The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 12/04/2005 - 12/11/2005

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Barack Obama: Dem Presidents Misled on War

Democrat presidents misled and troops wound up dead?

That's what Sen. Barack Obama seemed to be saying in a wide ranging interview with the Chicago Tribune this week.

Commenting on claims that President Bush used on bogus intelligence to take America into the Iraq war - he noted that more than one Democratic president has done the same thing.

The revelation came as Sen. Obama recounted a recent town meeting where an audience member had asked him about the war, saying: "Shouldn't the president be impeached for lying?"

The top black Democrat recalled answering: "Well, FDR, JFK, LBJ -- we have a pretty long list of presidents who maybe were not entirely forthcoming with intelligence information before they went to war, so I'd be cautious against making legal cases against the administration."
Sen. Obama was apparently referring to longstanding allegations that FDR ignored intelligence that showed the Japanese planned to attack Pearl Harbor - knowing that such an attack would mobilize public opinion for a war against Nazi Germany.

In JFK and LBJ's case, he was apparently alluding to intelligence that was manipulated before the Vietnam War - such as Lyndon Johnson's claim that the North Vietnamese attacked US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

Historians now say no such attack ever took place.

NYPD officer killed in shootout with 2 burglars

Police identify actor who appeared in �The Sopranos� as a suspect

An off-duty police officer was killed Saturday in a gunfight with two burglars outside his home, and authorities said an actor from "The Sopranos" was a suspect.

Daniel Enchautegui, 28, a three-year veteran, was pronounced dead at a hospital following the 5:15 a.m. shooting, said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

He was the second officer to die in the line of duty in two weeks.

The officer had returned to his Bronx home after finishing a late shift when he heard breaking glass in an unoccupied house next door, Kelly said.

The officer first called his landlord, then called 911 to report a possible burglary.

The officer grabbed his off-duty weapon and went outside to investigate.

His landlord heard Enchautegui shout, "Police! Don't move!" followed by the sound of gunfire, Kelly said.

The officer was struck once in the chest with a bullet from a .357-caliber revolver.

Before collapsing in the driveway of the home, he returned fire and struck both of the suspects � one was hit twice, the other four times.

One of the suspects was identified by police as Lillo Brancato Jr., an actor who also appeared in several episodes of "The Sopranos" as Matt Bevilacqua, a mob wannabe who eventually was murdered.

He made his debut in the 1993 film, "A Bronx Tale," directed by Robert De Niro.

Brancato was arrested in June for criminal possession of a controlled substance.

A police car on routine patrol arrested Brancato as he was getting into a car, police said.

The second suspect, Steven Armento, was arrested as he ran from the scene.

Police identified Armento as the gunman.

Both men were taken into custody without incident and were in serious condition, Kelly said.

Another officer was shot on Nov. 28 during a car chase in Brooklyn and killed by a bullet that missed his protective vest.

A suspect in that shooting was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in a separate shooting that wounded another officer earlier in November.

On Tuesday, two state troopers were wounded and a drug suspect was killed when shots were fired during a raid in the Bronx.

Conservative weblogs outdo liberal sites

New York Times magazine feature sees them as 'more effective'

A story in the New York Times Sunday magazine declares conservative blogs continue to have more political and electoral influence than liberal blogs.

Titled "Conservative Blogs Are More Effective," Michael Crowley's piece in the magazine's 5th Annual Year in Ideas cover package claims that with the 2006 elections approaching, Democrats are now "trying to use blogs more strategically," says the trade publication Editor & Publisher.

But Crowley � citing Democrat activist Matt Stoller, who ran a blog for Sen. Jon Corzine in his recent race for New Jersey governor � believes conservative blogs will once again have the upper hand next year.

Stoller points to a recent example in New Jersey where talk radio picked up on personal charges against Corzine published by conservative blogs which caused "damage" to the campaign.

"To Stoller, it was proof of how conservatives have mastered the art of using blogs as a deadly campaign weapon," Crowley writes, according to Editor & Publisher. "Yet Corzine won the election easily anyway."

"Liberals use the Web to air ideas and vent grievances with one another, often ripping into Democratic leaders," he says, while conservatives, "by contrast, skillfully use the Web to provide maximum benefit for their issues and candidates."

Crowley believes, though, that what truly makes conservative blogs effective is the infrastructure provided by the Fox News Channel and radio giants such as Rush Limbaugh, all of which are quick to pass on the latest tidbit from the blogosphere."

Greenpeace Co-Founder Praises U.S. for Rejecting Kyoto Protocol

A founding member of Greenpeace, who left the organization because he viewed it as too radical, praised the United States for refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.


"At least the [United] States is honest. [The U.S.] said, 'No we are not going to sign that thing (Kyoto) because we can't do that,'" said Patrick Moore, who is attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal.

Moore noted that many of the industrialized nations that ratified the treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions are now failing to comply with those emission limits. Moore, who currently heads the Canadian-based environmental advocacy group Greenspirit Strategies helped found both Greenpeace in 1971 and Greenpeace International in 1979.

"Canada signed [Kyoto] and said, 'Oh yeah, we can do that,' and then it merrily goes on its way to increase CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions by even more than the U.S.," Moore told Cybercast News Service.

Other industrialized nations - including Japan and at least 11 of the 15 European Union nations that ratified Kyoto - are struggling to meet their emission targets.

As Cybercast News Service previously reported, many organizations attending the Climate Change Conference have declared the Kyoto Protocol "dead" because of the signatories' lack of compliance. The treaty establishes a 2012 goal of having top industrialized nations cut their industrial emissions 5.2 percent below the level that was produced in 1990.


"I think this whole Kyoto process is a colossal waste of time and money," said Moore, who rejects alarmist predictions of human-caused 'global warming."


The U.N.'s 11th Annual Climate Change Conference in Montreal failed to impress Moore, who is there to promote nuclear energy.


"There is nothing concrete going on here. There is nothing good happening here as far as I can see. [The participants at the U.N. conference are] just spending a whole pile of money and auguring and talking," he added.

Lieberman's Strong War Support Troubles Democrats

Sen. Joe Lieberman's staunch stay-the-course defense of President Bush's Iraq policies isn't winning him any friends among fellow Democrats.

Lieberman's pro-war views may be winning him praise from a grateful White House, but some Democratic colleagues see him as undercutting their party's efforts to wrest control of Congress from the GOP next fall.

"He's doing damage to the ability of Democrats to wage a national campaign," said Ken Dautrich, a University of Connecticut public policy professor. "It's Lieberman being Lieberman. And it's frustrating for people trying to put a Democratic strategy together."

Democrats hope a surging anti-war tide in 2006 can help them shatter the GOP's 12-year lock on the House and win back the Senate for the first time since 2001.

"It's not a tidal wave now, but the ingredients are starting to fall into place," said veteran Democratic strategist Tad Devine.

Lieberman, who seems to relish his role as a maverick, is veering far from the Democratic script. His vocal support for the war, a stark and frequent reminder of the deep divisions among Democrats on how to end the war, makes him something of a marked man.

"Lieberman is a big voice, he was Al Gore's running mate and he carries weight," said Dautrich. "But he beats to his own drum and that's a problem for Democrats."

Lieberman's pro-Bush stance has long rankled many Democrats, but his comments Tuesday scolding anti-war critics within his own party had a sharper edge.

"It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be commander in chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril," said Lieberman, urging bipartisan cooperation.

The senator has a long history of bucking his party. He was one of the few Democrats to chide former President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He has assailed Democrat-friendly Hollywood for producing sleaze.

Lieberman, a firm backer of U.S. intervention in Iraq, voted for the 1991 Gulf War, casting the fight in moral terms.

"They may not agree with him, but Democrats respect what he is saying," said former Clinton White House spokesman Michael McCurry. "People know he's not playing politics with Iraq."

Friday, December 09, 2005

Winning Iraq: The Untold Story


A Must See - Don't miss it!

Sun., Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. ET. FOX NEWSChannel.

Hosted by David Asman
Terror attacks always make it to the evening news. But is that the complete picture of what's happening in Iraq? We wanted to find out.

While Americans debate whether we're winning the war in Iraq, we sent FOX News correspondent Greg Palkot and a production team to crisscross Iraq for almost six weeks. You'll see extraordinary reporting � from outside the protected enclaves in Baghdad � a portrait of Iraq that you don't see on the evening news.

This documentary includes reports about peaceful vacations spots, a vibrant Iraq economy, plus interviews with grateful Iraqis and stories of average people triumphing over the terrorists by going about life every day.

One way the terrorists hope to defeat us is by wrecking Iraq's economy. Since you don't see or hear much business news out of Iraq these days, you might assume the terrorist plan is working. But that's not what we found on our travels.

Plus, the terrorists say they're out to win the hearts of the Iraqis. But we'll report on how U.S. troops are beating them on that score, as well.

Tune in this weekend for a candid investigation of who is really winning in Iraq.

GOP video skewers Dems' 'Retreat and Defeat'

Features white flag waved over comments this week by Kerry, Dean

The Republican National Committee has posted a video on its website that shows a white flag of surrender waving over images of Democrat leaders commenting on the war in Iraq.

The video features controversial remarks earlier this week by Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts suggesting the U.S. can't win the war in Iraq and that American soldiers are "terrorizing" Iraqi children.

Asked to comment, a Democratic strategist told the Drudge Report, "This is way over the top, but we have no one to blame but Dean, Kerry and others who continue to pander to the anti-war activists within our party."

The video begins with text on a TV screen saying, "Democrats have a plan for Iraq. Retreat and defeat." After clips of comments from three Democrats, the screen says, "Our Country Is At War. Our Soldiers Are Watching. Our Enemies Are Too." The camera view then widens to reveal a soldier watching the screen, and the video concludes with the text, "Message to Democrats: Retreat And Defeat Is Not an Option."

A Republican strategist familiar with the ad told Drudge, "The Democrats, especially Howard Dean have a way of trying to turn the tables and say 'that's not what I meant' � its just those 'evil Republicans.'

The video leads off with a clip from Dean's interview Monday with a San Antonio radio station in which he said the U.S. cannot win the war in Iraq.

The "idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong," Dean said on WOIA.

The video also includes Kerry's remarks Sunday to CBS "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer, asserting U.S. soldiers were "terrorizing" Iraqi children.

Iraq's election organisers predict higher turnout

Organisers of next week's Iraqi election say they expect voter turnout to be higher than in January's historic poll or the referendum held in October.

They say more sophisticated campaigning, better media coverage and an increase in the number of polling stations in some of Iraq's more lawless provinces will ensure that at least two thirds of Iraqis turn out to vote.

"I think turnout will be even higher than in the referendum in October, when it was 64 percent," Hussein Hindawi, head of Iraq's electoral commission, told reporters this week.

Hindawi said people in Baghdad and in the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Diyala, which have borne the brunt of insurgent violence, would find voting much easier next Thursday.

Many Sunni Arabs boycotted January's election out of either fear or disgust at their loss of influence under the occupation, turning towns and cities like Falluja and Ramadi into virtual ghost towns on polling day and reducing turnout to a trickle.

Things had improved somewhat by October, when Iraqis voted on their new constitution.

"In the last election there were less than 20 election centres in Anbar. In the referendum there were 144 centres and now I think there will be more than 160," Hindawi said.

"Turnout in Anbar province was 31 percent in the referendum. The security situation is better in Ramadi, so participation will be better, regardless of who people vote for."

He said there was more electioneering on television and more campaign posters on the streets than in January, when some 8.5 million Iraqis -- 58 percent of the electorate -- turned out to vote in the country's first democratic election for 50 years.

Then, Iraqis were voting for an interim government whereas this time they will choose a parliament for a full four-year term, making it arguably more significant.

Voters can choose between 231 lists -- some coalitions, some of them parties and others made up of independent candidates.

Iraqi Citizens Turn In Top al-Qaida Figure for Arrest

The American military Friday arrested a high-ranking member of al-Qaida in Iraq in the town of Ramadi, the U.S. Marines said.

Amir Khalaf Fanus, also known in the Ramadi area as "the Butcher," was wanted for criminal activities including murder and kidnapping, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool said in a statement from the town, located 70 miles west of Baghdad.

Fanus was No. 3 on a most-wanted list for Ramadi drawn up by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.

"He is the highest ranking al-Qaida in Iraq member to be turned into Iraqi and U.S. officials by local citizens," Pool said. "His capture is another indication that the local citizens tire of the insurgents' presence within their community."

According to Pool, Iraqi and U.S. Forces "have witnessed increasing signs of citizens fighting the terrorists within Ramadi as the Dec. 15 National Elections draw nearer."

Bush Approval Rating Rises

President Bush's improved standing with whites, men, Catholics and other core supporters has been a key factor in pushing his job approval rating up to 42 percent. That's the highest level since summer.

Shifting into campaign mode to reverse his slide in public opinion polls, Bush has boosted his support among key constituency groups _ particularly in the Northeast and West - on his handling of Iraq and the economy, an AP-Ipsos poll found.

"Now it's not a one-sided debate," said Republican pollster Ed Goeas, citing Bush's recent speeches on the health of the economy and the high stakes in Iraq. "You have a message getting out there in a much more positive way."

Bush improved his job approval rating from 37 percent in November to 42 percent now, though his standing with the public remains relatively low. Fifty-seven percent still disapprove, down from 61.

Bush's job approval among men has climbed from 39 percent in November to 47 percent now and among whites from 40 percent to 47 percent, according to the AP-Ipsos poll.

Catholics' approval went from 32 percent to 41 percent. In the Northeast, Bush's support grew from 27 to 41 percent, and in the West from 34 to 42 percent.

Overall, approval of Bush's handling of the economy was up to 42 percent in December from 37 percent last month, according to the poll of 1,002 adults taken Dec. 5-7 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The poll found approval for Bush's handling of Iraq also was up, from 37 percent last month to 41 percent now.

Those disapproving totaled 55 percent on the economy, 58 percent on Iraq, both down slightly from November.

"I think he's doing what he has to do," said Charl-Deane Almond, a Republican from Bishop, Calif. "I appreciate him standing strong with all the pressure he's under."

World 'losing patience with Iran'

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the world is losing patience with Iran over its nuclear programme.
Mohamed ElBaradei, who is in Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, said outstanding nuclear issues with Iran would be clarified next year.

The US and EU suspect Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons but Tehran says its programme is for civilian energy use.

The IAEA has repeatedly expressed concern about Tehran's activities.

Mr ElBaradei said European negotiators should continue talking to Iran.

"The parties need to sit together, discuss their grievances and reach a solution," he said.

"If we can do that without escalating the problem, all the much better."

The IAEA head urged Iran to be "as transparent as possible", adding that important pieces of its programme were still missing.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

It's Official... MSNM Is Now Questioning Air Marshals Actions !

Here we go folks...Time Magazine has published a story questioning the actions of the Air Marshals in the shooting death of the man who claimed to have a bomb at Miami Airport on 12/7/2005:

At least one passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 924 maintains the federal air marshals were a little too quick on the draw when they shot and killed Rigoberto Alpizar as he frantically attempted to run off the airplane shortly before take-off.

"I don't think they needed to use deadly force with the guy," says John McAlhany, a 44-year-old construction worker from Sebastian, Fla. "He was getting off the plane." McAlhany also maintains that Alpizar never mentioned having a bomb.

"I never heard the word 'bomb' on the plane," McAlhany told TIME in a telephone interview. "I never heard the word bomb until the FBI asked me did you hear the word bomb. That is ridiculous." Even the authorities didn't come out and say bomb, McAlhany says. "They asked, 'Did you hear anything about the b-word?'" he says. "That's what they called it."


And you just have to love this part...

He says he saw Alpizar eating a sandwich in the boarding area before getting on the plane. He looked normal at that time, McAlhany says. He thinks the whole thing was a mistake: "I don't believe he should be dead right now."

I'm sure thats what the passangers of the planes that hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and flight 93, said just before the terrorist took over the planes and killed them and thousands more on 9/11.

Hate to say I told you so...but, I told you so.

Hat Tip: The Horseback Riders

House Passes 3 Tax Cuts, Plans a 4th

The House passed three separate tax cuts yesterday and plans to approve a fourth today, trimming the federal revenue by $94.5 billion over five years -- nearly double the budget savings that Republicans muscled through the House last month.

GOP leaders portray the tax bills -- for the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, affluent investors, U.S. troops serving in Iraq and taxpayers who otherwise would be hit by the alternative minimum tax -- as vital to keeping the economy rolling.

"Our economic policies have done the trick," said Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio). "We are in the middle of one of the strongest economies this country has ever seen."

But some budget analysts say the flourish of tax cutting badly undermines the recent shows of fiscal discipline. Last month's budget-cutting bill would save $50 billion over five years by imposing new fees on Medicaid recipients, trimming the food stamp rolls, squeezing student lenders and cutting federal child support enforcement.

"I don't think it makes any sense to go through all the difficulty they just went through with the budget-cutting bill, then give it all back in tax cuts," said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group. "If they want to cut taxes, fine, but they are going to have to cut spending by at least that much to help the deficit, and clearly they are not willing to do that. They have to start looking reality in the face."

Under rules reserved for the least controversial bills, the House yesterday approved three tax bills in rapid succession. The first, at a cost of $31.2 billion, would slow the expansion of the alternative minimum tax, a parallel income tax system designed to prevent the rich from dodging taxation but that increasingly has affected the middle class.

The next, at a cost of $7.1 billion over five years, would provide an array of tax breaks to create President Bush's proposed Gulf Opportunity Zone in the region ravaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Businesses could write off much of the cost of new structures and equipment, while the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama would be granted tax-exempt bond authority for their own rebuilding.

Finally, the House passed a modest, $153 million tax break that would extend a provision allowing members of the military to use their combat pay to claim the earned income credit.

Feds defend air marshals in shooting

Shortly after boarding an Orlando-bound plane, passengers say, they saw a man bolt from his seat and run down the aisle, with his screaming wife and man in a Hawaiian shirt behind.

"My husband! My husband!" one passenger said she heard the wife cry.

The chase ended moments later Wednesday in a Miami International Airport jetway, when authorities say Rigoberto Alpizar appeared to reach for his bag. He was shot to death by the man in the Hawaiian shirt and a second pursuer, both undercover air marshals.

Before he ran off the plane he "uttered threatening words that included a sentence to the effect that he had a bomb," said James E. Bauer, agent in charge of the Federal Air Marshal Service field office in Miami.

No bomb was found, and federal officials later concluded there was no link to terrorism. Witnesses said his wife, Anne, frantically tried to explain he was bipolar, a mental illness also known as manic-depression, and was off his medication.

"She said it was her fault that he was bipolar," said Mike Deshears, a Flight 924 passenger who works for a vacation club in Orlando. "He was sick and she had convinced him to get on the plane."

Dave Adams, a spokesman for the air marshals, confirmed Thursday there were two marshals on the flight and said both fired at Alpizar.

"They felt their life was threatened," he told ABC's "Good Morning America.""This was a textbook scenario and they acted instinctively based on the training."

Iraq Insurgents Claim to Kill U.S. Hostage

statement signed by an Iraqi insurgent group said Thursday in an Internet posting that it killed a kidnapped U.S. security consultant. The claim's authenticity could not be immediately verified.

It was the first time in more than a year that an insurgent group announced the slaying of an American hostage. Thursday's statement, posted on an Islamic militant Web forum, did not identify the hostage and provided no evidence he had been killed, but said pictures of the slaying would be released later.

The Islamic Army in Iraq said it had killed "the American security consultant for the Housing Ministry," after the United States failed to respond to its demand of the release of Iraqi prisoners.

A video issued by the group was broadcast Tuesday on Al-Jazeera showing the hostage - identified as Ronald Schulz, 40, an industrial electrician from Alaska - sitting with his hands tied behind his back.

The group Thursday blamed President Bush for failing to respond to its demands.

"The war criminal Bush continues his arrogance, giving no value to people's lives unless they serve his criminal, aggressive ways. Since his reply (to the demands) was irresponsible, he bears the consequences of his stance," the statement said.

"Therefore the American security consultant for the Housing Ministry was killed after the end of the deadline set to respond to the Islamic Army's demands," it said.

Dean Claims Iraq War Gaffe Taken 'Out of Context'

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday his assertion that the United States cannot win the war in Iraq was reported "a little out of context," saying Democrats believe a new U.S. strategy is needed to succeed there.

Seeking to clarify a statement in a Texas radio interview that Republicans harshly assailed and some Democrats questioned, Dean said, "They kind of cherry-picked that one the same way the president cherry-picked the intelligence going into Iraq."

Dean was questioned on CNN about an interview he gave Monday to radio station WOAI in San Antonio. "The idea that we're going to win this war is an ideal that unfortunately is just plain wrong," the former Vermont governor and unsuccessful 2004 presidential candidate said.

Asked Thursday to defend his statement in the Texas radio interview, Dean said: "It was a little out of context. ... We can only win if we change our strategy dramatically. ... We want to serve our troops well. They're doing a fantastic job in Iraq."

"We can and we have to win the war on terror," the Democratic Party chairman added. "We can't do it with this kind of approach."

J.R.'s Take: Air Marshal Did The Right Thing...His Job

by J.R.

As many of you already know, a passenger on an American Airlines jet was shot and killed by an Air Marshal, when the male passenger stated that he had a bomb in his carry on bag. The Air Marshal attempted to apprehend the man who then ran out of the plane toward the airport terminal, when the Air Marshal caught up to the man, the man reached into the bag and was shot and killed by the Air Marshal.

It was later learned, unforunately, that the man did not have a bomb in his carry on, and that the man had a mental condition and was not taking his medication.

Unfortunate or not, the Air Marshal did the right thing here...his job. The Air Marshal had no way of knowing whether or not this man had a bomb, or whether or not the man had a mental condition, even though his wife reportedly was stating that he did. For all the Marshal knew, the wife could have been part of the plot to dentonate the bomb.

Certainly if the man had stopped and put his hands in the air he would not have been shot. He chose to run toward the airport and the Marshal certainly had no choice but to pursue him. When the man was finally caught up to, he reached into the carry on bag. The Marshal did not have a choice now but to use deadly force to stop this man from possibly detonating a bomb.

Everything the Marshal did here was correct and necessary to protect the public. As a 25 year veteran police officer and certified defensive tactics and use of force instructor, I concur with the action taken by the Air Marshal. In fact, had the Air Marshal not been able to catch up with this man, he would have been forced to make another decision, to shoot the man in the back to stop him. If this man had a bomb and was able to get into the terminal he could detonate the bomb in there. Under these circumstances the Marshal would have still been justified in doing so, even though the man may not have reached into the bag.

Law Enforcement officers may only use deadly force when they are confronted with a situation where a suspect poses a threat of death or serious bodily injury to the officer or the public at large. This suspect certainly posed that risk to both the officer and the public based on the information the Air Marshal had at the time that he made the decision to take action.

The Air Marshal was justified in using deadly force regardless of whether or not the man reached into his bag. The shooting may have been unfortunate, but it was justifiable under the circumstances.

Shoe Bomber Alert Preceded Airport Shooting

Egyptian Man Had Been Stopped at New York Airport; Shoes Tested Positive for Explosive

Federal law enforcement sources tell ABC News they had been on the alert for a possible shoe bomber when a federal air marshal opened fire at the Miami International Airport today.

In today's incident, an agitated passenger claiming to have a bomb in his backpack was shot and killed by a federal air marshal, officials said. No bomb was found.

Officials say a 50-year-old Egyptian man was stopped six days ago at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. Sources say he had a suspicious pair of shoes that tested positive five times for the explosive substance TATP on the interior of his shoes between the heel and sole.

Federal officials say the man's shoes are remarkably similar to those used by shoe bomber Richard Reid, who attempted to blow up an American Airlines jet over the Atlantic four years ago.

The Egyptian man's destination was Des Moines, Iowa, sources say, and he claimed he was a student at Iowa State University in Ames.

Strangely, after holding him overnight, airport security in New York released him. The FBI was notified after he was released. Now the FBI has put out a nationwide alert.

Hat Tip: Backcountry Conservative

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

I Told You So.......MSNM Already Demonizing Air Marshal

Remember what I said yesterday on my show folks, that as soon as the dust settled they would be criticizing the Air Marshall who shot this man who stated he had a bomb ? Well it's already starting, and of course from our good friends in the main Stream News Media. Check out some of the headlines about the incident below:

U.S. air marshal kills passenger

In this headline the International Herald Tribune seems to suggest that the Air Marshall just KILLED a passanger in cold blood.

Look at Bloomberg's headline:

U.S. Air Marshal Shoots American Airlines Passenger

or this posted on Rediff.com:

US air marshal guns down passenger


Or how about this whopper from MSNBC:

Air marshal guns down man at Miami airport

Wow ! An Air Marshal just GUNNED down a man at Miami Airport, no mention of the man posing a threat in the headlines.

Or this excerpt from an AP story:

The man, identified as Rigoberto Alpizar, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen, was gunned down on a jetway just before the American Airlines plane was about to leave for Orlando, near his home in Maitland.

Or from the CBC News in Canada:

US air marshal kills plane passenger

And of course we can't forget our good friends at the NY Times:

Air Marshals Shoot and Kill Passenger at Miami Airport

The MSNM is trying to demonize the Air Marshal in the headlines and hope you dont read THE REST OF THE STORY.

HERE ARE SOME HEADLINES THAT MORE ACCURATELY AND RESPONSIBLY PORTRAY WHAT HAPPENED:

Air marshal kills passenger in confrontation at Miami airport

Sky marshal shoots, kills man claiming to have bomb on jet at Miami airport



Hang onto your hats ladies and gentlemen because its going to get worse no bomb was found and passangers and the man's wife are claiming that he had a mental condition and was not taking his medication. The MSNM will be hanging this Marshal out to dry soon as you can see by their SUGGESTIVE headlines....J.R.

President's approval rating improve in NYTIMES/CBSNEWS Poll

There is good news and bad news in this poll for President George W. Bush. Americans have become more positive about the economy; more than half think the economy is in good shape, an 8-point increase since October.

The President�s overall approval rating has risen from 35 percent in October to 40 percent now, and his ratings on handling the economy and the war in Iraq have also improved.

But while this poll shows some improvement in Americans� views about how the war in Iraq is going, most continue to say it is going badly. Americans remain firm in their desire for U.S. troops to at least start coming home, and would like to see a timetable for that process.

Although President Bush has said he will not do this, 58 percent of Americans want the United States to set a timetable for troop withdrawal.

But many are leery about the impact of removing U.S. troops; just under half think that would bring more violence to Iraq, and 40 percent -- an increase of eight points since August -- think the likelihood of terrorism against the United States could increase.

Americans overwhelmingly say they are still waiting to hear the Bush Administration clearly articulate U.S. goals in Iraq and a strategy for victory, and it is the war that motivates most Americans who disapprove of how the President is doing his job. Fifty-three percent of them say the war is the single biggest reason why they disapprove.

Most Americans continue to want the number of U.S. troops to be decreased or withdrawn altogether, although only 28 percent want troops completely withdrawn now. Those figures have not changed much in the last few months.

Dems Fear Backlash at Polls for Antiwar Remarks

Strong antiwar comments in recent days by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have opened anew a party rift over Iraq, with some lawmakers warning that the leaders' rhetorical blasts could harm efforts to win control of Congress next year.

Several Democrats joined President Bush yesterday in rebuking Dean's declaration to a San Antonio radio station Monday that "the idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong."

The critics said that comment could reinforce popular perceptions that the party is weak on military matters and divert attention from the president's growing political problems on the war and other issues. "Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than the scream in Iowa: Both are uninformed and unhelpful," said Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), recalling Dean's famous election-night roar after stumbling in Iowa during his 2004 presidential bid.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the second-ranking House Democratic leader, have told colleagues that Pelosi's recent endorsement of a speedy withdrawal, combined with her claim that more than half of House Democrats support her position, could backfire on the party, congressional sources said.

These sources said the two leaders have expressed worry that Pelosi is playing into Bush's hands by suggesting Democrats are the party of a quick pullout -- an unpopular position in many of the most competitive House races.

"What I want Democrats to be discussing is what the president's policies have led to," Emanuel said. He added that once discussion turns to a formal timeline for troop withdrawals, "the how and when gets buried" and many voters take away only an impression that Democrats favor retreat.

Pelosi last week endorsed a plan by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) to withdraw all U.S. troops in Iraq within six months, putting her at odds with most other Democratic leaders and leading foreign policy experts in her party.

Democrats, who have not controlled the White House since 2000 and the House in more than a decade, have tried over the past year to put aside deep philosophical differences and rally behind a two-pronged strategy to return to power: Highlight the growing number of GOP scandals and score Bush's unpopular war management.

While the party is divided over the specifics of Iraq policy, most Democratic legislators are slowly coalescing around a political plan, according to lawmakers and party operatives. This would involve setting a broad time frame for drawing down U.S. troops, starting with National Guard and reserve units, internationalizing the reconstruction effort, and blaming Bush for misleading the country into a war without a victory plan.

The aim is to provide the party enough maneuvering room to allow Democrats to adjust their position as conditions in Iraq change -- and fix public attention mostly on Bush's policies rather the details of a Democratic alternative. A new Time magazine poll found 60 percent of those surveyed disapproved of Bush's handling of Iraq.

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) embodies this cautious approach. He has resisted adopting a concrete Iraq policy and persuaded most Democratic senators to vote for a recent Senate resolution calling 2006 "a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty" and to compel the administration "to explain to Congress and the American people its strategy for the successful completion of the mission in Iraq." While Republicans introduced the resolution, it was prompted by a Democratic plan.

Democratic Reps. Jane Harman and Ellen Tauscher, both of California, plan to push House Democrats to adopt a similar position during a closed-door meeting today that is to include debate on the Pelosi position.

Despite Pelosi's claims that she echoes the views of most members in her caucus, plenty of Democrats are cringing at her new high profile on an Iraq withdrawal. Not only did she back a position that polls show most Americans do not support, but she also did this when Bush is trying to move off the defensive by accusing Democrats of supporting a de facto surrender.

"We have not blown our chance" of winning back the House but "we have jeopardized it," said a top strategist to House Democrats, who requested anonymity to speak freely about influential party leaders. "It raises questions about whether we are capable of seizing political opportunities or whether we cannot help ourselves and blow it" by playing to the liberal base of the party.

Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said that while Pelosi estimates more than half of House Democrats favor a speedy withdrawal, she will lobby members in today's meeting against adopting this as a caucus position.

Without naming Pelosi, Vice President Cheney told troops yesterday that terrorists will prevail "if we lose our nerve and abandon our mission," saying such precipitous move "would be unwise in the extreme." Cheney, addressing Army units at Fort Drum, N.Y., said that "any decisions about troop levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground and the judgment of our commanders, not by artificial timelines set by politicians in Washington, D.C."

In his comments Monday, Dean likened the president's optimistic assessment to those offered by the government during the Vietnam War. Bush fired back yesterday. "There are pessimists . . . and politicians who try to score points. But our strategy is one that is -- will lead us to victory," Bush said in response to a question about Dean's comments after a meeting with Lee Jong Wook, director general of the World Health Organization. "Our troops need to hear not only are they supported, but that we have got a strategy that will win."

DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney said Dean's comments were taken out of context. Dean, she said, meant the war was unwinnable unless the Bush administration adopts a new strategy. Still, a number of Democrats distanced themselves from Dean. "I think Howard Dean . . . represents himself when he speaks," Tauscher said. "He does not represent me."

Democratic candidates said their biggest concern is that voters will misconstrue comments by party leaders about Bush's handling of the war as criticism of U.S. troops who are fighting in Iraq. "I absolutely disagree" with Dean, said Patrick Murphy, a Democrat who is running for the suburban Philadelphia House seat now occupied by GOP Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick.

Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Tex.), who represents a district Bush won easily in 2004, said he disagrees with Pelosi and Dean but does not see that as a problem. "The national press is playing up the fact that Democrats do not speak with one voice on Iraq," he said. "We should wear it as a badge of honor because it shows we are not playing a political line with war and peace."

Zawahiri Urges Attacks on Iraq's Oil

In a full-length version of a tape previously broadcast, Al Qaeda's deputy leader called for attacks against Gulf oil facilities and urged insurgent groups in Iraq to unite to drive out American forces, according to a videotape posted on the Internet Wednesday.

The posting was a full version of a video by Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri that was issued on Sept. 19, excerpts of which were broadcast by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera at the time. The network aired more excerpts Wednesday, originally presenting them as newly issued footage. A newscaster later told viewers the video was old.

"I call on the holy warriors to concentrate their campaigns on the stolen oil of the Muslims, most of the revenues of which go to the enemies of Islam," said al-Zawahri, the Egyptian deputy of Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden.

"The enemies of Islam are exploiting such vital resources with incomparable greed, and we have to stop that theft with all we can and save this fortune for the nation of Islam," said al-Zawahri, who was wearing a white robe and black turban and was seated before a pale blue sheet, speaking to an off-camera interviewer

In the full version of the tape, which was posted on an Islamic Web site known for carrying statements from extremist groups, al-Zawahri called on Iraqi insurgent groups to unite.

Iraqi Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen, "whose hands were not tainted by Americans," should come together to fill "the gap that will be left by the Americans departure" from Iraq, he said.

When it aired excerpts Wednesday, Al-Jazeera's newscaster said they came from the "latest al-Zawahri video."

The full video includes quotes from al-Zawahri on September elections in Afghanistan and on the July 7 London bombings that appeared in the excerpts aired by Al-Jazeera on Sept. 19.

5 things about Pearl Harbor

It's among the defining moments in U.S. history. A day that does indeed live in infamy. A "Where were you when you heard?" event, like the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot or the 9/11 attacks. And yes, in the great American tradition, the inspiration for many movies, books and conspiracy theories. Just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese bombers swooped in to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. The act of undeclared war left Americans angry, indignant, united and ready to fight back. See Page 3B for a story about a Pontiac memorial service being held today.

IN HUMAN TERMS

The dead from the attack numbered 2,390 Americans, including 1,177 on the battleship Arizona.

Today, a monument stands over the submerged, battle-scarred ship at Pearl Harbor. Names of the dead are etched into the memorial's marble walls.

U.S. Navy Ensign Ben Marsh, who was aboard the Arizona, was the Detroit area's first reported casualty of World War II. Marsh, 25, was from Grosse Pointe.

INFAMOUS CODE

Japanese commander Mitsuo Fuchida, who led 184 bombers and fighters over Oahu, sent the message "Tora! Tora! Tora!"

The translation: "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!" -- which means the attack has caught the enemy by surprise.

On Aug. 4, 1963, Fuchida visited the Detroit area and told members of the Woodlawn Church of God in Royal Oak, "Today, I do only the things that glorify the Lord."

NAMESAKE IN ACTION

The cruiser USS Detroit was docked alongside the USS Raleigh, which sank, and the USS Utah, which capsized during the attack.

Avoiding hits from Japanese planes, the USS Detroit headed into the Pacific in search of the enemy. And at war's end, it was among the first ships to steam into Tokyo Harbor when Japan formally surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.

THEORIES & DEBATES

Some historians blame U.S. military incompetence -- or arrogance -- for failing to prevent the surprise attack. They say not enough attention had been paid to the ambitious Japanese military buildup.

Some critics contend that President Franklin D. Roosevelt intentionally provoked the attack to justify America's entry into World War II.

Vets, Times Blast Hillary Clinton for Flag Ploy

2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has managed to get almost everyone mad at her by coming out for a new statute that would ban flag burning, with veterans, peace protesters and even the New York Times blasting the top Democrat for pandering.

"The only effective use of [such a] statute has been by those who -- like Senator Clinton -- want to evade [a constitutional flag burning] amendment, but give the impression to constituents that they are doing something to protect the flag," the American Legion said in a press release yesterday.

The group said Clinton's proposal was "dead on arrival."

On Monday, the former first lady announced that she was backing a law sponsored by Utah Republican Sen. Robert Bennett, with her spokesman telling the New York Post that she's following through on a promise she made last year.

At the time, Clinton said: "I support federal legislation that would outlaw flag-desecration, much like laws that currently prohibit the burning of crosses, but I don't believe a constitutional amendment is the answer."
Over at the New York Times, however, Clinton's latest bid for bipartisanship is being dismissed out of hand.

"It's hard to see this as anything but pandering," the Old Gray Lady fumes on today's editorial page, saying there's no "urgent need" to protect the flag.

Iraq war opponents have hardly been soothed by Hillary's pro-flag pronouncements, with protesters heckling her for a second time in a week before a speech yesterday in Saratoga Springs.

Reports: Shots Fired in Miami Airport

Shots were fired on board an American Airlines flight that had landed at Miami International Airport, according to broadcast reports.

At least one person was wounded, the reports said. The plane had just arrived from Colombia and was headed to Orlando.

Airport and Miami-Dade County police officials said they had no immediate comment.

Fox News is reporting that the suspect was boarding at Miami, and claimed to have a bomb in his carry-on bag. Fedral Air Marshals confronted the man, and he tried to flee, running off the plane and up the jetway.

Marshals tackled the man, and fired at him when the suspect reached into his bag.

A Miami news station has reported that the suspect has died.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Zawahri: Bin Laden still leading war

Al Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden is still alive and leading a holy war against the West, the group's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri said in an Internet video on Wednesday,

"Al Qaeda for holy war is still, thanks to God, a base for jihad (holy war). Its prince Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may God protect him, is still leading its jihad," Zawahri said in a video posted on a Web site frequently used by militants.

"I bring a message of joy to all Muslims and mujahideen that al Qaeda, thanks to God, is spreading and expanding and strengthening," he said.

McCain Tops Clinton in Quinnipiac Poll

They both voted for the war in Iraq. Both have angered key wings of their own political parties and both seem to be overhyped "media darlings.�

So, perhaps it�s no surprise that a Quinnipiac University poll has Senators John McCain (R-Ariz) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in a statistical tie for the 2008 presidency with a large disclaimer � if the election were held today.

In a head-to-head contest, McCain tops Clinton 44-40 percent, according to the poll.

The telephone poll of 1,230 voters surveyed from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4, which had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points, found McCain with 44 percent of the vote and Clinton with 40 percent - a statistical dead heat.

American taken hostage, Iraq militants claim




Bush says U.S. won't pay ransom after Al-Jazeera airs footage of a captive

An Iraqi militant group kidnapped a U.S. security consultant and is threatening to kill him in 48 hours unless Washington frees all Iraqi prisoners, according to a video aired by Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday.

The grainy video showed a blond, Western-looking man sitting down with his hands tied behind his back and the logo of the Islamic Army in Iraq. It also showed an American passport and an Arabic identity card bearing the name Ronald Schulz.

Al-Jazeera said it could not verify the authenticity of the tape. It said the man worked as a security consultant for the Iraqi housing ministry.

Al-Jazeera said the militants also demanded the U.S. government pay compensation to Iraqis affected by military offensives led by U.S. troops against militants in the Sunni Muslim-dominated Anbar province, which includes Ramadi and Fallujah.

Bush: We don't pay ransom
President Bush said Tuesday that the United States will pay no ransom for the release of American citizens reported kidnapped by Iraqi militants.

�We of course don�t pay ransom for any hostages, what we will do of course is use our intelligence gathering to see if we can�t help locate them,� Bush told reporters.

�We will bring these people to justice, we will hunt them down along with our Iraqi friends and at the same time spread democracy,� he said.

Another American is among a group of four Christian peace activists seized by gunmen in Iraq.

The Islamic Army in Iraq is one of several insurgent groups battling foreign and Iraqi security forces. Al-Jazeera has in the past aired several videos from Iraqi militant groups.

Last year, a group with the same name killed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni after Rome refused its demand to pull troops out of Iraq.

Iranian military plane hits building, killing 115


Aircraft crashes into 10-story building during emergency landing

A military plane loaded with Iranian journalists crashed into a 10-story apartment building Tuesday as the pilot attempted an emergency landing after developing engine trouble. At least 115 people died, the Tehran police chief said.

Witnesses initially said the C-130 hit the top of the building. But officials, including Police Chief Mortaza Talaei, said one wing of the transport plane hit the second floor as the fuselage crashed to ground, gouging out a huge crater and causing a fire that spread through the structure.

Everyone on the plane � 84 passengers and a crew of 10 � was killed. Most were Iranian radio and television journalists heading to cover military maneuvers in southern Iran.

Twenty-one people in the apartment building also died, and 90 were injured, Tehran state radio said. Only nine of the injured were hospitalized late Tuesday, Talaei said on Iranian television.

Initial reports said 128 people total had died.

The C-130, a four-engine turboprop, crashed in the Azari suburb of Tehran, site of the Towhid apartment complex that is home to air force personnel and near Tehran�s Mehrabad airport.

Before firefighters extinguished the blaze, flames roared from the roof and windows in several of the upper floors. Panicked residents fled the building. Police held back a crowd of thousands, many of them screaming and weeping that they had to find friends or loved ones who were in the building.

Poll finds broad approval of terrorist torture

Most Americans and a majority of people in Britain, France and South Korea say torturing terrorism suspects is justified at least in rare instances, according to AP-Ipsos polling.

The United States has drawn criticism from human rights groups and many governments, especially in Europe, for its treatment of terror suspects. President Bush and other top officials have said the U.S. does not torture, but some suspects in American custody have alleged they were victims of severe mistreatment.

The polling, in the United States and eight of its closest allies, found that in Canada, Mexico and Germany people are divided on whether torture is ever justified. Most people opposed torture under any circumstances in Spain and Italy.

In America, 61 percent of those surveyed agreed torture is justified at least on rare occasions. Almost nine in 10 in South Korea and just over half in France and Britain felt that way.

The polls of about 1,000 adults in each of the nine countries were conducted between Nov. 15 and Nov. 28. Each poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Saddam Tells Judge: 'Go to Hell'

Saddam Hussein told the judge overseeing his trial in Iraq to "go to hell" Tuesday and threatened not to return to an "unjust court" when it reconvenes on Wednesday.

After five witnesses gave horrific testimony of torture allegedly overseen by Saddam -- there are two more witnesses to hear from this week before the Dec. 15 election in Iraq -- court was preparing to adjourn for the day when the deposed dictator jumped to his feet and complained that the court was "deliberately hauling defendants before the trial when they are exhausted."

He complained that he had no fresh clothes, and that he had been deprived of shower and exercise facilities.

"This is terrorism," he said.

Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin cut him off, saying proceedings will resume on Wednesday.

Saddam then told the judge and "all the agents of America" to "go to hell" and said he would not return to court.

At that point, the audio was cut off to the media gallery and the curtain drawn so reporters could not tell what transpired afterward.

Witness Tells of Torture by Saddam's Men

A woman testified Tuesday from behind a screen - her voice disguised but her weeping still apparent - that she was assaulted and tortured with beatings and electric shocks by Saddam Hussein's agents in the trial of the former president and seven lieutenants.

Saddam sat stone-faced, taking notes on a pad of paper, as the woman, known only as "Witness A," told the court how she and dozens of other families from the town of Dujail were arrested in a crackdown after a 1982 assassination attempt against Saddam.

"I was forced to take off my clothes, and he raised my legs up and tied up my hands. He continued administering electric shocks and beating me," she said of Wadah al-Sheik, an Iraqi intelligence officer who died of cancer last month.

Several times, the woman - hidden behind a light blue curtain - broke down. "God is great. Oh, my Lord!" she moaned, her voice electronically deepened and distorted.

She strongly suggested she had been raped, but did not say so outright. When Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin asked her about the "assault," she said: "I was beaten up and tortured by electrical shocks."

The witness, who was 16 at the time of her arrest, repeated that she had been ordered to undress.

"I begged them, but they hit with their pistols," she said. "They made me put my legs up. There were five or more, and they treated me like a banquet."

"Is that what happens to the virtuous woman that Saddam speaks about?" she wept, prompting the judge to advise her to stick to the facts.

When asked by the judge which of the defendants she wanted to accuse, "Witness A" identified Saddam. "When so many people are jailed and tortured, who takes such a decision?" she said.

She later quoted a security officer as telling her "you are lucky to be at the Mukhabarat (center) and remain a virgin." She also said that many fellow female detainees lost their virginity to security guards.

The measures taken to preserve the woman's anonymity complicated the testimony. At first, defense attorneys complained they could not hear her because of the voice distortion. The judge then ordered the voice modulator shut off, but then the audience could not hear at all, so Amin ordered a recess, and the modulator was fixed, allowing all to hear.

Defense attorneys insisted on questioning the witness face to face and demanded that the defendants should also see her. So after she gave her testimony for over an hour, Amin ordered the session closed to the public, pulling screens in front of the press and visitors gallery and cut the sound.

Later, a second woman took the stand, identified as "Witness B." She said she was 74 years old and recounted how her family was arrested in 1981 - a year before the Dujail incident.

Until that point in her testimony, her voice was modulated. But again, the judge decided it wasn't working properly. The system was turned off and all of the electronic feeds from the court room cut, including to the press gallery, before the witness could explain the relevance of a 1981 arrest.

Witnesses have the option of not having their identities revealed as a security measure to protect them against reprisals by Saddam loyalists. The first two witnesses - both men who took the stand Monday - allowed their names to be announced and their pictures to be transmitted around the world.

Saddam and the others are on trial for the killing of more than 140 Shiites in the town of Dujail north of Baghdad and could be executed by hanging if convicted. Monday's session was a stormy one, as Saddam repeatedly stood to challenge the judge and witnesses.

But on Tuesday, the ousted leader and his former officials were mostly silent, listening intently as "Witness A" spoke.

She described four years in Saddam's prisons after she and other families were swept up in Dujail following the shooting attack on Saddam's motorcade. She said she was held and tortured at a detention facility there before being taken to the notorious Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad. Later they were taken to a desert facility outside the southern city of Samawah.

At the Dujail facility, she said she was thrown into a room with red walls and ceiling in an intelligence department building and that prisoners were given only bread and water to eat.

"I could not even eat because of the torture," she said.

At Abu Ghraib, the guards stripped one of her male relatives, a deaf mute, and tied a rope to his genitals, pulling him into the cells where the women were kept, she said. Insects were everywhere - in cells and on their clothes, she said, adding that inmates used prison blankets to make underwear and fashioned shoes out of cardboard and strings.

She said one of her relatives wanted to give birth in jail. "The baby was out. When some women tried to help her, the guards prevented them," and the baby died, she said.

"I was freed at the end when I was 20," she said. "All my friends became doctors and teachers, and I am now just a housewife."

The testimony at the trial is the first time the victims of the 1982 crackdown confronted the former leader and his lieutenants.

In Monday's session, a defiant Saddam sought to take control of the proceedings through boisterous outbursts, declaring at one point that "I am not afraid of execution" and denouncing the trial run according to "American rules."

Despite the sometimes chaotic atmosphere Monday, the trial's first witnesses offered chilling accounts of killings and torture using electric shocks and a grinder in the 1982 crackdown.

Ahmed Hassan Mohammed said he saw a machine that "looked like a grinder" with hair and blood on it in a secret police center in Baghdad where he and others were tortured for 70 days. He said detainees were kept in "Hall 63."

Mohammed recalled how security agents rounded up townspeople of all ages, from 14 to more than 70.

"There were mass arrests. Women and men. Even if a child was 1-day-old, they used to tell his parents, 'Bring him with you,'" Mohammed said.

The testimony drew an angry response from Saddam, who suggested that Mohammed needed psychiatric treatment and accused the court of bowing to American pressure.

"When the revolution of the heroic Iraq arrives, you will be held accountable," Saddam warned the chief judge.

"This is an insult to the court," Amin responded. "We are searching for the truth."

"How can a judge like yourself accept a situation like this?" Saddam asked. "This game must not continue. If you want Saddam Hussein's neck, you can have it. I have exercised my constitutional prerogatives after I had been the target of an armed attack.

When Mohammed objected to some of Saddam's remarks, the former president snapped: "Do not interrupt me, son."

ECONOMY BOOM: Productivity Expands at a Faster Pace...

Orders to U.S. factories posted a solid increase in October while - worker productivity jumped by the largest amount in two years, the government reported Tuesday. It was the latest evidence that the economy is rebounding from the Gulf Coast hurricanes and a spike in energy prices, leading analysts to predict the economy will turn in a solid performance in coming months.

"The momentum of growth has been very strong," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "This suggests that growth in the fourth quarter of this year and early next year will remain robust."

The Commerce Department said that demand for manufactured goods rose by 2.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted $399.8 billion in October, erasing a 1.4 percent September decline when demand was jolted by the hurricanes, a strike at aircraft giant Boeing and a jump in energy costs.

The October increase was in line with economists' expectations. Orders for durable goods, items expected to last three or more years, increased by 3.7 percent while demand for nondurable goods rose by 0.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department reported that the productivity of American workers shot up at an annual rate of 4.7 percent in the July- September quarter, the best showing in two years. The new figure was revised upward from an initial estimate of 4.1 percent growth in productivity.

The big jump in worker efficiency helped to push labor costs down by 1 percent at an annual rate in third quarter, double the 0.5 percent drop in unit labor costs that had originally been reported. The stronger productivity and falling labor costs should help ease fears at the Federal Reserve that overall inflation was on the verge of worsening because of rising wage pressures.

The 2.2 percent overall rise in durable goods was the best showing since a 2.9 percent jump in August. It showed that manufacturing, which was the hardest hit sector in the 2001 recession, is showing resilience in the face of rising energy costs and the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, which caused widespread destruction along the Gulf Coast.

The 3.7 percent gain in orders for durable goods was even better than an initial estimate of a 3.4 percent increase made last week. The gain was led by a 142 percent rise in orders for military aircraft and parts and a 50.6 percent jump in orders for commercial aircraft.

The 4.7 percent rate of increase for productivity in the third quarter was sharply higher than the 2.1 percent increase for the April-June quarter. It was the best showing since a 9.6 percent surge in the third quarter of 2003.

The 1 percent drop in unit labor costs marked the second consecutive quarter that labor costs have fallen after three quarters of big increases that had raised worries that wage pressures were beginning to mount. Unit labor costs declined at a 1.2 percent rate in the second quarter.

The upward revision in productivity reflected the fact that the government last week revised upward overall economic growth for the third quarter to an annual rate of 4.3 percent. It had originally estimated that the gross domestic product was growing at a 3.8 percent rate in the third quarter.

The increased amount of output meant that workers had produced more per hour of work than originally estimated.

President Bush, battling the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, is seeking to draw attention to a spate of recent indicators showing that the economy has regained its footing following the blows from the Gulf Coast hurricanes and a surge in energy prices.

In addition to the rebound in factory orders and the upward revisions to GDP and productivity, the government on Friday reported that employment grew by a solid 215,000 in November, ending a two-month lull which had reflected sizable layoffs in New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast.

Productivity is the key factor that determines whether living standards are improving. Gains in productivity allow companies to pay their workers higher salaries from their increased production without having to increase the price of the products they sell, which would fuel inflation.

Terrorists using Yahoo.com

Bin Laden, Zarqawi speeches, videos of executions

Islamic terrorists are using the popular Internet gateway Yahoo.com for indoctrination and incitement, according to a monitor of Middle East media.

One of the most popular sites is http://geocities.yahoo.com/, which rents space for users to construct their own websites, the Middle East Media Research Institute reported.

Among the terrorist websites hosted by Yahoo is http://www.geocities.com/esknas/index.html, which includes the speeches of al-Qaida's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and videos showing executions of hostages.

The site's front page begins with the following message:


"Oh believers, do not form an allegiance with the Jews and the Christians; they are allied with each other. He who forms an allegiance with them is one of them, and Allah will not guide the oppressors (Koran 5:51). The jihad warriors mete out the punishment of Allah, be he praised, to the American and Jewish infidels, and to the murtaddun (apostates)."
The videos of hostage executions are described as "[showing] the slaughter, by jihad fighters, of infidel Christian and Jewish agents, murtaddun, spies, traitors, corrupt [individuals], [members of] the murtadd National Guard, enemies of Islam and of the Muslims and Shi'ite infidels."

The list of videos available on the site includes:



"Execution of Nick Berg

Slaughter of Jack Hansley

Execution of an American spy

Slaughter of [Eugene] Armstrong

Execution of Syousei Kouda

Slaughter of Paul Johnson

Slaughter of Kin Sun

Slaughter of a murtadd

Slaughter of an American from the CIA

Slaughter of the Jew Daniel Pearl

Slaughter of a Nepali

Slaughter of Kenneth Bigley

Slaughter of a murtadd...

Slaughter of a murtadd engineer

Slaughter of 11 [members of] the National Guard..."

Another Islamist website hosted on Yahoo, apparently affiliated with the aforementioned site, is http://www.geocities.com/mojahedoon35/, which features speeches by Osama bin Laden and al-Zarqawi along with a guide for building and operating weapons.

The terrorist organizations also disseminate their messages on Yahoo forums and form discussion groups.

One discussion group, called Modjahede, includes links to Islamist sites and to videos distributed by terrorist organizations.

It also has guides for building and operating conventional and nuclear weapons.

Internet Haganah, an organization that works to uncover and shut down websites affiliated with the global jihad, said it had been tracking and monitoring 25 major Hezbollah sites and found that, aside from two established in Iran and one in the UK, the rest of the Hezbollah sites were hosted by American companies. Israeli security sources confirmed the organization's findings.

Sunnis and Dems Agree: Bring Back Saddam

Like their American cousins in the Democratic Party, sentiment is building among the Iraqi people to return Saddam Hussein to power - according to Sunni Muslims quoted by the Associated Press who give the Butcher of Baghdad high marks for his bravura performance in court yesterday.

In a series of supposedly random interviews, the AP found one Saddam fan after another who longed for the good old days when the Iraqi dictator ruled their country with an iron fist.

Mohammed Omar, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two, told the wire service: "Maybe Saddam did oppress those who opposed him. But for every Iraqi, deep inside, he looks like the strongman we need."

He accused the new U.S.-backed government of being obsessed with prosecuting Saddam.

The AP found another Saddam fan when they interviewed Jinan Mushrif, a 49-year-old housewife who said she got chills of pride as she watched Saddam's courtroom antics.
"These are the real men of Iraq, not those who hide behind their bodyguards," she told the AP.

Mushrif's son, Ziyad Tariq, was suspicious of the witnesses against their former leader, suggesting that one torture victim who testified that Saddam sometimes fed his victims into a meat grinder was spouting Iranian propaganda.

"Did you see this guy, with his Iranian accent?" Tariq told the AP. "He is wearing a suit without a tie, just like the Persians."

The Sunnis aren't alone in their nostalgia for the brutal dictator. Last week a Fox News Opinion Dynamics poll found that in the U.S., 43 percent of Democrats now believe the world be better off if Saddam were still in power - with a mere 34 percent disagreeing.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Top Al Qaeda Figures Held in Secret CIA Prisons

10 Out of 11 High-Value Terror Leaders Subjected to 'Enhanced Interrogation Techniques'

Two CIA secret prisons were operating in Eastern Europe until last month when they were shut down following Human Rights Watch reports of their existence in Poland and Romania.

Current and former CIA officers speaking to ABC News on the condition of confidentiality say the United States scrambled to get all the suspects off European soil before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived there today. The officers say 11 top al Qaeda suspects have now been moved to a new CIA facility in the North African desert.

CIA officials asked ABC News not the name the specific countries where the prisons were located, citing security concerns.

The CIA declines to comment, but current and former intelligence officials tell ABC News that 11 top al Qaeda figures were all held at one point on a former Soviet air base in one Eastern European country. Several of them were later moved to a second Eastern European country.

All but one of these 11 high-value al Qaeda prisoners were subjected to the harshest interrogation techniques in the CIA's secret arsenal, the so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" authorized for use by about 14 CIA officers and first reported by ABC News on Nov. 18.

Saddam trial hears of horror in Room 63

Men and women were tortured for days and babies left to die in an interrogation facility which featured a meat grinder for human flesh, the first prosecution witness to face Saddam Hussein told the court on Monday.

"I swear by God I walked by a room and on my left I saw a grinder with blood coming out of it and human hair underneath," said 38-year-old Ahmed Hassan, who said he had been kept in room 63 at the Hakmiya intelligence headquarters in Baghdad.

Hassan, the first witness to face Saddam in court, said he was 15 when Saddam visited the village in July 1982 and Shi'ite militants tried to assassinate him.

Speaking technically as an individual plaintiff alongside the state, which is pressing charges of crimes against humanity, Hassan said he and his family were among hundreds of people rounded up in a security operation run by Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti after an attempt on Saddam's life in the village.

Barzan, one of Saddam's three younger half-brothers and the former head of the feared Mukhabarat intelligence service, is one of Saddam's seven co-accused in the case relating to the killings of 148 mostly Shi'ite Muslim men from Dujail.

"Barzan was present. He had red cowboy boots and blue jeans and a sniper rifle," Hassan, a stockily built worker with a round face and a graying beard, told the heavily fortified court in central Baghdad.

He said Saddam, from the Sunni Arab minority, asked a 15-year-old boy if he knew who he was. "He said 'Saddam'. Then Saddam hit him in the head with an ash tray," Hassan said.

Hassan risked reprisals by letting his face appear on television as he gave evidence.

Toward the end of his testimony he stood facing Saddam as the former president challenged his testimony. Hassan held Saddam's gaze as Saddam asked how he could possibly remember the names and birth dates of people he said were killed, responding that he had memorized them as they were read out by guards.

With Barzan constantly interjecting from the dock and calling the testimony lies, Hassan said he was among hundreds of people taken from the Shi'ite village to the Hakmiya intelligence headquarters, run by Barzan.

He said it was while he was climbing the stairs there that he saw the meat grinder. "No one escaped torture," he said.

"They would put a mask on my eyes and because I was young it would fall down. I saw women being tortured," he said.

"My brother was given electric shocks while my 77-year-old father watched," Hassan said. "They told us, 'why don't you confess, you will be executed anyway'," he said.

"One man was shot in the leg with two bullets... Some people were crippled because they had their arms and legs broken."

He said they were held in Hakmiya for 70 days. While they were there a woman told a guard that her infant baby needed milk or he would die.

"He died and the guard threw him from the window," Hassan told the court. "Pregnant women gave birth in the prison. Their babies died."

Web Site Launches to Hound Harry Reid

Nevada voters, embarrassed by their own senior Senate leadership, have created a Web site to document some of the more outlandish things said by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

The Web site - TheReidWorld.com � satirizes the Senate Minority Leader and chastises him for derogatory comments he has made about President Bush.

The site was launched Dec. 3 by the Nevada Republican Party, which says it was "inspired� to do so after "Senator Reid�s stunt in shutting down the U.S. Senate while pretending to be concerned about the War in Iraq.�

Paul F. Adams, chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, writes on the Web site:

"By raising phony questions about pre-war intelligence for partisan political purposes, Senator Reid disgraces Nevadans. His claims of support for the troops ring hollow, as we come to realize that he and his party are willing to trade troop safety for votes. If he and his party consider national security to be just another partisan tool, what will they say about other issues?�

Reid has, on separate occasions, called President Bush a "liar� and a "loser.� He later apologized for the "loser� comment, but continues to push the fallacy that Bush "lied� about the reason for making Iraq a central point in the war on terrorism.

Sen. Kerry Accuses U.S. Troops of 'Terror'

A full year after losing the presidential election to President George W. Bush, Senator John Kerry still seems to be stuck in duplicitous campaign mode.

Speaking Sunday as a guest on CBS� Face The Nation program, Kerry tried to have it both ways, again, by saying he supports the U.S. troops in Iraq, but accusing them of doing despicable things.

Said Sen. Kerry in response to a question by host Bob Schieffer about the progress of the war in Iraq:

" ... And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the - of - the historical customs, religious customs."

The remark was eerily reminiscent of Kerry�s comments about U.S. troops in 1971 upon his return from duty in Vietnam.

" � They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country."

As reported by NewsMax during the 2004 presidential election, Kerry�s tendency to bash the troops has a long and not-so-proud history.

This, again, from a Senator who "voted for the war, before I voted against it.�

Judge Throws Out Conspiracy Charge Against DeLay

Money laundering charges against Republican Rep. Tom DeLay were upheld Monday, dashing his hopes for reclaiming his post as House majority leader, but the judge dismissed charges related to any conspiracy to violate Texas' election code.

Judge Pat Priest, who is presiding over the case against the Texas Republican, ruled on several motions filed by prosecutors and DeLay's attorneys last month.

DeLay was required under House rules to relinquish the leadership post he had held since early 2003 when he was indicted in September in a finance scheme centered on the 2002 Texas House races. Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri became majority leader.

At a hearing Nov. 22, DeLay's lawyers asked for a quick decision on their request for dismissal of all charges, and, if the ruling went against DeLay, a prompt trial, in hopes that he could regain his leadership post by the time Congress reconvenes in January. The House is expected to return late next month.

But the judge said at the time that it was unlikely the case would go to trial before the first of the year.

In asking that the case be thrown out, DeLay lawyer Dick DeGuerin argued that one of the charges - conspiracy to violate the Texas election code _ did not even take effect until September 2003, a year after the alleged offenses occurred. Priest dismissed that charge, citing those grounds.

Prosecutors, however, said the crime of conspiracy was already on the books, and could be applied to the election code even though such uses were not explicitly in state law at the time.

DeLay and two Republican fundraisers, John Colyandro and Jim Ellis, are accused of illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate donations to 2002 Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature.

Under Texas law, corporate money cannot be directly used for political campaigns, but it can be used for administrative purposes.

DeLay's lawyer argued that under those rules, the corporate contributions were legal.

The case ended up before Priest, a Democrat, after DeLay's attorneys had a previous judge removed for contributing to Democratic candidates and causes. Priest has made few political contributions over the years.

DNC's Dean: U.S. Will Lose War in Iraq

Democratic Chairman Howard Dean on Monday likened the war in Iraq to Vietnam and said, "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong," comments that drew immediate fire from Republicans.

In an interview with WOAI-AM in San Antonio, Dean criticized what he called President Bush's "permanent commitment to a failed strategy" while saying, "We need to be out of there and take the targets off our troops' back." Dean suggested "a strategic redeployment" of U.S. troops over the next two years.

"I wish the president had paid more attention to the history of Iraq before we had gotten in there," Dean said. "The idea that we're going to win this war is just plain wrong."

Republican Chairman Ken Mehlman said Dean's "outrageous prediction sends the wrong message to our troops, the enemy, and the Iraqi people just 10 days before historic elections."

Netanyahu hints could consider Iran nuclear strike

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that he could consider a pre-emptive air strike against Iran's nuclear installations if he were to be re-elected. Netanyahu, who is widely expected to regain the leadership of the right-wing Likud party later this month, said Israel needed to "act in the spirit" of the late premier Menachem Begin who ordered an air strike on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.

"I view the development of the Iranian nuclear (programme) as a paramount threat and as a real danger to the future of the state of Israel," Netanyahu told the Yediot Aharonot newspaper.

"Israel needs to do everything to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear threat against it."

"We need to act in the spirit of Menachem Begin, who defied the entire world and with a bold step prevented Iraq from arming itself with nuclear weapons."

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Netanyahu's arch rival said last week that Israel would never allow its arch-enemy Iran to come into possession of nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad caused an international backlash in October when he called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map".

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in September found Iran in non-compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, paving the way for the matter to be referred to the UN Security Council if Iran does not halt nuclear fuel work and cooperate fully with an IAEA investigation.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is merely designed to meet domestic energy needs.

Arkansas Man Scales White House Fence


A man from Arkansas scaled the fence surrounding the White House Sunday while President Bush was inside and was immediately captured by Secret Service officers. Secret Service spokesman Jonathan Cherry identified the jumper as Shawn A. Cox. Cherry said Cox was being charged with unlawful entry and was expected to appear Monday in U.S. District Court.

Cox has previously come to the attention of the Secret Service, Cherry said, but he would not provide details.

Cherry said he did not know where Cox was from in Arkansas or why he wanted to get on the White House grounds. He did not have a weapon, Cherry said.

Bush was home at when Cox climbed the fence on the northeast side of the property around lunchtime. Uniformed Secret Service officers stood by with guns drawn while an agent escorted Cox to a guard station. Cox was wearing a sweatshirt, he was unshaven and his pants were wet and dirty from where he was brought to the ground. He did not answer a journalist's question about why he jumped the fence.

Iran a 'few months' from nuke weapon?

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, has appealed to both Iran and the West to refrain from escalating their dangerous game of brinkmanship, which has entered an unpredictable phase after the election of a hardline Iranian president.

In an interview in his 28th floor office at IAEA headquarters overlooking the Danube in Vienna, Mr ElBaradei noted that Iran has not rejected the Russian proposal outright, and he said he expected "talks about talks" to be held before next month.

But he warned that if Iran carries out a threat to reopen its mothballed Natanz underground enrichment plant, a dangerous escalation will ensue, and raise fresh questions about Iran's insistence that its nuclear intentions are peaceful. "If they start enriching this is a major issue and a serious concern for the international community," he said.

Although IAEA officials have said it would take at least two years for Natanz to become fully operational, Mr ElBaradei believes that once the facility is up and running, the Iranians could be "a few months" away from a nuclear weapon. "That's why there is the concern of the international community about Iran," he said, "because lots of people feel it could be a dual purpose programme".

Did he believe the Iranians were building a nuclear weapon? "The jury's out," he said. "It's difficult to read their intention. We're still going through the programme to make sure it's all for peaceful purposes.

"I know they are trying to acquire the full fuel cycle. I know that acquiring the full fuel cycle means that a country is months away from nuclear weapons
, and that applies to Iran and everybody else."

Pakistan censors poetic salute to Bush



A poem in a school textbook has been removed by embarrassed education officials in Pakistan after it was found that the first letters of each line spelt out "President George W Bush."

The 20-line anonymous poem, The Leader, lists the qualities of "a man who will do what he must" and bears a passing resemblance to Rudyard Kipling's If.

"Ever assuring he'll stand by his word/Wanting the world to join his firm stand/Bracing for war, but praying for peace/Using his power so evil will cease", run typical lines.

An education ministry spokesman said it had no idea who wrote the poem nor how it found its way into A Textbook of English for 16-year-olds last year.

"We have decided to delete the poem from the book, published by the National Book Foundation and prescribed for federal board students," the spokesman told the Pakistani newspaper The News.

"It will be stretching the matter too far to assert that the poem was inserted in the book deliberately to enumerate the qualities of the American president," he added.

The official said the ministry was investigating how a series of committees employed to monitor and censor the contents of all textbooks failed to notice the acrostic.

The poem would not appear in the next edition of the book, he added.

The book was printed in 2004 for the first time after the government in Islamabad decided to deregulate the publication of textbooks.

2 Iraqi Kidnap Victims Rescued by US Military !

Task Force Baghdad soldiers rescued two kidnapping victims during a routine vehicle search at a checkpoint in western Baghdad on Dec. 1, military officials in Iraq said Sunday.

Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, found two Iraqi civilians bound and gagged in the trunk of a white sedan. The two individuals, employed by an American contractor, claimed they had been taken hostage and were to be murdered.

The car's driver and a passenger had false Iraqi police badges and were carrying pistols. They were detained.

NY Daily News Reveals 9/11 Cash Squandered

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton once called securing $20 billion from the federal government to help New York City recover after the 9/11 attacks her proudest moment.

But a new study suggests that a substantial portion of the 9/11 money Clinton and Sen. Charles Schumer managed to wangle from the Bush administration has been wasted.

A four-month investigation by New York's Daily News reveals that the process for doling out the $21.4 billion disaster recovery package was "procedurally flawed" - and that there was "little oversight there was over the spending."

"In effect, no one was watching," the News said - including Mrs. Clinton.

As a result, 9/11 recovery aid went to what might charitably be considered pork barrel projects.
Some examples cited by the News include:

Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on projects that seemingly had nothing to do with 9/11 and lower Manhattan.

Millions more went to help projects already in the works before 9/11 or on the drawing board with no prior funding source.

Substantial sums were given to companies to stay in lower Manhattan even though they had no intention of leaving.

Huge contracts were given to companies and organizations linked to the very officials tasked with deciding how to spend the money.

The 9/11 expenditure report could turn out to be a huge black eye for Sen. Clinton, just as she's gearing up for her 2008 presidential campaign. Especially considering the way the former first lady touted the 9/11 aid package as her biggest accomplishment as Senator.

Asked to describe her proudest achievement two months after the attacks, Clinton didn't miss a beat.

"The fight that we've had to wage on behalf of New York's needs since September 11 has, you know, focused every cell in my body," she told CNN. "That honor was just, you know, extraordinary, to be able to stand on the floor of the Senate and speak on behalf of the people who had demonstrated what America stands for so well."

A few months later, however, Clinton confessed that the $20 billion figure she and Schumer came up with wasn't based on any actual assessment of need, but instead was pretty much arbitrary.

"If [the Bush administration was] going to give $20 billion to fight the [war on terror], I figured they could give $20 billion to help rebuild the city - and it's as good a number as any," she told the News.

But instead of keeping her eye on how the 9/11 cash was being spent, Mrs. Clinton pressed Washington for an additional $20 billion in aid, boasting that she and her New York colleagues had shown themselves to be good stewards of federal largesse.

McCain: 'Fake News' a Fake Scandal

Sen. John McCain said Sunday that the Bush administration did nothing wrong in the so-called "fake news" scandal, where the Pentagon paid Iraqi newspapers to carry reports that paint the U.S. liberation in a positive light - as long as the stories are true.

"If these are accurate stories written by legitimate people then I don't think there's anything wrong with that," McCain told NBC's "Meet the Press."

The Arizona Republican's answer clearly disappointed MTP moderator-turned-Leakgate prosecution witness Tim Russert, who asked incredulously: "But here we are trying to teach democracy and freedom of the press and the lack of state-sponsored censorship, if you will, and we're paying Iraqis to print articles?":

McCain shot back: "If these are accurate stories then we should make every effort to get them out. We are in a propaganda war. This is a war for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people as well."

At that, an irked Russert interrupted: "But in principle you have no problem paying the Iraqis?"
McCain replied: "If that's the standard procedure in Iraq - if that's what you need to do to get a story in one of these newspapers . . . . then I'm not terribly offended by it."

Defense Secretary Joe Lieberman?

Will Sen. Joseph Lieberman be tapped next year to become Secretary of Defense as a reward for his support for the Iraq war?

That's the prediction from former New Republic magazine editor Andrew Sullivan, who told NBC's "Chris Matthews Show" on Sunday: "Before the next congressional elections, Joe Lieberman will be asked to be Secretary of Defense to succeed Don Rumsfeld."

"That's the back story behind Lieberman's amazing defense of the administration this week," Sullivan insisted.

Asked if he thought the Connecticut Democrat would accept the appointment, Sullivan said: "I don't know - it depends on how things are going in Iraq. But I think he's being lined up."

Disorder in the Court: Saddam Shouts at Judge

Saddam Hussein's defense team walked out of court Monday, the former leader yelled at the judge, and Saddam's half brother shouted "Why don't you just execute us!" in an often unruly court session that also saw former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark speak on behalf of the deposed president.

After the lawyers walked out, Saddam, shaking his right hand, told the judge: "You are imposing lawyers on us. They are imposed lawyers. The court is imposed by itself. We reject that."

Clark said he needed only two minutes to present his argument. But Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin at first said only Saddam's chief lawyer could speak. Amin said the defense should submit its motion in writing and warned that if the defense walked out then the court would appoint replacement lawyers.

Saddam and his half brother Barazan Ibrahim then chanted "Long live Iraq, long live the Arab state."

Ibrahim stood up and shouted: "Why don't you just execute us and get rid of all of this!"

When the judge explained that he was ruling in accordance with the law, Saddam replied: "This is a law made by America and does not reflect Iraqi sovereignty."

After the lawyers spoke, the first witness to take the stand, Ahmed Hassan Mohammed, began his testimony. He said that after an assassination attempt on Saddam, security agencies took people of all ages from age 14 to over age 70.

"There were mass arrests. Women and men. Even if a child was 1-day-old they used to tell his parents, 'Bring him with you,"' Mohammed said. He said he was taken to a security center where "I saw bodies of people from Dujail."

"They were martyrs I knew," Mohammed said, giving the name of the nine whose bodies were there.

The first witness earlier exchanged insults with Saddam's half brother, telling him "you killed a 14-year-old boy."

"To hell," the half brother, Ibrahim, replied.

"You and your children go to hell," the witness replied.

The judge then asked them to avoid such exchanges.

"There was random arrests in the streets, all the forces of the (Baath) party, and Thursday became 'Judgment Day' and Dujail has become a battle front," the witness said, sometime fighting back tears. "Shootings started and nobody could leave or enter Dujail. At night, intelligence agents arrived headed by Barazan" Ibrahim.

At this point Ibrahim interrupted him, saying that "I am a patriot and I was the head of the intelligence service of Iraq."

Joe Wilson: Bush Right to Attack Iraq

Joe Wilson, Iraq war supporter?

The darling of the anti-war left may be working overtime to bring down the Bush administration for "outing" his CIA wife, but Wilson said Saturday that the White House was right to go to war over Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

"There was a lot of reason to be concerned about weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein," he told WABC Radio's Mark Simone. "I always thought that he probably had chemical and biological weapons and biological precursors as well."

Wilson said his primary policy difference with President Bush wasn't over Saddam's WMDs, but rather on the question of "how to construct a policy that gets to the national security issue of disarming Saddam Hussein and does so at minimum risk to other legitimate U.S. interests both in Iraq and in the region."

But aside from that, Wilson said he cheered President Bush's decision to topple the Iraqi dictator, telling Simone: "When the president went up to the U.N. and got the [war] resolution unanimously passed at the U.N., nobody applauded louder than I did."