From American Progress:
Think Fast
Iraq's military is drawing up plans on how to respond if the U.S. military withdraws its forces. "The army plans on the basis of a worst-case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout."
$3.22 per gallon: The average price for regular unleaded gasoline, matching the record set in 1981. "Gasoline prices have rocketed $1.05 a gallon since the beginning of February and are up 33 cents from a year ago."
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, "who led the Pentagon's effort to hunt down Osama bin Laden and once likened the war on terror to a Christian struggle against Satan," is retiring.
"At least 27 American citizens, including five U.S. servicemen and 22 private businessmen and contractors, are being held hostage by militant groups worldwide. ... Nineteen of the Americans held hostage are in Iraq."
The New York Times writes, "As more and more workers who inhaled the dust at ground zero fall ill, it has become increasingly clear that much of the problem can be traced to the Giuliani administration's failure to insist that all emergency personnel and construction workers at the site wear respirators."
At least 11 species of butterflies are "making their earliest recorded appearances this spring" in Great Britain, "in what will be seen as the most remarkable demonstration yet of the effects of climate change on Britain's wildlife." A new report also finds that "rates of carbon dioxide emission from industrial sources increased from 2000 to 2004 'at a rate that is over three times the rate during the 1990s.'"
"Despite a grueling pre-recess schedule, Senate Democrats may still press forward with plans to hold an unprecedented no-confidence vote at the end of this week on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. But a crowded legislative calendar, plus likely opposition from Republicans, could thwart their plans and delay a vote until after Memorial Day."
And finally: Even lawmakers need distractions. During a House debate on Thursday, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) was "waxing eloquent" on the "motion to recommit on the defense authorization bill." Sitting right behind Skelton was Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who nodded off "for several minutes in full view of the cameras." Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was also caught "signing letters on his official stationery" during yesterday's immigration debate.
Wrap...
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
How very macho Bush is....
From truthout.org :
US Secretly Launches Second Iraq Troop Surge
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052207A.shtml
The Bush administration is quietly on track to nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year, an analysis of Pentagon deployment orders showed on Monday.
[click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
US Secretly Launches Second Iraq Troop Surge
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052207A.shtml
The Bush administration is quietly on track to nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year, an analysis of Pentagon deployment orders showed on Monday.
[click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
What's stopping Impeachment????
From Salon.com :
Congress, the media and most of the American people have yet to turn decisively against Bush because to do so would be to turn against some part of themselves.
By Gary Kamiya
May. 22, 2007
The Bush presidency is a lot of things. It's a secretive cabal, a cavalcade of incompetence, a blood-stained Church Militant, a bad rerun of "The Godfather" in which scary men in suits pay ominous visits to hospital rooms. But seen from the point of view of the American people, what it increasingly resembles is a bad marriage. America finds itself married to a guy who has turned out to be a complete dud. Divorce -- which in our nonparliamentary system means impeachment -- is the logical solution. But even though Bush cheated on us, lied, besmirched our family's name and spent all our money, we the people, not to mention our elected representatives and the media, seem content to stick it out to the bitter end.
There is a strange disconnect in the way Americans think about George W. Bush. He is extraordinarily unpopular. His approval ratings, which have been abysmal for about 18 months, have now sunk to their lowest ever, making him the most unpopular president in a generation. His 28 percent approval rating in a May 5 Newsweek poll ties that of Jimmy Carter in 1979 after the failed Iran rescue mission. Bush's unpopularity has emboldened congressional Democrats, who now have no qualms about attacking him directly and flatly asserting that his Iraq war is lost.
Some of them have also been willing to invoke the I-word -- joining a large number of Americans....
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2007/05/22/impeachment/print.html
Wrap...
Congress, the media and most of the American people have yet to turn decisively against Bush because to do so would be to turn against some part of themselves.
By Gary Kamiya
May. 22, 2007
The Bush presidency is a lot of things. It's a secretive cabal, a cavalcade of incompetence, a blood-stained Church Militant, a bad rerun of "The Godfather" in which scary men in suits pay ominous visits to hospital rooms. But seen from the point of view of the American people, what it increasingly resembles is a bad marriage. America finds itself married to a guy who has turned out to be a complete dud. Divorce -- which in our nonparliamentary system means impeachment -- is the logical solution. But even though Bush cheated on us, lied, besmirched our family's name and spent all our money, we the people, not to mention our elected representatives and the media, seem content to stick it out to the bitter end.
There is a strange disconnect in the way Americans think about George W. Bush. He is extraordinarily unpopular. His approval ratings, which have been abysmal for about 18 months, have now sunk to their lowest ever, making him the most unpopular president in a generation. His 28 percent approval rating in a May 5 Newsweek poll ties that of Jimmy Carter in 1979 after the failed Iran rescue mission. Bush's unpopularity has emboldened congressional Democrats, who now have no qualms about attacking him directly and flatly asserting that his Iraq war is lost.
Some of them have also been willing to invoke the I-word -- joining a large number of Americans....
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2007/05/22/impeachment/print.html
Wrap...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Iowa's "Freedom Rock"...the painter...
From San Diego Union-Tribune:
'Freedom Rock' a Memorial Day fixture
Each year, artist turns boulder into patriotic statement
By Nafeesa Syeed
ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 21, 2007
MENLO, Iowa – Ray “Bubba” Sorensen wanted to quit years ago, but there he was, turning up again and again at a 56-ton boulder to paint murals of the sacrifices of America's service members.
For nine years, Sorensen has painted on the boulder dubbed “Freedom Rock.” It has made him a celebrity in this a of central Iowa farm country and has become a Memorial Day tradition that draws thousands of people.
“I'm thanking these guys who signed up to do a job no one else wants to do,” said Sorensen, 27, a graphic artist from Ames, Iowa.
His idea began with a spurt of patriotism after watching the movie “Saving Private Ryan.”
Before Sorensen painted murals each May, the boulder about 40 miles west of Des Moines on an empty stretch of Highway 25 was covered with graffiti. Only once has the rock been defaced since he began painting scenes of soldiers, whether they are crossing the Delaware with Gen. George Washington or flying in a helicopter over Vietnam.
It takes Sorensen about three weeks to sketch and paint scenes on the rock. He sometimes works past midnight, using floodlights.
On a recent May morning, Sorensen knelt on gravel, methodically painting an image of Marines carrying a stretcher.
Every year, Marilee Kajewski, 54, of northeast Iowa stops to see the rock.
“I think it is an amazing tribute to the armed forces,” said Kajewski, whose father fought in World War II.
Local businesspeople encourage visits to the rock, arranging bus trips and erecting a welcome kiosk with a plastic mail bin that reads: “Leave a Note for Bubba.”
The site is especially popular with Vietnam War veterans.
Last year, a group of California veterans riding motorcycles to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington stopped at the mural before its completion. They planned to sprinkle the ashes of deceased friends around the rock, but Sorensen offered to mix the ashes into the paint.
“Eight different Vietnam vets ended up in the paint,” he said. “It kind of made it a living memorial.”
Sorensen sells prints and T-shirts emblazoned with images from the mural, but the money covers little more than the cost of his supplies. He planned to stop painting the boulder in 2003 but reconsidered after a call from an American Legion post in Colorado.
“I had to talk to every legion member. I was probably on the phone for three hours,” Sorensen said. “They were all giving reasons why I shouldn't quit.”
Sorensen emphasizes that his murals are in support of veterans, not blind backing of war.
“I'm not pro-war or pro-anybody's policy,” he said. “It's just one big thank you."
Wrap...
'Freedom Rock' a Memorial Day fixture
Each year, artist turns boulder into patriotic statement
By Nafeesa Syeed
ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 21, 2007
MENLO, Iowa – Ray “Bubba” Sorensen wanted to quit years ago, but there he was, turning up again and again at a 56-ton boulder to paint murals of the sacrifices of America's service members.
For nine years, Sorensen has painted on the boulder dubbed “Freedom Rock.” It has made him a celebrity in this a of central Iowa farm country and has become a Memorial Day tradition that draws thousands of people.
“I'm thanking these guys who signed up to do a job no one else wants to do,” said Sorensen, 27, a graphic artist from Ames, Iowa.
His idea began with a spurt of patriotism after watching the movie “Saving Private Ryan.”
Before Sorensen painted murals each May, the boulder about 40 miles west of Des Moines on an empty stretch of Highway 25 was covered with graffiti. Only once has the rock been defaced since he began painting scenes of soldiers, whether they are crossing the Delaware with Gen. George Washington or flying in a helicopter over Vietnam.
It takes Sorensen about three weeks to sketch and paint scenes on the rock. He sometimes works past midnight, using floodlights.
On a recent May morning, Sorensen knelt on gravel, methodically painting an image of Marines carrying a stretcher.
Every year, Marilee Kajewski, 54, of northeast Iowa stops to see the rock.
“I think it is an amazing tribute to the armed forces,” said Kajewski, whose father fought in World War II.
Local businesspeople encourage visits to the rock, arranging bus trips and erecting a welcome kiosk with a plastic mail bin that reads: “Leave a Note for Bubba.”
The site is especially popular with Vietnam War veterans.
Last year, a group of California veterans riding motorcycles to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington stopped at the mural before its completion. They planned to sprinkle the ashes of deceased friends around the rock, but Sorensen offered to mix the ashes into the paint.
“Eight different Vietnam vets ended up in the paint,” he said. “It kind of made it a living memorial.”
Sorensen sells prints and T-shirts emblazoned with images from the mural, but the money covers little more than the cost of his supplies. He planned to stop painting the boulder in 2003 but reconsidered after a call from an American Legion post in Colorado.
“I had to talk to every legion member. I was probably on the phone for three hours,” Sorensen said. “They were all giving reasons why I shouldn't quit.”
Sorensen emphasizes that his murals are in support of veterans, not blind backing of war.
“I'm not pro-war or pro-anybody's policy,” he said. “It's just one big thank you."
Wrap...
Messing with FISA...again....
From Secrecy News:
DNI URGES UPDATE OF FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT
According to the Director of National Intelligence, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978, the law that regulates domestic intelligence surveillance, desperately needs to be updated to accommodate the latest technologies."Technology and threats have changed, but the law remains essentially the same," wrote DNI Mike McConnell in a Washington Post op-ed on May21. "The failure to update this law comes at an increasingly steep price."
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20070521_release.pdf
But contrary to Director McConnell's surprising claim, FISA has been repeatedly and substantively modified and updated over the years."
Abiding by FISA does not mean clinging to [an obsolete] 1978 structure," said Rep. Jane Harman, then-ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, last summer. "FISA has been modernized.""Each time the Administration has come to Congress and asked to modernize FISA, Congress has said 'yes'," she recalled.
The Congressional Research Service tabulated dozens of legislative changes that were made to the FISA between 1994 and 2006. See:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/m071906.pdf
Glenn Greenwald elaborated on some of the changes made to FISA in a vigorous rebuttal to the DNI's op-ed.
See "The administration's FISAfalsehoods continue unabated," Salon, May 21
:http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/21/fisa_changes/index.html
Wrap...
DNI URGES UPDATE OF FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT
According to the Director of National Intelligence, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978, the law that regulates domestic intelligence surveillance, desperately needs to be updated to accommodate the latest technologies."Technology and threats have changed, but the law remains essentially the same," wrote DNI Mike McConnell in a Washington Post op-ed on May21. "The failure to update this law comes at an increasingly steep price."
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20070521_release.pdf
But contrary to Director McConnell's surprising claim, FISA has been repeatedly and substantively modified and updated over the years."
Abiding by FISA does not mean clinging to [an obsolete] 1978 structure," said Rep. Jane Harman, then-ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, last summer. "FISA has been modernized.""Each time the Administration has come to Congress and asked to modernize FISA, Congress has said 'yes'," she recalled.
The Congressional Research Service tabulated dozens of legislative changes that were made to the FISA between 1994 and 2006. See:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/m071906.pdf
Glenn Greenwald elaborated on some of the changes made to FISA in a vigorous rebuttal to the DNI's op-ed.
See "The administration's FISAfalsehoods continue unabated," Salon, May 21
:http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/21/fisa_changes/index.html
Wrap...
Intel on Iraq to Clinton's musical win...
From American Progress:
"Two intelligence assessments from January 2003 predicted that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and subsequent U.S. occupation of Iraq could lead to internal violence and provide a boost to Islamic extremists and terrorists in the region." They will be released as part of the "Phase II" Senate report on pre-war intelligence.
In an op-ed, Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Jodi Rell (R-CT) say it "borders on malfeasance" for the Bush administration "to block the efforts" of their states to reduce global warming pollution. "For the last 16 months," the EPA has refused to sign off on state plans to enact tailpipe emissions standards.
Incoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown reportedly plans to cut British troop numbers in Iraq from 7,000 to 2,000 over the next 12 months, and have all troops removed by spring 2008.
"Since the British military began allowing homosexuals to serve in the armed forces in 2000, none of its fears -- about harassment, discord, blackmail, bullying or an erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness --- have come to pass. ... The biggest news about the policy, they say, is that there is no news. It has for the most part become a nonissue."
25 percent: The number of Americans who say "things in the U.S. are going in the right direction. ... That is about the lowest level of satisfaction detected since the survey started in December 2003."
"As Iraq's government compiles a record of failure, the Bush administration is under growing pressure to intervene to rearrange Baghdad's dysfunctional political order, or even install a new leadership." Echoing Jim Hoagland, one U.S. official calls it the "eternal temptation for the Americans."
"The average price of self-serve regular gasoline hit a record high of $3.18, rising more than 11 cents over the past two weeks, according to a nationwide survey released Sunday."
"A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday in a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan, killing 14 people and wounding 31," one day "after a suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan killed three German soldiers and seven bystanders."
"After an initially tepid reception from policymakers, the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are getting a second look from the White House and Congress, as officials continue to scour for bipartisan solutions to salvage the American engagement in Iraq."
And finally: "Inspired by Tony Snow and Bob Schieffer's battle of the bands last week, MSNBC's 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' held a 'D.C. Idol' contest to let viewers vote for their favorite vocal moment by a politician. The winner, announced Friday, was Bill Clinton with his version of 'Imagine' from Israel. Clinton won with 38 percent, besting the likes of John Ashcroft's 'Let the Eagle Soar' and Karl Rove's 'MC Rove.'"
Wrap...
"Two intelligence assessments from January 2003 predicted that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and subsequent U.S. occupation of Iraq could lead to internal violence and provide a boost to Islamic extremists and terrorists in the region." They will be released as part of the "Phase II" Senate report on pre-war intelligence.
In an op-ed, Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Jodi Rell (R-CT) say it "borders on malfeasance" for the Bush administration "to block the efforts" of their states to reduce global warming pollution. "For the last 16 months," the EPA has refused to sign off on state plans to enact tailpipe emissions standards.
Incoming Prime Minister Gordon Brown reportedly plans to cut British troop numbers in Iraq from 7,000 to 2,000 over the next 12 months, and have all troops removed by spring 2008.
"Since the British military began allowing homosexuals to serve in the armed forces in 2000, none of its fears -- about harassment, discord, blackmail, bullying or an erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness --- have come to pass. ... The biggest news about the policy, they say, is that there is no news. It has for the most part become a nonissue."
25 percent: The number of Americans who say "things in the U.S. are going in the right direction. ... That is about the lowest level of satisfaction detected since the survey started in December 2003."
"As Iraq's government compiles a record of failure, the Bush administration is under growing pressure to intervene to rearrange Baghdad's dysfunctional political order, or even install a new leadership." Echoing Jim Hoagland, one U.S. official calls it the "eternal temptation for the Americans."
"The average price of self-serve regular gasoline hit a record high of $3.18, rising more than 11 cents over the past two weeks, according to a nationwide survey released Sunday."
"A suicide bomber blew himself up Sunday in a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan, killing 14 people and wounding 31," one day "after a suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan killed three German soldiers and seven bystanders."
"After an initially tepid reception from policymakers, the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are getting a second look from the White House and Congress, as officials continue to scour for bipartisan solutions to salvage the American engagement in Iraq."
And finally: "Inspired by Tony Snow and Bob Schieffer's battle of the bands last week, MSNBC's 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' held a 'D.C. Idol' contest to let viewers vote for their favorite vocal moment by a politician. The winner, announced Friday, was Bill Clinton with his version of 'Imagine' from Israel. Clinton won with 38 percent, besting the likes of John Ashcroft's 'Let the Eagle Soar' and Karl Rove's 'MC Rove.'"
Wrap...
Rove! Hand over the blasted emails...or else...
From truthout.org:
Missing Rove Emails Point to Violation of Records Act
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052107A.shtml
Jason Leopold and Matt Renner report: "The story has deja vu written all over it as Rove finds himself smack in the middle of the latest high-profile scandal plaguing the White House - the apparent politically motivated firings of nine US attorneys last year.
Once again, lawmakers are doing their darnedest to obtain copies of Rove's emails linking him directly to the US attorney scandal, and once again serious questions are being raised about the lengths to which Gonzales, as head of the Justice Department, and the Bush administration are willing to go to insulate Rove."
[click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Missing Rove Emails Point to Violation of Records Act
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052107A.shtml
Jason Leopold and Matt Renner report: "The story has deja vu written all over it as Rove finds himself smack in the middle of the latest high-profile scandal plaguing the White House - the apparent politically motivated firings of nine US attorneys last year.
Once again, lawmakers are doing their darnedest to obtain copies of Rove's emails linking him directly to the US attorney scandal, and once again serious questions are being raised about the lengths to which Gonzales, as head of the Justice Department, and the Bush administration are willing to go to insulate Rove."
[click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Triangulation stinks....
From David Sirota:
Driving Triangulation "Over the Dead Bodies" of the ProgressiveMovement
The term "triangulation" in politics means a set of leaders joining with their opponents to pass measures that run counter to those leaders' own supporters.
Typically, triangulation is practiced by presidents against their own parties in Congress, with the master of triangulation being President Bill Clinton who, among other things, rammed welfare reform and NAFTA "over the dead bodies" of rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers and the progressive movement.
Can congressional leaders can pull the same move? Unfortunately, we're going to find out very soon, as congressional Democratic leaders are very clearly attempting to triangulate against their own party on the three issues the party ran on to win Election 2006.
To see the full post, go to:http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/dems_driving_triangulation_ove.html{http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/dems_driving_triangulation_ove.html}
Wrap...
Driving Triangulation "Over the Dead Bodies" of the ProgressiveMovement
The term "triangulation" in politics means a set of leaders joining with their opponents to pass measures that run counter to those leaders' own supporters.
Typically, triangulation is practiced by presidents against their own parties in Congress, with the master of triangulation being President Bill Clinton who, among other things, rammed welfare reform and NAFTA "over the dead bodies" of rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers and the progressive movement.
Can congressional leaders can pull the same move? Unfortunately, we're going to find out very soon, as congressional Democratic leaders are very clearly attempting to triangulate against their own party on the three issues the party ran on to win Election 2006.
To see the full post, go to:http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/dems_driving_triangulation_ove.html{http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/dems_driving_triangulation_ove.html}
Wrap...
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Potrero...Blackwater USA wants this valley...
From San Diego Archaeological Center:
Potrero: A Mountain Meadow
Less than one hundred years ago Potrero Valley was believed to be heavily forested with oaks, elders and sycamores. The surrounding area once consisted of chaparral and meadows. In July of 1979 an archaeological investigation was conducted on the Chacksfield property, which is located 1.2 miles north of Tecate Peak, 3 miles south of Potrero Peak and 1.4 miles north of the U.S./Mexico boarder.
Prior to the archaeological investigation, the area had housed families who used the land for farming and raising cattle.
The Potrero Valley was first settled by non-natives in 1868 by sea captain Charles McAlmond. Since that time the thick forests which once covered the area have been exploited by the early settlers in many different ways including cash crops of cordwood, bark for tanning leather and smoking meat, medicinal teas, and the making of ink.
The Chacksfield Project focused on finding information on who lived in the area prior to 1868 and how they lived. Artifacts such as metavolcanic material and pottery sherds indicate that people have been living in this area for over one thousand years. Evidence of milling activity, such as bedrock metates and manos along with marine shells, bones and pottery sherds date this site as a Late Prehistoric satellite camp.
This area was most likely occupied during the late summer and early fall as part of a larger village-camp system. Marine shells found at the site indicate trade with groups living up to 40 miles away in the coastal area. Different pottery sherds found at the site indicate that trade with groups living in the Carrizo Valley and perhaps even with the Desert Cahuilla.
The archaeological artifacts found at Potrero represent the Late Prehistoric Period (900 AD to 1769 AD). The artifacts used in this exhibit are curated at the San Diego Archaeological Center.
This exhibit is currently on display at the Potrero Branch Library, 24883 Potrero Valley Road, Potrero, CA 91963; (619) 478-5978. It runs from August 4 through September 28.
Wrap...
Potrero: A Mountain Meadow
Less than one hundred years ago Potrero Valley was believed to be heavily forested with oaks, elders and sycamores. The surrounding area once consisted of chaparral and meadows. In July of 1979 an archaeological investigation was conducted on the Chacksfield property, which is located 1.2 miles north of Tecate Peak, 3 miles south of Potrero Peak and 1.4 miles north of the U.S./Mexico boarder.
Prior to the archaeological investigation, the area had housed families who used the land for farming and raising cattle.
The Potrero Valley was first settled by non-natives in 1868 by sea captain Charles McAlmond. Since that time the thick forests which once covered the area have been exploited by the early settlers in many different ways including cash crops of cordwood, bark for tanning leather and smoking meat, medicinal teas, and the making of ink.
The Chacksfield Project focused on finding information on who lived in the area prior to 1868 and how they lived. Artifacts such as metavolcanic material and pottery sherds indicate that people have been living in this area for over one thousand years. Evidence of milling activity, such as bedrock metates and manos along with marine shells, bones and pottery sherds date this site as a Late Prehistoric satellite camp.
This area was most likely occupied during the late summer and early fall as part of a larger village-camp system. Marine shells found at the site indicate trade with groups living up to 40 miles away in the coastal area. Different pottery sherds found at the site indicate that trade with groups living in the Carrizo Valley and perhaps even with the Desert Cahuilla.
The archaeological artifacts found at Potrero represent the Late Prehistoric Period (900 AD to 1769 AD). The artifacts used in this exhibit are curated at the San Diego Archaeological Center.
This exhibit is currently on display at the Potrero Branch Library, 24883 Potrero Valley Road, Potrero, CA 91963; (619) 478-5978. It runs from August 4 through September 28.
Wrap...
Napoleon's Penis...and that ain't all...
From Connecting. The. Dots:
The Man Who Owned Napoleon's Penis
Those who think fame has grown grotesque in our time may want to read an obituary in the New York Times last Sunday headlined: John K. Lattimer, Urologist of Varied Expertise, Dies at 92.
Dr. Lattimer was a department chairman at the Columbia University medical school who wrote 375 scientific papers and was the first non-government expert to examine the medical evidence in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. (He concluded that Oswald did it alone.)
But Dr. Lattimer undoubtedly will be most remembered as the possessor of Napoleon’s penis, allegedly removed by a priest administering last rites, which he bought at an auction in 1969.
www.ajleibling.blogspot.com
[click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
The Man Who Owned Napoleon's Penis
Those who think fame has grown grotesque in our time may want to read an obituary in the New York Times last Sunday headlined: John K. Lattimer, Urologist of Varied Expertise, Dies at 92.
Dr. Lattimer was a department chairman at the Columbia University medical school who wrote 375 scientific papers and was the first non-government expert to examine the medical evidence in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. (He concluded that Oswald did it alone.)
But Dr. Lattimer undoubtedly will be most remembered as the possessor of Napoleon’s penis, allegedly removed by a priest administering last rites, which he bought at an auction in 1969.
www.ajleibling.blogspot.com
[click link above to continue reading]
Wrap...
SDPD Range Master is...ummm...wrong...
From Voice of San Diego online:
SDPD Bullet Rations
A source of mine called me a couple of days ago and told me that the San Diego Police Department firing range is starting to get a bit more careful about handing out too many bullets to officers who come in to train.
Last month, I wrote this story about how ammunition has become harder to come by owing to the soaring price of certain raw materials and the strain put on supplies by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
My source, a sworn police officer, told me that in the last couple of weeks the department has started to enforce its rule of 50 bullets per officer per month for training at the range.
Previously, he said, an officer could pretty much use as much ammunition as he needed.
That’s since been corroborated by two other sources, who clarified that it’s only .45 caliber ammunition that the range are getting short on. One officer told me the department is waiting for a shipment of .45 bullets.
I called Range Master Sgt. Ralph Garcia who told me that "absolutely nothing has changed," at the range.
-- WILL CARLESS
Friday, May 18 -- 12:18 pm
Wrap...
SDPD Bullet Rations
A source of mine called me a couple of days ago and told me that the San Diego Police Department firing range is starting to get a bit more careful about handing out too many bullets to officers who come in to train.
Last month, I wrote this story about how ammunition has become harder to come by owing to the soaring price of certain raw materials and the strain put on supplies by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
My source, a sworn police officer, told me that in the last couple of weeks the department has started to enforce its rule of 50 bullets per officer per month for training at the range.
Previously, he said, an officer could pretty much use as much ammunition as he needed.
That’s since been corroborated by two other sources, who clarified that it’s only .45 caliber ammunition that the range are getting short on. One officer told me the department is waiting for a shipment of .45 bullets.
I called Range Master Sgt. Ralph Garcia who told me that "absolutely nothing has changed," at the range.
-- WILL CARLESS
Friday, May 18 -- 12:18 pm
Wrap...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Rumsfeld still trying to continue PNAC...
From Raw Story:
Rumsfeld to return as non-profit grant giver
Michael Roston
Published: Friday May 18, 2007
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will shun the defense sector and create a non-profit foundation that works on issues dealing with the United States and foreign policy, according to a report in Friday's Washington Times.
"He's considering a lot of things but he wants to remain engaged in public policy issues and is in the process of creating a foundation that would involve teaching and research fellowships for graduate and post-graduate students," Larry Di Rita, Rumsfeld's former Pentagon spokesman, told Bill Gertz in his weekly "Inside the Ring" column.
Di Rita went on to say the foundation would focus on promoting "continued U.S. engagement in world affairs in furtherance of U.S. security interests."
Rumsfeld is also steering clear of working as a defense industry contractor, Di Rita insisted, arguing that, "He has no interest in that stuff," which was evidenced by his shunning of the defense sector since the 1970s when he first served as Defense Secretary.
On the question of whether or not the controversial Defense Secretary, who resigned from the Bush administration after the Republican Party's defeat in the 2006 Congressional elections, will write any memoirs, Di Rita was uncertain.
"Mr. Rumsfeld has not decided on writing his memoirs, but if he does, all proceeds would go to support the foundation," Gertz reported.
In earlier news, the Wall Street Journal had reported that Rumsfeld would be honored with a 'Statesmanship Award' from the conservative Claremont Institute in November.
The full column can be accessed at this link.
Wrap...
Rumsfeld to return as non-profit grant giver
Michael Roston
Published: Friday May 18, 2007
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will shun the defense sector and create a non-profit foundation that works on issues dealing with the United States and foreign policy, according to a report in Friday's Washington Times.
"He's considering a lot of things but he wants to remain engaged in public policy issues and is in the process of creating a foundation that would involve teaching and research fellowships for graduate and post-graduate students," Larry Di Rita, Rumsfeld's former Pentagon spokesman, told Bill Gertz in his weekly "Inside the Ring" column.
Di Rita went on to say the foundation would focus on promoting "continued U.S. engagement in world affairs in furtherance of U.S. security interests."
Rumsfeld is also steering clear of working as a defense industry contractor, Di Rita insisted, arguing that, "He has no interest in that stuff," which was evidenced by his shunning of the defense sector since the 1970s when he first served as Defense Secretary.
On the question of whether or not the controversial Defense Secretary, who resigned from the Bush administration after the Republican Party's defeat in the 2006 Congressional elections, will write any memoirs, Di Rita was uncertain.
"Mr. Rumsfeld has not decided on writing his memoirs, but if he does, all proceeds would go to support the foundation," Gertz reported.
In earlier news, the Wall Street Journal had reported that Rumsfeld would be honored with a 'Statesmanship Award' from the conservative Claremont Institute in November.
The full column can be accessed at this link.
Wrap...
Search for Americans....1910 Document found...
From American Progress:
Think Fast
The search for three missing Americans taken during Saturday's ambush enters its seventh day. "Thousands of soldiers" sifting through the tips from Iraqis "has become the hub of the manhunt." Most have led nowhere -- "deliberately so in some cases, many Americans suspect." The false alarms "highlight the challenge American troops face...in a Sunni stronghold where many residents resent the American presence."
"Sources yesterday identified four additional prosecutors who were considered for termination, bringing to 30 the number of prosecutors who were placed on Justice Department firing lists between February 2005 and December 2006. That accounts for about a third of the nation's 93 U.S. attorney positions. Nine were fired last year."
68: Percentage of Americans who support federal hate crime legislation for gays and lesbians, according to a Gallup poll, including 60 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of weekly churchgoers.
Several senators have urged President Bush to withdraw his nomination of Michael Baroody -- a corporate lobbyist picked to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission -- "saying the candidate was unqualified and the appointment posed insurmountable conflicts of interest."
"YouTube's co-founders on Thursday challenged the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were sapping too much bandwidth by watching online videos." Chief Executive Chad Hurley "expressed doubt that soldiers' use of YouTube could have any real effect on the military's massive network."
The House Judiciary Committee passed a controversial lobbying reform bill, but were forced to strip "a two-year moratorium on lobbying by former lawmakers and staff" over bipartisan opposition. The panel also "sidestepped or rejected several other proposals meant to beef up the bill, including a hotly disputed call to force lobbyists conducting grass-roots campaigns to register."
Speaking of Paul Wolfowitz's resignation from the World Bank, a "former colleague who served with Wolfowitz in four administrations said that 'the kinds of problems he got into were predictable for anybody who really knew Paul.'" The source "voiced admiration for his intellect but said Wolfowitz 'couldn't run a two-car funeral.'"
"A bipartisan group of senators is pushing legislation that would force the CIA to release an inspector general's report on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." The CIA is the only federal agency to not make a version of such a report public.
And finally: While moving around office furniture, Sen. Jon Tester's (D-MT) staff found an "old document." The document, "a citizens' petition in favor of women's suffrage" that dated back to 1910, was turned over to the National Archives. Tester's staffers were a bit bummed when they found out it will remain at the Archives. "We had no idea -- we thought we could just hang it up on the wall," says Tester spokesman Matt McKenna.
Wrap...
Think Fast
The search for three missing Americans taken during Saturday's ambush enters its seventh day. "Thousands of soldiers" sifting through the tips from Iraqis "has become the hub of the manhunt." Most have led nowhere -- "deliberately so in some cases, many Americans suspect." The false alarms "highlight the challenge American troops face...in a Sunni stronghold where many residents resent the American presence."
"Sources yesterday identified four additional prosecutors who were considered for termination, bringing to 30 the number of prosecutors who were placed on Justice Department firing lists between February 2005 and December 2006. That accounts for about a third of the nation's 93 U.S. attorney positions. Nine were fired last year."
68: Percentage of Americans who support federal hate crime legislation for gays and lesbians, according to a Gallup poll, including 60 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of weekly churchgoers.
Several senators have urged President Bush to withdraw his nomination of Michael Baroody -- a corporate lobbyist picked to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission -- "saying the candidate was unqualified and the appointment posed insurmountable conflicts of interest."
"YouTube's co-founders on Thursday challenged the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were sapping too much bandwidth by watching online videos." Chief Executive Chad Hurley "expressed doubt that soldiers' use of YouTube could have any real effect on the military's massive network."
The House Judiciary Committee passed a controversial lobbying reform bill, but were forced to strip "a two-year moratorium on lobbying by former lawmakers and staff" over bipartisan opposition. The panel also "sidestepped or rejected several other proposals meant to beef up the bill, including a hotly disputed call to force lobbyists conducting grass-roots campaigns to register."
Speaking of Paul Wolfowitz's resignation from the World Bank, a "former colleague who served with Wolfowitz in four administrations said that 'the kinds of problems he got into were predictable for anybody who really knew Paul.'" The source "voiced admiration for his intellect but said Wolfowitz 'couldn't run a two-car funeral.'"
"A bipartisan group of senators is pushing legislation that would force the CIA to release an inspector general's report on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." The CIA is the only federal agency to not make a version of such a report public.
And finally: While moving around office furniture, Sen. Jon Tester's (D-MT) staff found an "old document." The document, "a citizens' petition in favor of women's suffrage" that dated back to 1910, was turned over to the National Archives. Tester's staffers were a bit bummed when they found out it will remain at the Archives. "We had no idea -- we thought we could just hang it up on the wall," says Tester spokesman Matt McKenna.
Wrap...
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Techs working on saving energy...
From MarketWatch.com :
Monday, May 14
Technology and Transformation
While the academic and political debates on global warming are not yet over, one thing is certain: an industry already is growing to meet the challenge. This week, in a groundbreaking series, MarketWatch profiles the companies and people leading the charge, and the opportunities for investors.
Day 1 of the series looks at the energy transformation taking place in technology.
http://www.marketwatch.com/newscommentary/specialreports/theheatison/technology/
[click link to continue reading]
Wrap...
Monday, May 14
Technology and Transformation
While the academic and political debates on global warming are not yet over, one thing is certain: an industry already is growing to meet the challenge. This week, in a groundbreaking series, MarketWatch profiles the companies and people leading the charge, and the opportunities for investors.
Day 1 of the series looks at the energy transformation taking place in technology.
http://www.marketwatch.com/newscommentary/specialreports/theheatison/technology/
[click link to continue reading]
Wrap...
Cheney VS Plame...Wolfowitz on the phone...
From American Progress:
Think Fast
The civil lawsuit brought by outed CIA agent Valerie Plame "is expected to face a withering attack this morning at a court hearing in Washington," where attorneys for Vice President Cheney, Scooter Libby and others will urge Judge John Bates -- a Bush appointee and former Ken Starr aide -- that "the case be thrown out."
"Newly declassified data show that as additional American troops began streaming into Iraq in March and April, the number of attacks on civilians and security forces there stayed relatively steady or at most declined slightly, in the clearest indication yet that the troop increase could take months to have a widespread impact on security."
Al Gore will release his new book The Assault on Reason next week. Gore tells Time that he began questioning why "our democracy hasn't responded" to both the climate crisis and the Iraq war. "So I started thinking, What's going on here? ... Our democracy was pushed around by false impressions and wasn't able to hold its focus," he says. "That's the common denominator. Once I'd thought through all of that, I couldn't not write this book."
Filmmaker Michael Moore is "launching his own probe into the U.S. government's investigation of him for making an unauthorized trip to Cuba to film scenes for his latest movie 'SiCKO,'" beginning with a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all documents regarding the investigation.
"The Justice Department on Wednesday told an angry Senate Judiciary Committee chairman it does not have documents described in a subpoena that demands all materials relating to Karl Rove's possible involvement in the U.S. attorney firings. Instead, it said, Rove's lawyer must have them."
Robert Novak claims that Rove's former aide Susan Ralston "has nothing to say that would cause problems for Rove." But Novak concedes Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) investigation of Rove is causing concern in conservative circles. "One prominent conservative House member who did not want his name used told me, 'We just want it to be over.'"
"Federal funding for abstinence education will likely fall considerably this year" as House commerce committee chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said Wednesday he will "let a $50 million grant program expire on June 30." "Abstinence-only seems to be a colossal failure," Dingell said.
"The Commerce Department's inspector general, who is supposed to look into complaints of wrongdoing by government officials, committed 'egregious violations' of the federal law that protects whistle-blowers by retaliating against two subordinates, a government investigation has concluded."
Former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman has refused a request by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (R-NY) that she testify about the "government's failure to respond adequately to the environmental crisis in Lower Manhattan" after 9/11.
And finally: CNN's Ed Henry fumbles his big scoop. On Wednesday, when he called attorney Bob Bennett, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz accidentally picked up. Henry recalls, "Just then I heard a gruff voice pick up another extension on the phone line and say abruptly, 'This is Paul Wolfowitz.' I stuttered and stammered -- wait, was this really him?! And when I heard the familiar voice say, 'Hello?' I knew it was indeed Wolfowitz." But Wolfowitz's attorney quickly picked up the line, and the golden opportunity was gone.
Wrap...
Think Fast
The civil lawsuit brought by outed CIA agent Valerie Plame "is expected to face a withering attack this morning at a court hearing in Washington," where attorneys for Vice President Cheney, Scooter Libby and others will urge Judge John Bates -- a Bush appointee and former Ken Starr aide -- that "the case be thrown out."
"Newly declassified data show that as additional American troops began streaming into Iraq in March and April, the number of attacks on civilians and security forces there stayed relatively steady or at most declined slightly, in the clearest indication yet that the troop increase could take months to have a widespread impact on security."
Al Gore will release his new book The Assault on Reason next week. Gore tells Time that he began questioning why "our democracy hasn't responded" to both the climate crisis and the Iraq war. "So I started thinking, What's going on here? ... Our democracy was pushed around by false impressions and wasn't able to hold its focus," he says. "That's the common denominator. Once I'd thought through all of that, I couldn't not write this book."
Filmmaker Michael Moore is "launching his own probe into the U.S. government's investigation of him for making an unauthorized trip to Cuba to film scenes for his latest movie 'SiCKO,'" beginning with a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all documents regarding the investigation.
"The Justice Department on Wednesday told an angry Senate Judiciary Committee chairman it does not have documents described in a subpoena that demands all materials relating to Karl Rove's possible involvement in the U.S. attorney firings. Instead, it said, Rove's lawyer must have them."
Robert Novak claims that Rove's former aide Susan Ralston "has nothing to say that would cause problems for Rove." But Novak concedes Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) investigation of Rove is causing concern in conservative circles. "One prominent conservative House member who did not want his name used told me, 'We just want it to be over.'"
"Federal funding for abstinence education will likely fall considerably this year" as House commerce committee chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said Wednesday he will "let a $50 million grant program expire on June 30." "Abstinence-only seems to be a colossal failure," Dingell said.
"The Commerce Department's inspector general, who is supposed to look into complaints of wrongdoing by government officials, committed 'egregious violations' of the federal law that protects whistle-blowers by retaliating against two subordinates, a government investigation has concluded."
Former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman has refused a request by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (R-NY) that she testify about the "government's failure to respond adequately to the environmental crisis in Lower Manhattan" after 9/11.
And finally: CNN's Ed Henry fumbles his big scoop. On Wednesday, when he called attorney Bob Bennett, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz accidentally picked up. Henry recalls, "Just then I heard a gruff voice pick up another extension on the phone line and say abruptly, 'This is Paul Wolfowitz.' I stuttered and stammered -- wait, was this really him?! And when I heard the familiar voice say, 'Hello?' I knew it was indeed Wolfowitz." But Wolfowitz's attorney quickly picked up the line, and the golden opportunity was gone.
Wrap...
US, Iran, Iraq...Negotiations...
From Strategic Forecasting Inc:
The United States, Iran and the Iraq Negotiation Process
By George Friedman and Reva Bhalla
At long last, the United States and Iran announced May 13 that they will engage in direct public bilateral talks over Iraq. From Washington, it was the office of Vice President Dick Cheney and the National Security Council that broke the news. From Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed that the two sides will meet in Baghdad in a few weeks, most likely at the ambassadorial level. That makes these talks as officially sanctioned as they can be.
Already there have been two brief public meetings -- albeit on the sidelines of two international conferences -- between senior officials from the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department in March in Baghdad and in May in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The upcoming meeting in Baghdad, however, will be the first official bilateral meeting. After months of intense back-channel discussions, both sides have made a critical decision to bring their private negotiations into the public sphere, which means Tehran and Washington must have reached some consensus on the general framework of the negotiations on how to stabilize Iraq.
Why Now?
The U.S. political situation illustrates why both sides are willing to come to the table right now. Both Iran and the United States are closely eyeing each other's busted flushes, and they understand that time is not on their respective sides.
From the U.S. perspective, it is no secret the Iraq war has soaked up an enormous amount of U.S. military bandwidth. With the 2008 presidential election fast approaching, the Bush administration is left with little time to put a plan in action that would demonstrate some progress toward stabilizing Iraq. It has also become painfully obvious that U.S. military force alone will not succeed in suppressing Sunni insurgents and the Shiite militias enough to allow the government in Baghdad to function -- and for Washington to develop a real exit strategy. But by defiantly sending more troops to Iraq against all odds, Bush is sending a clear signal to Iran that it is not in the Iranians' interest to wait out this administration, and that the United States is prepared to use its forces to block Iranian aspirations to dominate Iraq.
From the Iranian perspective, Tehran knows it is dealing with a weak U.S. president right now, and that the next U.S. president probably will have much greater freedom of action than Bush currently does. The Iranians learned that dealing with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter would have been preferable to dealing with his successor. If you know negotiations are inevitable, it is better to negotiate with the weak outgoing president than try to extract concessions from a strong president during an increasingly complicated situation. The Iranians also know that the intensely fractious nature of Iraq's Shiite bloc -- which Iran depends on to project its power -- makes it all the more difficult for Tehran to consolidate its gains the longer Iraq remains in chaos.
U.S. and Iranian Demands
And so the time has come for both Iran and the United States to show their cards by laying out their demands for public viewing.U.S. demands for Iraq are fairly straightforward. Our understanding of what Washington wants from Tehran regarding Iraq rests on these key points:
1. The United States wants Iraq to be a unified and independent state. In other words, Washington knows a pro-U.S. regime in Baghdad is impossible at this point, but Washington is not going to permit an Iranian-dominated state either.
2. The United States does not want jihadists operating in Iraq.
3. The United States wants to be able to withdraw from security operations, but not precipitously, thereby allaying Sunni Arab states' concerns.
Essentially, the United States is looking to create an Iraqi government that, while dominated by the Shia, remains neutral to Iran, hostile to jihadists and accommodating to mainstream Sunnis.
Iranian Demands
Iran's answers to these demands were publicly outlined in a paper at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit. The Saudi-owned, U.K.-based daily newspaper Al Hayat established the details of this paper in a May 5 article. The key points made in the presentation include the following:
1. Iran does not want an abrupt withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq for fear this would lead to reshuffling the cards and redistributing power. Instead, there should be a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and British forces from Iraqi cities and relocation at bases and camps inside Iraq, provided the Iraqi forces have reached the point at which they can provide security. The Iranians also stated that they would extend all possible assistance so that foreign forces could exit "honorably" from Iraq.
The U.S. decision to surge more troops into Iraq forced Iran to think twice about placing its bets on a complete U.S. withdrawal. An abrupt withdrawal without a negotiated settlement leaves more problems than Tehran can manage in terms of containing Iraq's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions, and Iran does not want to be left to pick up the pieces in a country that is already on the verge of shattering along sectarian lines. It is important to note that Iran is not calling for a complete withdrawal from Iraq, and actually acknowledges that U.S. forces will be relocated at bases and camps inside the country. Though this acts as a blocker to Iranian ambitions, the presence of U.S. bases also provides Iran with a stabilizing force placating the Sunnis and Kurds. Moreover, the Iranians are sending assurances to the United States that they are willing to cooperate so the Iraq withdrawal does not look like another Vietnam scenario for the U.S. administration to deal with at home.
2. Iran is "strongly opposed to all attempts to partition Iraq or impose a federal system that allows for regional autonomy."
No region should be allowed to monopolize the resources in its territory and deprive other regions of the revenues from these resources.Iran is essentially saying that Tehran and Washington have a common desire to see a unified Iraq. The U.S. insistence on a unified Iraq takes into account Sunni concerns of being left with the largely oil-barren central region of the country. Iran is signaling that it is not interested in seeing Iraq get split up, even if such a scenario leaves Tehran with the second-best option of securing influence in a Shiite-dominated, oil-rich southern autonomous zone.
3. Iran wants a plan, involving the Kurds and Sunnis, drawn up to root out the transnational jihadist forces allied with al Qaeda in Iraq.
Sunni tribes should also assume the responsibility of confronting jihadists, whether they are Iraqi citizens or are from other Arab and Muslim countries.
In this demand, Iran and the United States share a common goal. The jihadists will use every attempt to sow sectarian strife in Iraq to prevent a political resolution from developing. The United States does not want to provide al Qaeda with a fertile base of operations, and Iran does not want its ideological nemesis gaining ground next door and working against Shiite interests.
4. Iran clearly states that the negotiations over Iraq cannot be separated from other regional issues and Tehran's nuclear file.
Stratfor has extensively discussed the nexus between Iran's nuclear agenda and its blueprint for Iraq. Iran is trying to link the nuclear issue to its dealings with the United States on Iraq as a sort of insurance policy. Iran does not want to reach an agreement on Iraq and then leave the nuclear issue to be dealt with down the road, when the United States is in a stronger position to take action against Tehran. Iran basically is looking for a deal allowing it voluntarily to agree to freeze uranium enrichment in exchange for political concessions over Iraq, but without it having to dismantle its program. That would leave enough room to skirt sanctions and preserve the nuclear program for its long-term interests. Washington is not exactly amenable to this idea, which is what makes this a major sticking point. The United States already has made it clear that it is leaving the nuclear issue out of the Iraq discussions.
5. Iran wants a new regional formula that would make Iraq a region of influence for Tehran.
While it does not appear that Iran explicitly stated this in its presentation, a majority of participants at the conference got the message. Washington cannot afford to allow Iraq to develop into an Iranian satellite, but it is looking for assurances from Iran that a U.S. withdrawal will leave in place a neutral, albeit Shiite-dominated, government in Iraq.
Iranian Offers
The Iranian paper outlined several key concessions it would offer the United States and Iraq's Sunni faction if its demands were met.
1. Iran would help the Iraqi government rein in the armed Shiite militias and incorporate them into the state security apparatus.
2. The de-Baathification law can be revised to allow for the rehiring of former Iraqi army personnel, the bulk of whom are tied to the Sunni nationalist insurgency. However, Iran wants assurances that former Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and other former Baathists will not be allowed to hold the position of prime minister when the time comes to replace current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
3. Iran would be willing to see fresh parliamentary elections, the formation of a new Cabinet and the amendment of the Iraqi Constitution to double the Sunni seats in parliament to 40 percent, with the Shia retaining 60 percent. Tehran has said nothing about what would be left for Kurdish political representation, however.
4. Iran has proposed the "fair" distribution of oil revenues in Iraq to satisfy all parties, especially those in "central Iraq," the Sunni-dominated, oil-deprived heart of the country.Tehran's offers illustrate the Iranians' open acknowledgment that they are not going to be able to have their cake and eat it too. Instead, they are going to have to guarantee Iraqi neutrality by giving the Sunnis a much larger slice, leaving the Kurds to get screwed yet again.
Back in Washington, the Bush administration is looking at the Iranian withdrawal plan skeptically. Right now, the United States wants assurances that a withdrawal plan worked out with the Iranians does not simply leave a longer-term opportunity for Iran to gradually take control of Iraq once the major roadblocks are out of the way. In other words, the United States needs guarantees that, as it draws down its troop presence, the Iranians will not simply walk in.
The Iranian proposal to expand Sunni representation is a direct response to these concerns, provided the relevant parties can actually deliver on their promises.
This is still highly questionable, though significant developments are already taking place that reveal the United States, Iran and various Iraqi players are making concrete moves to uphold their sides of the bargain. With Iran's blessing, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) has announced it will undergo a process of "Iraqization" -- a largely symbolic demonstration that SCIRI will not operate simply as an Iranian proxy. Meanwhile, the Sunni tribes and clans in Anbar province are increasingly broadcasting their commitment and progress in combating transnational jihadists. And finally, numerous reports in the Arab media suggest the United States would be willing to heed the Iranian demand that the Iraqi military not have offensive capabilities allowing it to threaten its Persian neighbor.
The negotiations are moving, and it is becoming more and more apparent that a consensus is emerging between Tehran and Washington over how the Iraq project should turn out. With enough serious arrestors in play for this deal to fall through, it is now up to all players -- whether those players call Washington, Tehran, Riyadh or Baghdad home -- finally to put their money where their mouths are.
Wrap...
The United States, Iran and the Iraq Negotiation Process
By George Friedman and Reva Bhalla
At long last, the United States and Iran announced May 13 that they will engage in direct public bilateral talks over Iraq. From Washington, it was the office of Vice President Dick Cheney and the National Security Council that broke the news. From Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed that the two sides will meet in Baghdad in a few weeks, most likely at the ambassadorial level. That makes these talks as officially sanctioned as they can be.
Already there have been two brief public meetings -- albeit on the sidelines of two international conferences -- between senior officials from the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department in March in Baghdad and in May in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The upcoming meeting in Baghdad, however, will be the first official bilateral meeting. After months of intense back-channel discussions, both sides have made a critical decision to bring their private negotiations into the public sphere, which means Tehran and Washington must have reached some consensus on the general framework of the negotiations on how to stabilize Iraq.
Why Now?
The U.S. political situation illustrates why both sides are willing to come to the table right now. Both Iran and the United States are closely eyeing each other's busted flushes, and they understand that time is not on their respective sides.
From the U.S. perspective, it is no secret the Iraq war has soaked up an enormous amount of U.S. military bandwidth. With the 2008 presidential election fast approaching, the Bush administration is left with little time to put a plan in action that would demonstrate some progress toward stabilizing Iraq. It has also become painfully obvious that U.S. military force alone will not succeed in suppressing Sunni insurgents and the Shiite militias enough to allow the government in Baghdad to function -- and for Washington to develop a real exit strategy. But by defiantly sending more troops to Iraq against all odds, Bush is sending a clear signal to Iran that it is not in the Iranians' interest to wait out this administration, and that the United States is prepared to use its forces to block Iranian aspirations to dominate Iraq.
From the Iranian perspective, Tehran knows it is dealing with a weak U.S. president right now, and that the next U.S. president probably will have much greater freedom of action than Bush currently does. The Iranians learned that dealing with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter would have been preferable to dealing with his successor. If you know negotiations are inevitable, it is better to negotiate with the weak outgoing president than try to extract concessions from a strong president during an increasingly complicated situation. The Iranians also know that the intensely fractious nature of Iraq's Shiite bloc -- which Iran depends on to project its power -- makes it all the more difficult for Tehran to consolidate its gains the longer Iraq remains in chaos.
U.S. and Iranian Demands
And so the time has come for both Iran and the United States to show their cards by laying out their demands for public viewing.U.S. demands for Iraq are fairly straightforward. Our understanding of what Washington wants from Tehran regarding Iraq rests on these key points:
1. The United States wants Iraq to be a unified and independent state. In other words, Washington knows a pro-U.S. regime in Baghdad is impossible at this point, but Washington is not going to permit an Iranian-dominated state either.
2. The United States does not want jihadists operating in Iraq.
3. The United States wants to be able to withdraw from security operations, but not precipitously, thereby allaying Sunni Arab states' concerns.
Essentially, the United States is looking to create an Iraqi government that, while dominated by the Shia, remains neutral to Iran, hostile to jihadists and accommodating to mainstream Sunnis.
Iranian Demands
Iran's answers to these demands were publicly outlined in a paper at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit. The Saudi-owned, U.K.-based daily newspaper Al Hayat established the details of this paper in a May 5 article. The key points made in the presentation include the following:
1. Iran does not want an abrupt withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq for fear this would lead to reshuffling the cards and redistributing power. Instead, there should be a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. and British forces from Iraqi cities and relocation at bases and camps inside Iraq, provided the Iraqi forces have reached the point at which they can provide security. The Iranians also stated that they would extend all possible assistance so that foreign forces could exit "honorably" from Iraq.
The U.S. decision to surge more troops into Iraq forced Iran to think twice about placing its bets on a complete U.S. withdrawal. An abrupt withdrawal without a negotiated settlement leaves more problems than Tehran can manage in terms of containing Iraq's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions, and Iran does not want to be left to pick up the pieces in a country that is already on the verge of shattering along sectarian lines. It is important to note that Iran is not calling for a complete withdrawal from Iraq, and actually acknowledges that U.S. forces will be relocated at bases and camps inside the country. Though this acts as a blocker to Iranian ambitions, the presence of U.S. bases also provides Iran with a stabilizing force placating the Sunnis and Kurds. Moreover, the Iranians are sending assurances to the United States that they are willing to cooperate so the Iraq withdrawal does not look like another Vietnam scenario for the U.S. administration to deal with at home.
2. Iran is "strongly opposed to all attempts to partition Iraq or impose a federal system that allows for regional autonomy."
No region should be allowed to monopolize the resources in its territory and deprive other regions of the revenues from these resources.Iran is essentially saying that Tehran and Washington have a common desire to see a unified Iraq. The U.S. insistence on a unified Iraq takes into account Sunni concerns of being left with the largely oil-barren central region of the country. Iran is signaling that it is not interested in seeing Iraq get split up, even if such a scenario leaves Tehran with the second-best option of securing influence in a Shiite-dominated, oil-rich southern autonomous zone.
3. Iran wants a plan, involving the Kurds and Sunnis, drawn up to root out the transnational jihadist forces allied with al Qaeda in Iraq.
Sunni tribes should also assume the responsibility of confronting jihadists, whether they are Iraqi citizens or are from other Arab and Muslim countries.
In this demand, Iran and the United States share a common goal. The jihadists will use every attempt to sow sectarian strife in Iraq to prevent a political resolution from developing. The United States does not want to provide al Qaeda with a fertile base of operations, and Iran does not want its ideological nemesis gaining ground next door and working against Shiite interests.
4. Iran clearly states that the negotiations over Iraq cannot be separated from other regional issues and Tehran's nuclear file.
Stratfor has extensively discussed the nexus between Iran's nuclear agenda and its blueprint for Iraq. Iran is trying to link the nuclear issue to its dealings with the United States on Iraq as a sort of insurance policy. Iran does not want to reach an agreement on Iraq and then leave the nuclear issue to be dealt with down the road, when the United States is in a stronger position to take action against Tehran. Iran basically is looking for a deal allowing it voluntarily to agree to freeze uranium enrichment in exchange for political concessions over Iraq, but without it having to dismantle its program. That would leave enough room to skirt sanctions and preserve the nuclear program for its long-term interests. Washington is not exactly amenable to this idea, which is what makes this a major sticking point. The United States already has made it clear that it is leaving the nuclear issue out of the Iraq discussions.
5. Iran wants a new regional formula that would make Iraq a region of influence for Tehran.
While it does not appear that Iran explicitly stated this in its presentation, a majority of participants at the conference got the message. Washington cannot afford to allow Iraq to develop into an Iranian satellite, but it is looking for assurances from Iran that a U.S. withdrawal will leave in place a neutral, albeit Shiite-dominated, government in Iraq.
Iranian Offers
The Iranian paper outlined several key concessions it would offer the United States and Iraq's Sunni faction if its demands were met.
1. Iran would help the Iraqi government rein in the armed Shiite militias and incorporate them into the state security apparatus.
2. The de-Baathification law can be revised to allow for the rehiring of former Iraqi army personnel, the bulk of whom are tied to the Sunni nationalist insurgency. However, Iran wants assurances that former Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and other former Baathists will not be allowed to hold the position of prime minister when the time comes to replace current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
3. Iran would be willing to see fresh parliamentary elections, the formation of a new Cabinet and the amendment of the Iraqi Constitution to double the Sunni seats in parliament to 40 percent, with the Shia retaining 60 percent. Tehran has said nothing about what would be left for Kurdish political representation, however.
4. Iran has proposed the "fair" distribution of oil revenues in Iraq to satisfy all parties, especially those in "central Iraq," the Sunni-dominated, oil-deprived heart of the country.Tehran's offers illustrate the Iranians' open acknowledgment that they are not going to be able to have their cake and eat it too. Instead, they are going to have to guarantee Iraqi neutrality by giving the Sunnis a much larger slice, leaving the Kurds to get screwed yet again.
Back in Washington, the Bush administration is looking at the Iranian withdrawal plan skeptically. Right now, the United States wants assurances that a withdrawal plan worked out with the Iranians does not simply leave a longer-term opportunity for Iran to gradually take control of Iraq once the major roadblocks are out of the way. In other words, the United States needs guarantees that, as it draws down its troop presence, the Iranians will not simply walk in.
The Iranian proposal to expand Sunni representation is a direct response to these concerns, provided the relevant parties can actually deliver on their promises.
This is still highly questionable, though significant developments are already taking place that reveal the United States, Iran and various Iraqi players are making concrete moves to uphold their sides of the bargain. With Iran's blessing, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) has announced it will undergo a process of "Iraqization" -- a largely symbolic demonstration that SCIRI will not operate simply as an Iranian proxy. Meanwhile, the Sunni tribes and clans in Anbar province are increasingly broadcasting their commitment and progress in combating transnational jihadists. And finally, numerous reports in the Arab media suggest the United States would be willing to heed the Iranian demand that the Iraqi military not have offensive capabilities allowing it to threaten its Persian neighbor.
The negotiations are moving, and it is becoming more and more apparent that a consensus is emerging between Tehran and Washington over how the Iraq project should turn out. With enough serious arrestors in play for this deal to fall through, it is now up to all players -- whether those players call Washington, Tehran, Riyadh or Baghdad home -- finally to put their money where their mouths are.
Wrap...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Pickin' and Choosin'...A film and books...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION/DEBUT:
Andrew Davidson's THE GARGOYLE, "a densely packed story about a car-accident victim in the burn ward befriended by a mysterious woman who claims to be a stone carver in a fifteenth-century German abbey" (per NY Mag), to Gerald Howard of Doubleday, at auction, reportedly for "around $1.25 million," by Eric Simonoff at Janklow & Nesbit (US).
THRILLER:
Author of The Blade Itself Marcus Sakey's four books, following Ben Sevier to Dutton, for publication beginning in 2009, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group (world).
[NOTE: Lee Child's latest, "Bad Luck and Trouble" is one terrific read...As good as advertized? You bet. Don't miss it. :))]
GENERAL/OTHER:
Heather Sharfeddin's WINDLESS SUMMER, in which a motel owner's autistic daughter might be behind the strange happenings in room six, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, in a two-book deal, by Robert Brown at Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency (World).
Victor Gischler's GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE, in which an ex-insurance salesman leads a small band of survivors through a post-apocalyptic American landscape in search of his ex-wife and a single cup of hot coffee and toward an epic battle to save a new world, to Zach Schisgal at Touchstone Fireside, in a very nice deal, for two books, by David Hale Smith at DHS Literary.
FILM:
Lois Lowry's THE GIVER, set in a utopia gone wrong, a boy, realizing the price of a pain free world, challenges it and runs for his life, to Warner Bros., for producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher, by Don Laventhall at Harold Ober Associates.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Intelligence expert and author of Gideon's Spies Gordon Thomas's INSIDE BRITISH INTELLIGENCE, an in-depth account of MI5 and MI6, the oldest and most secretive of all modern spying agencies, to John Parsley at Thomas Dunne Books, in a very nice deal, by Barbara Lowenstein at Lowenstein-Yost (world English).
POP CULTURE:
Michael Tonello's BRINGING HOME THE BIRKIN, an amusing whirlwind account of the author's years spent globetrotting and gaming the Hermes system to buy and resell hundreds of the impossible-to-get handbags, to Cassie Jones at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Laura Yorke of the Carol Mann Agency (world English).
SCIENCE:
Vicki Leon's FIRST YOU TAKE A HIPPO'S FOREHEAD: Real Science in the Ancient World, a companion book to her WORKING IX TO V: Funeral Clowns, Orgy Planners and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World, again to George Gibson and Michele Lee Amundsen at Walker, by David Forrer at Inkwell Management (NA).
SPORTS:
Journalist and author of The League David Harris's THE MAN WHO REINVENTED FOOTBALL: Bill Walsh and the Making of the San Francisco 49er Dynasty, a narrative of how, in the 1980s, the NFL's worst team became one of the best in its history, using a rigorous practice regimen, an imaginative playbook, and a highly professional approach to motivating players to redesign the way football is played and the way a franchise is run, including extensive interviews with Walsh, to Bob Loomis and Mark Tavani at Random House, by Kathy Robbins at The Robbins Office (NA).
Top horse racing jockey Edgar Prado's memoir MY GUY BARBARO: How I Was Touched By a Champion, about his relationship with the celebrated racehorse, from their first race together to their victory at the 2006 Kentucky Derby to Barbaro's injury two weeks later and his ultimate death earlier this year, written with Baltimore Sun columnist John Eisenberg, to Kate Hamill at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency (world).
UK:
New Scientist and former Nature editorial staffer Jo Marchant's ANTIKYTHERA: Solving the Mystery of a 2000-year-old Computer, the story of a sophisticated ancient Greek geared mechanism that has puzzled academics for more than a century after it was rescued from a shipwreck -- a puzzle that was finally solved by an international team reporting in Nature last year, to Jason Arthur at Heinemann, by Peter Tallack at Conville & Walsh.
Wrap...
FICTION/DEBUT:
Andrew Davidson's THE GARGOYLE, "a densely packed story about a car-accident victim in the burn ward befriended by a mysterious woman who claims to be a stone carver in a fifteenth-century German abbey" (per NY Mag), to Gerald Howard of Doubleday, at auction, reportedly for "around $1.25 million," by Eric Simonoff at Janklow & Nesbit (US).
THRILLER:
Author of The Blade Itself Marcus Sakey's four books, following Ben Sevier to Dutton, for publication beginning in 2009, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group (world).
[NOTE: Lee Child's latest, "Bad Luck and Trouble" is one terrific read...As good as advertized? You bet. Don't miss it. :))]
GENERAL/OTHER:
Heather Sharfeddin's WINDLESS SUMMER, in which a motel owner's autistic daughter might be behind the strange happenings in room six, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, in a two-book deal, by Robert Brown at Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency (World).
Victor Gischler's GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE, in which an ex-insurance salesman leads a small band of survivors through a post-apocalyptic American landscape in search of his ex-wife and a single cup of hot coffee and toward an epic battle to save a new world, to Zach Schisgal at Touchstone Fireside, in a very nice deal, for two books, by David Hale Smith at DHS Literary.
FILM:
Lois Lowry's THE GIVER, set in a utopia gone wrong, a boy, realizing the price of a pain free world, challenges it and runs for his life, to Warner Bros., for producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher, by Don Laventhall at Harold Ober Associates.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Intelligence expert and author of Gideon's Spies Gordon Thomas's INSIDE BRITISH INTELLIGENCE, an in-depth account of MI5 and MI6, the oldest and most secretive of all modern spying agencies, to John Parsley at Thomas Dunne Books, in a very nice deal, by Barbara Lowenstein at Lowenstein-Yost (world English).
POP CULTURE:
Michael Tonello's BRINGING HOME THE BIRKIN, an amusing whirlwind account of the author's years spent globetrotting and gaming the Hermes system to buy and resell hundreds of the impossible-to-get handbags, to Cassie Jones at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Laura Yorke of the Carol Mann Agency (world English).
SCIENCE:
Vicki Leon's FIRST YOU TAKE A HIPPO'S FOREHEAD: Real Science in the Ancient World, a companion book to her WORKING IX TO V: Funeral Clowns, Orgy Planners and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World, again to George Gibson and Michele Lee Amundsen at Walker, by David Forrer at Inkwell Management (NA).
SPORTS:
Journalist and author of The League David Harris's THE MAN WHO REINVENTED FOOTBALL: Bill Walsh and the Making of the San Francisco 49er Dynasty, a narrative of how, in the 1980s, the NFL's worst team became one of the best in its history, using a rigorous practice regimen, an imaginative playbook, and a highly professional approach to motivating players to redesign the way football is played and the way a franchise is run, including extensive interviews with Walsh, to Bob Loomis and Mark Tavani at Random House, by Kathy Robbins at The Robbins Office (NA).
Top horse racing jockey Edgar Prado's memoir MY GUY BARBARO: How I Was Touched By a Champion, about his relationship with the celebrated racehorse, from their first race together to their victory at the 2006 Kentucky Derby to Barbaro's injury two weeks later and his ultimate death earlier this year, written with Baltimore Sun columnist John Eisenberg, to Kate Hamill at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Scott Waxman at Waxman Literary Agency (world).
UK:
New Scientist and former Nature editorial staffer Jo Marchant's ANTIKYTHERA: Solving the Mystery of a 2000-year-old Computer, the story of a sophisticated ancient Greek geared mechanism that has puzzled academics for more than a century after it was rescued from a shipwreck -- a puzzle that was finally solved by an international team reporting in Nature last year, to Jason Arthur at Heinemann, by Peter Tallack at Conville & Walsh.
Wrap...
Oil industry rip-off ...to more gifts for VP than Prez...
From American Progress:
Think Fast
"Households are spending about $1,000 more per year for gasoline than they were just five years ago, an 85 percent increase" according to consumer groups' analysis prepared for the House Judiciary Committee. "In the past five years the oil industry has picked consumers pockets for 200 billion in excess profits," said the Consumer Federation of America.
"Nearly two dozen officials who received hefty performance bonuses last year at the Veterans Affairs Department sat on the boards charged with recommending the payments."
"Navy veteran David Miller said that when he checked into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, he didn't realize he would get a hard sell for Christian fundamentalism along with treatment for his kidney stones." Miller, an Orthodox Jew, "said he was repeatedly proselytized by hospital chaplains and staff in attempts to convert him to Christianity during three hospitalizations over the past two years."
"Two federal appeals court judges appeared to support giving detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, access to all the evidence against them when challenging their designation as enemy combatants. The Bush administration proposes to limit detainees' lawyers to the evidence presented to the U.S. military tribunal that made the determination."
92 percent: Proportion of the world's opium that Afghanistan now produces. Bush administration officials acknowledge that until recently, "fighting drugs was considered a distraction from fighting terrorists." The problem has become so severe that American officials now "hope that Afghanistan's drug problem will someday be only as bad as that of Colombia."
"For the first time," the Senate is expected to vote today on measure sponsored by Sen. John Warner (R-VA) "that would force President Bush to report to Congress how he intends to revise U.S. strategy if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks."
"Warm temperatures melted an area of western Antarctica that adds up to the size of California in January 2005, scientists report," noting "clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely."
41: Number of Iraqis killed in violence yesterday. At least 125 people were wounded.
"A Texas businessman listed as a major fundraiser for President George Bush has made millions of dollars in profits from a federal reading program that critics say favored administration cronies at the expense of schoolchildren."
And finally: Do people love Vice President Cheney more than they love President Bush? In 2006, Cheney received at least 15 presents totaling $21,674, many reflecting his "love of outdoor pursuits." Bush received at least 20 gifts worth just $12,364. Gifts for Bush included "two wooden benches" and "jackets." At Christmas, Bush gave Cheney "$667 worth of instruments to measure temperature, barometric pressure and tides."
Wrap...
Think Fast
"Households are spending about $1,000 more per year for gasoline than they were just five years ago, an 85 percent increase" according to consumer groups' analysis prepared for the House Judiciary Committee. "In the past five years the oil industry has picked consumers pockets for 200 billion in excess profits," said the Consumer Federation of America.
"Nearly two dozen officials who received hefty performance bonuses last year at the Veterans Affairs Department sat on the boards charged with recommending the payments."
"Navy veteran David Miller said that when he checked into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, he didn't realize he would get a hard sell for Christian fundamentalism along with treatment for his kidney stones." Miller, an Orthodox Jew, "said he was repeatedly proselytized by hospital chaplains and staff in attempts to convert him to Christianity during three hospitalizations over the past two years."
"Two federal appeals court judges appeared to support giving detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, access to all the evidence against them when challenging their designation as enemy combatants. The Bush administration proposes to limit detainees' lawyers to the evidence presented to the U.S. military tribunal that made the determination."
92 percent: Proportion of the world's opium that Afghanistan now produces. Bush administration officials acknowledge that until recently, "fighting drugs was considered a distraction from fighting terrorists." The problem has become so severe that American officials now "hope that Afghanistan's drug problem will someday be only as bad as that of Colombia."
"For the first time," the Senate is expected to vote today on measure sponsored by Sen. John Warner (R-VA) "that would force President Bush to report to Congress how he intends to revise U.S. strategy if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks."
"Warm temperatures melted an area of western Antarctica that adds up to the size of California in January 2005, scientists report," noting "clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely."
41: Number of Iraqis killed in violence yesterday. At least 125 people were wounded.
"A Texas businessman listed as a major fundraiser for President George Bush has made millions of dollars in profits from a federal reading program that critics say favored administration cronies at the expense of schoolchildren."
And finally: Do people love Vice President Cheney more than they love President Bush? In 2006, Cheney received at least 15 presents totaling $21,674, many reflecting his "love of outdoor pursuits." Bush received at least 20 gifts worth just $12,364. Gifts for Bush included "two wooden benches" and "jackets." At Christmas, Bush gave Cheney "$667 worth of instruments to measure temperature, barometric pressure and tides."
Wrap...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Bush hides Rumsfeld resignation letter...Why?
From Reuters:
Rumsfeld's Resignation Letter Remains Elusive
By REUTERS
Published: May 15, 2007
Filed at 3:14 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is keeping a tight hold on Donald Rumsfeld's resignation letter nearly five months after the former defense secretary and Iraq war manager stepped down.
The Pentagon says it does not have a copy, and the White House office likely to hold the letter is not subject to the law that allows the public to seek release of government documents, the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA .
A defense official, who declined to be identified publicly, on Tuesday chalked up the close hold on Rumsfeld's letter to the existence of few copies.
``I suspect there's only one copy of that and it went to the president,'' the official said.
Reuters filed FOIA requests for the letter with the Pentagon and White House.
In response to a November request, the Defense Department's FOIA office said last month a ``thorough search of the records systems ... revealed no records responsive to your request.''
President George W. Bush's office of administration, in response to another FOIA request, said this month it too had no copy of Rumsfeld's resignation letter.
But Carol Ehrlich, FOIA officer there, said the office of administration within the executive office of the president was a separate entity from the White House office, which controls its own records and is not subject to FOIA.
Pentagon spokesmen refused to release the letter in November 2006, when Rumsfeld resigned after Republicans' stinging election defeat. They told reporters to file FOIA requests for the letter.
Wrap...
Rumsfeld's Resignation Letter Remains Elusive
By REUTERS
Published: May 15, 2007
Filed at 3:14 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration is keeping a tight hold on Donald Rumsfeld's resignation letter nearly five months after the former defense secretary and Iraq war manager stepped down.
The Pentagon says it does not have a copy, and the White House office likely to hold the letter is not subject to the law that allows the public to seek release of government documents, the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA .
A defense official, who declined to be identified publicly, on Tuesday chalked up the close hold on Rumsfeld's letter to the existence of few copies.
``I suspect there's only one copy of that and it went to the president,'' the official said.
Reuters filed FOIA requests for the letter with the Pentagon and White House.
In response to a November request, the Defense Department's FOIA office said last month a ``thorough search of the records systems ... revealed no records responsive to your request.''
President George W. Bush's office of administration, in response to another FOIA request, said this month it too had no copy of Rumsfeld's resignation letter.
But Carol Ehrlich, FOIA officer there, said the office of administration within the executive office of the president was a separate entity from the White House office, which controls its own records and is not subject to FOIA.
Pentagon spokesmen refused to release the letter in November 2006, when Rumsfeld resigned after Republicans' stinging election defeat. They told reporters to file FOIA requests for the letter.
Wrap...
From Boehner's unfair to Christian sandwiches...
From American Progress:
Think Fast
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) yesterday defended the decision to place scandal-plagued Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on the Appropriations Committee. "Where do you draw the line?" Boehner asked. "We do not want a blanket allegation to rise to the level of credibility where we are basing our decisions on it. It's unfair."
"The military system of determining whether detainees are properly held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, includes an unusual practice: If Pentagon officials disagree with the result of a hearing, they order a second one, or even a third, until they approve of the finding," a practice that critics label "do-overs."
"A United Nations human rights official said he was barred from visiting an immigration detention center in New Jersey yesterday. It was the second time he was denied access to an American immigration jail on a weeklong monitoring tour."
"U.S. forces swept up 2,000 prisoners a month in March and April, almost twice the average from the second half of last year." As of the end of March, 20,000 people were crammed into overcrowded Iraqi-run prisons, detention camps, and police stations, where detainees are often tortured.
"U.S. Embassy employees in Iraq are growing increasingly angry over what they say are inadequate security precautions in the heavily fortified Green Zone." Most staff members "still sleep in trailers that one described as 'tin cans' that offer virtually no protection from rocket and mortar fire. The government has refused to harden the roofs because of the cost, one employee said."
Stretched thin by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the "number of senior captains, or captains closest to promotion, stands at just 51 percent of the Army’s requirements," according to an Army memo.
Shirlington Limousine, the transportation service linked to the Duke Cunningham scandal, "was not qualified to receive" its Homeland Security Department contract and "instead was given an unfair advantage over its competitors by DHS officials," the inspector general has found.
Debate over Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank has "ruptured the bank's governance system so deeply that finance officials in many countries worry that it may be irreparable whatever happens to Mr. Wolfowitz. If he refuses to resign, many said he might find it hard to travel or issue directives. If he leaves, a fight over choosing his successor is sure to erupt."
"Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the most compared to five other rich countries," according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.
And finally: "It seems the Capitol is now manifestly beyond salvation.The Center for Christian Statesmanship, launched in 1995 to convert members of Congress and their aides to evangelical Christianity, has shuttered its operations in Washington." CQ suggests "the group brought in fewer converts than hungry staffers. Its best-attended Hill function had been its monthly 'Politics and Principle' luncheons, which supplemented evangelical appeals with complimentary sandwiches."
Wrap...
Think Fast
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) yesterday defended the decision to place scandal-plagued Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on the Appropriations Committee. "Where do you draw the line?" Boehner asked. "We do not want a blanket allegation to rise to the level of credibility where we are basing our decisions on it. It's unfair."
"The military system of determining whether detainees are properly held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, includes an unusual practice: If Pentagon officials disagree with the result of a hearing, they order a second one, or even a third, until they approve of the finding," a practice that critics label "do-overs."
"A United Nations human rights official said he was barred from visiting an immigration detention center in New Jersey yesterday. It was the second time he was denied access to an American immigration jail on a weeklong monitoring tour."
"U.S. forces swept up 2,000 prisoners a month in March and April, almost twice the average from the second half of last year." As of the end of March, 20,000 people were crammed into overcrowded Iraqi-run prisons, detention camps, and police stations, where detainees are often tortured.
"U.S. Embassy employees in Iraq are growing increasingly angry over what they say are inadequate security precautions in the heavily fortified Green Zone." Most staff members "still sleep in trailers that one described as 'tin cans' that offer virtually no protection from rocket and mortar fire. The government has refused to harden the roofs because of the cost, one employee said."
Stretched thin by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the "number of senior captains, or captains closest to promotion, stands at just 51 percent of the Army’s requirements," according to an Army memo.
Shirlington Limousine, the transportation service linked to the Duke Cunningham scandal, "was not qualified to receive" its Homeland Security Department contract and "instead was given an unfair advantage over its competitors by DHS officials," the inspector general has found.
Debate over Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank has "ruptured the bank's governance system so deeply that finance officials in many countries worry that it may be irreparable whatever happens to Mr. Wolfowitz. If he refuses to resign, many said he might find it hard to travel or issue directives. If he leaves, a fight over choosing his successor is sure to erupt."
"Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the most compared to five other rich countries," according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.
And finally: "It seems the Capitol is now manifestly beyond salvation.The Center for Christian Statesmanship, launched in 1995 to convert members of Congress and their aides to evangelical Christianity, has shuttered its operations in Washington." CQ suggests "the group brought in fewer converts than hungry staffers. Its best-attended Hill function had been its monthly 'Politics and Principle' luncheons, which supplemented evangelical appeals with complimentary sandwiches."
Wrap...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)