The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 07/09/2006 - 07/16/2006

Friday, July 14, 2006

Syria, Iran orchestrated Hezbollah raid against Israel

The Israeli army should not punish the Lebanese government and the country's civilian infrastructure for the actions of Hezbollah, which refuses to obey the authority of the Lebanese leadership and attacked the Jewish state this week without authorization, Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said in an exclusive interview.

Jumblatt urged dialogue to solve the growing military crisis surrounding Hezbollah's kidnapping Wednesday of two Israeli soldiers and the firing of missiles yesterday into Israeli population centers.

He also hinted Syria and Iran may have directed Hezbollah to attack Israel.

"[Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah does not obey the government of Lebanon. We (in the government) don't agree with his acts. But we cannot in Lebanon force him to accept any resolution unless he accepts it himself," said Jumblatt, speaking to the WorldNetDaily and ABC Radio's John Batchelor on Batchelor's national radio program
. (Click here to listen to the Jumblatt interview.)

Jumblatt is the head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party and is largely considered the most prominent anti-Syrian Lebanese politician.

He said he saw the fingerprints of Iran and Syria on Hezbollah's actions the past few days.

"They (Iran and Syria) are financially and militarily supporting Hezbollah. It is a known fact that this alliance from Tehran to Beirut is quite a solid strategic alliance."

Michael Schiavo Takes on Privacy Campaign

The man who last year won a bruising battle to disconnect his brain-damaged wife from a feeding tube is campaigning against government intrusion around the country.

The political action committee formed by Michael Schiavo _ whose wife, Terri, died after a seven-year court and political fight that reached Capitol Hill _ has raised about $25,000 and is targeting races in Colorado, Florida and Texas.

Schiavo came to Colorado on Wednesday to support Democratic candidates for the U.S. House, including Angie Paccione, who is challenging Rep. Marilyn Musgrave. Musgrave spoke last year on the floor of the House against allowing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed.

"I want to ask Marilyn Musgrave who gave her the right to speak about Terri," Schiavo said. "Who gave her the authority to bring Congress into my family decisions?"

Musgrave, who represents a sprawling district in eastern Colorado, issued a statement saying, "I have only compassion for Michael and Terri's family, and all those who have lost a loved one."

Pat Anderson, a Florida attorney who represented Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, said she found Michael Schiavo's political campaigning offensive.

"Somebody needs to tell this guy his 15 minutes of fame are up," she said.


State GOP chairman Bob Martinez criticized Schiavo's involvement in Colorado, saying he thinks most residents "were appalled to learn that Michael Schiavo is helping political candidates profit off his wife's death."

Plame Sues Cheney Over Leak

The CIA officer whose identity was leaked to reporters sued Vice President Dick Cheney, his former top aide and presidential adviser Karl Rove on Thursday, accusing them and other White House officials of conspiring to destroy her career.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of participating in a "whispering campaign" to reveal Plame's CIA identity and punish Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in Iraq.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Rove, said, "Without even having had a chance to review the complaint, it is clear that the allegations are absolutely and utterly without merit."


The lawsuit accuses Cheney, Libby, Rove and 10 unnamed administration officials or political operatives of putting the Wilsons and their children's lives at risk by exposing Plame.

"This lawsuit concerns the intentional and malicious exposure by senior officials of the federal government of ... (Plame), whose job it was to gather intelligence to make the nation safer and who risked her life for her country," the Wilsons' lawyers said in the lawsuit.


Specifically, the lawsuit accuses the White House officials of violating the Wilsons' constitutional rights to equal protection and freedom of speech. It also accuses the officials of violating the couple's privacy rights.

The lawsuit alleges that Cheney, Libby and Rove used Plame to punish Wilson for his public statements about the administration's portrayal of the intelligence on Iraq.

"As their chief method of punishment, the White House officials destroyed (Plame's) cover by revealing her classified employment with the CIA to reporters," the lawsuit said.

Instead of confronting Wilson on the issue, the lawsuit said, the White House officials "embarked on an anonymous 'whispering campaign' designed to discredit ... (the Wilsons) and to deter other critics from speaking out."

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Democrats Dishonor Iraq War Dead

Democrats have "sunk to a new low" by releasing a "shameless" fund-raising video with images of dead American soldiers, critics charge.

The video from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) shows U.S. flag-draped coffins loaded on an airplane, and a standing rifle supporting the helmet of a fallen GI, in a montage of "things that are wrong with America."

The attempt to capitalize on the deaths of American soldiers has generated outrage among politicians, veterans, military families, and conservative bloggers.

"The families of the fallen heroes of the War on Terror deserve our utmost respect and compassion," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas. "They do not deserve to see the deaths of loved ones exploited by [DCCC Chairman Rahm] Emanuel and the DCCC.


"As former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, I have seen the Democrats employ a lot of low-brow political tactics over the years, but Rep. Emanuel has sunk to a new low with this video. Using images of flag-draped coffins of American heroes in this sort of video is shameless and disgusting, and I ask that Rep. Emanuel apologize to military families for any pain that he has caused."


Another Texas Republican, Rep. Mike Conaway, is also calling for an apology:

"I am extremely disappointed that the DCCC would exploit our young men and women in uniform who have sacrificed everything for the good of this country.

"The insensitivity of the Democrats to the families of the fallen troops is disrespectful, and the fact that they are using this as a way to somehow raise money is more than disturbing," Conaway said. "A huge apology to the troops and their families is owed by everyone involved in this travesty."


Vets for Freedom, America's largest nonpartisan organization representing the veterans of the global war on terror, denounced the fund-raising ad on the DCCC Web site.

"The fact that a political party is using the images of fallen Americans to raise money and score political points is reprehensible and absolutely shameful," Executive Director Wade Zirkle said in a statement.


"The sacrifices of our American heroes should never be used to fill the coffers of a political entity. Vets for Freedom calls on senators and congressmen from both sides of the aisle to demand the immediate cancellation of this advertisement, and a prompt apology from DCCC chair, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, to all American service members, veterans, and family members of the fallen."


The National Review's Mediablog column took the Democrats to task for suggesting that the "men and women of the U.S. armed forces are helpless victims of the Bush administration, as opposed to incredible warriors who are committed to winning in Iraq, making America safer and ensuring that the fallen have not died in vain."


As the Redstate.com blog notes, when President Bush showed images of September 11 in a 2004 campaign commercial, Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Tony Welch said it "was simply wrong for the president to use images of the 9/11 tragedy for political purposes."


The International Association of Fire Fighters passed a resolution criticizing the ad � and the Democrats used it in the John Kerry campaign.

Redstate asks: "Where are these people now? Where are they now that the Democrats are using dead soldiers for fund-raising purposes? Silent."

Ahmadinejad: World will soon witness the demise of Israel

Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Jul. 12 � Hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the world will soon witness the demise of Israel, the government-run news agency Fars reported.

�In the near future we will witness the rapid collapse of the Zionist regime�, Ahmadinejad told a crowd in the north-western city of Jolfa.

�The nations of the region will record the names of states that support the Zionist regime alongside the Zionist�s crimes�, he added.


Ahmadinejad caused an international furore last year when he publicly declared that the Holocaust was a �myth� and said that Israel must be �wiped off the map�.

Massachusetts 2008: McCain 44% Clinton 43%

Could John McCain (R) Beat Hillary Clinton (D) in Massachusetts? The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll in the Bay State shows McCain wresting 44% of the vote to 43% for Clinton. The numbers are identical for a hypothetical contest between McCain and Al Gore (D).

As a practical matter, this very blue state probably won't run red in the next presidential election. While a McCain-Clinton and McCain-Gore match-ups are a toss-up, the survey also found that when asked about a generic match between unnamed Republican and Democratic candidates, the Democrat wins 53%-22%.

Clinton leads another Republican, Rudy Giuliani, 50% to 42%. Gore leads the former Mayor of New York 50% to 41%.

It�s hard to think of a scarier scenario for Democrats than Massachusetts as a toss-up state on Election Night in 2008. In 2004, John Kerry won the state with 62% of the vote. Even George McGovern, buried under the Nixon landslide of 1972, managed to pick up the Bay State�s Electoral Votes.

The pattern of McCain and Giuliani outperforming the generic Republican when matched against Clinton and Gore is one we're seeing in state after state. In almost every state we've polled the 2008 race, Democrats do very well over Republicans when survey respondents are given a generic choice. Even in solid GOP-leaning states like Montana, the Generic Democrat polls very well. In Massachusetts, 53% prefer Generic Democrat, only 22% prefer Generic Republican.

A Turning Tide in War on Terror?

The latest results of Rasmussen Reports� monthly survey on the War on Terror show signs that Americans may be becoming more cautiously optimistic about their country�s performance. The percentage of those who believe that terrorists are winning the war continues to take a downward turn; 26% of this month�s respondents indicated terrorists have the advantage, down from 30% and 35% in the two previous polls, respectively.

The number saying the U.S. and its allies are winning moved up to 44% from 40% a month ago. Only once in the past year has a larger percentage been that optimistic. However, during Election 2004, the number who believed the U.S. and its allies were winning consistently remained above 50%.

Voters Have Doubts About Clinton

Anna Shelley, a mother of three from Utah, says she is ready for a female president, and she is sure that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has what it takes.

But Shelley, a Democrat, is not sure she could ever pull a lever for Clinton. Her reservations are vague but unmistakable: Something about Clinton leaves her cold.

"I want to see her as a human being -- I can read a newspaper and see her agenda," said Shelley, 27, whose husband did a tour in Iraq and who is appreciative of Clinton's support of the military.


"I think she's a little hard," she said. "She may be strong, but at the same time, if you're driven sometimes you're perceived as not having sympathy. And perception is reality for most of us."


Clinton's assets are formidable: an unrivaled ability to generate publicity and money, and approval ratings that are notably strong, given her polarizing reputation and the controversies she has weathered over 15 years in the national eye. In recent public opinion polls, she handily leads potential Democratic rivals.

Beneath these positives, however, there is evidence of unease -- about her personal history, demeanor and motives -- among the very Democratic and independent voters she would need to win the presidency.

A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll highlighted the paradox. Fifty-four percent of those responding view her favorably, and a significant majority give her high marks for leadership (68 percent), strong family values (65 percent), and being open and friendly (58 percent). At the same time, only 37 percent of Democrats in the poll say they would definitely vote for her for president.

A Gallup poll from last summer also highlighted a perception that she is too divisive, with 53 percent of respondents saying they do not view her as someone who would "unite the country and not divide it."

Follow-up interviews with skeptical Democrats and independents who participated in the Post-ABC News poll suggest that many view her as an inscrutable public figure who gets high marks for her ability and intellect but who nonetheless gives them pause because they find it difficult to relate to her on a personal level.

"The reason I am not able to say I am strongly supportive of her is because -- and this is just vibes -- she does not project a sense of what is inside of her like her husband did," said Sam Hack, 59, a self-described liberal Democrat from St. Louis.


"There's no question she's competent and very intelligent, but people want to see authentic human beings, and she has overly managed herself," said Peter Brooks, 68, a professor of English at the University of Virginia and a liberal Democrat who has an unfavorable view of Clinton.


Still, supporters say the powerful scrutiny she faces means that, far more than the typical politician, she has little room for public error or spontaneity, since even casual comments often draw national headlines. In addition, some political analysts believe that politicians who are women must work harder to be perceived as strong and serious.

Finally, those who have worked with her say that, unlike her husband, who easily conveys empathy and familiarity, Clinton is instinctively more reserved and harder to get to know.

Brian Tripplett, 47, a Democrat and a United Parcel Service manager from Kentucky, says he has a strongly unfavorable view of Clinton based on impressions 15 years old. "It seems that her public image is different from her private image. It bothered me when I read she was verbally abusive to employees," he said.


Valerie Herzig, 42, an independent from California who leans Democratic, said in the survey that she has an unfavorable view of Clinton, largely because she doesn't have a feel for her. "You hear a lot about her, but you don't hear from her," Herzig said in an interview. "My impression when she was 'Mrs. Clinton' was that she was the driver in the family. . . . But I have no idea what she's been doing for the past five years."


"I was just talking to my friends about this," said Jeny Guy, 55, a registered independent from Falls Church, who expressed a "favorable" view of Clinton but said she would not vote for her. "I find her too stiff and packaged."


"I guess she would do a good job, but I just don't think she can get the votes," said Julie Troy of Michigan, who describes herself as an independent and a liberal but says she definitely would not vote for Clinton. "I find that men don't like her and that's a problem. . . . I don't think we're ready for her."

Bush agrees to submit NSA wiretaps to FISA courts

Via Allahpundit

The ACLU and liberals can now rejoice!!!

The White House, in a policy reversal, has agreed to allow a federal court review of the National Security Agency�s domestic spying program, a top Senate Republican announced on Thursday.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said he has negotiated a proposed bill with the White House that would do that and voiced hope his panel would approve it.

�We have structured a bill which is agreeable to the White House and I think will be agreeable to this committee,� Specter told the panel.


Hat Tip To: Stop The ACLU

Iran shrugs off threat of referral to U.N.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday shrugged off a decision by world powers to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its atomic program, saying Tehran would never abandon its "right to exploit peaceful nuclear technology."

The permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany agreed on the referral Wednesday, saying they had given Iran long enough to respond to a package of incentives intended to persuade it to abandon uranium enrichment � a process that can lead to the production of nuclear weapons.

The powers said in Paris they would seek a resolution requiring Iran to suspend its enrichment activities.

"The people of Iran will not give up their right to exploit peaceful nuclear technology," Ahmadinejad said in the northwestern town of Mineh, according to state television. "They are not intimated by the arrogant uproar and propaganda today."

Ahmadinejad added that Iran would continue to negotiate over the direction of its nuclear program, "but that doesn't mean blind obedience to the West."

He reiterated that Iran plans to respond to the incentives package in August.

"We are interested in seeing this issue resolved peacefully. But if they (the West) create tension, then the outcome would affect the Europeans. The tension would primarily harm them," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

He said Iran might revise its nuclear policy, but he did not elaborate.

Later, Ahmadinejad said resolving the case would take time.

"A several years-old case is not solvable in only a few months. In a nuclear case, two, three, four months is not a remarkable time," he said in the neighboring town of Sarab.

U.S., Others Referring Iran to U.N. Security Council

World powers agreed Wednesday to send Iran back to the United Nation's Security Council for possible punishment, saying the clerical regime has given no sign it means to negotiate seriously over its disputed nuclear program.

The United States and other permanent members of the powerful U.N. body said Iran has had long enough to say whether it will meet the world's terms to open bargaining that would give Tehran economic and energy incentives in exchange for giving up suspicious activities.

"The Iranians have given no indication at all that they are ready to engage seriously on the substance of our proposals," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on behalf the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China, the five permanent Security Council members, plus Germany and the European Union.

Expressing "profound disappointment," the ministers said, "we have no choice but to return to the United Nations Security Council" and resume a course of possible punishment or coercion that the powers have set aside in hopes of reaching a deal.

Any real punishment or coercion at the Security Council is a long way off, but the group said they will seek an initial resolution requiring Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment.

If Iran does not comply, the group said it would then seek harsher action. The group's short statement did not give any specifics, but it cited a section of the world body's charter that could open the door to economic or other sanctions.

The group said it could stop the Security Council actions at any time should Iran cooperate. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency has already told Iran it must put uranium enrichment and related disputed activities on hold, and doing so is the condition for opening negotiations on the incentives package presented to Iran last month.

U.S. Too Easy on Detainees

A leading House Republican says the Pentagon has been too lenient with terror suspects, potentially putting him at odds with GOP moderates in the Senate pushing to grant military detainees more legal rights.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said that in "some cases we erred on the side of letting people go who we should not have let go." Hunter was referring to detainees released from the Guantanamo Bay military prison, which currently holds about 450 suspected terrorists.

Hunter, an advocate of the Bush administration's handling of detainees, was scheduled to conduct a hearing Wednesday on detainees' legal rights, following a June 29 Supreme Court ruling that the Pentagon's planned military tribunal system violates international law. The debate comes just as election season is heating up, when both parties will try to appear strong on national security issues.

The 5-to-3 ruling prompted Congress to try to pass legislation authorizing the tribunals or an alternative before detainees could be prosecuted.

The Bush administration on Tuesday announced that detainees would be guaranteed the basic protections of the Geneva Conventions in light of the court ruling. Senior officials also asked lawmakers to restore the military tribunals now in limbo.

Chavez to Halt Citgo Gas Sales in U.S.

Venezuela-owned Citgo Petroleum Corp. has decided to stop distributing gasoline to some 1,800 U.S. stations, shedding a lackluster segment of its business while forcing the owners of those stations to find other suppliers.

While it may create some logistical headaches for gasoline retailers in the short term, the move should not have any impact on the nation's overall fuel supply.

Citgo, which is wholly owned by Venezuela's state oil company, currently has to purchase 130,000 barrels a day from third parties in order to meet its service contracts at 13,100 stations across the U.S. This is less profitable than selling gasoline directly from its refineries.

Instead, the Houston-based company has decided to sell to retailers only the 750,000 barrels a day that it produces at three U.S. refineries in Lake Charles, La., Corpus Christi, Texas and Lemont, Ill., according to a statement late Tuesday.

That will mean that over the next year Citgo will cease distributing gasoline in 10 states and stop supplying some stations in four additional states, Citgo spokesman Fernando Garay said Wednesday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has long claimed that parts of Citgo's business produce losses for Venezuela and constitute a subsidy for the U.S. economy.

Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez has also charged that Citgo isn't profitable enough and that its parent, state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, could at some point sell off some of the company's refineries.

The states where Citgo will stop selling gasoline are: Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota. A limited number of stations in Illinois, Texas, Arkansas and Iowa will also be affected.

Iran military engineers on hand for N. Korea launch

Iranian military representatives attended North Korea's Taepodong-2 missile launch, according to Japanese news reports.

At least 10 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attended the Taepodong-2 intermediate missile launch. Japan's Sankei Shimbun and South Korea's official Yonhap news agency reported the IRGC personnel were senior engineers who sought to learn from Pyongyang's missile program.
Yonhap reported on July 1 that the IRGC engineers participated in the preparation for the Taepodong launch, Middle East Newsline reported. The news agency said the IRGC has been examining Chinese-origin missile technology for Iranian procurement.

South Korean sources said Iran and North Korea could be planning a project for the joint development of new liquid missile propellant. Yonhap quoted the sources as saying that the propellant could be used for both Iranian and North Korean missiles.

Teheran and Pyongyang were said to be major partners in missile and nuclear weapons development. Western intelligence sources said Iran has been financing North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile program.

In December 2005, a North Korean ship docked in Bandar Abbas and was said to have unloaded about a dozen intermediate-range missiles. The missiles were identified as a variant of the Russian-origin SS-N-4, which could be fitted with a nuclear warhead.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Novak-Rove Exchange Lasted 20 Seconds

Columnist Robert Novak said Wednesday that a conversation with White House aide Karl Rove that became an important part of the Valerie Plame affair lasted about 20 seconds.

Novak said he called Rove in July 2003 to talk about a CIA-sponsored mission to Africa by Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson pertaining to an alleged Iraqi deal to acquire yellowcake uranium from the government of Niger. Wilson, who is Plame's husband, had accused the Bush administration a few days earlier of manipulating prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.

Regarding Wilson's CIA-sponsored trip, Novak said he told Rove, "I understand that his wife works at the CIA and she initiated the mission." The columnist said Rove replied, "Oh, you know that, too."

"I took that as a confirmation that she worked with the CIA and initiated" her husband's mission to Africa, Novak said. "I really distinctly remember him saying, 'You know that, too.'"

"We talked about Joe Wilson's wife for about maybe 20 seconds," Novak said.

According to Rove's legal team, the White House political adviser recalls the conversation regarding Wilson's wife differently, saying that he replied to Novak that "I've heard that, too" rather than "You know that, too."

Novak refused to identify his main source for his column revealing Plame's CIA identity. Novak said the source was a senior administration official who revealed the CIA employment of Wilson's wife after the columnist asked why the CIA would have sent Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador who had never worked at the CIA, on such a mission.

"I don't believe that it was a conscious leak," Novak said of the source.

13th Month of Recruiting Success More than Luck

Defense officials are attributing the 13th
consecutive month in which every military service met or exceeded its
active-duty recruiting goal to more than just good luck.

Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public
affairs, cited the high priority every service has placed on recruiting,
including the resources to back up that commitment, with successes measured
both in numbers and quality of recruits.

Active-duty recruiting numbers, both for June and for the first nine
months of fiscal 2006, continued to exceed 100 percent of goal across the
board, Whitman told reporters today.

At the same time, the services are maintaining their high quality
standards, as measured by percentage of recruits with high school diplomas
and scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test,
Whitman said. He noted that more than 90 percent of all recruits have high
school diplomas and nearly two-thirds have scored in the top 50 percent
of ASVAB categories.

Both measures correlate closely with a recruit's success in the armed
forces. Whitman called the possession of a high school diploma "the best
single indicator of how well somebody will stick to and adjust to the
military."

He emphasized that the department has not lowered recruiting standards,
despite "myths" that have surfaced in the media. "The quality standards
for the military are very high," he said, noting that fewer than 4
percent of all recruits score in Category 4 on the ASVAB, the lowest score
the military accepts, Whitman said.


Meanwhile, Whitman said the emphasis the services put on recruiting --
backed up by more recruiters, and better tools and incentives to help
them -- is paying off.

During June, the Army recruited more than 8,700 soldiers, 102 percent
of its goal, and the Marine Corps signed on more than 4,300 Marines, 105
percent of its goal. The Navy met its goal of recruiting more than
3,900 sailors, and the Air Force exceeded its goal by 1 percent, bringing
in more than 2,500 airmen.

Recruiting numbers in the reserve components were also up in June, with
all components but the Navy Reserve meeting or exceeding their goals,
defense officials said.

The Army National Guard recruited more than 5,800 soldiers, 101 percent
of its goal, and the Army Reserve exceeded its goal by 21 percent,
recruiting more than 5,600 members. The Marine Corps Reserve recruited more
than 1,300 Marines, 103 percent of its goal; the Air National Guard,
almost 900 members, 119 percent of its goal; and the Air Force Reserve,
more than 600 airmen, 100 percent of its goal.

The Navy Reserve fell 5 percent short of its June goal, recruiting just
fewer than 1,000 sailors.

Year-to-date statistics show positive recruiting trends throughout the
force, with every service meeting or exceeding its goal to date and
four of the six reserve components meeting their goals, officials noted.

As of June 30, the Army had exceeded its year-to-date active-duty
recruiting goal by 4 percent, and the Marine Corps and Air Force by 1
percent. The Navy met its year-to-date goal.

In the reserve components, the Army National Guard exceeded its
year-to-date recruiting goal by 3 percent, the Army Reserve and Marine Corps
Reserve by 1 percent, and the Air Force Reserve by 4 percent.

As of June 30, the Air National Guard had met 92 percent of its
year-to-date goal, and the Navy Reserve 83 percent.

Terrorists Repeatedly Struck U.S. Before 9/11

Global terrorists started their war against
the United States long before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Vice
President Richard B. Cheney told a gathering of Michigan National Guardsmen
yesterday.

"Although we have been in the struggle against terrorism for nearly
five years now, the terrorists were actually at war with us long before
2001," Cheney said during remarks at Selfridge Air National Guard Base,
Mich.

He cited the deaths of 241 U.S. Marines during the Oct. 23, 1983,
terrorist bombing of a military barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. U.S. military
forces were withdrawn from Lebanon after that attack. "(Terrorists) grew
bolder in their belief that if they killed enough Americans, they could
change American policy," Cheney said.

Terrorists launched several strikes against America and its allies
after Beirut.

- First terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center, New York City,
February 1993. Six people killed, more than 1,000 wounded.
- Terrorist attacks on U.S. forces in Mogadishu, Somalia, October 1993.
Eighteen U.S. servicemembers killed, 73 wounded.
- Terrorist attack on the Saudi National Guard, November 1995. Seven
people killed.
- Terrorist bombing at Khobar Towers, Saudi Arabia, June 1996. Nineteen
U.S. servicemembers and one Saudi killed, hundreds wounded.
- Simultaneous terror bombings of two U.S. embassies (Tanzania and
Kenya) in East Africa, August 1998. More than 220 people killed, 4,000
wounded.
- Terrorist suicide bombing of the USS Cole, at Aden, Yemen, October
2000. Seventeen U.S. sailors killed, 39 wounded.

"Time and time again, for the remainder of the 20th century, the
terrorists hit America and America did not hit back hard enough," Cheney
said.


But, America resolved to fight back after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks in New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania that killed some
3,000 people, Cheney said.

"That day changed everything, and the United States will never go back to the false comforts of the world before 9/11," Cheney said. U.S.
government leaders resolved to take the fight to the terrorists at their
overseas lairs far from the American homeland.


Since Sept. 11, Americans have seen the valor and sacrifices of U.S.
servicemembers confronting terrorists around the world, Cheney said.

"All the people of this country appreciate the sacrifice of those who
serve and the incredible commitment of their families," Cheney said. He
added that the nation mourns for families who've lost loved ones in the
war.

"In times of loss, our nation is united in respect and sorrow for the
families of the fallen. We can only say, without any doubt whatsoever,
that these brave Americans served in a noble and a necessary cause," he
said. "And their sacrifice has made the nation and the world more
secure. We will honor their memory forever."


Full transcript of Vice President Cheney's remarks

Bob Novak breaks silence on Plame case

Says he learned Valerie's name from Joe Wilson's entry in 'Who's Who in America'

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak said today he has been told the CIA leak investigation, as it relates to him, is over and he can reveal his role -- including testifying before a grand jury.

In his syndicated column to be released Wednesday, Novak said special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has long known Novak's three sources for his July 14, 2003, column that outed Valerie Plame as a CIA agent. The column came after Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, accused the Bush administration of twisting intelligence on Iraq.

Novak still does not name his "primary source" for the column, but does confirm that presidential aide Karl Rove and CIA public information officer Bill Harlow were also sources for the column.

Novak's column begins by noting "Fitzgerald has informed my attorneys that, after two and one-half years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded. That frees me to reveal my role in the federal inquiry that, at the request of Fitzgerald, I have kept secret."

Fitzgerald spokesman Randall Samborn declined to comment on Novak's column. Fitzgerald has been investigating whether any laws were broken when Plame's identity was revealed.

Novak said he revealed Rove as a source because Rove's lawyer has previously disclosed details of their conversation. However, Novak's recollection of that conversation differs.

Novak revealed Harlow's name because Harlow also has previously discussed their conversation publicly. Novak also writes that he remembers their conversation differently.

He's mum on the third source because that person has not come forward publicly.

Fitzgerald's knowledge of the three sources' identities was not learned from Novak, the columnist writes, adding the special prosecutor from Chicago had in his possession signed waivers from all three before he questioned Novak.

Novak said he was questioned twice by Fitzgerald at the offices of Novak's lawyers. Novak also writes he was subpoenaed and testified before a federal grand jury, but he disputed claims that he cut a deal with prosecutors, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights or was ever a target of the probe.

Novak said he first interviewed his primary source before seeking out Rove and Harlow for confirmation. Novak said he learned Plame's name from her husband's entry in Who's Who in America.

Rove testified before a grand jury five times. He was told last month that he will not be indicted in the case.

ACLU Lawyers Messing With Soldiers Right to Pray


Soldiers have a right to pray.

If you look closely at the picture above, you will note that all the
Marines pictured are bowing their heads. That's because they're praying.

This incident took place at a recent ceremony honoring the Birthday of the Corps, and it has the ACLU up in arms.

"These are federal employees," says Lucius Traveler, a spokesman for the ACLU, "on federal property and on federal time. For them to pray is clearly an establishment of religion, and we must nip this in the bud immediately."


When asked about the ACLU's charges, Colonel Jack Fessender, speaking for the Commandant of the Marine Corps said (cleaned up a bit), "Screw the ACLU." GOD Bless Our Warriors, Send the ACLU to France.

What's wrong with the picture? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Prayer for our soldiers.

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they Protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they Perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen."





IMPORTANT UPDATE: ACLU Opposition to Marines Praying-Fiction!

Summary of the eRumor
The eRumor is accompanied by a picture with a group of Marines bowed in prayer.
It quotes an ACLU spokesperson named Lucius Traveler as saying that they are government employees who are on government property and that such prayer needs to be stopped.


The Truth:

This is false.

The ACLU says it has not issued any opposition to military personnel praying and that there is no one named Lucius Traveler in their ranks.

We have not been able to find a "Colonel Jack Fessender" who is quoted in the eRumor as responding to the ACLU.

J.R. Says:

Further investigation into this story appears to show that this was a rumor circulated via email. I apologize for posting this and talking about it on the show without checking further. This is not my usual MO. I should have done a little more research, while we certainly can attack the ACLU for the things it does oppose, this is certainly not one of them.


Hat Tip to the anonymous reader who brought this to my attention.