Friday, April 30, 2004
Note: Somehow Wednesday's is stuck somewhere in cyberland. It's belatedly supplied, below.
Mission Accomplished!
Hardly
WTO Update Rare win against the rich countries. Domestic ramifications to come.
Brazil has won a landmark victory at the World Trade Organisation that could spell the beginning of the end of rich countries' subsidy payments to their farmers.
The WTO, based in Geneva, has ruled that $1.5bn (£830m) of annual subsidies given by the United States government to its 25,000 cotton farmers are mostly illegal.
The provisional ruling is confidential, but trade sources said pubic confirmation would be available as soon as next month and could start a domino effect whereby much of the £300bn in subsidies lavished on the rich world's farmers might tumble.
"This could be the first domino," one said.
The ruling is the first time a developing country has won such a decision from the WTO when arguing against one of the big trade powers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/wto/article/0,2763,1204996,00.html
Energy: We’re running out of Oil
We usually ignore this one, but it’s of critical import. And, all of us buying a Prius will not solve it. A most important article from the Washington Post (Michael D. Tusiani)
The price of gasoline rose over the winter, but that was just the beginning of an inevitable upward trend. Summer will give us an even better feel for things to come. Complaints by motorists and accusations by politicians will not avoid the unavoidable: Most Americans simply cannot have all the gasoline they want much longer.
We already burn more of this precious but cheap commodity than U.S. refineries can make. For the past two years, imports climbing toward 1 million barrels per day have kept supply in step with consumption. But within three years, we'll be extracting as much from foreign suppliers as they can spare. At that point, demand cannot continue to grow at the current pace. It cannot exceed supply.
When demand hits the ceiling, some of us, or all of us, will use less. Government may impose a rationing scheme (which seems unlikely) or price will allocate supply. Those who can afford it will get as much as they want. Others will not.
…
In one way or another, consumption is going to stop growing. The only thing we can control is how hard we hit the supply barrier. We can strike it head-on or at an angle. An early warning could allow people of moderate means to buy efficient vehicles instead of gas guzzlers in time to make a difference in their mobility and personal finances. Whether they have to pay $3 per gallon or carry their ration books to the filling station, they'll thank whoever gave them timely advice.
Our leaders, who have debated energy policy for years without acknowledging any concern for a potential gasoline shortage, must now demonstrate courage and vision. They must admit that the nation's gasoline problem has no practical supply-side answer and lead us toward reducing consumption. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47945-2004Apr27?language=printer
Wither Colin?
The business pages carry this much-talked about rumor. From the NY Times (Elizabeth Becker):
Forget the official pronouncements that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is staying put at the State Department.
The buzz in the capital is at least a couple of steps beyond that, as people in business and finance circles here are speculating that he could become the next president of the World Bank, the largest and most influential development agency in the world. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/business/worldbusiness/27powell.html
Bush and Cheney with the 9/11 Commission.
'No New Revelations', is the unsurprising summary. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/politics/30BUSH.html?hp
Bush's summary:
"I came away good from the meeting. I think it was good they saw our body language, how we work together."
What’s Happening, Iraq:
126 Americans killed this month, by far the most of any month.
There’s outrage practically everywhere over (video of) U.S. soldiers’ torture of Iraqis. Even Tony Blair is upset. Downing Street today said the prime minister was "appalled" by pictures that emerged last night of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by American soldiers.
No 10 said the behaviour shown - with Iraqis stripped naked and hooded and being tormented by their captors - was in "direct contravention of all policy under which the coalition operates". http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1207045,00.html
U.S. troops are giving up trying to “capture” Falluja.
Maureen Dowd summary:
When the president was asked yesterday by a reporter whether it would take an all-out military offensive to put down the violence in Falluja, and whether this would impede the transfer of power on June 30, he was reassuring, despite news of the aerial bombardment of Falluja by U.S. gunships and the 70-ton battle tanks being rushed in to aid marines in the escalating fight.
"Most of Falluja is returning to normal," the president said, presumably defining normal as flattened. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/opinion/29DOWD.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Krugman summary:
Some pin their hopes on a political solution: they believe that violence will subside if the U.N. is allowed to appoint a caretaker government that Iraqis don't view as a U.S. puppet.
Let's hope they're right. But bear in mind that right now the U.S. is still planning to hand over "sovereignty" to a body, yet to be named, that will have hardly any power at all. For practical purposes, the U.S. ambassador will be running the country. Americans may believe that everything will change on June 30, but Iraqis are unlikely to be fooled. And by the way, much of the Arab world believes that we've been committing war crimes in Falluja.
I don't have a plan for Iraq. I strongly suspect, however, that all the plans you hear now are irrelevant. If America's leaders hadn't made so many bad decisions, they might have had a chance to shape Iraq to their liking. But that window closed many months ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/opinion/30KRUG.html
Polls: Though always hesitant to report them, I still do. Current ones show that support for the war is at its lowest, only 47% now think it was the right thing to do 71% think the Arab world is more critical of us, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/28/opinion/polls/main614605.shtml And, the Iraqis are evenly split on whether the country is better off post-invasion. http://www.gallup.com. 57% want us to leave immediately. Bush’s popularity has changed minimally, still in a dead heat with kerry.
Occupation Corruption. So much of it. Here’s one of the latest examples.
A senior Defense Department official is under investigation by the Pentagon inspector general for allegations that he attempted to alter a contract proposal in Iraq to benefit a mobile phone consortium that includes friends and colleagues, according to documents obtained by The Times and sources with direct knowledge of the process…
Shaw's efforts resulted in a dispute at the Coalition Provisional Authority that has delayed the contract, depriving U.S. military officials and Iraqi police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers and border guards of a joint communications system.
That has angered top U.S. officials and members of the U.S.-led authority governing Iraq, who say the deaths of many Americans and Iraqis might have been prevented with better communications. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-na-iraqphones29apr29,1,3312797.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Scandal Update: Wilson names his suspects
Former ambassador Joseph Wilson updates the Plame scandal by releasing his book. The AP report:
Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has been pegged as a possible leaker of the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame to a syndicated columnist, according to accounts in a book by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, Plame's husband.
In "The Politics of Truth," to be published Friday, Wilson says Libby is "quite possibly the person who exposed my wife's identity," according to The Washington Post, which obtained an early copy.
The vice president's office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
Wilson writes that a "workup" of his background was done by the White House in March 2003, after his public criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.
"The other name that has most often been repeated to me in connection with the inquiry and disclosure into my background and Valerie's is that of Elliott Abrams, who gained infamy in the Iran-Contra scandal," he writes.
-R
4/28
Women’s Rights Advocates, Our Newest Terrorists:
In case you missed it, the Bushies, who previously had labeled educators as terrorists, have now targeted Choice advocates. Really.
"I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life," she said. "President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions. And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."
-- Karen Hughes, Bush ’04, explaining why to be pro-choice is to be pro-terrorist
PLANNED PARENTHOOD PRESIDENT GLORIA FELDT's LETTER TO HUGHES:
April 27, 2004
Ms. Karen Hughes
Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.
P.O. Box 10648
Arlington, VA 222
Dear Ms. Hughes:
I am writing to request an apology for your comments invoking 9/11 to address the growing sentiment in this country against President George W. Bush's anti-choice policies.
------------------
Invoking 9/11 to defend this administration's policies regarding reproductive rights was an insensitive and divisive overreach.
We are all Americans, and we are patriots, too, Ms. Hughes. And we will not cease in our efforts to fight the attempts by this administration and this Congress to restrict reproductive rights, family planning, medical privacy, and so many other important factors in a woman's right to care for herself and her family without intrusion from government or politicians. We do this precisely because we value human life and dignity so much.
Your friends in the administration have repeatedly stated that our troops are fighting for freedom: to allow people to control their own lives and make their own decisions. Yet this administration and this Congress are working to take away American women's rights to make their own decisions.
If anyone has an understanding gap regarding women's rights at this troubled time in our history, it is not those of us who oppose anti-choice, anti-women policies.
An apology is in order. The horror of 9/11 has been used inappropriately too many times, and this is clearly such an incident.
Sincerely,
GLORIA FELDT
President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.
Media Double Standard re Bush-Kerry Continues
The protection of Bush and the attacking of rivals Gore and Kerry is still very much in evidence. Current case in point: Josh Marshall of talkingpointsmemo.org noticed that ABC news ran on its web site, “Did Kerry lie about Vietnam War medals?” He rightfully questioned, “Can someone tell me the last time ABC used the “L” word about President Bush? Or is it always ‘exaggeration’ when it’s President Bush?”
Postscript: ABC altered it hours later to “Why did Kerry change story about Vietnam medals?” Then, “Videotape Contradicts John Kerry’s Own Statements Over Vietnam Medals”, a headline that did not fit the innocuous content of their “story.”
Other examples are out there, including CNN's Aaron Brown referring to Kerry's Vietnam service as "…however brief." Two tours of service in Vietnam? And how often do we hear about Vietnam-avoiding Cheney and his ‘I had other priorities…’ …which were?
‘Nuff said…
Kerry Fights Back
The blunt centrist doesn’t roll over.
"If George Bush wants to ask me questions about that through his surrogates, he owes America an explanation about whether or not he showed up for duty in the National Guard. Prove it. That's what we ought to have," Kerry told NBC News in an interview. "I'm not going to stand around and let them play games." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=1&u=/ap/20040427/ap_on_el_pr/kerry_medals
E.J. Dionne castigates Bush:
McCain recalled that he had worked with Kerry on "POW/MIA issues and the normalization of relations with Vietnam" and wanted to stand up for his war comrade because "you have to do what's right." Speaking of Kerry, McCain said: "He's my friend. He'll continue to be my friend. I know his service was honorable. If that hurts me politically or with my party, that's a very small price to pay."
Now that McCain has spoken, will Bush have the guts to endorse or condemn the attacks on Kerry's service? Or will he just sit by silently, hoping the assaults do their work while he evades responsibility? Once more, Welsh's words call out for an answer: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44999-2004Apr26?language=printer
Dissenting Voice: Kerry as Failure. James Ridgeway, Village Voice:
With growing issues over his wealth (which makes fellow plutocrat Bush seem a charity case by comparison), the miasma over his medals and ribbons (or ribbons and medals), his uninspiring record in the Senate (yes war, no war), and wishy-washy efforts to mimic Bill Clinton's triangulation gimmickry (the protractor factor), Kerry sinks day by day. The pros all know that the candidate who starts each morning by having to explain himself is a goner.
What to do? Look for the Dem biggies, whoever they are these days, to sit down with the rich and arrogant presumptive nominee and try to persuade him to take a hike. Then they can return to business as usual—resurrecting John Edwards, who is still hanging around, or staging an open convention in Boston, or both.
If things proceed as they are, the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean. http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0417/mondo1.php
While I’m no fan of Kerry, Ridgeway seems to have swallowed whole the Fox News attacks, and advocates retreat.
The No-No Words: Krugman uses one
The media still struggle with labeling the Administration as the chronic liars they obviously are. The demonized Ralph Nader is one of the very few who refer to impeachment as the just dessert for lying the country into this unnecessary, tragic war. The other touchy word is dictatorship- how much this cabal has resembled totalitarian regimes.
What Mr. Cheney is defending, in other words, is a doctrine that makes the United States a sort of elected dictatorship: a system in which the president, once in office, can do whatever he likes, and isn't obliged to consult or inform either Congress or the public.
Not long ago I would have thought it inconceivable that the Supreme Court would endorse that doctrine. But I would also have thought it inconceivable that a president would propound such a vision in the first place. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/opinion/27KRUG.html
Bush and the National Guard
Since the Cheney-Fox News team has gone after Kerry as to ribbons/medals, veracity of wounds, whatever, we should return to our Commander-in-Chief’s National Guard record. Seems that the White House claims that Bush released his entire record is incorrect. From James C. Moore at salon.com:
The president and his staff are doing a very good job of convincing the public he has released all of his National Guard records and that they prove he was responsible during his time in Alabama and Texas. But the critical documents have still not been seen. The mandatory written report about Bush's grounding is mysteriously not in the released file, nor is any other disciplinary evidence. A document showing a "roll-up," or the accumulation of his total retirement points, is also absent, and so are his actual pay stubs. The story keeps changing. And regardless of what the White House says about George W. Bush and his time in the Texas Air National Guard, journalists tend to accept the explanation. I can't. The president of the United States is lying to hide his behavior while he was a young pilot during the Vietnam War, and he has almost taken away reporters' ability to get the whole story. Unfortunately, the national media have other distractions, and they apparently don't think the Guard story is important enough to warrant additional effort. I think they are wrong.
The president's behavior while under oath to serve in the military is an important matter. By George W. Bush's own admission, there were at least eight months in 1972 when he was not performing assigned Guard duty. What if today's Guard members behaved as irresponsibly as Bush did during his hitch? http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/04/27/bush_guard/index_np.html
Scandal: MemoGate: Eric Lichtblau reports:
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into accusations that Republican Congressional aides stole sensitive Democratic memorandums, and the department has tapped David N. Kelley, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, to lead the politically charged case, officials said Monday.
The decision to bring in Mr. Kelley, rather than have prosecutors in Washington pursue the case, came after lawmakers from both parties urged the Justice Department to appoint an independent prosecutor to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
The department said in a letter dated Monday that it was confident that Mr. Kelley would conduct the investigation "in a thorough, fair, impartial and professional manner." Several leading Democrats applauded his appointment, with Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York saying it was "a very good first step." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/politics/27PROB.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Scandal: Illegal Shifting of FundsGate:
NY Times report (Carl Hulse):
The senior Democrats on the House and Senate appropriations committees pressed the White House on Monday for a full accounting of how the Bush administration had spent $40 billion in emergency money that was provided by Congress just days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Building on a report that the White House had prepared for the invasion of Iraq by diverting $700 million from post-Sept. 11 emergency appropriations, the two lawmakers, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and Representative David R. Obey of Wisconsin, said they had "numerous concerns" beyond the $700 million about the use of the emergency money.
"When the Congress provided the extraordinary authorities in response to the Al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it expected that tax dollars would be managed carefully so as to provide assistance to the victims of the attack, to secure our homeland and to improve our national security," the lawmakers said in a letter to the White House.
Mr. Byrd and Mr. Obey said that contrary to the requirements of law, there appeared to have been no consultation with Congress on how $20 billion specifically handed over to the president for his allocation had been distributed. They also said the administration had not submitted required quarterly reports on the use of the entire $40 billion for almost a year. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/politics/27SPEN.html?pagewanted=print&position=
What’s Happening, Iraq: Deadly Battles, Grave Consequences
Luke Harding reports for the Guardian:
Najaf and Falluja are presenting the Bush administration with big problems with little more than two months to go before sovereignty is to be transferred to Iraqis: by resorting to force to crush the rebellions, the military risks generating further alienation and opposition.
"We were determined to stop them," said Abu Mathan, a member of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi militia, as he waved traffic over Kufa's bridge and across the Euphrates river.
He said the Americans tried to enter Najaf on Monday evening: "We attacked them with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. They bombed us with jet fighters. We put up fierce resistance. At 2am they left."
The encounter - in which the US military says it killed 64 members of Mr Sadr's militia - marks a defining moment in the war in Iraq.
Until now, the US has avoided launching an all-out offensive against Najaf for fear of antagonising Iraqi Shias. In recent weeks, however, US officials in Baghdad have been repeatedly threatening to kill or capture Mr Sadr, who has led an uprising against the US occupation.
On Monday US troops killed dozens of his supporters instead. The move is likely to inflame Shia opinion against America, making enemies of the people who initially welcomed the invasion because it rid them of Saddam Hussein.
Yet if there is any strategic thinking on the US side about how to deal with the Najaf standoff, it was hard to find it there yesterday.
The Guardian, which was given rare access into the territory defended by Mr Sadr's army, found his fighters digging in for battle along Kufa's dusty main road. In front of the library, two men wearing red kaffir headdresses chatted next to a machine gun. Trenches had been dug outside Kufa's gold-domed mosque.
The popular sentiment was not hard to fathom - alongside portraits of Mr Sadr were slogans that read: "Yes to the armed resistance" and "Death to America". http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1204966,00.html
Casualties
Karl Vick’s report on MSNBC:
The neurosurgeons at the 31st Combat Support Hospital measure the damage in the number of skulls they remove to get to the injured brain inside, a procedure known as a craniotomy. "We've done more in eight weeks than the previous neurosurgery team did in eight months," Poffenbarger said. "So there's been a change in the intensity level of the war."
Numbers tell part of the story. So far in April, more than 900 soldiers and Marines have been wounded in Iraq, more than twice the number wounded in October, the previous high. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4839405
Iraqi Flag: More Incompetence. Wrong colors, looks like Israel’s. As the AP report noted, "The new design not only abandons the symbols of Saddam's regime. It also avoids the colors used in other Arab flags: green and black for Islam and red for Arab nationalism." http://www.boston.com/dailynews/117/world/U_S_picked_Iraqi_leaders_decla:.shtml
Blair Still in Trouble:
From the Independent (Ben Russell)
Tony Blair was facing a severe crisis of confidence in his foreign policy yesterday after an unprecedented attack from dozens of the most senior figures in the British diplomatic service.
The letter from 52 former ambassadors and heads of mission who held the most senior postings in the Foreign Office, lambasted Mr Blair for abandoning his principles over the road-map to peace in the Middle East and criticised the United States-led coalition in Iraq for failing to plan for the post-Saddam era.
In a damning verdict on Mr Blair's special relationship with President George Bush, they called for a "fundamental reassessment" of British policy towards the White House and the Middle East, urging Mr Blair to exert real influence over American policy as "a matter of the highest urgency".
They added: "If that is unacceptable or unwelcome there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure." http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=515706
(Another) Comment from Hans Blix:
In some ways, the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq were similar to “the witch-hunts of past centuries,” former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix told a crowd at Texas A&M University on Friday night.
For those who believe in witches or weapons of mass destruction, he said, “the evidence does not have to be all that strong. You will take it.”
“ It seems to me that the U.S. and U.K. leadership were so convinced that there were weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq] that they couldn’t imagine they weren’t there,” Blix surmised. http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/042404hansblix.htm
-R
Mission Accomplished!
Hardly
WTO Update Rare win against the rich countries. Domestic ramifications to come.
Brazil has won a landmark victory at the World Trade Organisation that could spell the beginning of the end of rich countries' subsidy payments to their farmers.
The WTO, based in Geneva, has ruled that $1.5bn (£830m) of annual subsidies given by the United States government to its 25,000 cotton farmers are mostly illegal.
The provisional ruling is confidential, but trade sources said pubic confirmation would be available as soon as next month and could start a domino effect whereby much of the £300bn in subsidies lavished on the rich world's farmers might tumble.
"This could be the first domino," one said.
The ruling is the first time a developing country has won such a decision from the WTO when arguing against one of the big trade powers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/wto/article/0,2763,1204996,00.html
Energy: We’re running out of Oil
We usually ignore this one, but it’s of critical import. And, all of us buying a Prius will not solve it. A most important article from the Washington Post (Michael D. Tusiani)
The price of gasoline rose over the winter, but that was just the beginning of an inevitable upward trend. Summer will give us an even better feel for things to come. Complaints by motorists and accusations by politicians will not avoid the unavoidable: Most Americans simply cannot have all the gasoline they want much longer.
We already burn more of this precious but cheap commodity than U.S. refineries can make. For the past two years, imports climbing toward 1 million barrels per day have kept supply in step with consumption. But within three years, we'll be extracting as much from foreign suppliers as they can spare. At that point, demand cannot continue to grow at the current pace. It cannot exceed supply.
When demand hits the ceiling, some of us, or all of us, will use less. Government may impose a rationing scheme (which seems unlikely) or price will allocate supply. Those who can afford it will get as much as they want. Others will not.
…
In one way or another, consumption is going to stop growing. The only thing we can control is how hard we hit the supply barrier. We can strike it head-on or at an angle. An early warning could allow people of moderate means to buy efficient vehicles instead of gas guzzlers in time to make a difference in their mobility and personal finances. Whether they have to pay $3 per gallon or carry their ration books to the filling station, they'll thank whoever gave them timely advice.
Our leaders, who have debated energy policy for years without acknowledging any concern for a potential gasoline shortage, must now demonstrate courage and vision. They must admit that the nation's gasoline problem has no practical supply-side answer and lead us toward reducing consumption. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A47945-2004Apr27?language=printer
Wither Colin?
The business pages carry this much-talked about rumor. From the NY Times (Elizabeth Becker):
Forget the official pronouncements that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is staying put at the State Department.
The buzz in the capital is at least a couple of steps beyond that, as people in business and finance circles here are speculating that he could become the next president of the World Bank, the largest and most influential development agency in the world. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/business/worldbusiness/27powell.html
Bush and Cheney with the 9/11 Commission.
'No New Revelations', is the unsurprising summary. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/politics/30BUSH.html?hp
Bush's summary:
"I came away good from the meeting. I think it was good they saw our body language, how we work together."
What’s Happening, Iraq:
126 Americans killed this month, by far the most of any month.
There’s outrage practically everywhere over (video of) U.S. soldiers’ torture of Iraqis. Even Tony Blair is upset. Downing Street today said the prime minister was "appalled" by pictures that emerged last night of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by American soldiers.
No 10 said the behaviour shown - with Iraqis stripped naked and hooded and being tormented by their captors - was in "direct contravention of all policy under which the coalition operates". http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1207045,00.html
U.S. troops are giving up trying to “capture” Falluja.
Maureen Dowd summary:
When the president was asked yesterday by a reporter whether it would take an all-out military offensive to put down the violence in Falluja, and whether this would impede the transfer of power on June 30, he was reassuring, despite news of the aerial bombardment of Falluja by U.S. gunships and the 70-ton battle tanks being rushed in to aid marines in the escalating fight.
"Most of Falluja is returning to normal," the president said, presumably defining normal as flattened. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/opinion/29DOWD.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Krugman summary:
Some pin their hopes on a political solution: they believe that violence will subside if the U.N. is allowed to appoint a caretaker government that Iraqis don't view as a U.S. puppet.
Let's hope they're right. But bear in mind that right now the U.S. is still planning to hand over "sovereignty" to a body, yet to be named, that will have hardly any power at all. For practical purposes, the U.S. ambassador will be running the country. Americans may believe that everything will change on June 30, but Iraqis are unlikely to be fooled. And by the way, much of the Arab world believes that we've been committing war crimes in Falluja.
I don't have a plan for Iraq. I strongly suspect, however, that all the plans you hear now are irrelevant. If America's leaders hadn't made so many bad decisions, they might have had a chance to shape Iraq to their liking. But that window closed many months ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/opinion/30KRUG.html
Polls: Though always hesitant to report them, I still do. Current ones show that support for the war is at its lowest, only 47% now think it was the right thing to do 71% think the Arab world is more critical of us, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/28/opinion/polls/main614605.shtml And, the Iraqis are evenly split on whether the country is better off post-invasion. http://www.gallup.com. 57% want us to leave immediately. Bush’s popularity has changed minimally, still in a dead heat with kerry.
Occupation Corruption. So much of it. Here’s one of the latest examples.
A senior Defense Department official is under investigation by the Pentagon inspector general for allegations that he attempted to alter a contract proposal in Iraq to benefit a mobile phone consortium that includes friends and colleagues, according to documents obtained by The Times and sources with direct knowledge of the process…
Shaw's efforts resulted in a dispute at the Coalition Provisional Authority that has delayed the contract, depriving U.S. military officials and Iraqi police officers, firefighters, ambulance drivers and border guards of a joint communications system.
That has angered top U.S. officials and members of the U.S.-led authority governing Iraq, who say the deaths of many Americans and Iraqis might have been prevented with better communications. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-na-iraqphones29apr29,1,3312797.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Scandal Update: Wilson names his suspects
Former ambassador Joseph Wilson updates the Plame scandal by releasing his book. The AP report:
Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has been pegged as a possible leaker of the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame to a syndicated columnist, according to accounts in a book by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, Plame's husband.
In "The Politics of Truth," to be published Friday, Wilson says Libby is "quite possibly the person who exposed my wife's identity," according to The Washington Post, which obtained an early copy.
The vice president's office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.
Wilson writes that a "workup" of his background was done by the White House in March 2003, after his public criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.
"The other name that has most often been repeated to me in connection with the inquiry and disclosure into my background and Valerie's is that of Elliott Abrams, who gained infamy in the Iran-Contra scandal," he writes.
-R
4/28
Women’s Rights Advocates, Our Newest Terrorists:
In case you missed it, the Bushies, who previously had labeled educators as terrorists, have now targeted Choice advocates. Really.
"I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life," she said. "President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions. And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."
-- Karen Hughes, Bush ’04, explaining why to be pro-choice is to be pro-terrorist
PLANNED PARENTHOOD PRESIDENT GLORIA FELDT's LETTER TO HUGHES:
April 27, 2004
Ms. Karen Hughes
Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.
P.O. Box 10648
Arlington, VA 222
Dear Ms. Hughes:
I am writing to request an apology for your comments invoking 9/11 to address the growing sentiment in this country against President George W. Bush's anti-choice policies.
------------------
Invoking 9/11 to defend this administration's policies regarding reproductive rights was an insensitive and divisive overreach.
We are all Americans, and we are patriots, too, Ms. Hughes. And we will not cease in our efforts to fight the attempts by this administration and this Congress to restrict reproductive rights, family planning, medical privacy, and so many other important factors in a woman's right to care for herself and her family without intrusion from government or politicians. We do this precisely because we value human life and dignity so much.
Your friends in the administration have repeatedly stated that our troops are fighting for freedom: to allow people to control their own lives and make their own decisions. Yet this administration and this Congress are working to take away American women's rights to make their own decisions.
If anyone has an understanding gap regarding women's rights at this troubled time in our history, it is not those of us who oppose anti-choice, anti-women policies.
An apology is in order. The horror of 9/11 has been used inappropriately too many times, and this is clearly such an incident.
Sincerely,
GLORIA FELDT
President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.
Media Double Standard re Bush-Kerry Continues
The protection of Bush and the attacking of rivals Gore and Kerry is still very much in evidence. Current case in point: Josh Marshall of talkingpointsmemo.org noticed that ABC news ran on its web site, “Did Kerry lie about Vietnam War medals?” He rightfully questioned, “Can someone tell me the last time ABC used the “L” word about President Bush? Or is it always ‘exaggeration’ when it’s President Bush?”
Postscript: ABC altered it hours later to “Why did Kerry change story about Vietnam medals?” Then, “Videotape Contradicts John Kerry’s Own Statements Over Vietnam Medals”, a headline that did not fit the innocuous content of their “story.”
Other examples are out there, including CNN's Aaron Brown referring to Kerry's Vietnam service as "…however brief." Two tours of service in Vietnam? And how often do we hear about Vietnam-avoiding Cheney and his ‘I had other priorities…’ …which were?
‘Nuff said…
Kerry Fights Back
The blunt centrist doesn’t roll over.
"If George Bush wants to ask me questions about that through his surrogates, he owes America an explanation about whether or not he showed up for duty in the National Guard. Prove it. That's what we ought to have," Kerry told NBC News in an interview. "I'm not going to stand around and let them play games." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=1&u=/ap/20040427/ap_on_el_pr/kerry_medals
E.J. Dionne castigates Bush:
McCain recalled that he had worked with Kerry on "POW/MIA issues and the normalization of relations with Vietnam" and wanted to stand up for his war comrade because "you have to do what's right." Speaking of Kerry, McCain said: "He's my friend. He'll continue to be my friend. I know his service was honorable. If that hurts me politically or with my party, that's a very small price to pay."
Now that McCain has spoken, will Bush have the guts to endorse or condemn the attacks on Kerry's service? Or will he just sit by silently, hoping the assaults do their work while he evades responsibility? Once more, Welsh's words call out for an answer: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44999-2004Apr26?language=printer
Dissenting Voice: Kerry as Failure. James Ridgeway, Village Voice:
With growing issues over his wealth (which makes fellow plutocrat Bush seem a charity case by comparison), the miasma over his medals and ribbons (or ribbons and medals), his uninspiring record in the Senate (yes war, no war), and wishy-washy efforts to mimic Bill Clinton's triangulation gimmickry (the protractor factor), Kerry sinks day by day. The pros all know that the candidate who starts each morning by having to explain himself is a goner.
What to do? Look for the Dem biggies, whoever they are these days, to sit down with the rich and arrogant presumptive nominee and try to persuade him to take a hike. Then they can return to business as usual—resurrecting John Edwards, who is still hanging around, or staging an open convention in Boston, or both.
If things proceed as they are, the dim-bulb Dem leaders are going to be very sorry they screwed Howard Dean. http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0417/mondo1.php
While I’m no fan of Kerry, Ridgeway seems to have swallowed whole the Fox News attacks, and advocates retreat.
The No-No Words: Krugman uses one
The media still struggle with labeling the Administration as the chronic liars they obviously are. The demonized Ralph Nader is one of the very few who refer to impeachment as the just dessert for lying the country into this unnecessary, tragic war. The other touchy word is dictatorship- how much this cabal has resembled totalitarian regimes.
What Mr. Cheney is defending, in other words, is a doctrine that makes the United States a sort of elected dictatorship: a system in which the president, once in office, can do whatever he likes, and isn't obliged to consult or inform either Congress or the public.
Not long ago I would have thought it inconceivable that the Supreme Court would endorse that doctrine. But I would also have thought it inconceivable that a president would propound such a vision in the first place. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/opinion/27KRUG.html
Bush and the National Guard
Since the Cheney-Fox News team has gone after Kerry as to ribbons/medals, veracity of wounds, whatever, we should return to our Commander-in-Chief’s National Guard record. Seems that the White House claims that Bush released his entire record is incorrect. From James C. Moore at salon.com:
The president and his staff are doing a very good job of convincing the public he has released all of his National Guard records and that they prove he was responsible during his time in Alabama and Texas. But the critical documents have still not been seen. The mandatory written report about Bush's grounding is mysteriously not in the released file, nor is any other disciplinary evidence. A document showing a "roll-up," or the accumulation of his total retirement points, is also absent, and so are his actual pay stubs. The story keeps changing. And regardless of what the White House says about George W. Bush and his time in the Texas Air National Guard, journalists tend to accept the explanation. I can't. The president of the United States is lying to hide his behavior while he was a young pilot during the Vietnam War, and he has almost taken away reporters' ability to get the whole story. Unfortunately, the national media have other distractions, and they apparently don't think the Guard story is important enough to warrant additional effort. I think they are wrong.
The president's behavior while under oath to serve in the military is an important matter. By George W. Bush's own admission, there were at least eight months in 1972 when he was not performing assigned Guard duty. What if today's Guard members behaved as irresponsibly as Bush did during his hitch? http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/04/27/bush_guard/index_np.html
Scandal: MemoGate: Eric Lichtblau reports:
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into accusations that Republican Congressional aides stole sensitive Democratic memorandums, and the department has tapped David N. Kelley, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, to lead the politically charged case, officials said Monday.
The decision to bring in Mr. Kelley, rather than have prosecutors in Washington pursue the case, came after lawmakers from both parties urged the Justice Department to appoint an independent prosecutor to avoid the appearance of a conflict.
The department said in a letter dated Monday that it was confident that Mr. Kelley would conduct the investigation "in a thorough, fair, impartial and professional manner." Several leading Democrats applauded his appointment, with Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York saying it was "a very good first step." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/politics/27PROB.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Scandal: Illegal Shifting of FundsGate:
NY Times report (Carl Hulse):
The senior Democrats on the House and Senate appropriations committees pressed the White House on Monday for a full accounting of how the Bush administration had spent $40 billion in emergency money that was provided by Congress just days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Building on a report that the White House had prepared for the invasion of Iraq by diverting $700 million from post-Sept. 11 emergency appropriations, the two lawmakers, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and Representative David R. Obey of Wisconsin, said they had "numerous concerns" beyond the $700 million about the use of the emergency money.
"When the Congress provided the extraordinary authorities in response to the Al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, it expected that tax dollars would be managed carefully so as to provide assistance to the victims of the attack, to secure our homeland and to improve our national security," the lawmakers said in a letter to the White House.
Mr. Byrd and Mr. Obey said that contrary to the requirements of law, there appeared to have been no consultation with Congress on how $20 billion specifically handed over to the president for his allocation had been distributed. They also said the administration had not submitted required quarterly reports on the use of the entire $40 billion for almost a year. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/politics/27SPEN.html?pagewanted=print&position=
What’s Happening, Iraq: Deadly Battles, Grave Consequences
Luke Harding reports for the Guardian:
Najaf and Falluja are presenting the Bush administration with big problems with little more than two months to go before sovereignty is to be transferred to Iraqis: by resorting to force to crush the rebellions, the military risks generating further alienation and opposition.
"We were determined to stop them," said Abu Mathan, a member of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi militia, as he waved traffic over Kufa's bridge and across the Euphrates river.
He said the Americans tried to enter Najaf on Monday evening: "We attacked them with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. They bombed us with jet fighters. We put up fierce resistance. At 2am they left."
The encounter - in which the US military says it killed 64 members of Mr Sadr's militia - marks a defining moment in the war in Iraq.
Until now, the US has avoided launching an all-out offensive against Najaf for fear of antagonising Iraqi Shias. In recent weeks, however, US officials in Baghdad have been repeatedly threatening to kill or capture Mr Sadr, who has led an uprising against the US occupation.
On Monday US troops killed dozens of his supporters instead. The move is likely to inflame Shia opinion against America, making enemies of the people who initially welcomed the invasion because it rid them of Saddam Hussein.
Yet if there is any strategic thinking on the US side about how to deal with the Najaf standoff, it was hard to find it there yesterday.
The Guardian, which was given rare access into the territory defended by Mr Sadr's army, found his fighters digging in for battle along Kufa's dusty main road. In front of the library, two men wearing red kaffir headdresses chatted next to a machine gun. Trenches had been dug outside Kufa's gold-domed mosque.
The popular sentiment was not hard to fathom - alongside portraits of Mr Sadr were slogans that read: "Yes to the armed resistance" and "Death to America". http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1204966,00.html
Casualties
Karl Vick’s report on MSNBC:
The neurosurgeons at the 31st Combat Support Hospital measure the damage in the number of skulls they remove to get to the injured brain inside, a procedure known as a craniotomy. "We've done more in eight weeks than the previous neurosurgery team did in eight months," Poffenbarger said. "So there's been a change in the intensity level of the war."
Numbers tell part of the story. So far in April, more than 900 soldiers and Marines have been wounded in Iraq, more than twice the number wounded in October, the previous high. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4839405
Iraqi Flag: More Incompetence. Wrong colors, looks like Israel’s. As the AP report noted, "The new design not only abandons the symbols of Saddam's regime. It also avoids the colors used in other Arab flags: green and black for Islam and red for Arab nationalism." http://www.boston.com/dailynews/117/world/U_S_picked_Iraqi_leaders_decla:.shtml
Blair Still in Trouble:
From the Independent (Ben Russell)
Tony Blair was facing a severe crisis of confidence in his foreign policy yesterday after an unprecedented attack from dozens of the most senior figures in the British diplomatic service.
The letter from 52 former ambassadors and heads of mission who held the most senior postings in the Foreign Office, lambasted Mr Blair for abandoning his principles over the road-map to peace in the Middle East and criticised the United States-led coalition in Iraq for failing to plan for the post-Saddam era.
In a damning verdict on Mr Blair's special relationship with President George Bush, they called for a "fundamental reassessment" of British policy towards the White House and the Middle East, urging Mr Blair to exert real influence over American policy as "a matter of the highest urgency".
They added: "If that is unacceptable or unwelcome there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure." http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=515706
(Another) Comment from Hans Blix:
In some ways, the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq were similar to “the witch-hunts of past centuries,” former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix told a crowd at Texas A&M University on Friday night.
For those who believe in witches or weapons of mass destruction, he said, “the evidence does not have to be all that strong. You will take it.”
“ It seems to me that the U.S. and U.K. leadership were so convinced that there were weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq] that they couldn’t imagine they weren’t there,” Blix surmised. http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/042404hansblix.htm
-R
Monday, April 26, 2004
Dumbed Down America: Bush as Environmentalist
Let’s flash back to 1983: Reagan is at a low point. The Republicans take several polls, find him weak in several areas, most notably education. So, they send Reagan on a ‘nation-wide tour’, where he gives twice-daily speeches on the topic. After that week they poll some more. Now, Reagan receives 60+ favorable results as to his education “policies.” No new policies; he just read some speeches.
So, Bush was sent to give some speeches this week on the environment. Never mind that they were all lies; this method is a tried and true one…unless it is attacked for what it is.
Maine environmentalists said the visit is a "greenwashing" of Bush's environmental record, which they say is regressive and harmful to public +health+. Several groups plan demonstrations outside the reserve to coincide with Bush's visit.
"This administration has undertaken a concerted, systematic, very vigorous effort to undermine or repeal every important environmental law protecting the people and the environment of the United States," said Brownie Carson, executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Clean air has perhaps received the most attention in Maine. More than 13 percent of Maine children have asthma and the state has the second-highest rate of adult asthma in the country.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed more than 100 coastal Maine towns, including Wells, as places where there is a serious summer smog problem. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20040422/ap_on_sc/bush_visit
Maureen Dowd’s summary: In Bushworld, you can claim to be the environmental president on Earth Day while being the industry president every other day. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/25/opinion/25DOWD.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fMaureen%20Dowd
Dumbed Down (2): Those Polls
Jim Lobe of Asia Times looks at those disturbing polls from the U of Maryland Program on International Policy Attitudes (last blog) that show that a high percentage of Americans still ascribe to the ‘Saddam had a major role’ in 9/11, that al-Qaeda and Saddam were buddies, there were WMD, etc. No surprise here: Those pathetically mis-informed were likely to vote for Bush.
Among the 57 percent of respondents who said they believed Iraq was either "directly involved" in carrying out the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon or had provided "substantial support" to al-Qaeda, 57 percent said they intended to vote for Bush and 39 percent said they would choose his Democratic foe, Senator John Kerry.
Among the 40 percent of respondents who said they believed there was no connection at all between Saddam and al-Qaeda or that ties consisted only of minor contacts or visits, on the other hand, only 28 percent said they intended to vote for Bush, while 68 percent said their ballots would go to Kerry…
Among those who perceived experts as saying Iraq had WMD, 72 percent said they would vote for Bush, and 23 percent said they would vote for Kerry, while among those who perceived the experts as concluding that Iraq did not have WMD, 23 percent said they would vote for Bush and 74 percent for Kerry. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FD24Aa01.html
Juan Cole looks at this phenomenon:
Why would so many Americans cling to patently false beliefs? One can only speculate of course. But I would suggest that the two-party system in the US has produced a two-party epistemology. Epistemology is the study of how we know what we know. If it were accepted that Saddam had virtually nothing to do with al-Qaeda, that he had no weapons of mass destruction (nor any significant programs for producing them), and that no evidence for such things has been uncovered after the US and its allies have had a year to comb through Baath documents-- if all that is accepted, then President Bush's credibility would suffer. For his partisans, it is absolutely crucial that the president retain his credibility. Therefore, rather than face reality, they re-jigger it to create a fantasy world in which Saddam and Usamah are buddies (as in the Jimmy Fallon/ Horatio Sanz skits on the American comedy show, Saturday Night Live), and in which David Kay (of whom respondents say they've never heard) never recanted his earlier belief that the WMD was there somewhere… www.Juancole.com
Elections and Effectiveness: Liberals Whine, Republicans Organize?
Many of us talk of this being the most important election, yet, typically, too many of us are limited to hand-wringing, while the Right organizes. We on the Left know how to talk to the converted and we’re skilled at expending much energy in attending very social demonstrations. And, again, we’re good at worrying. Meanwhile, as the NY Times (Matt Bai) magazine article captures, the Right organizes.
Rove and Mehlman gleaned a critical lesson from the 2002 Congressional and 2003 gubernatorial elections, Mehlman told me excitedly: the way to build a grass-roots movement is to get one volunteer to recruit several other volunteers, and so on, so that the organization is constantly growing, feeding off itself. The campaign provided various ways for people to volunteer, he said, and ''the big thing that brings them all together is viral activity.''
The viral method not only resembles Howard Dean's campaign; it also mirrors the marketing philosophy behind Amway. And just as Amway sells its new distributors ''the Toolbox,'' which contains all the necessary books and motivational materials to get you immersed in Amway culture, so, too, does the Bush campaign have its own kind of toolbox for recruits. It includes ''7 Steps to 72-Hour Success,'' a brochure that shows you how to create your very own ''magic chart,'' a color-coded time line for every activity in the campaign.
Another of the seven steps is to recruit Bush Team Leaders, or B.T.L.'s, as the campaign sometimes refers to them. These are volunteers who are given prizes, like a signed note from the president, for accomplishing six specific tasks, the first of which is to recruit http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/25/magazine/25GROUNDWAR.html?pagewanted=print&position=
2004 Elections: How to Help: Two ideas
The obvious need is to impact states that matter, i.e. not Massachusetts, where Bush will get well under 40%. Aside from spending time in swing states (New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, etc.)…
(1) A Dean Campaign veteran notes that she uses her daughter’s Florida address to lobby Florida media and legislators. Now if she registers there…
(2) My turning-90 aunt is in Ohio, and has some friends. So, I try to talk with her about their political leanings and how, if they are Kerry supporters, to ensure that they vote, and if not...
Others?
What’s Happening, Iraq:
June 30- “Limited Sovereignty”
There’s been relatively little reaction to the Friday news that the U.S. intends to limit the “sovereignty” that is to be bestowed on Iraq in 9 weeks. Like so much else in the post-invasion period, if this wasn’t part of such a tragedy, it would be laughable. From the NY Times ( Steven Weisman):
The Bush administration's plans for a new caretaker government in Iraq would place severe limits on its sovereignty, including only partial command over its armed forces and no authority to enact new laws, administration officials said Thursday.
These restrictions to the plan negotiated with Lakhdar Brahimi, the special United Nations envoy, were presented in detail for the first time by top administration officials at Congressional hearings this week, culminating in long and intense questioning on Thursday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's hearing on the goal of returning Iraq to self-rule on June 30.
Only 10 weeks from the scheduled transfer of sovereignty, the administration is still not sure exactly who will govern in Baghdad, or precisely how they will be selected. A week ago, President Bush agreed to a recommendation by Mr. Brahimi to dismantle the existing Iraqi Governing Council, which was handpicked by the United States, and to replace it with a caretaker government whose makeup is to be decided next month http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/23/politics/23DIPL.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=
As Maureen Dowd put it,
In Bushworld, we can create an exciting Iraqi democracy as long as it doesn't control its own military, pass any laws or have any power.. And,
In Bushworld, we went to war to give Iraq a democratic process, yet we disdain the democratic process that causes allies to pull out troops.
It looks like the Pentagon’s boy, Ahmed Chalabi, will be pushed aside along with the rest of the Governing Council. Ending their existence, however it’s packaged, is an admission that the approach of the past year- making them the foundation of a new government- has indeed failed. Wise move, pathetic commentary. From the Washington Post (Robin Wright Walter Pincus)
The United States and the top U.N. envoy to Iraq have decided to exclude the majority of the Iraqi politicians the U.S.-led coalition has relied on over the past year when they select an Iraqi government to assume power on June 30, U.S. and U.N. officials said yesterday.
The latest shift in policy comes as the U.S.-led coalition has to resolve some contentious and long-standing issues before the transfer takes place. Earlier this week, the coalition moved to allow former Baath Party members and military officers to return to government jobs.
At the top of the list of those likely to be jettisoned is Ahmed Chalabi, a Shiite politician who for years was a favorite of the Pentagon and the office of Vice President Cheney, and who was once expected to assume a powerful role after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials acknowledged. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37921-2004Apr23.html
Exiting:
Some countries’ troops, ngo’s, and now the media find Iraq to be too scary a place for ongoing operations.
The BBC has dramatically scaled back its staff in Iraq and banned programme-makers from organising any new trips there amid the deteriorating security situation.
Just two reporters, David Willis and Dominic Hughes, and a small team of technical staff remain in the corporation's Baghdad bureau after Caroline Hawley and Barbara Plett left the country. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1201992,00.html
Another government has been a tad destabilized.
The defense minister of Denmark has stepped down -- and he appears to be another casualty of the flap over pre-Iraq-War intelligence.
The resignation came as Danish lawmakers questioned military intelligence reports used by the government to justify its support for the invasion of Iraq.
The defense chief (Svend Aage Jensby) said there'd been a "smear campaign" by critics who said Denmark's government had lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Denmark has nearly 500 troops in Basra and a nearby town about 250 miles southeast of Baghdad. http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1810352
Republican Disunity / Anger re Iraq $
Not all is happy in the Republican camp. One such report from the AP
With bills piling up from the deepening war in Iraq, Republicans in Congress complained Wednesday that the Bush administration's plans to put off a request for more money until early next year is unrealistic.
The war is costing about $4.7 billion a month, officials said.
The complaints among Republicans that the administration has failed to own up to the soaring costs of the war reflect growing political strains over the war and the looming elections. If the administration is indeed forced to ask for more money, Republicans would prefer to see that happen while the election is months away.
In surprisingly sharp terms, members of the House Armed Services Committee criticized the administration's plan to wait to seek additional money until after the election. http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4735911.html
But, really, how do we get out?
Kerry has made clear he too is committed to stay the course, though with a broader coalition. But some are thinking about how to get out. One such notion, from Peter Galbraith who proposes basically a de facto partition of the country, something akin to the old Yugoslavia, with three highly autonomous republics within a loose national government. One idea, amongst the few. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17103
What Hath We Wrought? Jihad!
Nothing surprising here, as more European-based Muslims have been radicalized. From Monday’s NY Times (Patrick Tyler, Don Van Natta, Jr.)
The call to jihad is rising in the streets of Europe, and is being answered, counterterrorism officials say.
In this former industrial town north of London, a small group of young Britons whose parents emigrated from Pakistan after World War II have turned against their families' new home. They say they would like to see Prime Minister Tony Blair dead or deposed and an Islamic flag hanging outside No. 10 Downing Street.
They swear allegiance to Osama bin Laden and his goal of toppling Western democracies to establish an Islamic superstate under Shariah law, like Afghanistan under the Taliban. They call the Sept. 11 hijackers the "Magnificent 19" and regard the Madrid train bombings as a clever way to drive a wedge into Europe. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/26/international/europe/26EURO.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=
As Maureen Dowd, put it
In Bushworld, we're making progress in the war on terror by fighting a war that creates terrorists.
Touch Screen Voting: More Doubts; But What’s Being Done?
A growing number of federal and state legislators are expressing doubts about the integrity of the ATM-like electronic voting machines that at least 50 million Americans will use to cast their ballots in November.
Computer scientists have long criticized the so-called touchscreen machines as not being much more reliable than home computers, which can crash, malfunction and fall prey to hackers and viruses.
Now, a series of failures in primaries across the nation has shaken confidence in the technology installed at thousands of precincts. Despite reassurances from the machines' makers, at least 20 states have introduced legislation requiring a paper record of every vote cast.
On Thursday, a key California panel unanimously recommended banning a popular Diebold Inc. paperless touchscreen model - a move that could force Diebold and other manufacturers to overhaul their business practices nationwide. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who said Diebold glitches "jeopardized the outcome" of the March 2 primary, has until April 30 to decide whether to decertify Diebold and possibly other touchscreen terminals in California. http://www.starbanner.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040424/NEWS/204240320/1009/BUSINESS&template=printart
Raising Doubts about Kerry
Aside from Republican attack ads, we have the media doing its part. Sunday’s NY Times had a large article on Teresa’s finances. Worse was Saturday’s front page story on whether Kerry attended a meeting in 1971 that included incendiary talk. This just two days after media gave a veteran ideologue-hack space for his renewed charge that Kerry disgraced the uniform, one day after saying questions were raised about one of his medals. Then there’s another one today on whether he threw away his ribbons or medals. Such credibility problems! Oh, that liberal media.
Saturday’s:
…questions were raised last month about whether a 27-year-old John Kerry had attended a Kansas City meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War where the assassination of senators was discussed, the Kerry presidential campaign went into action.
It accepted the resignation of a campaign volunteer in Florida, Scott Camil, the member of the antiwar group who raised the idea in November 1971 of killing politicians who backed the war. The campaign pressed other veterans who were in Kansas City, Mo., 33 years ago to re-examine their hazy memories while assuring them that Mr. Kerry was sure he had not been there…
Two weeks later, he married Julia Thorne, and on a trip to Europe with his new bride, Mr. Kerry, the 26-year-old ex-lieutenant took a taxicab from Paris to a suburban villa. The son of a diplomat, Mr. Kerry had managed to arrange a private meeting with North Vietnamese and Vietcong emissaries to the peace talks.
He says he does not remember who else was in the room except for Nguyen Thi Binh, the Vietcong spokeswoman in Paris, who was then bedeviling the Nixon administration by issuing peace proposals it considered little more than propaganda. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/24/politics/campaign/24VET.html
As Maureen Dowd put it,
In Bushworld, you get to strut around like a tough military guy and paint your rival as a chicken hawk, even though he's the one who won medals in combat and was praised by his superior officers for fulfilling all his obligations.
-R
Let’s flash back to 1983: Reagan is at a low point. The Republicans take several polls, find him weak in several areas, most notably education. So, they send Reagan on a ‘nation-wide tour’, where he gives twice-daily speeches on the topic. After that week they poll some more. Now, Reagan receives 60+ favorable results as to his education “policies.” No new policies; he just read some speeches.
So, Bush was sent to give some speeches this week on the environment. Never mind that they were all lies; this method is a tried and true one…unless it is attacked for what it is.
Maine environmentalists said the visit is a "greenwashing" of Bush's environmental record, which they say is regressive and harmful to public +health+. Several groups plan demonstrations outside the reserve to coincide with Bush's visit.
"This administration has undertaken a concerted, systematic, very vigorous effort to undermine or repeal every important environmental law protecting the people and the environment of the United States," said Brownie Carson, executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
Clean air has perhaps received the most attention in Maine. More than 13 percent of Maine children have asthma and the state has the second-highest rate of adult asthma in the country.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed more than 100 coastal Maine towns, including Wells, as places where there is a serious summer smog problem. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20040422/ap_on_sc/bush_visit
Maureen Dowd’s summary: In Bushworld, you can claim to be the environmental president on Earth Day while being the industry president every other day. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/25/opinion/25DOWD.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fMaureen%20Dowd
Dumbed Down (2): Those Polls
Jim Lobe of Asia Times looks at those disturbing polls from the U of Maryland Program on International Policy Attitudes (last blog) that show that a high percentage of Americans still ascribe to the ‘Saddam had a major role’ in 9/11, that al-Qaeda and Saddam were buddies, there were WMD, etc. No surprise here: Those pathetically mis-informed were likely to vote for Bush.
Among the 57 percent of respondents who said they believed Iraq was either "directly involved" in carrying out the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon or had provided "substantial support" to al-Qaeda, 57 percent said they intended to vote for Bush and 39 percent said they would choose his Democratic foe, Senator John Kerry.
Among the 40 percent of respondents who said they believed there was no connection at all between Saddam and al-Qaeda or that ties consisted only of minor contacts or visits, on the other hand, only 28 percent said they intended to vote for Bush, while 68 percent said their ballots would go to Kerry…
Among those who perceived experts as saying Iraq had WMD, 72 percent said they would vote for Bush, and 23 percent said they would vote for Kerry, while among those who perceived the experts as concluding that Iraq did not have WMD, 23 percent said they would vote for Bush and 74 percent for Kerry. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FD24Aa01.html
Juan Cole looks at this phenomenon:
Why would so many Americans cling to patently false beliefs? One can only speculate of course. But I would suggest that the two-party system in the US has produced a two-party epistemology. Epistemology is the study of how we know what we know. If it were accepted that Saddam had virtually nothing to do with al-Qaeda, that he had no weapons of mass destruction (nor any significant programs for producing them), and that no evidence for such things has been uncovered after the US and its allies have had a year to comb through Baath documents-- if all that is accepted, then President Bush's credibility would suffer. For his partisans, it is absolutely crucial that the president retain his credibility. Therefore, rather than face reality, they re-jigger it to create a fantasy world in which Saddam and Usamah are buddies (as in the Jimmy Fallon/ Horatio Sanz skits on the American comedy show, Saturday Night Live), and in which David Kay (of whom respondents say they've never heard) never recanted his earlier belief that the WMD was there somewhere… www.Juancole.com
Elections and Effectiveness: Liberals Whine, Republicans Organize?
Many of us talk of this being the most important election, yet, typically, too many of us are limited to hand-wringing, while the Right organizes. We on the Left know how to talk to the converted and we’re skilled at expending much energy in attending very social demonstrations. And, again, we’re good at worrying. Meanwhile, as the NY Times (Matt Bai) magazine article captures, the Right organizes.
Rove and Mehlman gleaned a critical lesson from the 2002 Congressional and 2003 gubernatorial elections, Mehlman told me excitedly: the way to build a grass-roots movement is to get one volunteer to recruit several other volunteers, and so on, so that the organization is constantly growing, feeding off itself. The campaign provided various ways for people to volunteer, he said, and ''the big thing that brings them all together is viral activity.''
The viral method not only resembles Howard Dean's campaign; it also mirrors the marketing philosophy behind Amway. And just as Amway sells its new distributors ''the Toolbox,'' which contains all the necessary books and motivational materials to get you immersed in Amway culture, so, too, does the Bush campaign have its own kind of toolbox for recruits. It includes ''7 Steps to 72-Hour Success,'' a brochure that shows you how to create your very own ''magic chart,'' a color-coded time line for every activity in the campaign.
Another of the seven steps is to recruit Bush Team Leaders, or B.T.L.'s, as the campaign sometimes refers to them. These are volunteers who are given prizes, like a signed note from the president, for accomplishing six specific tasks, the first of which is to recruit http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/25/magazine/25GROUNDWAR.html?pagewanted=print&position=
2004 Elections: How to Help: Two ideas
The obvious need is to impact states that matter, i.e. not Massachusetts, where Bush will get well under 40%. Aside from spending time in swing states (New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, etc.)…
(1) A Dean Campaign veteran notes that she uses her daughter’s Florida address to lobby Florida media and legislators. Now if she registers there…
(2) My turning-90 aunt is in Ohio, and has some friends. So, I try to talk with her about their political leanings and how, if they are Kerry supporters, to ensure that they vote, and if not...
Others?
What’s Happening, Iraq:
June 30- “Limited Sovereignty”
There’s been relatively little reaction to the Friday news that the U.S. intends to limit the “sovereignty” that is to be bestowed on Iraq in 9 weeks. Like so much else in the post-invasion period, if this wasn’t part of such a tragedy, it would be laughable. From the NY Times ( Steven Weisman):
The Bush administration's plans for a new caretaker government in Iraq would place severe limits on its sovereignty, including only partial command over its armed forces and no authority to enact new laws, administration officials said Thursday.
These restrictions to the plan negotiated with Lakhdar Brahimi, the special United Nations envoy, were presented in detail for the first time by top administration officials at Congressional hearings this week, culminating in long and intense questioning on Thursday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's hearing on the goal of returning Iraq to self-rule on June 30.
Only 10 weeks from the scheduled transfer of sovereignty, the administration is still not sure exactly who will govern in Baghdad, or precisely how they will be selected. A week ago, President Bush agreed to a recommendation by Mr. Brahimi to dismantle the existing Iraqi Governing Council, which was handpicked by the United States, and to replace it with a caretaker government whose makeup is to be decided next month http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/23/politics/23DIPL.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=
As Maureen Dowd put it,
In Bushworld, we can create an exciting Iraqi democracy as long as it doesn't control its own military, pass any laws or have any power.. And,
In Bushworld, we went to war to give Iraq a democratic process, yet we disdain the democratic process that causes allies to pull out troops.
It looks like the Pentagon’s boy, Ahmed Chalabi, will be pushed aside along with the rest of the Governing Council. Ending their existence, however it’s packaged, is an admission that the approach of the past year- making them the foundation of a new government- has indeed failed. Wise move, pathetic commentary. From the Washington Post (Robin Wright Walter Pincus)
The United States and the top U.N. envoy to Iraq have decided to exclude the majority of the Iraqi politicians the U.S.-led coalition has relied on over the past year when they select an Iraqi government to assume power on June 30, U.S. and U.N. officials said yesterday.
The latest shift in policy comes as the U.S.-led coalition has to resolve some contentious and long-standing issues before the transfer takes place. Earlier this week, the coalition moved to allow former Baath Party members and military officers to return to government jobs.
At the top of the list of those likely to be jettisoned is Ahmed Chalabi, a Shiite politician who for years was a favorite of the Pentagon and the office of Vice President Cheney, and who was once expected to assume a powerful role after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials acknowledged. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37921-2004Apr23.html
Exiting:
Some countries’ troops, ngo’s, and now the media find Iraq to be too scary a place for ongoing operations.
The BBC has dramatically scaled back its staff in Iraq and banned programme-makers from organising any new trips there amid the deteriorating security situation.
Just two reporters, David Willis and Dominic Hughes, and a small team of technical staff remain in the corporation's Baghdad bureau after Caroline Hawley and Barbara Plett left the country. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1201992,00.html
Another government has been a tad destabilized.
The defense minister of Denmark has stepped down -- and he appears to be another casualty of the flap over pre-Iraq-War intelligence.
The resignation came as Danish lawmakers questioned military intelligence reports used by the government to justify its support for the invasion of Iraq.
The defense chief (Svend Aage Jensby) said there'd been a "smear campaign" by critics who said Denmark's government had lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Denmark has nearly 500 troops in Basra and a nearby town about 250 miles southeast of Baghdad. http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1810352
Republican Disunity / Anger re Iraq $
Not all is happy in the Republican camp. One such report from the AP
With bills piling up from the deepening war in Iraq, Republicans in Congress complained Wednesday that the Bush administration's plans to put off a request for more money until early next year is unrealistic.
The war is costing about $4.7 billion a month, officials said.
The complaints among Republicans that the administration has failed to own up to the soaring costs of the war reflect growing political strains over the war and the looming elections. If the administration is indeed forced to ask for more money, Republicans would prefer to see that happen while the election is months away.
In surprisingly sharp terms, members of the House Armed Services Committee criticized the administration's plan to wait to seek additional money until after the election. http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4735911.html
But, really, how do we get out?
Kerry has made clear he too is committed to stay the course, though with a broader coalition. But some are thinking about how to get out. One such notion, from Peter Galbraith who proposes basically a de facto partition of the country, something akin to the old Yugoslavia, with three highly autonomous republics within a loose national government. One idea, amongst the few. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/17103
What Hath We Wrought? Jihad!
Nothing surprising here, as more European-based Muslims have been radicalized. From Monday’s NY Times (Patrick Tyler, Don Van Natta, Jr.)
The call to jihad is rising in the streets of Europe, and is being answered, counterterrorism officials say.
In this former industrial town north of London, a small group of young Britons whose parents emigrated from Pakistan after World War II have turned against their families' new home. They say they would like to see Prime Minister Tony Blair dead or deposed and an Islamic flag hanging outside No. 10 Downing Street.
They swear allegiance to Osama bin Laden and his goal of toppling Western democracies to establish an Islamic superstate under Shariah law, like Afghanistan under the Taliban. They call the Sept. 11 hijackers the "Magnificent 19" and regard the Madrid train bombings as a clever way to drive a wedge into Europe. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/26/international/europe/26EURO.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=
As Maureen Dowd, put it
In Bushworld, we're making progress in the war on terror by fighting a war that creates terrorists.
Touch Screen Voting: More Doubts; But What’s Being Done?
A growing number of federal and state legislators are expressing doubts about the integrity of the ATM-like electronic voting machines that at least 50 million Americans will use to cast their ballots in November.
Computer scientists have long criticized the so-called touchscreen machines as not being much more reliable than home computers, which can crash, malfunction and fall prey to hackers and viruses.
Now, a series of failures in primaries across the nation has shaken confidence in the technology installed at thousands of precincts. Despite reassurances from the machines' makers, at least 20 states have introduced legislation requiring a paper record of every vote cast.
On Thursday, a key California panel unanimously recommended banning a popular Diebold Inc. paperless touchscreen model - a move that could force Diebold and other manufacturers to overhaul their business practices nationwide. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, who said Diebold glitches "jeopardized the outcome" of the March 2 primary, has until April 30 to decide whether to decertify Diebold and possibly other touchscreen terminals in California. http://www.starbanner.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040424/NEWS/204240320/1009/BUSINESS&template=printart
Raising Doubts about Kerry
Aside from Republican attack ads, we have the media doing its part. Sunday’s NY Times had a large article on Teresa’s finances. Worse was Saturday’s front page story on whether Kerry attended a meeting in 1971 that included incendiary talk. This just two days after media gave a veteran ideologue-hack space for his renewed charge that Kerry disgraced the uniform, one day after saying questions were raised about one of his medals. Then there’s another one today on whether he threw away his ribbons or medals. Such credibility problems! Oh, that liberal media.
Saturday’s:
…questions were raised last month about whether a 27-year-old John Kerry had attended a Kansas City meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War where the assassination of senators was discussed, the Kerry presidential campaign went into action.
It accepted the resignation of a campaign volunteer in Florida, Scott Camil, the member of the antiwar group who raised the idea in November 1971 of killing politicians who backed the war. The campaign pressed other veterans who were in Kansas City, Mo., 33 years ago to re-examine their hazy memories while assuring them that Mr. Kerry was sure he had not been there…
Two weeks later, he married Julia Thorne, and on a trip to Europe with his new bride, Mr. Kerry, the 26-year-old ex-lieutenant took a taxicab from Paris to a suburban villa. The son of a diplomat, Mr. Kerry had managed to arrange a private meeting with North Vietnamese and Vietcong emissaries to the peace talks.
He says he does not remember who else was in the room except for Nguyen Thi Binh, the Vietcong spokeswoman in Paris, who was then bedeviling the Nixon administration by issuing peace proposals it considered little more than propaganda. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/24/politics/campaign/24VET.html
As Maureen Dowd put it,
In Bushworld, you get to strut around like a tough military guy and paint your rival as a chicken hawk, even though he's the one who won medals in combat and was praised by his superior officers for fulfilling all his obligations.
-R
