Enemy Combatant
Friday, April 30, 2004
Lately I've been reading books about Osama bin Laden and the Taliban that were written pre-9-11, looking for "clues" that might have telegraphed the attacks. This book, Dollars for Terror: The United States and Islam, was written by Swiss journalist Richard LabÈviËre and originally published in 1999, with a translation into English the following year. What it has to say about bin Laden (particularly his ties to the CIA) has me donning my tinfoil hat once again, and in despair of the 9-11 Commission ever getting to the bottom of the whole mess.
Here's the opening paragraph of Chapter VI, which is entitled "Osama Bin Laden, Our Man In Kandahar":
Who is this man with the enigmatic smile? Abruptly elevated to the rank of "planetary public enemy number one," the federal court of New York has issued an international warrant for his arrest. This 43 year old Saudi, a veteran of the first Afghanistan war, is the son of a billionaire and is a billionaire himself. Leading an army of 7,000 men and an international financial empire, he is more powerful than a head of state. He invented a form of terrorism that is privatized and practically quoted on the stock exchange. For him, it all began in Afghanistan, with the "holy war" against the Red Army. First, he was a recruiter of "Arab volunteers," then a front-line soldier. At that time he sealed a secret agreement with the CIA. This "public enemy number one" enjoys the protection of the American agency, and has close relations with the Saudi special services as well. Their chief, Prince Turki Ibn FayÁal, continues to "handle" Osama bin Laden, despite his having been deprived of Saudi nationality in 1994. The billionaire also maintains close relations with his family, even if he had to wage a war for control of the bin Laden financial empire. After several sojourns in Sudan and Yemen, he is back in Afghanistan. He took refuge with his Taleban friends, from whom he acquired control of a whole province producing opium. This "man who wanted to be king" has thrown all his weight into the process of arranging the succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia. Is he still the CIA's joker in the game for the future of the monarchy, which is a matter of such great concern to the United States?
Yeah, That's Our Job
In yet another 5-4 Supreme Court decision this week upholding the GOP's distorted redistricting plans (this time in Pennsylvania), Justice Anthony ("secret-Bush-v.-Gore-author") Kennedy wrote the following (apparently without a hint of irony):
"The ordered working of our Republic, and of the democratic process, depends on a sense of decorum and restraint in all branches of government, and in the citizenry itself," Kennedy said. "Whether spoken with concern or pride, it is unfortunate that our legislators have reached the point of declaring that, when it comes to apportionment, 'We are in the business of rigging elections.'"
Mr. Pot? Meet Mr. Kettle.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
* Congress Probes INC's Lobbying Efforts *
The Iraqi National Congress of Ahmed Chalabi may have violated restrictions against using taxpayer money to lobby when it campaigned for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Congress' General Accounting Office will investigate the allegation, which if proven true, means that U.S. taxpayers paid to have themselves persuaded that it was necessary to invade Iraq.
Kinda warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it? Robbing Peter and Paul to bamboozle both into war.
"Your Government Is Expanding -- To Meet The Needs Of An Expanding Government!"
Kerry to Bush: F*ck You; Strong Letter to Follow
Borrowing heavily from some excellent advice by Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo, here's an "immediate action drill" full of soundbites that Kerry should practice, in anticipation of the next time he's asked to respond to some Bush minion's slandering of his Vietnam service (and subsequent war protests):
"You know what? I'm tired of responding to some Bush lackey's attacks on me about my Vietnam service. If George W. Bush has a problem with my service (or my opinions about the Vietnam war afterward), let's hear it from him directly.
"I think we need to pull back and see the bigger picture here, too, which is: What's the signature pattern of George W. Bush's life?
"When he faces a challenge or a tough scrape, he lets his family and friends bail him out, and fight his battles for him. You see it again and again through his failed business dealings, his legal scrapes -- even the whole matter of his ducking service in Vietnam and then getting help cleaning up his records of his spotty service in the Texas Air National Guard.
"And it's come up again and again on the campaign trail. Remember, people: George W. Bush has faced three opponents who each served in Vietnam -- Senator McCain, Vice-President Gore, and now myself -- and he's had his underlings attack the service of each one of us.
"So here we have the same pattern, repeating itself again -- no different. If the president wants to attack my war record, then he needs to stop being a coward, and hiding behind the gossipmongering of his friends, like Karen Hughes (or whoever). Be a man, George. If you've got a problem with me, then come out into the daylight and tell it to my face. In other words, put up or shut up."
Sunday, April 25, 2004
"I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life," she said. "President Bush has worked to say, let's be reasonable, let's work to value life, let's reduce the number of abortions, let's increase adoptions. And I think those are the kinds of policies the American people can support, particularly at a time when we're facing an enemy and, really, the fundamental issue between us and the terror network we fight is that we value every life."
-- Karen Hughes, explaining today why to be pro-choice is to be pro-terrorist.
Friday, April 23, 2004
Lemme see if I've got this right: The first, smaller picture, which shows a flag-draped corpse being removed from Ground Zero, and which ran in Bush's much-maligned re(s)election ad, "Safer, Stronger," is a model of dignity, an appropriate and oh-so-tasteful use of a depiction of our war dead, etc., etc.
Whereas, the next, bigger picture, which was taken BY THE PENTAGON, and cost the picture-smuggler AND her husband BOTH their jobs, is just a tasteless, cruel thing to parade in front of the grieving families (who can't tell which coffin belongs to whom, given that they're all identical and flag-draped).
Now, have I got that right? THANKS, Karl Rove, for pointing out that distinction! And thanks to the Kool Kidz in the 'Murican press, who will sit up and beg for more: "Thank you, sir! May I have another?"
Thursday, April 22, 2004
No Black Box Voting For California
Some rare good news, for a change, from the Left Coast -- come November, there won't be any black-box, "trust-us-we're-Republicans" vote counting here:
By Jim Wasserman
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:51 p.m. April 22, 2004
SACRAMENTO ñ California should ban the use of 15,000 touch-screen voting machines made by Diebold Election Systems from the Nov. 2 general election, an advisory panel to Secretary of State Kevin Shelley recommended Thursday.
By an 8-0 vote, the state's Voting Systems and Procedures Panel recommended that Shelley cease the use of the machines, saying that Texas-based Diebold has performed poorly in California and its machines malfunctioned in the state's March 2 primary election, turning away many voters in San Diego County.
The recommendation affects 15,000 Diebold touch-screen machines in San Diego, Solano, Kern and San Joaquin counties.
Granted, we were going to go for Kerry anyway, but maybe this will prompt election officials in other states who aren't yet officially part of the RoveBorg to think about the integrity of the individual ballot, for a change (in other words, to do the job they were sworn to do) . . .
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Entro-paeans
Now that Bob Woodward has planted a Claymore mine under Bush's reelection campaign that promises to explode in slow motion (just like in Swordfish!) over the next few weeks, I'm more convinced than ever that the road to Bush AND Cheney's tandem impeachments runs right smack dab through Riyadh.
I think Congress needs to start raising holy hell about this. When it comes to declassifying what they consider "CYA" material, the Bush administration pays out like a slot machine, no matter how sensitive the info. And let's not argue, at this late date, that there's no Saudi-Al Qaeda connection. (Personally, I would like to see ALL Saudi intelligence declassified NOW, but that's just me.)
And just in case the Congress needs a little how-to manual, this is how a Republican legislature impeaches and a Republican Senate then convicts and removes from office an incompetent, embarrassing Republican chief executive, for (among other serious charges) misappropriation of funds:
Are you Jewish?
-- [former Arizona Governor] EVAN MECHAM to author
Whenever I'm in my house or my office, I always have a radio on. It keeps the lasers out.
-- EVAN MECHAM
Don't ever ask me for a true statement again!
-- EVAN MECHAM
Ev has become an ethical pygmy.
-- STAN TURLEY, senate president and fellow Mormon
(Oh, and in case anyone reads through that last hotlink and wonders: The "Michael Scott" who defended Evan Mecham? It ain't me, babe.)
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PLUS CA CHANGE, PLUS C'EST LA M ME CHOSE:
"The people of England have been led in Mesopotamia into a trap from which it will be hard to escape with dignity and honour. They have been tricked into it by a steady withholding of information. The Baghdad communiques are belated, insincere, incomplete. Things have been far worse than we have been told, our administration more bloody and inefficient than the public knows. It is a disgrace to our imperial record, and may soon be too inflamed for any ordinary cure. We are to-day not far from a disaster."
-- T.E. Lawrence, aka "Lawrence of Arabia" writing on the British occupation of Iraq in 1920
Oh. My. God.
Guess who's being touted as the first US Ambassador to the post-June-30th Iraqi government? John Negroponte.
As David Sirota points out in his excellent blog, Negroponte was hip-deep in the Iran-Contra scandal, which means he was instrumental in helping Iran wage war against Iraq not too long ago. Great -- that should go over big in Baghdad! (Not to mention the irony -- for those of you whose irony-meter isn't already broken -- of a man with a dismal human rights record helping Iraq transition to "freedom.")
November can't come soon enough, I tell you.
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Lying Through His Teeth, And On Easter Sunday Yet
"I am satisfied that I never saw any intelligence that indicated there was going to be an attack on America -- at a time and a place, an attack." GWB, 4/12/04
Before the impeachment hearings start, the Wrecks-All Wrangler's lawyers might want to carefully re-read the August 6, 2001 PDB. It mentions only three U.S. cities by name: DC, New York, and LA. Of the three, it says specifically that "in 1998, bin Laden told followers he wanted to retaliate in Washington," that "a bin Laden cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks" and that "FBI information [ ] indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York."
So -- given that the thwarted Millennial Plot had contemplated attacks in LA (making the 1998 LA threat in the PDB "historical" only in the sense that it had proven at least partially true two years later) -- questions for the impeachment committee begin to emerge. Question like,
What parts of the phrases, "retaliate in Washington" and "hijackings or other types of attacks in New York" didn't you understand, Mr. pResident?
You read this memo, Mr. pResident, and decided to continue your 5-week vacation?
Do you think protecting the United States from terrorism is a fulltime job, sir?
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Electro McChestpaddle emerges from an undisclosed location
Uh huh, I see, Mr. Cheney. Dick Clarke wasn't "in the loop," but at the same time he was "where the action takes place."
Let's talk about that flip-flopper Kerry, why don't we?
Convolutia Rice
CNN now has the (partially redacted) August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing up. (Warning: you'll need Adobe Acrobat to read it, though.)
So when do we draw up the perjury charges against Condi?
Friday, April 09, 2004
What was that saying about those not learning from history being doomed to repeat it?
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Court of Appalls
Two Reporters Told to Erase Scalia Tapes
† †
† †By DENISE GRONES, Associated Press Writer
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ó Two reporters were ordered Wednesday to erase their tape recordings of a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at a Mississippi high school.
Scalia has long barred television cameras from his speeches, but does not always forbid newspaper photographers and tape recorders. On Wednesday, he did not warn the audience at the high school that recording devices would be forbidden.
* * * * [here's the kicker:]
Last year, Scalia was criticized for refusing to allow television and radio coverage of an event in Ohio in which he received an award for supporting free speech.
Scalia, who was appointed to the bench by President Reagan in 1986, told students that the Constitution's true meaning must always be protected.
"The Constitution of the United States is extraordinary and amazing. People just don't revere it like they used to," Scalia told a full auditorium of high school students, officials, religious leaders.
He said he spends most of his time thinking about the Constitution, calling it "a brilliant piece of work."
Oh, come now, Justice Scalia -- you're too modest. You're quite a "piece of work" yourself. (Although I'd substitute the adjective "nasty," in place of "brilliant.")
I can certainly see where Scalia's coming from, though, on the media-coverage question. After all, his hand-selected winner of the partial vote recount in Florida (and, in turn, Bush's equally-unelected minions) have been recorded relentlessly on audio and video for the past three years -- and look where it's getting them now.
Here's hoping Condi's precious 2.5 allotted hours of testimony tomorrow morning is filled with questions such as these.
Mishegas Accomplice, Part II: Electric Boogaloo
More indescribably good news from the Pollyannas of the Potomac:
Early today, the White House responded to the deaths by declaring that US resolve was "unshakable". Its spokesman Scott McClellan said: "We will prevail. The president was told that our troops are performing well. The president is proud of our troops."
Well, that's just peachy. Because the most important thing here is what Bush feels and thinks, despite any messy reality "on the ground."
And he can continue to be "proud" of whatever he wants (whether he had anything to do with it or not), but it's a crying shame he's never once given "our troops" any reason whatsoever to return the favor.
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Oh, hell, no! This is simply unacceptable:
White House vetting could delay 9/11 report until after election
The chairman of an independent commission looking into US counterterrorism activities prior to the September 11 attacks warned he could not guarantee the panel's report will be released before the November presidential election because of a protracted White House vetting processThe chairman of an independent commission looking into US counterterrorism activities prior to the September 11 attacks said he could not guarantee that the panel's report will be released before the November presidential election because of a protracted White House vetting process.
Former Republican New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean said he was "surprised" by the situation, but saw no way around it.
Of course, there is an easy "way around it." Someone on that commission, or on its staff, has to have the moral clarity and patriotic fortitude of a Daniel Ellsberg.
Monday, April 05, 2004
Mishegas Accomplice
Hard to believe it was eleven short months ago (5/1/03) that Commander Codpiece gave his "Mission Accomplished" speech on the flightdeck:
"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world.
Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it.
Your courage your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free. ...
We thank all the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country.
And tonight, I have a special word for Secretary Rumsfeld, for General Franks, and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well done.
The character of our military through history - the daring of Normandy, the fierce courage of Iwo Jima, the decency and idealism that turned enemies into allies - is fully present in this generation.
When Iraqi civilians looked into the faces of our servicemen and women, they saw strength, and kindness, and good will."
Those words would now be ashes in his mouth, if he had a conscience at all (or even a plan B). Too bad he has neither:
Q Mr. President, in regard to the June 30th deadline, is there a chance that that would be moved back?
THE PRESIDENT: No, the intention is to make sure the deadline remains the same. I believe we can transfer authority by June 30th. We're working toward that day. We're, obviously, constantly in touch with Jerry Bremer on the transfer of sovereignty. The United Nations is over there now. The United Nations representative is there now to work on the -- on a -- on to whom we transfer sovereignty. I mean, in other words, it's one thing to decide to transfer. We're now in the process of deciding what the entity will look like to whom we will transfer sovereignty. But, no, the date remains firm.
In other words, we're handing off the old sovereignty football to whatever hapless sap is still standing there in the backfield come June 30th -- and hey, watch out for those enormous tackles bearing down on you!
Great -- the crowning achievement of the Keystone Crips: the coming Iraq debacle.
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Brilliant minds, and all that -- Tom Tomorrow and Ted Rall:
Funny? You killed out there!
When I first heard about Bush's WMD jokes at the press club dinner, these are exactly the war images I thought would be appropriate to edit interspersed with them, to make an effective antiwar/antiBush ad. Many thanks to Jason Woliner for this.
Friday, April 02, 2004
Think Bush is Toast? Think Again
How might Bush still screw thee? Let me count the ways:
1. Osama surfaces. Some of us tinfoil-hatters think Rumsfeld already has him on ice somewhere, waiting for the optimal moment to bring him out of his spider-hole. Of course, if Osama is really still at large, there's practically zero chance he'll be caught between now and November. I mean, it's not like a 6'7" man hooked up to a dialysis machine whose image has been broadcast worldwide for the past three years would stand out anywhere.
2. Castro dies. This would be a godsend for Bush, because post-Castro Cuba might well become Bay of Pigs II: Vengeance Served Cold. Before the anti-Castro Cubans in Florida make a near-complete exodus back to the homeland, however, they'll probably all vote for Dubya on their way out. (If that happens -- mark my words -- thirty years from now President-for-Life Jenna Bush will be naming Ahmed Chalabi Emperor of the Principality of Gitmo.)
3. 9-11 II. This one gives me the heebie-jeebies, particularly since media members of the RoveBorg (yes, I'm talkin' 'bout you, David Brooks) seem to be panting in anticipation of such an attack, preferably just before the election.
4. Deus Ex Scalia II. Let's say, in an improbable misalignment of the stars and planets, Bush actually wins the popular vote, but loses the electoral college (sound familiar?). The Supreme Court takes up his case, and, in a breathless fit, Scalia announces for another (the same) bare majority, "Ohmigod! I mean, we rilly rilly need to uphold democracy here, and so, we're declaring the Electoral College unconstitutional, and handing the election to Bush again, this time because he won the popular vote."
Thursday, April 01, 2004
It Just Keeps Getting Better:
Prosecutors Are Said to Have Expanded Inquiry Into Leak of C.I.A. Officer's Name
By DAVID JOHNSTON and RICHARD W. STEVENSON, WaPo
Prosecutors investigating whether someone in the Bush administration improperly disclosed the identity of a C.I.A. officer have expanded their inquiry to examine whether White House officials lied to investigators or mishandled classified information related to the case, lawyers involved in the case and government officials say.
I think the Bush administration lying has now reached critical mass. Stand back -- and here, wear these safety goggles.
