Friday, April 20, 2007

DejaVu

Wave of Bombings Continues in Iraq - New York Times:
"BAGHDAD, April 19 — Bombs ravaged Baghdad in five horrific explosions aimed mainly at Shiite crowds on Wednesday, killing at least 171 people in the deadliest day in the capital since the American-led security plan for the city took effect two months ago."

Violence in Iraq is going up like the stock market here; a new record practically every day.

Finally Some More Action On Abramoff Scandals

AHN | Doolittle Gives Up Plum Committee Seat After FBI Searches His Home | April 19, 2007:
"Abramoff, who was a Doolittle campaign contributor, allowed Doolittle the use of a luxury sports box that he paid for, which the congressman did not initially report. More than that, federal officials have been puzzled by payments Abramoff's firm made to Doolittle's wife by way of her company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc. "

I wonder if DOJ decided to get off its collective asses and do some real justice work to take some of the heat off from the purge scandal. At this point I don't care, as long as justice prevails in both cases. It's going to be a long, hot summer, regardless of the weather.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

The Iraq Money Trail

It's time for Americans to face the cold hard truth that nothing will be accomplished by allowing the daily carnage in Iraq to continue, and if Bush has his way, our young people will be dying in this war profiteering scheme until hell freezes over.



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No More "War On Terror" For The Brits

U.K. ends use of phrase 'war on terror' - Europe - MSNBC.com:
Prime Minister Tony Blair’s official spokesman said he was unsure when Blair had last used the phrase.

“We all use our own phraseology, and we talk about terrorism, we talk about the fight against terrorism, but we also talk about trying to find political solutions to political problems,” he said on condition of anonymity, in line with government policy.

According to the advance text, Benn urged Americans to use the “soft power” of values and ideas as well as military strength to defeat extremism.
In other words, America needs to get back to being a beacon of hope rather than a bludgeon of despair.

Ethanol Is Not The Cure

Ethanol may cause more smog, deaths - Environment - MSNBC.com

Just to be clear, renewable does not mean ecologically sound. Corn farming, for instance, is the costliest crop growing endeavor per acre and destroys habitat for just about any other specimen, to say nothing of the damage done by chemical fertilization and pest control. Ethanol is not The Answer, and depending on the way it is created, can use up more energy than it provides and actually increase pollution when compared to the current systems.

DOJ Employees Send Anonymous Letter to Congressional Committee

Policies at DOJ make it impossible to even intern if a candidate shows the slightest hint of liberal influence. This needs to be checked and, if true, denounced immediately.



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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Violence In Iraq Continues To Build

Car Bomb Kills at Least 115 in Shiite Area in Baghdad - New York Times
"Bombs struck today in three other areas of Baghdad as well, killing more than 20 people, making the day one of the deadliest in Iraq since American and Iraqi forces began a new effort to secure the capital two months ago."Looks like the insurgents and surging too.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Secretary of State Rice may face subpoena threat Wednesday

Depending on the State Department's response to a request for information prior to a Wednesday meeting, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could face a subpoena from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, RAW STORY has learned. The move could compel Rice to testify on the intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq...



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Leaving No Reason To Believe Anything The Man Says

Broken Promises to a Broken Gulf - New York Times:
President Bush has reneged on his promises to Katrina’s victims. Shamefully, the president has chosen the interests of bureaucracy over those of American towns on the brink of failure.

Over a year and a half later, there are 64,000 people still sleeping in trailers in Louisiana and far too many communities without schools, hospitals and other basics. These are unacceptable failures. At least part of the problem is a law that requires states to contribute 10 percent of the cost of most federally financed reconstruction projects. Mr. Bush waived that requirement after the Sept. 11 attacks (as his father did after Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki) but he refuses to do so for the Gulf Coast.
Because, you know, those people didn't help get him elected any.

You Bet Your Ass They Can Find Them!

My Way News - White House May Find Countless E-Mails:
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House should be able to recover an undetermined number of e-mails - perhaps millions of messages - that accidentally disappeared from its servers during a program conversion, an administration official said Monday.

'We are aware that there could have been some e-mails that were not automatically archived because of a technical issue,' said White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino.

'But given the complex nature of this issue, it might take us a little while to identify those. We do, however, know that most - all of those e-mails should be available on backup tapes. And so we'll continue to look at it.'

This issue is separate from the White House acknowledgment that aides to President Bush have improperly used e-mail accounts created by the Republican Party to conduct official White House business, and that an undetermined number of these e-mails have been lost.

Separately, Perino has confirmed that White House e-mails could have been lost accidentally when staffers' accounts were converted to Microsoft Outlook from Lotus Notes in the early years of the administration. She wouldn't rule out there were perhaps 5 million e-mails lost, as one watchdog group has suggested.
Just kidding, folks. No need to get all up in arms about this, nosiree. We'll go through those tapes for ya' and find the emails for ya' and delete deliver them straight away. Okay, now move along....

Monday, April 16, 2007

Obama Ascendant

Donors Linked to the Clintons Shift to Obama - New York Times

Why Insurgency Is Unbeatable

Attacks Surge as Iraq Militants Overshadow City - New York Times:
The insurgency’s remarkable ability to terrorize residents, killing those who help Americans while coercing others, is undeniably one of its biggest weapons. It appears to be well financed, too.

“Some guys will give you $300 to put this in a hole in the ground and attach a wire,” said John M. Jones, head of the provincial reconstruction team in Diyala, explaining how insurgents recruit bomb emplacers. “Where are the other incentives?”

With the combination of threats and money, Mr. Jones said, the insurgents’ offers are hard for residents to refuse. “You might not agree with the philosophy of what he’s saying, but he’s got the big guns, and they live in the same neighborhood. It’s you, your wife and kids. What can you do?”

Such intimidation makes progress impossible. “We are not able to make even baby steps,” he said. “I hope we’re laying the framework for future baby steps. Right now, I’d say we are pretty much frustrated.”
You can't beat such a movement with soldiers and tanks. It's a heart and minds phenomenon that won't be dismissed through force.

Make Me!

Public Rebuke for Wolfowitz, but He Digs In - New York Times:
"WASHINGTON, April 15 — Paul D. Wolfowitz’s struggle to remain as president of the World Bank was dealt a crippling setback on Sunday when its most powerful oversight committee delivered an unusually public rebuke of his leadership, expressing “great concern” about the institution’s future and the need to preserve its credibility and staff morale."

Wolfie won't go, oh no! Break out the crowbars. It's time to go!

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