52 House members file FOIA request seeking documents related to Downing Street minutes

The Raw Story | 52 House members file FOIA request seeking documents related to Downing Street minutes:

"Conyers and 51 Members File FOIA Request on Downing Street Minutes; Members Formally Seek Hearings in House

Representative John Conyers, Jr., (D-MI) House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, along with 51 other Members today submitted a broad and comprehensive FOIA request to the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State seeking any and all documents and materials concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the lead up to the Iraq war, RAW STORY has learned.

In addition, the Members also formally requested that the House Committees on Judiciary, Armed Services, International Relations, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence commence hearings on the Downing Street Minutes.
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'This is the next stage of the Downing Street investigation and brings the investigation to a new more and more aggressive stage,' one Democratic Judiciary aide said.

Following is the FOIA request, obtained by RAW STORY. Not all members' signatures have been attached to this edition of the request."

NBC: Saudi envoy (known by Bush family as 'Bandar Bush') to U.S. offers resignation - World News - MSNBC.com

NBC: Saudi envoy to U.S. offers resignation - World News - MSNBC.com:


"June 27, 2005

Senior U.S. and Saudi officials as well as a senior member of the diplomatic community in Riyadh told NBC News that Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, had tendered his resignation to Crown Prince Abdullah in recent days."

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com

Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com:

"June 30 (Reuters) - The next road you travel -- and pay a toll to use -- could be privately owned.

Looking for ways to finance highway projects without hitting the public trough, the U.S. Congress appears set to pass a proposal to encourage private ownership of new toll roads.

The provision, part of the highway spending bill now being hammered out by a Senate and House conference committee, would allow private companies to raise up to $15 billion for highway projects with bonds that are exempt from federal income taxes."

OfficialWire: The National Security Whistleblowers Coalition Demands Congressional Action

OfficialWire: The National Security Whistleblowers Coalition Demands Congressional Action:

"06/30/05 -- In a letter addressed to the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the ranking minority member of the House Government Reform Committee, praised the coalition for its efforts in bringing about real protection for national security whistleblowers, and pledged his support for creation of legislation that would provide meaningful protection for national security whistleblowers.

Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, whistleblowers have felt compelled to come forward in greater numbers to address our nation’s security weaknesses – in fact almost 50 per cent more have sought protection annually under the Whistleblower Protection Act since that terrible event. However, patriotic truth-tellers across a variety of federal agencies have no protection against retaliation when they blow the whistle."

Time Magazine to Hand Over Reporter Notes - Yahoo! News

Time Magazine to Hand Over Reporter Notes - Yahoo! News:

"Time Inc. said Thursday it would comply with a court order to deliver the notes of a reporter threatened with jail in a probe of the leak of a
CIA officer's name. The New York Times, which is also involved in the dispute, said it was 'deeply disappointed' at the move, which came days after the
U.S. Supreme Court rejected two journalists' appeal.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan is threatening to jail Matthew Cooper, Time's White House correspondent, and Judith Miller of the Times for contempt for refusing to disclose their sources. Time said it believed its cooperation would make Cooper's jailing unnecessary."

Gitmo detainee aquitted on all charges - The Associated Press

The Associated Press: "Associated Press Writer

KUWAIT CITY (AP) -- A Muslim extremist who spent nearly three years imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay was acquitted Wednesday of all terrorism-related charges by a court in Kuwait."

SAUDIS ARE BECOMING TOP THREAT TO OUR GI'S ----------New York Post Online Edition:

New York Post Online Edition::

"June 29, 2005 -- WASHINGTON — U.S. commanders in Iraq are facing a growing security threat from Saudi Arabia — which is emerging as a major center for recruitment and financing of terrorist operations in Iraq, The Post has learned.

Officials said that over the past few months, they have seen the Saudi connection to Iraq terror groups — like Abu Musab Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq — increase as more fanatics cross into Iraq to fight American forces.

New intelligence also suggests that after Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden earlier this year, there has been an increase in financing and other support from al Qaeda cells, radical clerics and wealthy businessmen inside Saudi Arabia, officials said.

'The Saudi border is becoming a real problem — almost as big as Syria,' said an official who has received recent briefings the new Iraqi government."

Bush speech draws few

Wednesday:

"President Bush's 8 p.m. update on the war in Iraq averaged just 19.13 million total viewers on the big four broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, according to Nielsen overnights.
That’s down 41 percent from the 32.75 million who watched Bush on the Big Four during a primetime press conference in April, though that speech took place on the first night of May sweeps, when television viewership overall was higher.
Last night’s address drew 21.8 percent fewer viewers than Bush’s State of the Union address in January, which brought in 26.6 million total viewers via the Big Four."

Process started to take Supreme Court Justices' home by emminent domain - Press Release - Freestar Media, LLC

Freestar Media, LLC: "For Release Monday, June 27 to New Hampshire media
For Release Tuesday, June 28 to all other media

Weare, New Hampshire (PRWEB) Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? A new ruling by the Supreme Court which was supported by Justice Souter himself itself might allow it. A private developer is seeking to use this very law to build a hotel on Souter's land.

Justice Souter's vote in the 'Kelo vs. City of New London' decision allows city governments to take land from one private owner and give it to another if the government will generate greater tax revenue or other economic benefits when the land is developed by the new owner.

On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home."

Worker says Halliburton fed troops garbage

Cape Times - Halliburton accused of dodgy deals worth $1.4bn:

"He alleged that some frozen foods had expiry dates more than a year old, meals with pork were served to Muslim troops, and sometimes there was no meat for the troops because KRB officials had taken it for their parties."

Cape Times - Halliburton accused of dodgy deals worth $1.4bn

Cape Times - Halliburton accused of dodgy deals worth $1.4bn:

"Bunnatine Greenhouse, a member of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) told lawmakers about dubious conditions under which Halliburton obtained a secret $7bn contract to rebuild Iraq's oil production infrastructure.

'The independence of the USACE contracting process was unquestionably compromised with respect to the issuance of the Restore Iraqi Oil contract, known as RIO,' Greenhouse told the panel.

'I observed firsthand that essentially every aspect of the RIO contract remained under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defence,' run by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,' she said."

Report questions over $1.4B of Halliburton bills------------USATODAY.com -

USATODAY.com - Report questions over $1.4B of Halliburton bills: "The report cited these examples of inflated costs:

• $617,000 for double-billed soft drinks.

• $1 million in excessive laundry charges.

• More than $560,000 for unneeded heavy equipment, including tractors and trailers.

• $2.2 million for cargo aircraft and $7.6 million for freight costs that 'appeared to be duplicate.'

• $1.4 million to pay 146 workers at a facility that had only 62.
..............

In addition, Rory Mayberry, a former KBR food manager at Camp Anaconda in Iraq, testified on videotape from Baghdad that the company charged for twice the number of meals it provided and served food beyond its expiration date. He said managers ordered workers to pick bullets and shrapnel out of food shipments that had been damaged by gunfire or bombings and serve it to troops.

Mayberry said managers threatened to send workers who talked to auditors to more dangerous parts of Iraq."

Fact Sheet: Facts, Quotes From President's Addres----TheLouisvilleChannel.com - News - s

TheLouisvilleChannel.com - News - Fact Sheet: Facts, Quotes From President's Address: "BASICS

#
# WHERE: Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
# LENGTH: About 29 minutes.
APPLAUSE: The speech was interrupted once with applause. Soldiers also clapped at the end.

SUMMARY

#
# Bush said the U.S. must stay the course in Iraq as a critical part of the war on terror.
# He said he wants U.S. forces to come home as soon as possible.
# But Bush said setting a deadline for withdrawing troops would be a mistake.
# He said enemies would then know they could wait out the U.S.
# SEPT. 11: Bush mentioned 'September Eleventh' 5 (five) separate times.*
# TERROR: Bush mentioned 'terror', 'terrorism' or 'terrorists' 35 times.*
IRAQ: Bush mentioned 'Iraq' or 'Iraqis' more than 100 times.*
* according to written copy provided by White House.

IRAQ VIOLENCE

#
# Bush said 'ruthless killers' are converging on Iraq.
# He said Iraq is where terrorists are making their stand.
# He said the U.S. has captured killed or captured foreign fighters -- from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and other nations.
Bush mentioned three examples of terror in Iraq: car bombs in shopping areas, a suicide bombing outside a hospital and beheading of hostages.

PROGRESS IN IRAQ

#
Bush gave these examples:

#
# In 2005, Iraq held free and fair elections.
# The U.S. continues rebuilding, despite difficulties.
# The U.S is improving schools, roads, sanitation and water.
Bush said, 'Progress has been uneven, but progress is being made.'"

Italy to seek extradition of CIA agents - Boston.com - Europe - News

Italy to seek extradition of CIA agents - Boston.com - Europe - News:

"-Italy is preparing to request the extradition of 13 purported CIA officers accused of kidnapping a terrorism suspect and secretly transporting him to Egypt, a court official said Tuesday."

CNN.com - Poll: Disapproval of Bush at high point - Jun 27, 2005

CNN.com - Poll: Disapproval of Bush at high point - Jun 27, 2005:
"June 27, 2005; Posted: 11:07 p.m. EDT (03:07 GMT)

(CNN) -- The number of Americans disapproving of President Bush's job performance has risen to the highest level of his presidency, according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

According to the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they disapproved of Bush's performance, compared to 45 percent who approved.

The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The 53 percent figure was the highest disapproval rating recorded in the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll since Bush became president in January 2001."

From Memos, Insights Into Ally's Doubts On Iraq War

From Memos, Insights Into Ally's Doubts On Iraq War: "Tuesday, June 28, 2005; Page A01

LONDON -- In the spring of 2002, two weeks before British Prime Minister Tony Blair journeyed to Crawford, Tex., to meet with President Bush at his ranch about the escalating confrontation with Iraq, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sounded a prescient warning.

'The rewards from your visit to Crawford will be few,' Straw wrote in a March 25 memo to Blair stamped 'Secret and Personal.' 'The risks are high, both for you and for the Government.'"

Majority of Americans believe Bush administration misled public on Iraq: poll - Yahoo! News

Majority of Americans believe Bush administration misled public on Iraq: poll - Yahoo! News:

"Most Americans now believe that President George W. Bush's administration 'intentionally misled' the public in going to war in Iraq, according to a poll.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll came on the eve of a key speech in which Bush will seek public support for the war, which 53 percent of Americans who were surveyed said was not worth fighting.

A record 57 percent say the Bush administration 'intentionally exaggerated its evidence that pre-war Iraq possessed nuclear, chemical or biological weapons,' according to the poll.

It was the first time a majority said the administration 'intentionally misled' the public, the survey said."

A rape victim defies traditional code | csmonitor.com

A rape victim defies traditional code | csmonitor.com:

"ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – When Mukhtaran Mai, a simple, uneducated peasant of a small village, was gang raped on the orders of a local council, her life was supposed to be over. In Pakistan's tribal and feudal culture, rape victims are usually ostracized. But Ms. Mai refused to back down, dedicating her life to social work and to changing attitudes about women.

'I had only three choices. Either to commit suicide by jumping in a well or shed tears all my life like any other victim in such cases. Or I could challenge the cruel feudal and tribal system and harsh attitudes of society,' says Mai in a phone interview with the Monitor.

For three years, Mai has been fighting an uphill battle for justice against the culprits. Monday she is set to appear in Pakistan's Supreme Court to seek punishment for 12 men, including four alleged rapists. Lower courts put one of her attackers behind bars for life, but five other convicted men were freed on appeal because of a 'lack of sufficient evidence.'"

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Reporters' Appeal in Leak Case - New York Times

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Reporters' Appeal in Leak Case - New York Times:

"The United States Supreme Court declined today to hear the cases of two reporters facing jail time for refusing to testify about conversations with their confidential sources.
...................................

The case against the reporters arose from the publication of the identity of Ms. Plame's identity by the syndicated columnist Robert Novak, who said "two senior administration officials" had told him the information. It can be a crime for government officials to disclose such facts.

Even as Ms. Miller and Mr. Cooper prepare for jail, Mr. Novak remains free. Neither he nor Mr. Fitzgerald will say why that is so.

Other aspects of the case remain shrouded in secrecy as well. Mr. Fitzgerald appears to assert that Mr. Cooper, who wrote about Ms. Plame after the Novak column, and Ms. Miller, who never wrote on the subject, have information that may point to criminal conduct by a government official. "

Obesity costs soar tenfold to $36.5 billion in US - Yahoo! News

Obesity costs soar tenfold to $36.5 billion in US - Yahoo! News:

"Between 1987 and 2002, private spending on obesity-linked medical problems mushroomed from $3.6 billion, or 2 percent of all health spending, to $36.5 billion or 11.6 percent of spending, the study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found."

U.S. authorities arrested a Saudi on charges of attempting to assassinate President George W. Bush

United Press International�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper:

"Amnesty International said U.S. authorities arrested a Saudi on charges of attempting to assassinate President George W. Bush.

The Saudi daily al-Watan Monday quoted Sharon Craytobel, Amnesty International researcher in North America, as saying the human rights watchdog is concerned about the fate of the Saudi man, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
'The U.S. government included the name of the Saudi on a list of wanted people after he made statements during a visit to Saudi Arabia which were considered as terrorist inspired,' Craytobel said.
She said the suspect, who was not identified, will be tried soon in the U.S. on charges of trying to kill Bush.

'Amnesty International is deeply concerned about the imprisonment conditions and the trial of the suspect,' she said."

US: Insurgency Iraq's problem

US: Insurgency Iraq's problem:

"26/06/2005 18:31

Washington - Defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday it may take as long as 12 years to defeat Iraqi insurgents and that Iraqi security forces will finish the job because US and foreign troops will have left the country.
..................

At the same time, Rumsfeld defended Vice President Dick Cheney's description of the insurgency as being in its 'last throes.' Rumsfeld said the US commander in the Middle East did not contradict Cheney when he told the Senate last week that the insurgency was as strong as it was six months ago."

PLEASE READ THE NEXT RUMSFELD QUOTE (FROM 2/2003)...

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Rumsfeld foresees swift Iraq war

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Rumsfeld foresees swift Iraq war: "

7 February, 2003, 20:50 GMT
Rumsfeld foresees swift Iraq war

Any war with Iraq would be swift and not require a full US mobilisation, says US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
..................

'It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months,' he said, speaking at the American air base at Aviano, in northern Italy."

Records show Democrats rejected for jobs - Lexington Herald-Leader | 06/26/2005 |

Lexington Herald-Leader | 06/26/2005 | Records show Democrats rejected for jobs:

"Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration investigated some applicants for merit jobs to determine their political loyalty, then acted against Democrats, according to internal rec-ords filed in court Friday.
.....................

Attorney General Greg Stumbo is investigating reports that the Fletcher administration makes decisions about whom to hire for merit jobs based on politics rather than qualifications, which would be illegal.
.....................

So far, Stumbo has secured misdemeanor indictments against three Fletcher officials, charged with illegally firing Mike Duncan, deputy inspector general at the Transportation Cabinet, because he is a Democrat and backed Chandler."

US 'in talks with Iraq with Iraq rebels' - Sunday Times - Times Online

US 'in talks with Iraq with Iraq rebels' - Sunday Times - Times Online: "June 26, 2005
Insurgents reveal secret face-to-face meetings

AT a summer villa near Balad in the hills 40 miles north of Baghdad, a group of Iraqis and their American visitors recently sat down to tea. It looked like a pleasant social encounter far removed from the stresses of war, but the heavy US military presence around the isolated property signalled that an unusual meeting was taking place.

After weeks of delicate negotiation involving a former Iraqi minister and senior tribal leaders, a small group of insurgent commanders apparently came face to face with four American officials seeking to establish a dialogue with the men they regard as their enemies.

The talks on June 3 were followed by a second encounter 10 days later, according to an Iraqi who said that he had attended both meetings. Details provided to The Sunday Times by two Iraqi sources whose groups were involved indicate that further talks are planned in the hope of negotiating an eventual breakthrough that might reduce the violence in Iraq.
...........................

The talks appear to represent the first serious effort by Americans and Iraqi insurgents to find common ground since violence intensified in the spring. Earlier informal contacts were reported but produced no perceptible progress."

Democrats Demand Rove Apologize for 9/11 Remarks - New York Times

Democrats Demand Rove Apologize for 9/11 Remarks - New York Times:

"Mr. Rove made the comments at a fund-raiser in Manhattan on Wednesday, saying: 'Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.'

'Conservatives saw what happened to us on 9/11 and said, 'We will defeat our enemies,' ' Mr. Rove continued at a gathering in Midtown for the Conservative Party of New York State. 'Liberals saw what happened to us and said, 'We must understand our enemies.' '"

Cheney knows where bin Laden is hiding, but not exact 'address'

Cheney knows where bin Laden is hiding, but not exact 'address':

"US Vice President Dick Cheney said that he knows where Al-Qaeda terror chief Osama bin Laden is hiding out, but not his precise location.

'We've got a pretty good idea of the general area that he's in, but I -- you know, I don't have the street address,' Cheney told CNN in an interview, confirming comments by Central Intelligence Agency chief Porter Goss.

In an interview with Time Magazine published Sunday, Goss said he had an 'excellent idea of where' bin Laden is."

In Italy, Anger at U.S. Tactics Colors Spy Case - New York Times

In Italy, Anger at U.S. Tactics Colors Spy Case - New York Times:

"European counterterrorism officials have pursued a policy of building criminal cases against terrorism suspects through surveillance, wire-taps, detective work and the criminal justice system. The United States, however, has frequently used other means since Sept. 11, 2001, including renditions - abducting terror suspects from foreign countries and transporting them for questioning to third countries, some of which are known to use torture.

Those two approaches seem to have collided in the case of an Egyptian cleric, Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, or Abu Omar, who led a militant mosque in Milan.
.....................

When the Italians began investigating, they said, they were startled to find evidence that some of the C.I.A. officers who had been helping them investigate Mr. Nasr were involved in his abduction.

'We do feel quite betrayed that this operation was carried out in our city,' a senior Italian investigator said. 'We supplied them information about Abu Omar, and then they used that information against us, undermining an entire operation against his terrorist network.'"

220bn stolen by Nigeria's corrupt rulers---------Telegraph | News |

Telegraph | News | �220bn stolen by Nigeria's corrupt rulers: "

The scale of the task facing Tony Blair in his drive to help Africa was laid bare yesterday when it emerged that Nigeria's past rulers stole or misused �220 billion.

That is as much as all the western aid given to Africa in almost four decades. The looting of Africa's most populous country amounted to a sum equivalent to 300 years of British aid for the continent.

The figures, compiled by Nigeria's anti-corruption commission, provide dramatic evidence of the problems facing next month's summit in Gleneagles of the G8 group of wealthy countries which are under pressure to approve a programme of debt relief for Africa.

Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, has spoken of a new Marshall Plan for Africa. But Nigeria's rulers have already pocketed the equivalent of six Marshall Plans. After that mass theft, two thirds of the country's 130 million people - one in seven of the total African population - live in abject poverty, a third is illiterate and 40 per cent have no safe water supply.

With more people and more natural resources than any other African country, Nigeria is the key to the continent's success.
............

The stolen fortune tallies almost exactly with the �220 billion of western aid given to Africa between 1960 and 1997. That amounted to six times the American help given to post-war Europe under the Marshall Plan."

Unocal Deal: A Lot More Than Money Is at Issue - New York Times

Unocal Deal: A Lot More Than Money Is at Issue - New York Times:

"Unocal said that it had received permission from Chevron to hold discussions with CNOOC (China).

The question is how - if Unocal decides to switch from Chevron to CNOOC - the politics will play out in Washington, where critics are already speaking out and where the deal would be subject to approval by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States. The panel, a federal multiagency group, can prevent any foreign investment on the grounds of national security.

For years, the government has placed restrictions on the extent of foreign ownership in a variety of industries, from airlines to the media to military contractors. In the past, these restrictions have mostly affected developed countries like Japan and Britain.

'This is a remarkable arrival of China into the world of global big business deals and international investing,' said Clyde V. Prestowitz Jr., a former trade negotiator in the Reagan administration and president of the Economic Strategy Institute in Washington. 'And it does raise the issue of whether this gives influence or some kind of potential importance to a government that may not always be friendly to us.'

In Washington, CNOOC is already laying the groundwork. It has hired Public Strategies, a public relations firm whose vice chairman, Mark McKinnon, led President Bush's media campaign in the 2004 election. The company has also lined up some of the nation's savviest financial advisers - among them Goldman Sachs and J. P. Morgan - as well as such well-connected legal and lobbying firms as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Davis Polk & Wardell."

Thirteen With the C.I.A. Sought by Italy in a Kidnapping - New York Times

Thirteen With the C.I.A. Sought by Italy in a Kidnapping - New York Times:

"June 24 - An Italian judge has ordered the arrest of 13 officers and operatives of the Central Intelligence Agency on charges that they seized an Egyptian cleric on a Milan street two years ago and flew him to Egypt for questioning, Italian prosecutors and investigators said Friday."

John Kerry and Senators Pressing for Answers from Senate Intelligence Committee on Downing Street Memo

LightUpTheDarkness.org:
24 June 2005

John Kerry’s office has released a copy of his letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee requesting an investigation of pre-war Iraq intelligence failures (and the Downing Street Memo) to LightUpTheDarkness.org.

June 22, 2005
The Honorable Pat Roberts, Chairman
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV, Vice Chairman
United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
SH-211
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Roberts and Senator Rockefeller:

We write concerning your committee's vital examination of pre-war Iraq intelligence failures. In particular, we urge you to accelerate to completion the work of the so-called 'Phase II' effort to assess how policy makers used the intelligence they received.
................

The memo (s) indicates that in the summer of 2002, at a time the White House was promising Congress and the American people that war would be their last resort, that they believed military action against Iraq was 'inevitable.'

The minutes reveal that President 'Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.'

The American people took the warnings that the administration sounded seriously-warnings that were echoed at the United Nations and here in Congress as we voted to give the president the authority to go to war. For the sake of our democracy and our future national security, the public must know whether such warnings were driven by facts and responsible intelligence, or by political calculation.

These issues need to be addressed with urgency. This remains a dangerous world, with American forces engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other challenges looming in Iran and North Korea. In this environment, the American public should have the highest confidence that policy makers are using intelligence objectively-never manipulating it to justify war, but always to protect the United States. The contents of the Downing Street Memo undermine this faith and only rigorous Congressional oversight can determine the truth.

We urge the committee to complete the second phase of its investigation with the maximum speed and transparency possible, producing, as it did at the end of Phase I, a comprehensive, unclassified report from which the American people can benefit directly.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

Co-signers: Sens. Tim Johnson, Jon Corzine, Jack Reed, Frank Lautenberg, Barbara Boxer, Edward Kennedy, Thomas Harkin, Jeff Bingaman, Richard Durbin"

US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo and Iraq, Afghanistan: UN source - Yahoo! News

US acknowledges torture at Guantanamo and Iraq, Afghanistan: UN source - Yahoo! News:

"GENEVA (AFP) - Washington has for the first time acknowledged to the
United Nations that prisoners have been tortured at US detention centres in Guantanamo Bay, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq, a UN source said.

The acknowledgement was made in a report submitted to the UN Committee against Torture, said a member of the ten-person panel, speaking on on condition of anonymity.

'They are no longer trying to duck this, and have respected their obligation to inform the UN,' the Committee member told AFP.

'They they will have to explain themselves (to the Committee). Nothing should be kept in the dark.'

UN sources said it was the first time the world body has received such a frank statement on torture from US authorities.

The Committee, which monitors respect for the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, is gathering information from the US ahead of hearings in May 2006.

Signatories of the convention are expected to submit to scrutiny of their implementation of the 1984 convention and to provide information to the Committee.

The document from Washington will not be formally made public until the hearings."

Interrogators Cite Doctors' Aid at Guantanamo Prison Camp - New York Times

Interrogators Cite Doctors' Aid at Guant�namo Prison Camp - New York Times:

"June 23 - Military doctors at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have aided interrogators in conducting and refining coercive interrogations of detainees, including providing advice on how to increase stress levels and exploit fears, according to new, detailed accounts given by former interrogators.

The accounts, in interviews with The New York Times, come as mental health professionals are debating whether psychiatrists and psychologists at the prison camp have violated professional ethics codes. The Pentagon and mental health professionals have been examining the ethical issues involved.
..................

He said that while some health care personnel are responsible for 'humane treatment of detainees,' some medical professionals 'may have other roles,'"...

U.S. PAID IRAQ CONTRACTORS BILLIONS WITH DUFFEL BAGS OF CASH

U.S. was big spender in days before Iraq handover:

"The United States handed out nearly $20 billion of Iraq's funds, with a rush to spend billions in the final days before transferring power to the Iraqis nearly a year ago, a report said on Tuesday.

A report by Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman of California, said in the week before the hand-over on June 28, 2004, the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority ordered the urgent delivery of more than $4 billion in Iraqi funds from the U.S. Federal Reserve in New York.

One single shipment amounted to $2.4 billion -- the largest movement of cash in the bank's history, said Waxman.

Most of these funds came from frozen and seized assets and from the Development Fund for Iraq, which succeeded the U.N.'s oil-for-food program. After the U.S. invasion, the U.N. directed this money should be used by the CPA for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

Cash was loaded onto giant pallets for shipment by plane to Iraq, and paid out to contractors who carried it away in duffel bags.

The report, released at a House of Representatives committee hearing, said despite the huge amount of money, there was little U.S. scrutiny in how these assets were managed.

'The disbursement of these funds was characterized by significant waste, fraud and abuse,' said Waxman.

An audit by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said U.S. auditors could not account for nearly $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds and the United States had not provided adequate controls for this money.

'The CPA's management of Iraqi money was an important responsibility that, in my view, required more diligent accountability, pursuant to its assigned mandate, than we found,' said chief inspector Stuart Bowen in testimony.

CASES OF ABUSE

Auditors found problems safeguarding funds including one instance where a CPA comptroller did not have access to a field safe as the key was located in an unsecured backpack."

CNN.com - Poll: In wake of�Iraq war, allies prefer China to U.S. - Jun 23, 2005

CNN.com - Poll: In wake of�Iraq war, allies prefer China to U.S. - Jun 23, 2005:

"In Britain, almost two-thirds of Britons, 65 percent, saw China favorably, compared with 55 percent who held a positive view of the United States.

In France, 58 percent had an upbeat view of China, compared with 43 percent who felt that way about the U.S. The results were nearly the same in Spain and the Netherlands.

The United States' favorability rating was lowest among three Muslim nations which are also U.S. allies -- Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan -- where only about one-fifth of those polled viewed the U.S. in a positive light."

Top Commander Says Insurgency Still Strong - Yahoo! News

Top Commander Says Insurgency Still Strong - Yahoo! News:

"The top American commander in the Persian Gulf told Congress on Thursday that the Iraqi insurgency has not grown weaker over the past six months, despite a claim by Vice President
Dick Cheney that it was in its 'last throes.'
.......................

Abizaid told the panel: 'I believe there are more foreign fighters coming into Iraq than there were six months ago.' As to the overall strength of the insurgency, Abizaid said it was 'about the same' as six months ago.
........................

Told by Levin, the committee's senior Democrat, that his assessment directly contradicted Cheney, Abizaid said: 'I don't know that I would make any comment about that other than to say there's a lot of work to be done...I gave you my opinion.'

In a CNN interview last month, Cheney said: 'I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.'"

Republican Candidate Calls Bush Administration “Nazis”---The Lincoln Tribune - News

The Lincoln Tribune - News: "
Posted by Editor on 2005/6/23 10:37:44

Cary, NC - A candidate for North Carolina Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court has announced on her campaign's blog that she is leaving the Republican Party and denounced the Bush administration's policy on troop withdrawal from Iraq. Rachel Lea Hunter, a Republican and a candidate for Chief Justice, likens Bush’s administration to the “Nazis” and says that all who disagree with the administration are being branded as “traitors”."

Raids, arrests target medical marijuana-Chicago Tribune news : Nation/World

Chicago Tribune news : Nation/World:

"Federal agents executed search warrants at three medical marijuana dispensaries on Wednesday as part of a broad investigation into marijuana trafficking in San Francisco."

School's Religious Intolerance Misguided, Pentagon Reports

School's Religious Intolerance Misguided, Pentagon Reports:

"A Pentagon investigation of reported harassment by Christian cadets and teachers found that the U.S. Air Force Academy had failed to accommodate people of non-Christian beliefs but had not engaged in 'overt religious discrimination,' a report released Wednesday said.

The conclusions by a team from Air Force headquarters acknowledged that religious slurs, jokes and disparaging remarks directed at non-Christian cadets took place. It said Christian professors used their positions as officers and authority figures to promote their faith."

Supreme Court rules against property owners - Industrial, Diversified - Industrial Products & Services - Economy

Supreme Court rules against property owners - Industrial, Diversified - Industrial Products & Services - Economy: "June 23, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Local governments may seize individuals' businesses and homes to promote economic development, the Supreme Court ruled in a split decision Thursday.

In a closely watched case, petitioners from New London, Conn. challenged the government's use of eminent domain to take and pay for private property and use it for private economic development.

Home and business owners' contention that economic development doesn't qualify as public use 'is supported by neither precedent nor logic,' Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority."

Former Soldier Disputes Army Denials That He Was Beaten During Training Exercises In Cuba

Former Soldier Disputes Army Denials That He Was Beaten During Training Exercises In Cuba:

"A Georgetown resident and former Kentucky National Guardsman is angry that the military is denying his claims that he suffered brain injury while being severely beaten by U.S. soldiers during a training exercise at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2003.

In a story with international implications first broken by LEX 18's Leigh Searcy on Monday, Sean Baker says that while serving as a member of the 438th Military Police company in Guantanamo Bay during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was ordered to pose as the enemy for a training exercise. Baker said he received a severe brain injury because of the subsequent beating he received.

Baker claims that he was ordered to put on one of the orange jump suits worn by the detainees. 'At first I was reluctant, but he said 'you'll be fine...put this on.' And I did,' said Baker.

'I was on duty as an MP in an internal camp (at Guantanamo Bay) where the detainees were housed,' said Baker.

Baker says an officer in charge issued the order because he wanted the training to be as real as possible. Baker says what took place next happened at the hands of four U.S. soldiers - soldiers he believes didn't know he was one of them - has changed his life forever.

'They grabbed my arms, my legs, twisted me up and unfortunately one of the individuals got up on my back from behind and put pressure down on me while I was face down,' said Baker. 'Then he - the same individual - reached around and began to choke me and press my head down against the steel floor. After several seconds, 20 to 30 seconds, it seemed like an eternity because I couldn't breath. When I couldn't breath, I began to panic and I gave the code word I was supposed to give to stop the exercise, which was 'red.''

But, Baker says, the beating didn't stop. 'That individual slammed my head against the floor and continued to choke me,' he said. 'Somehow I got enough air, I muttered out, 'I'm a U.S. soldier, I'm a U.S. soldier.''"

Iraq May Be Prime Place for Training of Militants, C.I.A. Report Concludes - New York Times

Iraq May Be Prime Place for Training of Militants, C.I.A. Report Concludes - New York Times:

"June 21 - A new classified assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency says Iraq may prove to be an even more effective training ground for Islamic extremists than Afghanistan was in Al Qaeda's early days, because it is serving as a real-world laboratory for urban combat.

The assessment, completed last month and circulated among government agencies, was described in recent days by several Congressional and intelligence officials. The officials said it made clear that the war was likely to produce a dangerous legacy by dispersing to other countries Iraqi and foreign combatants more adept and better organized than they were before the conflict.

Congressional and intelligence officials who described the assessment called it a thorough examination that included extensive discussion of the areas that might be particularly prone to infiltration by combatants from Iraq, either Iraqis or foreigners.

They said the assessment had argued that Iraq, since the American invasion of 2003, had in many ways assumed the role played by Afghanistan during the rise of Al Qaeda during the 1980's and 1990's, as a magnet and a proving ground for Islamic extremists from Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries.

The officials said the report spelled out how the urban nature of the war in Iraq was helping combatants learn how to carry out assassinations, kidnappings, car bombings and other kinds of attacks that were never a staple of the fighting in Afghanistan during the anti-Soviet campaigns of the 1980's. It was during that conflict, primarily rural and conventional, that the United States provided arms to Osama bin Laden and other militants, who later formed Al Qaeda."

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US 'concealing' Saddam's secrets

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US 'concealing' Saddam's secrets:

"Iraq's justice minister has accused the US of concealing information about deposed president Saddam Hussein that could be damaging to 'many countries'.

Abdel Hussein Shandal said it seemed there were 'lots of secrets' that the Americans wanted to hide.

Saddam Hussein is set to go on trial in Iraq over alleged crimes against humanity, but no date has been set.

Mr Shandal spoke to the AP news agency on the eve of a major conference. US officials did not immediately comment.

'There should be transparency and there should be frankness, but there are secrets that, if revealed, won't be in the interest of many countries,' Mr Shandal said.

'Who was helping Saddam all those years?'

US concerns

Saddam Hussein is officially in Iraqi custody but is being guarded by US troops at a secret location."

Biden Accuses Bush of Misleading on Iraq - Yahoo! News

Biden Accuses Bush of Misleading on Iraq - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON - Two days after announcing his intention to seek the presidency, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday accused
President Bush of 'misleading statements and premature declarations of victory' in
Iraq and called on him to change course.

'The disconnect between the administration's rhetoric and the reality on the ground has opened not just a credibility gap, but a credibility chasm. Standing right in the middle of that chasm are 139,000 American troops — some in their third rotations,' the Delaware senator said in a speech at a Washington think tank."

CNN.com - Illegal immigrants worked at nuclear weapons facility - Jun 21, 2005

CNN.com - Illegal immigrants worked at nuclear weapons facility - Jun 21, 2005:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sixteen illegal immigrants last year worked on construction at one of the most sensitive weapons sites in the country, according to a report issued Monday by the Department of Energy's inspector general.

The inspector general's investigation found the illegal immigrants were construction workers on jobs at the Y-12 National Security Complex near Knoxville, Tennessee.

The workers used 'false documents' and 'gained access to the ... site on multiple occasions,' the report said."

Study: Extra Folic Acid May Help Memory - Yahoo! News

Study: Extra Folic Acid May Help Memory - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON - High-dose folic acid pills ��� providing as much of the nutrient as 2.5 pounds of strawberries ��� might help slow the cognitive decline of aging. So says a Dutch study that's the first to show a vitamin could really improve memory."

U.S. Said Delaying Saddam Interrogations - Yahoo! News

U.S. Said Delaying Saddam Interrogations - Yahoo! News:

"BRUSSELS, Belgium -
Iraq's justice minister on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to delay Iraqi efforts to interrogate
Saddam Hussein, saying 'it seems there are lots of secrets they want to hide.'"

Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | WMD claims were 'totally implausible'

Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | WMD claims were 'totally implausible': "Monday June 20, 2005
The Guardian

A key Foreign Office diplomat responsible for liaising with UN inspectors says today that claims the government made about Iraq's weapons programme were 'totally implausible'.

He tells the Guardian: 'I'd read the intelligence on WMD for four and a half years, and there's no way that it could sustain the case that the government was presenting. All of my colleagues knew that, too'.

Carne Ross, who was a member of the British mission to the UN in New York during the run-up to the invasion, resigned from the FO last year, after giving evidence to the Butler inquiry."

U.S. spending on Iraq may soon surpass Korean War budget | CBC

U.S. spending on Iraq may soon surpass Korean War budget | CBC: "Monday, Jun 20, 2005

Lawmakers in the United States were scheduled to vote on Monday to approve $45 billion US in additional funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, making the recent Middle East foray more expensive than the entire Korean War.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress has approved $350 billion, mostly for combat and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The amount, which includes $82 billion approved last month, is equal to the total amount in today's dollars spent on the Korean conflict from 1950-53."

British memos: Iraq war sounds like mere 'grudge'

British memos: Iraq war sounds like mere 'grudge': "June 19, 2005

LONDON -- When Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief foreign policy adviser dined with Condoleezza Rice six months after Sept. 11, the U.S. national security adviser didn't want to discuss Osama bin Laden or al-Qaida.
...............

*''U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and al-Qaida is so far frankly unconvincing,'' Ricketts says in the memo. ''For Iraq, 'regime change' does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam.''

The documents confirm Blair was genuinely concerned about Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction, but also indicate he was determined to go to war as America's top ally, even though his government thought a preemptive attack may be illegal under international law."

British bombing raids were illegal, says Foreign Office - Sunday Times - Times Online

British bombing raids were illegal, says Foreign Office - Sunday Times - Times Online: "June 19, 2005

A SHARP increase in British and American bombing raids on Iraq in the run-up to war 'to put pressure on the regime' was illegal under international law, according to leaked Foreign Office legal advice."

With his polls down, Bush takes flak on Iraq from a host of critics--including a key moderate Republican (6/27/05)

USNews.com: With his polls down, Bush takes flak on Iraq from a host of critics--including a key moderate Republican (6/27/05):

Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is angry. He's upset about the more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers killed and nearly 13,000 wounded in Iraq. He's also aggravated by the continued string of sunny assessments from the Bush administration, such as Vice President Dick Cheney's recent remark that the insurgency is in its 'last throes.' 'Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality,' Hagel tells U.S. News. 'It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq.'"

Criminal Resource Manual 902 1996 Amendments to 18 U.S.C. 1001

Criminal Resource Manual 902 1996 Amendments to 18 U.S.C. 1001:

"The False Statements Accountability Act of 1996 (FSAA), Pub. L. No. 104-292, H.R. 3166 (October 11, 1996)
..............................

1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, whoever, in any matter within the jurisdiction of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States, knowingly and willfully --

1. falsifies, conceals, or covers up by any trick, scheme, or device a material fact;
2. makes any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation; or
3. makes or uses any false writing or document knowing the same to contain any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry; shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."

Presidential Letter - whitehouse.gov

Presidential Letter: "Presidential Letter
Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate

March 18, 2003

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

(2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH"

Ghost Writer for Bush: He was Dreaming (Iraq) War in 1999 - Daily Kos ::

Daily Kos :: Ghost Writer for Bush: He was Dreaming (Iraq) War in 1999:

"'He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999,' said author and journalist Mickey Herskowitz. 'It was on his mind. He said to me: 'One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.' And he said, 'My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it.' He said, 'If I have a chance to invade�.if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency.'"

AP Enterprise: FBI Managers Admit They Didn't Seek Out Terrorism Expertise After Sept. 11 - from TBO.com

AP Enterprise: FBI Managers Admit They Didn't Seek Out Terrorism Expertise After Sept. 11 - from TBO.com: "Jun 19, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - In sworn testimony that contrasts with their promises to the public, the FBI managers who crafted the post-Sept. 11 fight against terrorism say expertise about the Mideast or terrorism was not important in choosing the agents they promoted to top jobs.

And they still do not believe such experience is necessary today even as terrorist acts occur across the globe.
................

The FBI's current terror-fighting chief, Executive Assistant Director Gary Bald, said his first terrorism training came 'on the job' when he moved to headquarters to oversee anti-terrorism strategy two years ago.

Asked about his grasp of Middle Eastern culture and history, Bald responded: 'I wish that I had it. It would be nice.'

'You need leadership. You don't need subject matter expertise,' Bald testified in an ongoing FBI employment case. 'It is certainly not what I look for in selecting an official for a position in a counterterrorism position.'
.....................

Those who have held the bureau's top terrorism-fighting jobs since Sept. 11 often said in their testimony that they - and many they have promoted since - had no significant terrorism or Middle East experience. Some could not even explain the difference between Sunnis and Shiites, the two primary groups of Muslims.
.................

The hundreds of pages of testimony obtained by The Associated Press contrast with assurances Mueller repeatedly has given Congress that he was building a new FBI, from top to bottom, with experts able to stop terrorist attacks before they occurred, not solve them afterward."

cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by $100 million, or 25 percent - Entertainment Industry News - Reuters on Yahoo! News

Entertainment Industry News - Reuters on Yahoo! News:

"The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill on Thursday that would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by $100 million, or 25 percent, starting in October."

U.S. Allies Resisting CIA's Secretive Role in Deporting Terror Suspects - from TBO.com

AP ENTERPRISE: U.S. Allies Resisting CIA's Secretive Role in Deporting Terror Suspects - from TBO.com:

"U.S. allies have begun to resist Washington's secretive role in spiriting away terror suspects: Italy is investigating the disappearance of one accused militant as a kidnapping, Sweden wrote rules to assert its authority over outside agents and Canada is holding hearings after one of its citizens was sent to Syria.

At least two of the cases bear the hallmarks of the CIA's 'extraordinary rendition' program - stepped up after Sept. 11 - in which the Bush administration has transferred dozens of suspects to third countries without court approval, subjecting them to possible torture.
...

Citing conversations recorded by Italian anti-terrorism officials in a wiretap, the Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica newspapers reported that Omar, 42, called his wife and friends in Milan after his release last year. He recounted how he had been seized by Italian and American agents and taken to a secret prison in Egypt, where he was tortured with electric shocks."

Biden Says He Will Seek Democratic Presidential Nomination in '08----KYW Newsradio 1060 - News

KYW Newsradio 1060 - News:

"Delaware Senator Joe Biden has his eye on the white house again. He told CBS' Face the Nation he will seek the democratic presidential nomination in three years."

Not All Missing Persons Are Equal | June 17, 2005�12:30:1 8CBS News |

CBS News | Not All Missing Persons Are Equal | June 17, 2005�12:30:18:

"'What I believe is happening,' Howard says, 'is that networks have found a formula that has worked for them. And they tend to be about young, white attractive, middle- to upper-class women. And they continue to follow those stories. As one is resolved, they'll move on to the next one. I was met with a lot of resistance when I tried to get national attention for this case. It has been unfortunate.'

Just recall the stories of Jennifer Wilbanks, the missing bride, Laci Peterson and Lori Hacking, the missing pregnant wives, and Elizabeth Smart, the young woman from Salt Lake City. They were all white, young, attractive, middle-class, American women.

According to FBI statistics and USA Today, men are more likely than women to be reported missing,and blacks make up a disproportionately large segment of the victims. However, you wouldn't know that from watching television, listening to the radio or reading national newspapers."

Memos Show British Fretting Over Iraq War - Yahoo! News

Memos Show British Fretting Over Iraq War - Yahoo! News:

"In one of the memos, British Foreign Office political director Peter Ricketts openly asks whether the Bush administration had a clear and compelling military reason for war.

'U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and al-Qaida is so far frankly unconvincing,' Ricketts says in the memo. 'For Iraq, `regime change' does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam.'

The documents confirm Blair was genuinely concerned about Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction, but also indicate he was determined to go to war as America's top ally, even though his government thought a pre-emptive attack may be illegal under international law."

Schools and Military Face Off

Schools and Military Face Off:

"A little-noticed clause in the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to hand over students' names, addresses and telephone numbers to military recruiters as a condition of receiving federal aid."

13 June 2002 "TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER

13 June 2002:

13 June 2002

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP
JOINT DOORSTOP WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH
WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON DC

Subjects: Australia/US relationship; Middle East; environment; free trade.

PRESIDENT BUSH:

Yes, I told the Prime Minister there are no war plans on my desk.
.............

And, of course, before there is any action -- military action, I would closely consult with our close friend. There are no plans on my desk right now.

The Japan Times Online

The Japan Times Online:

"More than two years after the Iraq war started, children continue to be its main victims as the health of the majority of the population continues to deteriorate. In the 1980s, Iraq had one of the best health-care systems in the region. Today it cannot respond to the most basic health needs of the population. In 1991, there were 1,800 health-care centers in Iraq. More than a decade later, barely half remain and almost one-third of those require major rehabilitation. U.N. Development Program's Human Development Index for the country has fallen from 96 to 127, one of the most dramatic declines in human welfare in recent history.

According to Jean Ziegler, the U.N. Human Rights Commission's special expert on the right to food, the rate of malnutrition among Iraqi children has almost doubled since Saddam Hussein's ouster in April 2003. Today, at 7.7 percent, Iraq's child malnutrition rate is roughly equal to that of Burundi, an African nation ravaged by more than a decade of war. It is far higher than the rates in Uganda and Haiti, countries also devastated by unrelenting violence."

Congressman Conyers hammers the Washington Post's Dana Milbank -The Raw Story |

The Raw Story | Congressman Conyers hammers the Washington Post's Dana Milbank: "June 17, 2005

Mr. Michael Abramowitz, National Editor; Mr. Michael Getler, Ombudsman; Mr. Dana Milbank; The Washington Post, 1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20071

Advertisement: Story continues below

Dear Sirs:

I write to express my profound disappointment with Dana Milbank's June 17 report, 'Democrats Play House to Rally Against the War,' which purports to describe a Democratic hearing I chaired in the Capitol yesterday. In sum, the piece cherry-picks some facts, manufactures others out of whole cloth, and does a disservice to some 30 members of Congress who persevered under difficult circumstances, not of our own making, to examine a very serious subject: whether the American people were deliberately misled in the lead up to war. The fact that this was the Post's only coverage of this event makes the journalistic shortcomings in this piece even more egregious.

In an inaccurate piece of reporting that typifies the article, Milbank implies that one of the obstacles the Members in the meeting have is that 'only one' member has mentioned the Downing Street Minutes on the floor of either the House or Senate. This is not only incorrect but misleading. In fact, just yesterday, the Senate Democratic Leader, Harry Reid, mentioned it on the Senate floor. Senator Boxer talked at some length about it at the recent confirmation hearing for the Ambassador to Iraq. The House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi, recently signed on to my letter, along with 121 other Democrats asking for answers about the memo. This information is not difficult to find either. For example, the Reid speech was the subject of an AP wire service report posted on the Washington Post website with the headline 'Democrats Cite Downing Street Memo in Bolton Fight'. Other similar mistakes, mischaracterizations and cheap shots are littered throughout the article.

The ar"

Tyco's Ex-Chief and Top Aide Are Convicted of Grand Larceny - New York Times

Tyco's Ex-Chief and Top Aide Are Convicted of Grand Larceny - New York Times: "June 17, 2005

L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former chairman and chief executive of Tyco International, and his top lieutenant were convicted this afternoon on fraud, conspiracy and grand larceny charges, bringing an end to a three-year-long case that came to symbolize an era of corporate greed and scandal.
.................

Mr. Kozlowski and Mr. Swartz were convicted by a New York jury in lower Manhattan on all but one of 31 counts of grand larceny, conspiracy, falsifying business records and securities fraud. The most serious charge, grand larceny, carries a possible maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
.................

The four-month-long trial was the second time Mr. Kozlowski and Tyco's former chief financial officer, Mark H. Swartz, were tried on charges of stealing $150 million from Tyco - a conglomerate whose products range from security systems to health care products - and reaping $430 million more by covertly selling company shares while ''artificially inflating' the value of the stock."

House lawmakers spar over whistleblower protections (6/16/05)www.GovExec.com -

www.GovExec.com - House lawmakers spar over whistleblower protections (6/16/05):

"A bill moving through the House would allow the president to exempt employees working on homeland security issues from whistleblower protections, prompting heated opposition from Democrats and a coalition of national security whistleblowers.

The House version of the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act includes a provision that would give the president authority to exempt any agency that primarily performs 'foreign intelligence, counterintelligence activities or homeland security' from whistleblower protections.

Agencies that primarily conduct foreign intelligence and counterintelligence activities, such as the FBI, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and National Security Agency, have never had whistleblower protections. But House Democrats and whistleblower advocates object to language that would disqualify homeland security employees from those protections. That would apply to employees throughout the Homeland Security Department and could affect workers at other agencies, such as the Energy Department."

Sen. Durbin Stands by Guantanamo Remarks

Sen. Durbin Stands by Guantanamo Remarks: "Sen. Dick Durbin refused to apologize Wednesday for comments he made on the Senate floor comparing the actions of American soldiers at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis, Soviet gulags and a 'mad regime' like Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's in Cambodia.
...................

During a speech Tuesday, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat quoted from an FBI agent's report describing detainees at the Naval base in Guantanamo Bay as being chained to the floor without food or water in extreme temperatures.

'If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime _ Pol Pot or others _ that had no concern for human beings,' Durbin said."

War Criticism and Concerns Both Growing

War Criticism and Concerns Both Growing:

"Apprehension over the war in Iraq surged Thursday as a group of lawmakers demanded that President Bush develop plans to withdraw troops and a top Pentagon official expressed concern about sagging public support for the U.S. military effort.

After a deadly increase in violence in Iraq, congressional critics of the war grew more vocal in demanding a change in policy, and antiwar activists staged a rally near the White House.

The White House said Bush planned to deliver a speech this month on the importance of the U.S. mission, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged to work harder to explain the administration's objectives.

'I'm going to, like I think all members of the administration, perhaps try to do more to get out to the public to talk about what it is we are trying to achieve and what it is we are achieving,' Rice said at a news conference."

Conyers issues statement in advance of hearing; 122 Dems onboard

The Raw Story | Conyers issues statement in advance of hearing; 122 Dems onboard:

"Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) issued this statement in advance of his hearing on the Downing Street documents:

Few issues are more important under our constitutional form of government than the decision to go to war and place our soldiers lives at risk.

It is no insignificant matter when in the fall of 2002 President Bush told us that war would be his last resort. It is not unimportant when on March 6, 2003, the president promised us, 'I've not made up [my] mind about military action.'

Over the last two months, the veracity of those statements has - to put it mildly -- come into question:

*

On May 1, the London Times released the now infamous Downing Street Minutes, in which the head of Britain's intelligence agency reported 'military action [by the U.S.] was now seen as inevitable ... and 'intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.' A former senior U.S. official subsequently told Knight Ridder that the minutes were 'an absolutely accurate description of what transpired.'
*

On May 29, further documents were released revealing that in the summer of 2002, British and U.S. aircraft had doubled their rates of bombing in Iraq, in an apparent attempt to provoke an excuse for war.
*

Last Sunday, the London Times released six new British documents corroborating the Downing Street Minutes and indicating that as early as March of 2002, our government had decided it would be 'necessary to create the conditions' to justify war.
*

Today Newsweek is reporting that two high ranking British Officials confirmed that by 2002, Iraq's nuclear weapons program was 'effectively frozen' and there was 'no recent evidence' tying Iraq to international terrorism.

If these disclosures are true - and so far no one from the Bush Administration has bothered to respond to our letters -- they establish a prima facie case of going to war under false pretenses. This means that more than 1,600 brave Americans and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis would have lost their lives for a lie.

That is why we are here today. That is why 122 Members of Congress -- which as of today includes the Minority Leader -- have asked the president to explain his actions. That is why more than 550,000 Americans are joining with us in demanding answers from the Administration.

We are here because many of us find it unacceptable for any Administration - be it Democratic or Republican - to put our troops in harms way based on false information. The fact that our intelligence turned out to be flawed in no way absolves those who would intentionally mislead our nation or its allies.

We can't do anything in this hearing to change the facts on the ground in Iraq today, but we can pledge today to do everything within our power to find out how we got here and make sure it never happens again."

American officials lied...

News: "17 June 2005

American officials lied to British ministers over the use of 'internationally reviled' napalm-type firebombs in Iraq.

Yesterday's disclosure led to calls by MPs for a full statement to the Commons and opened ministers to allegations that they held back the facts until after the general election.

Despite persistent rumours of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm, Adam Ingram, the Defence minister, assured Labour MPs in January that US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq.

But Mr Ingram admitted to the Labour MP Harry Cohen in a private letter obtained by The Independent that he had inadvertently misled Parliament because he had been misinformed by the US. 'The US confirmed to my officials that they had not used MK77s in Iraq at any time and this was the basis of my response to you,' he told Mr Cohen. 'I regret to say that I have since discovered that this is not the case and must now correct the position.'"

Rangel: Investigate whether Bush intentionally misled U.S. for war - Politics - MSNBC.com

Rangel: Investigate whether Bush intentionally misled U.S. for war - Politics - MSNBC.com:

"Congress should conduct an official inquiry to determine whether President Bush intentionally misled the nation about the reasons for toppling Saddam Hussein, a senior House Democrat suggested Thursday.

New York Rep. Charles Rangel was among Democratic House members who participated in a forum to air demands that the White House provide more information about what led to the decision to go to war in Iraq.

'Quite frankly, evidence that appears to be building up points to whether or not the president has deliberately misled Congress to make the most important decision a president has to make, going to war,' said Rangel, senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee."

Halliburton to build new $30 mln Guantanamo jail - Yahoo! News

Halliburton to build new $30 mln Guantanamo jail - Yahoo! News: "Thu Jun 16, 7:21 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Halliburton Co. unit will build a new $30 million detention facility and security fence at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the United States is holding about 520 foreign terrorism suspects, the Defense Department announced on Thursday.
.................

An air-conditioned two-story prison, known as Detention Camp #6, will be built at Guantanamo to house 220 men."

Timeline - The Other Downing Street 'Memos' - Macon Daily

News Feature:

"Palast for Conyers:
By: Greg Palast
Thur June 16, 2005 7:27 AM ET

MACON,GA.- Greg Palast, unable to attend hearings in Washington Thursday, has submitted the following testimony:
.....................

February 2001 - Only one month after the first Bush-Cheney inauguration, the State Department's Pam Quanrud organizes a secret confab in California to make plans for the invasion of Iraq and removal of Saddam. US oil industry advisor Falah Aljibury and others are asked to interview would-be replacements for a new US-installed dictator.

On BBC Television's Newsnight, Aljibury himself explained,

'It is an invasion, but it will act like a coup. The original plan was to liberate Iraq from the Saddamists and from the regime.'

March 2001 - Vice-President Dick Cheney meets with oil company executives and reviews oil field maps of Iraq. Cheney refuses to release the names of those attending or their purpose. Harper's has since learned their plan and purpose -- see below.

October/November 2001 - An easy military victory in Afghanistan emboldens then-Dep. Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to convince the Administration to junk the State Department 'coup' plan in favor of an invasion and occupation that could remake the economy of Iraq. And elaborate plan, ultimately summarized in a 101-page document, scopes out the 'sale of all state enterprises' -- that is, most of the nation's assets, '. especially in the oil and supporting industries.'

2002 - Grover Norquist and other corporate lobbyists meet secretly with Defense, State and Treasury officials to ensure the invasion plans for Iraq include plans for protecting 'property rights.' The result was a pre-invasion scheme to sell off Iraq's oil fields, banks, electric systems, and even change the country's copyright laws to the benefit of the lobbyists' clients. Occupation chief Paul Bremer would later order these giveaways into Iraq law.

Fall 2002 - Philip Carroll, former CEO of Shell Oil USA, is brought in by the Pentagon to plan the management of Iraq's oil fields. He works directly with Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith. 'There were plans,' says Carroll, 'maybe even too many plans' -- but none disclosed to the public nor even the US Congress.

January 2003 - Robert Ebel, former CIA oil analyst, is sent, BBC learns, to London to meet with Fadhil Chalabi to plan terms for taking over Iraq's oil.

March 2003 - What White House spokesman Ari Fleisher calls 'Operations Iraqi Liberation' (OIL) begins. (Invasion is re-christened 'OIF' -- Operation Iraqi Freedom.)

March 2003 - Defense Department is told in confidence by US Energy Information Administrator Guy Caruso that Iraq's fields are incapable of a massive increase in output. Despite this intelligence, Dep. Secretary Wolfowitz testifies to Congress that invasion will be a free ride. He swears, 'There's a lot of money to pay for this that doesn't have to be U.S. taxpayer money. .We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon,' a deliberate fabrication promoted by the Administration, an insider told BBC, as 'part of the sales pitch' for war.

May 2003 - General Jay Garner, appointed by Bush as viceroy over Iraq, is fired by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The general revealed in an interview for BBC that he resisted White House plans to sell off Iraq's oil and national assets.

'That's just one fight you don't want to take on,' Garner told me. But apparently, the White House wanted that fight.

The general also disclosed that these invade-and-grab plans were developed long before the US asserted that Saddam still held WDM:

'All I can tell you is the plans were pretty elaborate; they didn't start them in 2002, they were started in 2001.'

November/December 2003 - Secrecy and misinformation continues even after the invasion. The oil industry objects to the State Department plans for Iraq's oil fields and drafts for the Administration a 323-page plan, 'Options for [the] Iraqi Oil Industry.' Per the industry plan, the US forces Iraq to create an OPEC-friendly state oil company that supports the OPEC cartel's extortionate price for petroleum."

Republican rep. calls for truth about Downing Street Minutes - Print Story : Yahoo! News

Print Story : Yahoo! News:

"U.S. Representative Walter Jones (news, bio, voting record) (R-NC) is seen in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. June 15, 2005. Jones will co-sponsor legislation about calling for the truth regarding the Downing Street Memo and reasons how the U.S. got involved in Iraq. Reuters/Mannie Garcia"

From Downing Street to Capitol Hill - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com

From Downing Street to Capitol Hill - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com:

"June 15 - Two senior British government officials today acknowledged as authentic a series of 2002 pre-Iraq war memos stating that Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program was 'effectively frozen' and that there was 'no recent evidence' of Iraqi ties to international terrorism—private conclusions that contradicted two key pillars of the Bush administration's public case for the invasion in March 2003.

A March 8, 2002, secret 'options' paper prepared by Prime Minister Tony Blair's top national-security aides also stated that intelligence on Saddam's purported weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was 'poor.' While noting that Saddam had used such weapons in the past and could do so again 'if his regime were threatened,' the options paper concluded 'there is no greater threat now than in recent years that Saddam will use WMD.'

The options paper was written just one month before Blair met with President Bush in Crawford, Texas. According to another leaked internal memo, Blair agreed at the meeting to support a U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam’s regime provided that “certain conditions” were met. Those conditions, according to the newly leaked memo, were that efforts be made to “construct a coalition” and “shape” public opinion; that the Israeli-Palestinian crisis was “quiescent,” and that attempts to eliminate Iraqi WMD through the return of United Nations weapons inspectors be exhausted.
.....................

Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan is planning to convene a rump congressional “hearing” on Thursday designed to give more attention to the documents, which have gotten only sporadic coverage in the U.S. press. No Republicans are expected to participate in the Conyers hearing and White House aides have dismissed the leaked British documents as misleading."

Herald Sun: PM could face Iraq prosecution [16jun05]

Herald Sun: PM could face Iraq prosecution [16jun05]: "16jun05

PRIME Minister John Howard could face criminal prosecution overseas for Australia's role in the Iraq war, an international lawyer says.

Philippe Sands, QC, director of the Centre for International Courts and Tribunals at University College London, says Mr Howard along with British Prime Minister Tony Blair could face charges amid claims the Iraq war was illegal.

United States President George W Bush and US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld could also find themselves in similar predicaments, Professor Sands says.

'Under international law an illegal war amounts to the crime of aggression and in some countries around the world a crime of aggression is one in which they exercise jurisdiction,' Prof Sands told ABC TV."

House Democrat's forum to examine Downing Street memo -KRT Wire | 06/15/2005 |

KRT Wire | 06/15/2005 | House Democrat's forum to examine Downing Street memo:

"The secret British memo of 2002 that reported that President Bush was determined to go to war against Iraq months earlier than he publicly acknowledged will get its first official hearing on Thursday..."

Lawmaker to examine secret Iraq memo - MercuryNews.com | 06/16/2005 |

MercuryNews.com | 06/16/2005 | Lawmaker to examine secret Iraq memo:
06/16/2005

"Conyers plans to deliver the signatures of 105 congressional Democrats and more than 500,000 citizens on petitions demanding a detailed response from the Bush administration to the memo's allegations, which said it ``seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action.'' The memo also says the Bush White House ``fixed'' intelligence data to justify the war and ignored reports showing that Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction.

Other documents have since come to light, including a 2002 memo to Blair on a British official's dinner with then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that says, ``Condi's enthusiasm for regime change is undimmed.''

Bush has long said he did not decide to go to war until shortly before the bombing began in March 2003. The administration's pre-war emphasis on the danger of Iraq's alleged weapons proved to be erroneous after inspectors failed to find any biological, chemical or nuclear weapons."

New Memos Detail Early Plans for Invading Iraq - latimes.com

New Memos Detail Early Plans for Invading Iraq: "June 15, 2005

# British officials believed the U.S. favored military force a year before the war, documents show.

LONDON — In March 2002, the Bush administration had just begun to publicly raise the possibility of confronting Iraq. But behind the scenes, officials already were deeply engaged in seeking ways to justify an invasion, newly revealed British memos indicate.
...

The documents help flesh out the background to the formerly top-secret 'Downing Street memo' published in the Sunday Times of London last month, which said that top British officials were told eight months before the war began that military action was 'seen as inevitable.' President Bush and his main ally in the war, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, have long maintained that they had not made up their minds to go to war at that stage.

'Nothing could be farther from the truth,' Bush said last week, responding to a question about the July 23, 2002, memo. 'Both of us didn't want to use our military. Nobody wants to commit military into combat. It's the last option.'

...wrote Manning, now the British ambassador to the U.S. "It is clear that Bush is grateful for your [Blair's] support and has registered that you are getting flak. I said that you would not budge in your support for regime change but you had to manage a press, a Parliament and a public opinion that was different from anything in the States. And you would not budge either in your insistence that, if we pursued regime change, it must be very carefully done and produce the right result. Failure was not an option."

The memo went on to say:

"Condi's enthusiasm for regime change is undimmed. But there were some signs, since we last spoke, of greater awareness of the practical difficulties and political risks…. From what she said, Bush has yet to find answers to the big questions:

• How to persuade international opinion that military action against Iraq is necessary and justified;

• What value to put on the exiled Iraqi opposition;

• How to coordinate a US/allied military campaign with internal opposition (assuming there is any);

• What happens the morning after?"


Another memo, from British Foreign Office political director Peter Ricketts to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on March 22, 2002, bluntly stated that the case against Hussein was weak because the Iraqi leader was not accelerating his weapons programs and there was scant proof of links to Al Qaeda.

"What has changed is not the pace of Saddam Hussein's WMD programs, but our tolerance of them post-11 September," Ricketts wrote. "Attempts to claim otherwise publicly will increase skepticism about our case….

"U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda is so far frankly unconvincing," he said.

Ricketts said that other countries such as Iran appeared closer to getting nuclear weapons, and that arguing for regime change in Iraq alone "does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam." That was why the issue of weapons of mass destruction was vital, he said.

"Much better, as you [Straw] have suggested, to make the objective ending the threat to the international community from Iraqi WMD before Saddam uses it or gives it to terrorists," he said. A U.N. Security Council resolution demanding renewal of weapons inspections, he says, would be a "win/win."

"Either [Hussein] against all the odds allows Inspectors to operate freely, in which case we can further hobble his WMD programs, or he blocks/hinders, and we are on stronger grounds for switching to other methods," he wrote.

The arguments that Iraq had illegal, hidden weapons of mass destruction, programs to develop more of them, and that it might give them to terrorists were to become some of the Bush administration's chief reasons for the war. When no weapons were found, the administration blamed faulty intelligence and said the war still was justified because it ended Hussein's brutal dictatorship and allowed an emerging democratic government.
...

"Regime change per se is no justification for military action; it could form part of the method of any strategy, but not a goal," he said. "Elimination of Iraq's WMD capacity has to be the goal."
....

The paper said the British view was that any invasion for the purpose of regime change "has no basis under international law.""

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Dead British Soldier's Father Testifying to US Congress

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Dead British Soldier's Father Testifying to US Congress:

...Both events will take place tomorrow ahead of a petition signed by 500,000 Americans against the war being handed into the Bush administration.

The Congressional hearing, called by Democratic congressman John Conyers, is studying claims that President George Bush made up his mind to attack Iraq a year before the conflict started."

Bin Laden, Mullah Omar alive and healthy. 15/06/2005. ABC News Online

Bin Laden, Mullah Omar alive and healthy. 15/06/2005. ABC News Online:

"Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar are safe and healthy, a former Taliban commander said.

Three-and-half years after a US-led military offensive toppled the fundamentalist Taliban regime for sheltering bin Laden, the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks remains free as does Mullah Omar.

Commander Mullah Akhtar Usmani told private Geo TV in an interview at an undisclosed site that he cannot disclose their whereabouts.

'We hear his voice. I can vouch that Mullah Omar is alive and commanding the Taliban,' he said.

As for bin Laden, the most wanted suspect in connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the former Taliban commander said, 'by the grace of God, he is in good health'."

J. P. Morgan Chase to Pay Investors $2.2 Billion - New York Times

J. P. Morgan Chase to Pay Investors $2.2 Billion - New York Times:

"J. P. Morgan Chase announced last night that it had agreed to pay $2.2 billion to Enron investors who accused the bank of participating in the accounting scandal that led to Enron's collapse.

The agreement came just days after Citigroup reached a $2 billion settlement. While the settlements with two of Enron's biggest lenders closes one chapter, other investment banks - including Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston - still face claims from investors.

Combined with earlier settlements, the pool available to compensate investors who lost billions as Enron tumbled into bankruptcy in 2001 has grown to $4.7 billion and could eventually surpass the $6.13 billion that Wall Street firms have agreed to pay WorldCom investors."

Iraq 'no more safe than in 2003' - BBC NEWS | Middle East |

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraq 'no more safe than in 2003':

"US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has acknowledged that security in Iraq has not improved statistically since Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003."

More British memos on pre-Iraq war concerns - Nightly News with Brian Williams - MSNBC.com

More British memos on pre-Iraq war concerns - Nightly News with Brian Williams - MSNBC.com: "June 13, 2005

WASHINGTON — It started during British Prime Minister Tony Blair's re-election campaign last month, when details leaked about a top-secret memo, written in July 2002 — eight months before the Iraq war. In the memo, British officials just back from Washington reported that prewar 'intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy' to invade Iraq.

Just last week, President Bush and Blair vigorously denied that war was inevitable.

“No, the facts were not being fixed, in any shape or form at all,” said Blair at a White House news conference with the president on June 7.

But now, war critics have come up with seven more memos, verified by NBC News.

One, also from July 2002, says U.S. military planners had given 'little thought' to postwar Iraq.
...

And there's more. To prepare Blair for a meeting at the president's ranch in April 2002, a year before the war, four other British memos raised more questions.

After a dinner with President Bush’s then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Blair's former national security adviser David Manning wondered, “What happens on the morning after” the war?

In yet another 2002 memo, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw asked, “What will this action achieve? Can (there) be any certainty that the replacement regime will be better?...”
...

Vice President Dick Cheney also told a National Press Club luncheon Monday, “Any suggestion that we did not exhaust all alternatives before we got to that point, I think, is inaccurate.”

In fact, current and former diplomats tell NBC News they understood from the beginning the Bush policy to be that Saddam had to be removed — one way or the other. The only question was when and how."

At Manchester Democratic fundraiser Clark says Bush ruining military - Fosters

At Manchester Democratic fundraiser Clark says Bush ruining military - Fosters:

"'We have to make our legislators and president understand we believe in a volunteer force, and we expect him to have the leadership to guide our country in the right way in foreign affairs without wrecking the military institutions that keep us safe,' Clark said while attending a fundraiser for Manchester Democrats.

He also accused the administration of committing soldiers in Iraq without proper planning and support.

'(Bush) used fear, the fear of the American people to take us into a war that was purely elective,' Clark said.

Clark also voiced strong support for Democratic National Committee head Howard Dean, who has been criticized for comments attacking Republicans."

U.S. death toll tops 1,700

U.S. death toll tops 1,700:

1,563 have died since Bush declared major combat over in Iraq

"The U.S. military announced the killing of four more U.S. soldiers on Sunday, pushing the American death toll past 1,700."

CNN.com - Report: British had doubts on U.S. postwar plan in Iraq - Jun 12, 2005

CNN.com - Report: British had doubts on U.S. postwar plan in Iraq - Jun 12, 2005: "'A postwar occupation of Iraq could lead to a protracted and costly nation-building exercise,' authorities of the briefing memo wrote, according to the Post. 'As already made clear, the U.S. military plans are virtually silent on this point. Washington could look to us to share a disproportionate share of the burden.'

The eight-page memo was written in advance of a July 23, 2002, meeting at Blair's Downing Street offices, the Post said in Sunday editions.

It said the memo and other internal British government documents were originally obtained by Michael Smith of the London Sunday Times and that excerpts made available to Post were confirmed as authentic by British sources who sought anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter."

Fox News is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party: DEAN - Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing

Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing:

"Responding to comments by Vice President Dick Cheney on a Fox News telecast Sunday morning, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told a Chicago audience Sunday afternoon, 'My view is Fox News is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party and I don't comment on Fox News.'"

State Dems: Impeach Bush - The Capital Times

The Capital Times: "June 13, 2005

Wisconsin Democrats are calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Loyalists at this weekend's state party convention in Oshkosh passed a resolution calling for Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against the three officials for their role in the war in Iraq.

The resolution contends that the administration 'lied or misled' the United Nations, Congress, and the American public about the justification for the war. It cites the so-called 'Downing Street memo' from British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, as well as reports from U.N. weapons inspectors as evidence of widespread deception.
..............

The Nevada state party passed a similar resolution calling for Bush's ouster last year. And both the state and national Green Party, as well as former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader, have called for Bush's impeachment because of his handling of the war in Iraq."

High court declines media ownership challenges - Yahoo! News

High court declines media ownership challenges - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear appeals by media companies challenging whether ownership restrictions are constitutional, leaving it up to federal regulators to decide the appropriate limits.

The high court turned down appeals by media companies, including Tribune Co. and Gannett Co. Inc., which have argued that the ownership limits the Federal Communications Commission set in 2003 violate free speech rights and a 1996 law.

The FCC eased several ownership limits, including a cross-ownership ban on newspapers, television stations and radio outlets in some markets, but kept restrictions to protect smaller markets from being dominated by a few companies.

The Republican-led FCC also eased limits on broadcasters owning more than one television station in a market.

Consumer advocates, arguing that the relaxed limits would hurt diversity in viewpoints and opinions, challenged the regulations in court. A federal appeals court last year agreed to put the rules on hold and ordered the FCC to better justify them.

But many media companies, some of whom were represented in appeals filed by the Newspaper Association of America and other trade groups, contended that the FCC should have eased the ownership restrictions further and appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. They argued that the limits infringed their free speech rights and the 1996 Telecommunications Act."

Ministers were told of need for Gulf war ‘excuse’ - Sunday Times - Times Online

Ministers were told of need for Gulf war ‘excuse’ - Sunday Times - Times Online:

"MINISTERS were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal.

The warning, in a leaked Cabinet Office briefing paper, said Tony Blair had already agreed to back military action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of President George W Bush three months earlier.

The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair’s inner circle on July 23, 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was “necessary to create the conditions” which would make it legal."