trial for crimes against humanity, killing one and wounding the other, police and defense team sources said.
Tuesday's attack followed the murder of another defense lawyer in the team, Saadoun al-Janabi, who was shot the day after the trial started in Baghdad last month.
Police and defense team sources said Adil al-Zubeidi was killed in the attack in western Baghdad, while Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie was wounded.
Both men were on a team defending Saddam's brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan, legal sources said.
In last month's attack, Janabi, who was representing Awad Bandar, was kidnapped from his office by armed men who identified themselves as employees of the Interior Ministry and murdered on October 20, the day after his court appearance at the start of the trial.
Saddam and seven others are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity but his defense lawyers, fearful for their lives, called on Monday for his trial to be moved abroad.
Saddam's trial is due to resume on November 28.
Tuesday's attack followed the murder of another defense lawyer in the team, Saadoun al-Janabi, who was shot the day after the trial started in Baghdad last month.
Police and defense team sources said Adil al-Zubeidi was killed in the attack in western Baghdad, while Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie was wounded.
Both men were on a team defending Saddam's brother Barzan al-Tikriti and former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan, legal sources said.
In last month's attack, Janabi, who was representing Awad Bandar, was kidnapped from his office by armed men who identified themselves as employees of the Interior Ministry and murdered on October 20, the day after his court appearance at the start of the trial.
Saddam and seven others are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity but his defense lawyers, fearful for their lives, called on Monday for his trial to be moved abroad.
Saddam's trial is due to resume on November 28.
GOP LEADERS TO LAUNCH NEW 'LEAK' PROBE; INFO TO WASH POST 'DAMAGED NATIONAL SECURITY'
Sources tell Drudge that early this afternoon House Speaker Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Frist will announce a bicameral investigation into the leak of classified information to the WASHINGTON POST regarding the �black sites� where high value al Qaeda terrorists are being held and interrogated.
MORE
Said one Hill source: �Talk about a leak that damaged national security! How will we ever get our allies to cooperate if they fear that their people will be targeted by al Qaeda.�
According to sources, the WASHINGTON POST story by Dana Priest (Wednesday November 2), revealed highly classified information that has already done significant damage to US efforts in the War on Terror.
Developing...
MORE
Said one Hill source: �Talk about a leak that damaged national security! How will we ever get our allies to cooperate if they fear that their people will be targeted by al Qaeda.�
According to sources, the WASHINGTON POST story by Dana Priest (Wednesday November 2), revealed highly classified information that has already done significant damage to US efforts in the War on Terror.
Developing...
Terror Suspects Arrested in Australia
Australian authorities arrested 16 terror suspects on Tuesday - including a prominent radical Muslim cleric sympathetic to Osama bin Laden - and said they had foiled a major terror attack on the country by men committed to "violent jihad."
The Australian Federal Police said seven men were arrested in Sydney and nine in Melbourne in coordinated raids that also netted evidence including weapons and apparent bomb-making materials.
"I was satisfied that this state was under an imminent threat of potentially a catastrophic terrorist act," said New South Wales Police Minister Carl Scully.
Police commissioner Graeme Morgan said one of the men arrested was shot and wounded by police in the raids, which followed a 16-month investigation.
An Associated Press photographer saw a bomb squad robot examining a backpack the man was wearing when he was shot. Morgan said it contained a handgun.
Police declined to give details of the likely target of the attack, but Victoria state police chief Christine Nixon said that next year's Commonwealth Games, to be staged in Melbourne, were not a target.
Among the men arrested was the outspoken radical Muslim cleric Abdul Nacker Ben Brika, also known as Abu Bakr - an Algerian-Australian who has said he would be violating his faith if he warned his students not to join the jihad, or holy war, in Iraq.
Abu Bakr was among nine men who appeared Tuesday morning in Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with being members of a terror group.
Prosecutor Richard Maidment told the court the nine formed a terrorist group to kill "innocent men and women in Australia."
"The members of the Sydney group have been gathering chemicals of a kind that were used in the London Underground bombings," Maidment said. He said Bakr was the group's ringleader.
"Each of the members of the group are committed to the cause of violent jihad," he added.
The Australian Federal Police said seven men were arrested in Sydney and nine in Melbourne in coordinated raids that also netted evidence including weapons and apparent bomb-making materials.
"I was satisfied that this state was under an imminent threat of potentially a catastrophic terrorist act," said New South Wales Police Minister Carl Scully.
Police commissioner Graeme Morgan said one of the men arrested was shot and wounded by police in the raids, which followed a 16-month investigation.
An Associated Press photographer saw a bomb squad robot examining a backpack the man was wearing when he was shot. Morgan said it contained a handgun.
Police declined to give details of the likely target of the attack, but Victoria state police chief Christine Nixon said that next year's Commonwealth Games, to be staged in Melbourne, were not a target.
Among the men arrested was the outspoken radical Muslim cleric Abdul Nacker Ben Brika, also known as Abu Bakr - an Algerian-Australian who has said he would be violating his faith if he warned his students not to join the jihad, or holy war, in Iraq.
Abu Bakr was among nine men who appeared Tuesday morning in Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with being members of a terror group.
Prosecutor Richard Maidment told the court the nine formed a terrorist group to kill "innocent men and women in Australia."
"The members of the Sydney group have been gathering chemicals of a kind that were used in the London Underground bombings," Maidment said. He said Bakr was the group's ringleader.
"Each of the members of the group are committed to the cause of violent jihad," he added.
N.J., Va. Governor Hopefuls Hit the Home Stretch
A pair of big-spending, notably nasty races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey entered their final hours Monday, as candidates made last-minute blitzes and brought in political heavy-hitters to help campaign.
In New Jersey, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and Republican Doug Forrester spent the day stumping for votes in coffee shops, train stations and senior citizen centers after a week dominated by allegations of infidelity and corruption.
A Quinnipiac Poll released Monday gave Corzine a slight edge, 53 percent to 45 percent. The Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll put the two closer, with Corzine leading 43 percent to 37 percent.
Forrester, who swept through diners and coffee shops with New York Gov. George Pataki, described his mood as "pumped."
"I was told a year ago if we came into the final week in single digits, we'll win. We are going to do this tomorrow," he said.
In Virginia, President Bush was due in Richmond Monday night for a final rally with Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore. Democrat Tim Kaine campaigned with Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, who is barred by state law from seeking a consecutive term.
Recent polls show a deadlocked race between Kaine, the lieutenant governor, and Kilgore, a former attorney general.
The two gubernatorial races are the most prominent in this year's off-year election. New York, Detroit, Houston, Boston, San Diego and Atlanta have mayoral races on Tuesday's ballot. Seven states are considering ballot issues.
In New York, Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg held onto a clear lead against Democratic underdog Fernando Ferrer. Both were out at dawn, greeting commuters in an effort to boost turnout.
Ferrer scheduled appearances with the Rev. Al Sharpton and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, while Bloomberg made a final blitz around the city.
"Let's not take anything for granted," he told seniors at a center near Chinatown, where his speech was also translated into Chinese. "We've got to vote, we've got to keep working."
In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a last minute-push for a set of proposals that pollsters indicated were on shaky ground. The initiatives would cap state spending and give Schwarzenegger more power to cut budgets, rein in public employee unions, and take away legislators' power to redistrict.
The gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey both broke state spending records. In New Jersey, the candidates spent more than $70 million combined on the campaign, much of it their own money.
Forrester ran a TV ad quoting Corzine's ex-wife, who told The New York times that "Jon did let his family down, and he'll probably let New Jersey down, too." Corzine's campaign also aired some controversial spots, including a 19-year-old who lost the use of most his limbs in a wrestling match three years ago. "Doug Forrester doesn't support embryonic stem cell research, therefore, I don't think he supports people like me," said the teen, Carl Riccio.
In Virginia, the harshest ad criticized Kaine, saying "Tim Kaine says Adolf Hitler doesn't qualify for the death penalty," referring to a suggestion he made to a panel of newspaper reporters. Kaine fired back in an ad, pledging to carry out death sentences "because it's the law."
Voters in both states were frustrated.
"There's a lot of people starving in this country, and we're spending $60 million on ads," said Bill Mirrer, a coffee shop owner in Ridgewood, N.J., among the list of Monday's campaign stops.
In New Jersey, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine and Republican Doug Forrester spent the day stumping for votes in coffee shops, train stations and senior citizen centers after a week dominated by allegations of infidelity and corruption.
A Quinnipiac Poll released Monday gave Corzine a slight edge, 53 percent to 45 percent. The Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers Poll put the two closer, with Corzine leading 43 percent to 37 percent.
Forrester, who swept through diners and coffee shops with New York Gov. George Pataki, described his mood as "pumped."
"I was told a year ago if we came into the final week in single digits, we'll win. We are going to do this tomorrow," he said.
In Virginia, President Bush was due in Richmond Monday night for a final rally with Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore. Democrat Tim Kaine campaigned with Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, who is barred by state law from seeking a consecutive term.
Recent polls show a deadlocked race between Kaine, the lieutenant governor, and Kilgore, a former attorney general.
The two gubernatorial races are the most prominent in this year's off-year election. New York, Detroit, Houston, Boston, San Diego and Atlanta have mayoral races on Tuesday's ballot. Seven states are considering ballot issues.
In New York, Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg held onto a clear lead against Democratic underdog Fernando Ferrer. Both were out at dawn, greeting commuters in an effort to boost turnout.
Ferrer scheduled appearances with the Rev. Al Sharpton and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, while Bloomberg made a final blitz around the city.
"Let's not take anything for granted," he told seniors at a center near Chinatown, where his speech was also translated into Chinese. "We've got to vote, we've got to keep working."
In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a last minute-push for a set of proposals that pollsters indicated were on shaky ground. The initiatives would cap state spending and give Schwarzenegger more power to cut budgets, rein in public employee unions, and take away legislators' power to redistrict.
The gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey both broke state spending records. In New Jersey, the candidates spent more than $70 million combined on the campaign, much of it their own money.
Forrester ran a TV ad quoting Corzine's ex-wife, who told The New York times that "Jon did let his family down, and he'll probably let New Jersey down, too." Corzine's campaign also aired some controversial spots, including a 19-year-old who lost the use of most his limbs in a wrestling match three years ago. "Doug Forrester doesn't support embryonic stem cell research, therefore, I don't think he supports people like me," said the teen, Carl Riccio.
In Virginia, the harshest ad criticized Kaine, saying "Tim Kaine says Adolf Hitler doesn't qualify for the death penalty," referring to a suggestion he made to a panel of newspaper reporters. Kaine fired back in an ad, pledging to carry out death sentences "because it's the law."
Voters in both states were frustrated.
"There's a lot of people starving in this country, and we're spending $60 million on ads," said Bill Mirrer, a coffee shop owner in Ridgewood, N.J., among the list of Monday's campaign stops.
General wants Wilson apology
Threatened again with lawsuit over claim of 'outing' CIA wife
Threatened with a lawsuit for "slander," retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely is turning the tables on Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, calling on the man at the center of the CIA leak controversy to offer a public apology for accusing him of lying.
As WorldNetDaily reported, Vallely claimed Wilson revealed wife Valerie Plame's employment with the CIA to him in a casual conversation the year before she allegedly was "outed" by columnist Robert Novak.
Vallely said he brought up Wilson's disclosure last week because he saw Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the alleged leak as unfinished.
Wilson, he said, has made so many misstatements of fact, "but nobody has taken him to task."
Why Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald did not question Wilson and Plame under oath, "is a mystery to me," Vallely said.
Meanwhile, Wilson's lawyer Christopher Wolf notified Vallely and WorldNetDaily that his office mailed an official demand letter yesterday threatening a lawsuit unless the general retracts his claim.
Wolf warned Vallely "the claim that Ambassador Wilson revealed to you or anyone that his wife worked for the CIA is patently false, and subjects you and anyone publishing your statements to legal liability."
But Vallely said Monday he still has no intention of backing down.
After recalling further over the weekend his contacts with Wilson, Vallely says now it was on just one occasion � the first of several conversations � that the ambassador revealed his wife's employment with the CIA and that it likely occurred some time in the late summer or early fall of 2002.
He is certain, he says, the conversation took place in 2002.
Wilson admits to two encounters with Vallely, the first in July 2002.
Fox News Channel would not provide information about Wilson's and Vallely's appearances, but WABC's Batchelor told WND his staff has found that Wilson appeared on the network at least 25 times from Aug. 13 to Dec. 31 of 2002 and that Vallely appeared from 150 to 200 times during that year.
At least two veteran reporters say Valerie Plame's association with the CIA was widely known, and a prominent analyst on military and political affairs, Victor Davis Hanson, told WorldNetDaily his own green-room encounter with Wilson revealed a man who is unusually free with personal information to strangers.
Former Time magazine correspondent Hugh Sidey told the New York Sun in a story published Sunday. "[Plame's] name was knocking around in the sub rosa world we live in for a long time."
NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell, in an appearance on CNBC's "Capitol Report," Oct. 3, 2003, was asked how widely it was known in Washington that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.
"It was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger," she said.
Threatened with a lawsuit for "slander," retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely is turning the tables on Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, calling on the man at the center of the CIA leak controversy to offer a public apology for accusing him of lying.
As WorldNetDaily reported, Vallely claimed Wilson revealed wife Valerie Plame's employment with the CIA to him in a casual conversation the year before she allegedly was "outed" by columnist Robert Novak.
Vallely said he brought up Wilson's disclosure last week because he saw Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the alleged leak as unfinished.
Wilson, he said, has made so many misstatements of fact, "but nobody has taken him to task."
Why Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald did not question Wilson and Plame under oath, "is a mystery to me," Vallely said.
Meanwhile, Wilson's lawyer Christopher Wolf notified Vallely and WorldNetDaily that his office mailed an official demand letter yesterday threatening a lawsuit unless the general retracts his claim.
Wolf warned Vallely "the claim that Ambassador Wilson revealed to you or anyone that his wife worked for the CIA is patently false, and subjects you and anyone publishing your statements to legal liability."
But Vallely said Monday he still has no intention of backing down.
After recalling further over the weekend his contacts with Wilson, Vallely says now it was on just one occasion � the first of several conversations � that the ambassador revealed his wife's employment with the CIA and that it likely occurred some time in the late summer or early fall of 2002.
He is certain, he says, the conversation took place in 2002.
Wilson admits to two encounters with Vallely, the first in July 2002.
Fox News Channel would not provide information about Wilson's and Vallely's appearances, but WABC's Batchelor told WND his staff has found that Wilson appeared on the network at least 25 times from Aug. 13 to Dec. 31 of 2002 and that Vallely appeared from 150 to 200 times during that year.
At least two veteran reporters say Valerie Plame's association with the CIA was widely known, and a prominent analyst on military and political affairs, Victor Davis Hanson, told WorldNetDaily his own green-room encounter with Wilson revealed a man who is unusually free with personal information to strangers.
Former Time magazine correspondent Hugh Sidey told the New York Sun in a story published Sunday. "[Plame's] name was knocking around in the sub rosa world we live in for a long time."
NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell, in an appearance on CNBC's "Capitol Report," Oct. 3, 2003, was asked how widely it was known in Washington that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA.
"It was widely known among those of us who cover the intelligence community and who were actively engaged in trying to track down who among the foreign service community was the envoy to Niger," she said.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Missile 'embedded in U.S. cruise ship'
Official: Possible those who attacked Miami-based vessel were terrorists
A U.S. cruise liner attacked with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades off the coast of Somalia may have been the target of a terrorist high-sea assault, says Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
The Seabourn Spirit, carrying 312 people including passengers and crew, is nearing a port in the Seychelles, but arrival may be delayed because an unexploded missile is embedded in the vessel, said the official, who is monitoring the ship's progress because about 19 Australians are on board.
"We're not sure whether in the early stages the ship will be able to tie up at the wharf there because of concern about an unexploded rocket that is embedded in some of the passenger accommodation of the ship," Downer told Australia's Nine Network. "American officials are going to board it initially to deal with that problem, and once that problem's dealt with then our consular officer will be able to go on board as well."
Initial reports identified the attackers as pirates. The area is notorious for piracy. But Downer said it may have been a terrorist attack.
A U.S. cruise liner attacked with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades off the coast of Somalia may have been the target of a terrorist high-sea assault, says Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
The Seabourn Spirit, carrying 312 people including passengers and crew, is nearing a port in the Seychelles, but arrival may be delayed because an unexploded missile is embedded in the vessel, said the official, who is monitoring the ship's progress because about 19 Australians are on board.
"We're not sure whether in the early stages the ship will be able to tie up at the wharf there because of concern about an unexploded rocket that is embedded in some of the passenger accommodation of the ship," Downer told Australia's Nine Network. "American officials are going to board it initially to deal with that problem, and once that problem's dealt with then our consular officer will be able to go on board as well."
Initial reports identified the attackers as pirates. The area is notorious for piracy. But Downer said it may have been a terrorist attack.
Leakgate, the CIA, Iraq and 9/11
The Leakgate imbroglio has put the spotlight on the CIA's opposition to the Bush administration's Iraq war policy - with questions swirling about who at the agency thought it was a good idea to send Bush-bashing war critic Joe Wilson to verify key administration claims about Iraq's nuclear ambitions.
But the Agency's double-dealing on evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction begs another question: Was the CIA an honest broker of information that seemed, early on, to link Iraq to the 9/11 attacks?
Longtime Washington lawyer Victoria Toensing - who drafted the 1982 law that was supposed to be at the center of the Leakgate scandal - has been arguing for weeks now that the CIA's permanent bureaucracy had a hidden agenda against the Iraq war.
Writing on OpinionJournal.com on Sunday, Toensing went so far as to suggest that the CIA's decision to enlist Wilson is beginning to look like "a brilliant covert action against the White House."
Was a similar strategy employed whenever inconvenient evidence materialized linking Iraq to 9/11?
Since two Iraqi defectors first reported in Nov. 2001 that radical Islamists had been trained at Saddam's Salman Pak terrorist camp to hijack airplanes using techniques similar to those employed on 9/11, the CIA has been working overtime trying to knock the story down.
The defectors weren't credible, Agency sources repeatedly told reporters.
"The probability that the training provided at such centers, e.g. Salman Pak, was similar to what al Qaida could offer at its own camps in Afghanistan, combined with the sourcing difficulties, leads us to conclude that we need additional corroboration before we can validate that this low level basic terrorist training for al Qaida occurred in Iraq," one CIA analyst told Knight Ridder news in January 2003.
Four months later, U.S. Marines overran the super secret facility that the Agency had dismissed as innocuous.
April 6, 2003, CENTCOM spokesman, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, told reporters that the Iraqis defending the camp were not run of the mill soldiers.
"The nature of the work being done by some of those people we captured, their inferences about the type of training they received, all these things give us the impression that there is terrorist training that was conducted at Salman Pak," Brooks said.
"Some of them come from Sudan, some from Egypt, some from other places . . . It reinforces the likelihood of links between this regime and external terrorist organizations," the CENTCOM spokesman added.
The CIA's response? Certainly not the kind of intelligence review that would have gotten to the bottom of just what was going on at Salman Pak. In fact, at last report, the Agency accepted the alibi offered by Iraqi officials: that hijack classes staged aboard a parked airliner were actually hijack prevention exercises.
The Agency reacted the same way when Czech intelligence reported that lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in Prague just months before the 9/11 attacks, dismissing the claim despite repeated Czech assertions that it was true.
And when the London Telegraph reported in Dec. 2003 that the interim Iraqi government had uncovered a document that put Mr. Atta in Baghdad in July 2001, anonymous U.S. intelligence sources told Newsweek the document was a probable forgery, citing an Iraqi document expert who hadn't laid eyes on the paper in question.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, however, sounded thoroughly impressed by the discovery, telling the Telegraph:
"This is the most compelling piece of evidence that we have found so far. It shows that not only did Saddam have contacts with Al Qaeda, he had contact with those responsible for the September 11 attacks.'"
Perhaps the CIA has conducted thorough behind-the-scenes investigations of each one of these episodes - and has simply decided not to go public with its smoking gun evidence debunking the claims. But there's nothing to that effect on the public record.
The 9/11 Commission claims to have conclusively determined that Saddam played no role whatsoever in 9/11. But like the CIA, the Commission has earned a reputation for ignoring important and compelling evidence - by burying key testimony that Mohamed Atta had been tracked down by the Able Danger intelligence group before the 9/11 attacks.
Meanwhile, in the only legal test of Saddam's involvement in 9/11 - a May 8, 2003 ruling by U.S. District Judge Harold Baer awarded two 9/11 families $104 million based on what Baer said was Iraq's "material" role in the attacks.
What's more, Oil for Food sleuth Claudia Rosett has offered a compelling, albeit circumstantial, case that Osama bin Laden didn't have the financial wherewithal to bankroll the 9/11 operation while simultaneously underwriting al Qaeda's worldwide network - until Saddam began pouring some of his Oil for Food profits into terrorist coffers.
Though even the Bush administration now treats the theory as hearsay, there remains a substantial body of evidence that suggests Iraq played a role in the 9/11 attacks.
And almost none of it has been credibly debunked by the CIA or other U.S. intelligence gathers, who offer only unsupported claims that the evidence in question is unreliable.
But the Agency's double-dealing on evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction begs another question: Was the CIA an honest broker of information that seemed, early on, to link Iraq to the 9/11 attacks?
Longtime Washington lawyer Victoria Toensing - who drafted the 1982 law that was supposed to be at the center of the Leakgate scandal - has been arguing for weeks now that the CIA's permanent bureaucracy had a hidden agenda against the Iraq war.
Writing on OpinionJournal.com on Sunday, Toensing went so far as to suggest that the CIA's decision to enlist Wilson is beginning to look like "a brilliant covert action against the White House."
Was a similar strategy employed whenever inconvenient evidence materialized linking Iraq to 9/11?
Since two Iraqi defectors first reported in Nov. 2001 that radical Islamists had been trained at Saddam's Salman Pak terrorist camp to hijack airplanes using techniques similar to those employed on 9/11, the CIA has been working overtime trying to knock the story down.
The defectors weren't credible, Agency sources repeatedly told reporters.
"The probability that the training provided at such centers, e.g. Salman Pak, was similar to what al Qaida could offer at its own camps in Afghanistan, combined with the sourcing difficulties, leads us to conclude that we need additional corroboration before we can validate that this low level basic terrorist training for al Qaida occurred in Iraq," one CIA analyst told Knight Ridder news in January 2003.
Four months later, U.S. Marines overran the super secret facility that the Agency had dismissed as innocuous.
April 6, 2003, CENTCOM spokesman, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, told reporters that the Iraqis defending the camp were not run of the mill soldiers.
"The nature of the work being done by some of those people we captured, their inferences about the type of training they received, all these things give us the impression that there is terrorist training that was conducted at Salman Pak," Brooks said.
"Some of them come from Sudan, some from Egypt, some from other places . . . It reinforces the likelihood of links between this regime and external terrorist organizations," the CENTCOM spokesman added.
The CIA's response? Certainly not the kind of intelligence review that would have gotten to the bottom of just what was going on at Salman Pak. In fact, at last report, the Agency accepted the alibi offered by Iraqi officials: that hijack classes staged aboard a parked airliner were actually hijack prevention exercises.
The Agency reacted the same way when Czech intelligence reported that lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta met with Iraqi intelligence in Prague just months before the 9/11 attacks, dismissing the claim despite repeated Czech assertions that it was true.
And when the London Telegraph reported in Dec. 2003 that the interim Iraqi government had uncovered a document that put Mr. Atta in Baghdad in July 2001, anonymous U.S. intelligence sources told Newsweek the document was a probable forgery, citing an Iraqi document expert who hadn't laid eyes on the paper in question.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, however, sounded thoroughly impressed by the discovery, telling the Telegraph:
"This is the most compelling piece of evidence that we have found so far. It shows that not only did Saddam have contacts with Al Qaeda, he had contact with those responsible for the September 11 attacks.'"
Perhaps the CIA has conducted thorough behind-the-scenes investigations of each one of these episodes - and has simply decided not to go public with its smoking gun evidence debunking the claims. But there's nothing to that effect on the public record.
The 9/11 Commission claims to have conclusively determined that Saddam played no role whatsoever in 9/11. But like the CIA, the Commission has earned a reputation for ignoring important and compelling evidence - by burying key testimony that Mohamed Atta had been tracked down by the Able Danger intelligence group before the 9/11 attacks.
Meanwhile, in the only legal test of Saddam's involvement in 9/11 - a May 8, 2003 ruling by U.S. District Judge Harold Baer awarded two 9/11 families $104 million based on what Baer said was Iraq's "material" role in the attacks.
What's more, Oil for Food sleuth Claudia Rosett has offered a compelling, albeit circumstantial, case that Osama bin Laden didn't have the financial wherewithal to bankroll the 9/11 operation while simultaneously underwriting al Qaeda's worldwide network - until Saddam began pouring some of his Oil for Food profits into terrorist coffers.
Though even the Bush administration now treats the theory as hearsay, there remains a substantial body of evidence that suggests Iraq played a role in the 9/11 attacks.
And almost none of it has been credibly debunked by the CIA or other U.S. intelligence gathers, who offer only unsupported claims that the evidence in question is unreliable.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Former Marine Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey Iraq Atrocities Claim False !
For more than a year, former Marine Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey has been telling anybody who would listen about the atrocities that he and other Marines committed in Iraq.
In scores of newspaper, magazine and broadcast stories, at a Canadian immigration hearing and in numerous speeches across the country, Massey told how he and other Marines recklessly, sometimes intentionally killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians.
Among his claims:
� Marines fired on and killed peaceful Iraqi protesters.
� Americans shot a 4-year-old Iraqi girl in the head.
� Tractor-trailers were filled with the bodies of civilian men, women and children killed by American artillery.
Massey's claims have gained him celebrity. Last month, Massey's book, "Kill, Kill, Kill," was released in France. His allegations have been reported in nationwide publications such as Vanity Fair and USA Today, as well as numerous broadcast reports. Earlier this year, he joined the anti-war bus tour of Cindy Sheehan and he's spoken at Cornell and Syracuse universities, among others.
News organizations worldwide published or broadcast Massey's claims without any corroboration and in most cases without investigation. Outside of the Marines, almost no one has seriously questioned whether Massey, a 12-year veteran who was honorably discharged, was telling the truth.
He wasn't.
Claims were false
Each of his claims is either demonstrably false or exaggerated - according to his fellow Marines, Massey's own admissions, and the five journalists who were embedded with Massey's unit, including a reporter and photographer from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and reporters from the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal.
Massey, 34, of Waynesville, N.C., was with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines based out of 29 Palms, Calif. The unit went to the Middle East in January 2003 and participated in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of that year.
Massey was discharged in December 2003, shortly after returning from Iraq due to depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
He began turning up in the press and broadcast last spring with stories about military atrocities. Massey's primary thrust has been that Marines from his battalion - some of whom, he told a Minneapolis audience were "psychopathic killers" - recklessly shot and killed Iraqi civilians, sometimes, he said, upon orders from their commanders. During a hearing in Canada, Massey said, "we deliberately gunned down people who were civilians."
The Marine Corps investigated Massey's claims and said they were "unsubstantiated."
Misleading statements
From the beginning, Massey misled reporters.
In early interviews, he told how he had lost his job at a furniture store because of his anti-war activities. But when asked about the incident in an Oct. 19 interview with the Post-Dispatch, Massey said that he had quit his job, but never felt pressure to leave.
"I left on good terms," he said.
He also backtracked from allegations he made in a May 2004, radio interview and elsewhere that he had seen tractor-trailers filled with the bodies of Iraqi civilians when Marines entered an Iraqi military prison outside of Baghdad. He said the Iraqis had been killed by American artillery.
He told listeners the scene was so bad "that the plasma from the body and skin was decomposing and literally oozing out of the crevices of the tractor-trailer bed."
He repeated the story during the Post-Dispatch interview. But when told that the newspaper's photographs and eyewitness reports identified the trailer contents as all men, mostly in uniform, Massey admitted that he had never seen the bodies.
Instead, he said, he had received his information from "intelligence reports." When asked were those reports official documents, he answered, "No, that's what the other Marines told me."
The details of Massey's stories changed repeatedly.
For example, he almost always told his audiences and interviewers of an event he said he'd never forget: Marines in his unit shooting four civilian Iraqis in a red Kia automobile.
In some accounts, Massey said Marines fired at the vehicle after it failed to stop at a checkpoint. In another version, he said the Marines stormed the car.
Sometimes he said three of the men were killed immediately while the fourth was wounded and covered in blood; sometimes he said the fourth man was "miraculously unscathed."
Sometimes he said the Marines left the three men on the side of the road to die without medical treatment while the fourth man exclaimed: "Why did you shoot my brother?"
There is no evidence that any of the versions occurred.
In scores of newspaper, magazine and broadcast stories, at a Canadian immigration hearing and in numerous speeches across the country, Massey told how he and other Marines recklessly, sometimes intentionally killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians.
Among his claims:
� Marines fired on and killed peaceful Iraqi protesters.
� Americans shot a 4-year-old Iraqi girl in the head.
� Tractor-trailers were filled with the bodies of civilian men, women and children killed by American artillery.
Massey's claims have gained him celebrity. Last month, Massey's book, "Kill, Kill, Kill," was released in France. His allegations have been reported in nationwide publications such as Vanity Fair and USA Today, as well as numerous broadcast reports. Earlier this year, he joined the anti-war bus tour of Cindy Sheehan and he's spoken at Cornell and Syracuse universities, among others.
News organizations worldwide published or broadcast Massey's claims without any corroboration and in most cases without investigation. Outside of the Marines, almost no one has seriously questioned whether Massey, a 12-year veteran who was honorably discharged, was telling the truth.
He wasn't.
Claims were false
Each of his claims is either demonstrably false or exaggerated - according to his fellow Marines, Massey's own admissions, and the five journalists who were embedded with Massey's unit, including a reporter and photographer from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and reporters from the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal.
Massey, 34, of Waynesville, N.C., was with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines based out of 29 Palms, Calif. The unit went to the Middle East in January 2003 and participated in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of that year.
Massey was discharged in December 2003, shortly after returning from Iraq due to depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
He began turning up in the press and broadcast last spring with stories about military atrocities. Massey's primary thrust has been that Marines from his battalion - some of whom, he told a Minneapolis audience were "psychopathic killers" - recklessly shot and killed Iraqi civilians, sometimes, he said, upon orders from their commanders. During a hearing in Canada, Massey said, "we deliberately gunned down people who were civilians."
The Marine Corps investigated Massey's claims and said they were "unsubstantiated."
Misleading statements
From the beginning, Massey misled reporters.
In early interviews, he told how he had lost his job at a furniture store because of his anti-war activities. But when asked about the incident in an Oct. 19 interview with the Post-Dispatch, Massey said that he had quit his job, but never felt pressure to leave.
"I left on good terms," he said.
He also backtracked from allegations he made in a May 2004, radio interview and elsewhere that he had seen tractor-trailers filled with the bodies of Iraqi civilians when Marines entered an Iraqi military prison outside of Baghdad. He said the Iraqis had been killed by American artillery.
He told listeners the scene was so bad "that the plasma from the body and skin was decomposing and literally oozing out of the crevices of the tractor-trailer bed."
He repeated the story during the Post-Dispatch interview. But when told that the newspaper's photographs and eyewitness reports identified the trailer contents as all men, mostly in uniform, Massey admitted that he had never seen the bodies.
Instead, he said, he had received his information from "intelligence reports." When asked were those reports official documents, he answered, "No, that's what the other Marines told me."
The details of Massey's stories changed repeatedly.
For example, he almost always told his audiences and interviewers of an event he said he'd never forget: Marines in his unit shooting four civilian Iraqis in a red Kia automobile.
In some accounts, Massey said Marines fired at the vehicle after it failed to stop at a checkpoint. In another version, he said the Marines stormed the car.
Sometimes he said three of the men were killed immediately while the fourth was wounded and covered in blood; sometimes he said the fourth man was "miraculously unscathed."
Sometimes he said the Marines left the three men on the side of the road to die without medical treatment while the fourth man exclaimed: "Why did you shoot my brother?"
There is no evidence that any of the versions occurred.
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