Decision Time for GOP: Spit or Swallow

If Sen Craig isn't gay, how come he wasn't caught tapping his foot for sex in the ladies room?

Hot LinksMaybe the GOP should hand these around the House and Senate

Sen Craig's hometown paper, the Idaho Statesmen Sen. Larry Craig's job in doubt amid calls to resign

U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's hold on his job is growing increasingly tenuous as he loses the confidence of fellow Republicans, from President Bush to his colleagues in the Senate.

The three-term Idaho senator saw his clout and political support diminish by the hour Wednesday, as some colleagues called on him to step down and he gave up his senior role on several key committees. The growing controversy weakens his influence as a senator and calls into question how long he can fend off the growing clamor to resign, political experts say.

Two of Craig's Republican Senate colleagues, John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota, both called on Craig to resign, saying his guilty plea to charges he solicited sex from an undercover police officer makes him unfit to serve as a U.S. senator.

"I think he should resign ... my opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve," McCain told CNN. "And that is not a moral stand. That is not a holier-than-thou. It is just a factual situation."

BBCIran accepts fresh nuclear plan

The UN nuclear watchdog says Iran has agreed to a plan aimed at clearing up questions about its controversial nuclear activities.

The IAEA says the development is "significant", but adds that for the plan to work, it is essential to get full and active co-operation from Iran.

It also says Iran is continuing its enrichment programme, but at a slower pace than before, despite UN sanctions.

Western powers fear Iran could try to make nuclear arms, which Tehran denies.

Guardian Bhutto close to deal with Musharraf President agrees to quit army and drop graft charges against exiled leaders

President Pervez Musharraf and his exiled rival Benazir Bhutto edged closer last night to a power-sharing deal that would see Gen Musharraf retire from the army.

An agreement was "80 to 90% complete" said Ms Bhutto from London, where she has been negotiating with a senior Musharraf adviser and the Pakistani military's spy chief.

Her key demand - that Gen Musharraf give up his uniform before impending elections - has been agreed, she told the Guardian. "A lot of progress has been made, particularly on the uniform. But it's for the president to make an announcement."

Gen Musharraf has also agreed to drop corruption charges against Ms Bhutto, her husband and dozens of other legislators, in the form of a general amnesty covering 1988 to 1999, she said.

Just say no to more world war, and let the lady negotiate. As one little boy told Prissy, "Ladies usually aren't mean." And they usually love their country and the people who reside there.

The general has seen how far George Bush will push him, including sending US troops based in Afghanistan right over the border into Pakistan so they can "find people." No reports on solid "finds." The crystal ball is saying Dick will be the next one out the White House door...

Sun Times Durbin: Fitzgerald a long shot for Gonzales job

Chicago's top federal prosecutor may have convicted a former White House aide, but Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin speculated Monday that Patrick Fitzgerald had a chance -- albeit a small one -- of being President Bush's new attorney general.

Durbin called Fitzgerald a ''long shot'' for the job, but said ''if the choice is made to bring in somebody truly independent who will be quickly confirmed, Patrick Fitzgerald's one.''

Slim to none. This for sure would be an eventual reality...

Village Voice History Will Not Absolve Us Leaked Red Cross report sets up Bush team for international war-crimes trial

While the Democratic Congress has yet to begin a serious investigation into what many European legislators already know about American war crimes, a particularly telling report by the International Committee of the Red Cross has been leaked that would surely figure prominently in such a potential Nuremberg trial. The Red Cross itself is bound to public silence concerning the results of its human-rights probes of prisons around the world—or else governments wouldn't let them in.

But The New Yorker's Jane Mayer has sources who have seen accounts of the Red Cross interviews with inmates formerly held in CIA secret prisons. In "The Black Sites" (August 13, The New Yorker), Mayer also reveals the effect on our torturers of what they do—on the orders of the president—to "protect American values."

She quotes a former CIA officer: "When you cross over that line of darkness, it's hard to come back. You lose your soul. You can do your best to justify it, but . . . you can't go back to that dark a place without it changing you."

Few average Americans have been changed, however, by what the CIA does in our name. Blame that on the tight official secrecy that continues over how the CIA extracts information. On July 20, the Bush administration issued a new executive order authorizing the CIA to continue using these techniques—without disclosing anything about them.

Discovery Channel Two Years Later, New Orleans Still Sinking

Two years after Katrina, the planet's message to southern Louisiana is loud and clear: The land is sinking there and nothing can stop it.

Or that's the message from geologists, anyway. The latest science on the sinking comes from a study in which researchers modeled how the Earth's rigid crust, or lithosphere, there is responding to the weight of Mississippi River sediments.

"Every geologist knows if you put a load on top of the Earth, it's going to cause the lithosphere to bend," said geologist Roy Dokka of Louisiana State University. Dokka, along with Caltech's Erik Ivins and Ronald Blom, published their results in the August issue of Geophysical Research Letters.

ABC Secret Signals: How Gay Men Cruise for Sex

"Police officers will investigate areas that have known histories of this sort of activity. They rely on their own knowledge and experience to tell what is happening. Most officers know the difference between an intentional signal and a stray motion," he said.

The public has a right to enter public areas without worrying about inadvertently seeing lewd acts, Gregson said. The 35-year veteran police chief said he believed this sort of activity took place "in every jurisdiction" and heard stories of "off-duty officers and even judges being caught and arrested."

With many other options available for gay men to meet each other, Gershen Kaufman, a professor emeritus of psychology at Michigan State University and author of the book "Coming Out of Shame," said public cruising is practiced mainly by deeply closeted men.

"Cruisers are not sex offenders. They are deeply, deeply closeted. There is a lot of self-hatred and shame and they can't allow themselves to come to terms with their sexuality. There is also the added element of danger and being discovered," he said.

One commenter noted "It's too bad the foot tapping thing doesn't work with women."

US News & World Report Bush to Stay the Course

In the wake of the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, White House insiders don't want to encourage expectations that President Bush will turn into a born-again accommodator in the final year and a half of his administration.

Their concern is that the mainstream media and many members of Congress will expect a more conciliatory president to emerge as more and more of his original loyalists from Texas leave the government. The insiders say that while Bush wants to score legislative victories before he leaves Washington, such as continued funding for the Iraq war and congressional approval for terrorist surveillance programs, he isn't going to give up on his principles. Bush advisers point out that while Bush has lost or is losing several of his most trusted confidants from his years as Texas governor, including Gonzales, political strategist Karl Rove, and counselor Dan Bartlett, he still has a strong team around him and isn't isolated, as his critics often suggest.

Good old US News...still shilling until the end. Corporate media has bastardized real news.

Forbes Delta Chief Operating Officer Resigns

Delta Air Lines Inc. said Wednesday that Chief Operating Officer James Whitehurst, who was passed over for the carrier's top job, has resigned effective immediately.

Scotsman Israel wages war on army of refuseniks

WHEN Arik Diamant's mother discovered her son was to refuse to do reserve duty for the Israeli army she pleaded with him to reconsider his decision, even offering to resign her job and work in a charity of his choice.

But the former paratrooper and now software engineer was determined. "My parents were terrified that the ramifications of such a decision would destroy my life and endanger my career opportunities," said the 34-year-old co-founder of the Courage to Refuse movement.

While Diamant and 600 fellow reservist refuseniks are making headlines over their choice, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) is becoming increasingly worried that the numbers of Jewish men evading army service is on the rise. The trend is particularly noticeable among those aged 18 to 21, who under Israeli law must serve three years in the military.

New figures reveal that 27% of potential male draftees do not now serve in the IDF, with this year's draft being the smallest in recent times.

Remember the saying, 'what would happen if they held a war and nobody showed up?'

Arizona Daily Star Cancer in Iraq vets raises possibility of toxic exposure

After serving in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago — and receiving the Bronze Star for it — the Tucson soldier was called back to active duty in Iraq. While there, he awoke one morning with a sore throat. Eighteen months later, Army Sgt. James Lauderdale was dead, of a bizarrely aggressive cancer rarely seen by the doctors who tried to treat it.

As a result, his stunned and heartbroken family has joined growing ranks of sickened and dying Iraq war vets and their families who believe exposures to toxic poisons in the war zone are behind their illnesses — mostly cancers, striking the young, taking them down with alarming speed.

The number of these cancers remains undisclosed, with military officials citing patient privacy issues, as well as lack of evidence the cases are linked to conditions in the war zone. The U.S. Congress has ordered a probe of suspect toxins and may soon begin widespread testing of our armed forces.

Financial Times Sterling falls on Bank’s emergency lending

Sterling lost ground on Thursday after the Bank of England revealed it had lent £1.6bn through its standing facility to an unnamed borrower, sparking renewed fears over liquidity in the wake of the recent turmoil on credit markets.

The BoE’s standing facility allows market participants to borrow unlimited amounts at a penalty rate of 1 per cent over base rates.

The facility was last used on August 20 by Barclays, although the bank said it was not related to liquidity concerns.

The pound fell 0.4 per cent to $2.0090 against the dollar and eased 0.1 per cent to £0.6785 against the euro.

Wa PoReport Finds Little Progress On Iraq Goals GAO Draft at Odds With White House

Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration.

The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq.

The draft provides a stark assessment of the tactical effects of the current U.S.-led counteroffensive to secure Baghdad. "While the Baghdad security plan was intended to reduce sectarian violence, U.S. agencies differ on whether such violence has been reduced," it states. While there have been fewer attacks against U.S. forces, it notes, the number of attacks against Iraqi civilians remains unchanged. It also finds that "the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved."

"Overall," the report concludes, "key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds," as promised. While it makes no policy recommendations, the draft suggests that future administration assessments "would be more useful" if they backed up their judgments with more details and "provided data on broader measures of violence from all relevant U.S. agencies."

Seattle Times Bush warns of peril if U.S. fails in Iraq

President Bush warned Tuesday that the Middle East faces a bleak future if the United States fails in Iraq, evoking a "dark vision" of terrorist havens, disrupted energy supplies and a regional weapons race triggered by a nuclear-armed Iran.

"The region would be dramatically transformed, in a way that could imperil the civilized world," Bush said in a speech to the American Legion's national convention.

Bush also cited recent evidence of Iranian weapons in Iraq and renewed his demand that the Iranian leadership halt its support for attacks on U.S. troops.

"Until it does, I will take the actions necessary to protect troops," he said. "I have authorized our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran's murderous activities."

Name one day Dubya has ever protected the troops. Name a day Prissy hasn't tried to protect them...A job according to his true ability thanks to SPB for the picture

CS Monitor Active-duty US troops become outspoken critics of Iraq war Their public critiques represent a shift in the military's culture.

Part of this reflects weariness with the war. But it also represents a shift in military culture where speaking up publicly is more usual and acceptable than in previous conflicts, experts say, thanks to changes in technology and society.

"This is the first post-Internet, post-digital-camera war" in which "the line between private lives and public lives has been blurred," says Eugene Fidell, a former military lawyer who teaches military justice at Yale.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), as long as uniformed critics do not speak or write using "contemptuous words" regarding the president or other senior officials, they are free to voice their opinions, notes Mr. Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice. "We're a nation built on free expression, and it can get pretty noisy."

Part of this criticism reflects weariness with the war, especially among those serving multiple extended combat tours.

Any military wishing to publish an opinion piece anonymously can send it to The Prissy Patriot. It will be published and your identity will be held in confidence. Bella ciao(in favorite links) also offers self publishing and has a large international audience.

Fight Fox, become a Fox attacker Call FOX News advertisers near you and hit FOX where it hurts

This site tells you how to fight the propaganda by going after Fox advertisers.

CNN China's finance minister resigns

No details were given in the statement Resignation follows days of rumors Central Bank Vice Governor Su Ning says monetary policy would not be affected Jin's tenure saw China's foreign currency reserves surge past $1.3 billion

Irish Times Govt denies Musharraf has quit army

Asked about a claim by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto that Musharraf had decided to quit his military post and that she expected him to take the step before the vote, spokesman Mohammed Ali Durrani said: “No decision has been made.”

Did he get a phone call from Bushco?

Salon John Edwards turns on his fellow Democrats

Last week in Hanover, N.H., John Edwards shot off a rhetorical signal flare. "I want to go one step further," he said. Something new was coming. This wasn't going to be just another stump speech about the "Two Americas" -- one for the rich and one for everyone else. He was about to attack his own party, the Democratic Party, which he likes to call "the party of the people."

"The choice for our party could not be any clearer," he continued. "We cannot replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats, just swapping the Washington insiders of one party for the Washington insiders of the other.

Edwards would make an excellent president. Prissy liked him until he voted for the war. He has since come to regret that and has spoken out against the war well before others, like Hillary, would come clean.

Quotes of the Day for the Grand Old Pervert Party

Whatever you condemn, you have done yourself. ~Georg Groddeck, The Book of the It, 1950

That which we call sin in others is experiment for us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Experience," Essays, 1844

All of us are experts at practicing virtue at a distance. ~Theodore M. Hesburgh

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo. ~H.G. Wells

Living in the Land of Confusion

Happy Friday Dearest Readers. What is there to say about Arlen Spector? He's done this before-talk tough and then cave on the important issues.

Word is that Arlen has a girlfriend-has had for 30 years. Right here in Ohio. (There's something about a gal from the Midwest...isn't that so, Senator Spector?)

Ray McGovern told Prissy that he thinks Arlen just gets a "little reminder" from Bushco and he steps back inside the neorepublican line.

Are all of these old Bushco hardliner men senile? How on Earth could he possibly think something going on for 30 years could still be considered a "secret?" Neorepublicans...always expecting us to believe the unbelievable.

Hot Links

Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call via RAW Story Capitol police step up security fearing terror attack in next six weeks

An increased threat of another al Qaeda attack between now and Sep. 11 of this year has caused Capitol Police officials to step up security on Capitol Hill, Roll Call reported.

An unnamed Capitol Police source told Roll Call that Congressional security officials were recently made aware of the potential threat by federal anti-terrorism authorities.

“Given the world situation and recently released snippet from al-Qaida threatening to attack Washington, we’re just being a tad more vigilant if that’s possible,” Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer told the Capitol Hill newspaper. “Although, if you’re ready for a four-alarm fire at any time, it’s hard to be more vigilant.”

Six weeks? Coinciding with the next large scale protest expected by various organizations and individuals in Washington, D.C.

Yahoo Court secretly struck down Bush spying: report

The intelligence-court judge, who remains anonymous, concluded that the government had overstepped its authority by monitoring overseas communications that pass through the United States, the Post said, citing anonymous government and congressional sources.

The Bush administration expanded its surveillance efforts after the September 11, 2001, hijacking attacks, without court oversight. The court was allowed to review the program in January.

The surveillance court judge's ruling has prevented the National Security Agency from monitoring foreign telephone calls and e-mails that travel through the United States, the Post reported.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, mentioned the court setback on Fox News on Tuesday, drawing a rebuke from House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emmanuel.

Act for Change Don't give Bush the power to wiretap Americans without a warrant

It's time for our Senators and Members of Congress to get a backbone and stand up to presidential bullying.

Tell your Senators and Member of Congress: Don't give Bush the power to wiretap Americans without a warrant or court review.

Link to actions.

People's Daily U.S. unilateral military action inside Pakistan's territory unacceptable

It said that any unilateral action by the U.S. inside Pakistani territory will certainly undermine Pakistan's ability to cooperate in the campaign against terrorism.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, talking to newsmen on Friday in Islamabad before his departure on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and UAE, firmly rejected threats of U.S. strikes inside Pakistan.

He said Pakistan is fully capable of operating against terrorists and needs no outside assistance in this regard.

The president said it was not correct to allege that Al-Qaeda was re-grouping in tribal areas and the region was a safe haven for them.

JPost Rabbi Ovadia: 'Women should stick to cooking, sewing'

Yosef blasted the opposing view, saying it was based on the opinion of "a few stupid women. A woman's knowledge is only in sewing," he ridiculed. "Women should find other jobs and make hamin (cholent) but not deal with matters of Torah."

In addition, he admonished women for following in the steps of their mothers in the order of the recitation of the blessing instead of adhering to his opinion.

"It has to be announced that women should not listen to the voice of their mothers or grandmothers not to continue with this mistake," he warned.

Perhaps he should take a vow of silence. Just one woman's opinion...

Friday Funny, No Cooler for the Scooter by a Dick Cheney look alike. Hat tip to Patrick Fitzgerald's desk...

CNN Money U.S. biz blamed for dangerous Chinese products Industry experts say U.S. companies need to monitor overseas factories more closely to prevent product safety lapses.

"American companies have to ask their vendors, 'What can you do for me to convince me not to take my business away from you,'" McGowan said.

Ennis, with the U.S.-China Business Council, said Chinese suppliers do face a legitimate threat of losing business.

"I think Chinese companies will face a very tough lesson if they don't respond adequately to growing concerns about safety and quality checks in their factories," Ennis said.

But ultimately analysts agree that it is big U.S. importers like Mattel who's business will suffer the most from insufficient oversight of foreign suppliers, no matter where they may be.

Large companies which previously manufactured goods here in the USA, shipped out decent paying factory work to save the top dogs labor costs. Here they are again causing harm to the very same people-the middle class folks supporting their products.

NBC and Raw Story Top US general says he's received plan for complete Iraq withdrawal

MSNBC's Hardball reported Wednesday that Defense Secretary Robert Gates was recently "in Kuwait, scoping out what will at some point be a critical staging ground for a US exit plan from Iraq."

According to correspondent Jim Miklaszewski, "Military officials in Kuwait suggest that they could easily handle the 160,000 troops in a matter of months. But that would be extremely risky, because a hasty retreat would increase the troops' vulnerability to attack. And then there's all that equipment – one million tons – that would have to be driven out of Iraq and shipped out of Kuwait by sea. ... It could take two years for a complete withdrawal."

"Tonight, a top US general here in Kuwait said, from a logistics standpoint, he's already got the plan, and he's ready to go," concluded Miklaszewski. "All he needs is the president's orders."

Actions are being taken already, thus the lower death rate on both sides. A disengagment of violence is of course the way forward...

Now, who shall bell the cat? Does this man eat live kittens?

For Prissy's Dearest Reader in Wisconsin Nightmare on Main Street: More on Bush's Anti-Dissent Order

So imagine that you are a dedicated, committed, politically active person. You're donating to the Green Party, perhaps active in local politics, going to demonstrations...Then one day, a person from the treasury department comes to visit. He shows you this executive order, and he tells you that you have been identified by your actions and associations as being a 'significant risk to commit acts of violence.' He says that by their lights, you may already be deemed to have committed acts of violence. He tells you that it has been concluded that these acts of violence undermine the Iraqi government and the reconstruction campaign...

You protest of course. He says it doesn't matter, these are the findings of the Secretary of the Treasury under the executive order. You challenge him to prove what act of violence they think you are about to commit. He replies that there's no particular act, only that you're a 'significant risk.'

Then he tells you, in very clear terms, what they can do. That they can and will take your house. That they can and will take your car and your bank account. That you will be fired from your job. That you will find it impossible to get another job, or find another place to live. That anyone who helps you will be similarly punished, so no one will help you. He tells you that if this isn't enough, they are prepared to take the same tactic against your parents, your children, your girlfriend, your friends, based on their association with you making them a 'significant risk of committing violence' or of 'providing support to you.'

He asks you if you are prepared to see your life erased? Are you really that brave? Do you really want to lose your job, your home, your nest, your savings, your income, your retirement...And if you are that brave, are you really prepared to see this done to your girlfriend, your parents, whoever is close to you...

That should outrage any red blooded American enough to demand a stop to these crazed policies.

Seattle Times Outsourcing the elderly: Low-cost care, made in India

PONDICHERRY, India — After three years of caring for his increasingly frail mother and father in their Florida retirement home, Steve Herzfeld was exhausted and faced with spending his family's last resources to put the couple in an affordable nursing home.

So he made what he saw as the only sensible decision: He "outsourced" his parents to India.

His 89-year-old mother, Frances, who suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease, now receives daily massages, physical therapy and 24-hour help getting to the bathroom, all for about $15 a day. His father, Ernest, 93, an Alzheimer's patient, has a full-time personal assistant and a cook who has won him over to a vegetarian diet healthful enough that he no longer needs cholesterol medication.

Best of all, the plentiful drugs the couple require cost less than 20 percent of what they do at home, and salaries for their six-person staff are so low that the pair now bank $1,000 a month of their $3,000 Social Security payment. They aim to use the savings as an emergency fund, or to pay for airline tickets if family members want to visit.

Star Tribune MnDOT feared cracking in bridge but opted against making the repairs Structural deficiencies in the I-35W bridge were so serious that MnDOT last winter considered bolting steel plates to its supports to prevent cracking in fatigued metal.

The option to monitor through inspection was one of two suggestions given to the department in 2006 by URS Corp., a San Francisco-based construction management consultant.

Some close observers of MnDOT continued to speculate Thursday that the decision to monitor instead of fix deficiencies in the bridge was driven by financial concerns. Dave Semerad, CEO of the Minnesota chapter of the Associated General Contractors, said everything MnDOT does is based on cost-benefit analysis.

"Let's face it. They don't have any money," Semerad said. "At the end of the day, that's the issue. This is indicative of a long-term pattern."

PC World Diebold voting machines vulnerable to virus attack Diebold Election Systems Inc. voting machines are not secure enough to guarantee a trustworthy election, and an attacker with access to a single machine could disrupt or change the outcome of an election using viruses, according to a review of Diebold's source code.

The assessment of Diebold's source code revealed an attacker needs only limited access to compromise an election.

"An attack could plausibly be accomplished by a single skilled individual with temporary access to a single voting machine. The damage could be extensive -- malicious code could spread to every voting machine in polling places and to county election servers," it said.

The report, titled "Source Code Review of the Diebold Voting System," was apparently released Thursday, just one day before California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is to decide which machines are certified for use in California's 2008 presidential primary elections.

The source-code review identified four main weaknesses in Diebold's software, including: vulnerabilities that allow an attacker to install malware on the machines, a failure to guarantee the secrecy of ballots, a lack of controls to prevent election workers from tampering with ballots and results, and susceptibility to viruses that could allow attackers to an influence an election.

Time Murdoch Bags the Journal

Prissy hopes readers will continue canceling their WSJ subscriptions as a result of Murdoch weird brand of journalism he cranks out.

Considering his personal role in pushing for the war in Iraq, it would serve him right to spend big bucks on a paper no one reads...

A good alternative to the WSJ. UK Financial Times Signs of cooling in US labour market

The slowdown in hiring underlined investor fears that economic growth is vulnerable to a downturn in job creation, viewed as one of the main supports for consumer spending amid the worst housing downturn in 16 years.

The dollar’s value dropped against other leading currencies while stocks fell. US treasury bond prices rose as investors priced in a lower likelihood of an interest rate rise by the Federal Reserve in the coming months. Interest rate futures pointed to a 68 per cent chance the Fed would cut rates by the fall.

Peter Kretzmer, an economist at Bank of America, said Fed policymakers would welcome a slight increase in the unemployment rate from 4.5 to 4.6 per cent because it reduced inflation pressures.

The central bank is expected to keep interest rates on hold when it meets next week and again underline its concern that unwelcome price increases will return

.

Democracy Now “In Search of John Doe No. 2: The Story the Feds Never Told About the Oklahoma City Bombing”

A Salt Lake City lawyer searching for the truth behind his brother's death has uncovered a wealth of new information that could implicate the FBI in the Oklahoma City bombings. The documents he dug up suggest the FBI knew about the plot to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in advance but did little to prevent it. Jesse Trentadue's brother Kenney Trentadue was found dead in his prison cell in Oklahoma City in August 1995. The FBI calls it a suicide, but Jesse maintains Kenney was beaten to death during an interrogation. Jesse believes the FBI mistook his brother for the missing second suspect in the Oklahoma City bombings - the so-called "John Doe #2." His research also suggests that the bombing was not the work of one or two men, but involved a wider network connected to the far-right white supremacist movement. Jesse Trentadue joins us to talk about his struggle with the FBI in the twelve years since his brother’s death. We’re also joined by reporter James Ridgeway, author of a new Mother Jones article on this story.

WaPo Dan Froomkin is the best in that bunch Karl Rove's Immunity

Massimo Calabresi writes in Time with "four reasons why Bush can't afford to let Gonzales go: "1. Gonzales is all that stands between the White House and special prosecutors. As dicey as things are for Bush right now, his advisers know that they could get much worse. . . .

"2. A post-Gonzales DOJ would be in the hands of a nonpartisan, tough prosecutor, not a political hand. Newly appointed Deputy Attorney General Craig Morford is in line to take over until a new Attorney General could be confirmed. . . .

"3. If Gonzales goes, the White House fears that other losses will follow. . . . Republicans are loath to hand Democrats some high-profile casualties to use in the 2008 campaign. Stonewalling, they believe, is their best way to avoid another election focused on corruption issues. . . .

"4. Nobody at the White House wants the legal bills and headaches that come with being a target of investigations. In backing Gonzales, Bush is influenced by advisers whose future depends on the survival of their political bodyguard."

All of the above... Click to enlarge

McClatchy At U.S. base, Iraqis must use separate latrine

FOB WARHORSE, Iraq — The sign taped to the men's latrine is just five lines: "US MILITARY CONTRACTORS CIVILIANS ONLY!!!!!" It needed only one: "NO IRAQIS."

Here at this searing, dusty U.S. military base about four miles west of Baqouba, Iraqis — including interpreters who walk the same foot patrols and sleep in the same tents as U.S. troops — must use segregated bathrooms.

Another sign, in a dining hall, warns Iraqis and "third-country nationals" that they have just one hour for breakfast, lunch or dinner. American troops get three hours. Iraqis say they sometimes wait as long as 45 minutes in hot lines to get inside the chow hall, leaving just 15 minutes to get their food and eat it.

It's been nearly 60 years since President Harry Truman ended racial segregation in the U.S. military. But at Forward Operating Base Warhorse it's alive and well, perhaps the only U.S. military facility with such rules, Iraqi interpreters here say.

Quotes of the Day

"The die is now cast; the colonies must either submit or triumph.... we must not retreat."--King George III, In a letter to Lord North, 1774

"There, I guess King George will be able to read that."--John Hancock, Remark, July 4, 1776

"Equal, and exact justice of all men, ...freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of person under the protection of habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected,- these principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us."--Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, 1801

It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.--Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 19, 1781

The NeoRepublicans Point of No Return

Gonzo takes his oath before the Senate hearings? (Thanks to Dearest Reader Valerie for the picture)

Dearest Readers, Gonzo will soon be gone. Prissy is hearing he will resign by September...either that, or he will certainly be looking at impeachment. Maybe even disbarment.

One thing is for sure. He has lost all credibility within his own party. Spector isn't fooled or maybe he just doesn't like Gonzo. Either way, he's asking the right questions. Let's see if he has enough of our ancestors in his bloodline to follow with action.

Only ones just as deep in Bushworld muck, can afford to stand up for him at this fork in the road. They know they have little to lose and so the ruse must continue.

If the American people are tired of the deceit, they must use all available lawful means to restore the government back into the hands of the We the People. The creatures of the current regime will not hand it back politely, we must demand its return.

Should one require a cause or mission statement before embarking on the venture, Prissy suggests reading the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence or its conclusion (see below) for further guidance.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Back channel whisper of the day: Did Congressman John Boehner (OH-R) make the DC Madames list? There may be another Ohio congressperson on the list too.

Place your bets, Dearest Readers. Larry Flynt will probably drop the names beginning of next week, watch the roaches in Washington scatter... Will it help to tell these boys they are "well within the national average?"

Hot Links

TruthOut Gonzales Memo: White House Granted Extraordinary Access to DOJ Files

Under intense questioning by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), Gonzales was shown a copy of the May 4, 2006 memo he signed authorizing Cheney, his chief of staff and his attorney to enter into direct discussions with Gonzales "regarding any matter within the Justice Department."

"The Attorney General may communicate directly with the President, Vice President, their Chiefs of Staff, Counsel to the President or Vice President, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Adviser, or the head of any office within the [Executive Office of the President] regarding any matter within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice," states the memo. Moreover, the memo says Gonzales's staffers were also given authority to communicate directly with the officials in the office of the president and the office of the vice president on DOJ matters.

The issue is of particular concern to lawmakers and the legal community because the DOJ historically operates independently of the administration and without political interference of any kind. A similar memo was signed by former Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2002, but limited discussions between the DOJ and the White House to the office of the counsel of the president.

Gonzales's memo, on the other hand, seems to authorize discussion about pending DOJ cases to virtually hundreds of White House officials, and it seems to lend credibility to the assertion that perhaps some high-profile public corruption cases involving Republican lawmakers were scuttled due to interference by the Bush administration.

Don't we make a cute couple?

Chicago Tribune, hat tip to Prissy's invisible BF...BP dumps mercury in lake

Peter Swenson, chief of the water permits section at the EPA's regional office in Chicago, said some Great Lakes polluters have been granted exemptions to the mercury limits when they renew their permits. But others have been forced to comply immediately, he said, noting that emerging technology can remove the metal from waste water.

A Tribune review of federal records shows that the waste water the BP refinery pumps into Lake Michigan includes more than a dozen toxic byproducts of oil refining, including benzene, toluene and suspended solids containing mercury, lead, nickel and vanadium.

The refinery is the top industrial source of lead, nickel and ammonia pollution directly released into the lake, according to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. It also is one of only two industrial polluters on the lake that dump acetonitrile, a chemical that metabolizes in the environment to cyanide.

If BP were to meet the federal mercury standard for the Great Lakes, it would take the refinery 25 years to put the same amount of the toxic metal into Lake Michigan that it does now in one year.

ABC still trying to salvage some credibility after the DC Madame untruths Spy Agency OKs Bloggers as Journalists

Are bloggers part of the news media? The U.S. government -- led by two of its most secretive agencies -- is increasingly saying, "Yes, they are."

Despite the rap that bloggers simply "bloviate" and "don't try to find things out," as conservative newspaper columnist Robert Novak once sniffed, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) have altered policies to indicate they're taking blogs seriously, and a growing number of public offices are actively reaching out to the blogosphere.

What Dick thinks of bloggers

The CIA recently updated its policies on Freedom of Information Act requests to allow bloggers to qualify for special treatment once reserved for old-school reporters. And last August, the NSA issued a directive to its employees to report leaks of classified information to the media -- "including blogs," the order said.

Experts say it's part of a trend. Earlier this year, the criminal trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was the first time a federal court had issued press credentials to bloggers. A rotating pool of five to 10 bloggers sat alongside dozens of traditional media reporters to hear the government try and convict one-time aide to Vice President Dick Cheney on perjury and obstruction of justice charges stemming from the leak of an undercover CIA operative's identity.

Republicans blocking Freedom of Information Act bill, Judiciary Chairman says

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) issued a Friday afternoon statement criticizing Republican colleagues for holding up an open government bill that seeks to reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and end delays in government compliance with requests for information.

"The Republican obstructionism continues in the Senate and the latest casualty is Americans’ access to their government," Senator Leahy said. "I am deeply disappointed that Republicans continue to block attempts to pass the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act” (“OPEN Government Act”)

CREW CREW RELEASES REPORT DETAILING INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE OFFERS IN WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA

Another email responding to an offer from Argentina to DOS officials reads “All, The (sic) word here is that doctors of any kind are in the 'forget about it' category. Human assistance of any kind is not on our priorities list....It’s all about goods, not people, at this point.”

Another email describes how the transport of Israeli relief supplies loaded on a C-130 aircraft was delayed for over 48 hours on the tarmac while Israeli officials waited for clearance from the U.S. government. The unidentified author states: “I’ve been on the phone with the [Israeli] attache every couple of hours since noon . . . they’re patient, but not amused by our delay, obviously.” The documents do not reveal if or how the issue was resolved.

Melanie Sloan, CREW’s executive director said today, “A review of the State Department documents reveals distressing ineptitude. Countries were trying to donate desperately needed goods and services, but as a result of bureaucratic bungling and indifference, those most in need of these generous offers of aid never received it.”

CBS Dick's hardening of the arteries and his head Cheney Having Minor Heart Procedure

Cheney, 66, has a history of heart problems. He has had four heart attacks, quadruple bypass surgery, two artery-clearing angioplasties and an operation to implant the defibrillator.

In March, doctors discovered that he had a deep venous thrombosis in his left lower leg. After an ultrasound in late April, doctors said the clot was slowly getting smaller.

In 2005, Cheney had six hours of surgery on his legs to repair a kind of aneurysm, a ballooning weak spot in an artery that can burst if left untreated.

What a waste of taxpayers money...persons of his vast wealth should have to pay their own health care costs. He has access to the best resources much of his life-its not our fault that he failed to use them.

The problem Prissy has with Republicans is that they always like to hold others responsible for behaviors which cause health problems (smoking, overweight,etc) but never wish to be held accountable themselves. To be held to their own standards would literally kill them...

Why Bush ranks number one for being the most unsophisticated, vulgar president in American history. Imagine being a military family and seeing him joke about the misuse of your loved ones life...watch Joe Lieberman yuk it up at the prez.

Possibly the most callus, unAmerican, unpatriotic moment against our troops in the annual press dinner's history. They cared not, while deceiving Americans into this war. It shows.

Thank you again, Stephen Colbert! He did one of those critical skills jobs, the one that no one else had the gonads to do.

Maybe Dubya should have looked within for WMD

The Iraq War: Legal or Illegal?

Pinky wants some answers: Is the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq legal or illegal? Do any of the charges of illegality we've been hearing about have any legal basis at all? And why should we even care about international law anyway? Pinky and friends do the research and then tell you all the answers!

A well researched cartoon with the facts about the war. Send to anyone left still doubting...

Andrew Sullivan The Republicans and the Young

Young people react with hostility to the Republicans on almost every measure and Republicans and younger voters disagree on almost every major issue of the day. The range of the issue disagreements range from the most prominent issues of the day (Iraq, immigration) to burning social issues (gay marriage, abortion) to fundamental ideological disagreements over the size and scope of government. This leaves both potential Democratic nominees with substantial leads over Rudy Giuliani, but importantly, both Democrats still have room to grow their support among younger voters. The current problems with the Republican brand are not fully reflected in young people’s preferences for President.

No kidding; Prissy is glad the younger generation isn't as easily fooled as their elders. Notice their elders prefer not to answer the young 'uns questions...

Wired Republican Candidates: Afraid to Face the YouTube Generation?

Ratings data show that the CNN/YouTube debate received the highest viewership level for the demographic between 18 and 34 since measurement level began in 1992 for a cable news debate.

Research released earlier this year by Harvard's Institute for Politics found that -- galvanized by the war -- this age group showed up at the polls in 2004 at extremely high levels.

As Carl Cannon, a writer for the inside-the-Beltway publication National Journal noted in a May edition of the magazine, "These young people are so little understood that many of the 2006 congressional campaigns ignored them utterly, although the candidates who did paid a price for their inattention."

WaPo With Gonzales Under Fire, FBI Violation Gains Notice

"Oversight by Congress to minimize abuse of government's power relies on full and honest answers from government officials," particularly with regard to Patriot Act matters, Leahy said in a statement. "Time and again this Attorney General has not met that obligation."

The issue of what Gonzales knew of FBI violations and when arose this month, when The Washington Post reported that the FBI had sent him at least half a dozen reports of legal or procedural violations before he gave his 2005 testimony.

In total, the FBI has told the White House and the Justice Department about a few hundred instances since 2001 in which its agents violated procedures or laws designed to protect the civil liberties and privacy of Americans. Most of the problems involved paperwork mistakes, the inadvertent collection of phone data for the wrong person or the collection of data past a legal deadline, officials have said.

Officials said the 2004 violation stands out because it is the sole occasion on which the FBI itself concluded that an agent intentionally violated safeguards on the use of national security letters, investigative tools that allow agents to gather phone, computer or bank records without court approval or a grand jury subpoena.

Wired more reasons for concern about Gonzo AG Gonzales Wants Police to Get "Extremely Graphic" When Discussing Child Porn

According to this account, Gonzales repeatedly stressed the need to give the public more lurid accounts of what officers have seen. "We have to be very, very graphic in describing what we're discovering over the Internet, for example, the images that we see. Not just young teenage girls in bikinis, but these are images of crimes being committed against our children, of dads having sex with their young daughters, oral sex, defecation," Gonzales said. "I mean, just, we've got to be extremely graphic about what we're seeing because all these images mean that a child has been molested."

Wouldn't such graphic descriptions in police press releases and news stories play to the prurient interests of pedophiles and, in a sense, become its own version of child porn?

Of course it would...remember Ken Starr "and then what did she do with it, Mr. President...republicans can't get enough of the lurid details. Put it in the final report for police and doctors eyes- it doesn't need to be in Gonzo's entertainment news.

Really makes Prissy professionally concerned about those firmly holding on to such an ideology. The successful re-branding of KKKarl's GOP

Mirror Tories are revolting

Civil war broke out in the Conservative Party yesterday as senior Tory MPs publicly blasted David Cameron.

Die-hard Derek Conway said there were "generational difficulties" with the new leader.

He claimed the views of older Tories had been forgotten in plans to rebrand the party.

Veteran MP Bob Spink accused Cameron of relying on gimmicks and "wet behind the ears" advisers.

Kids, these are the kind of "grown-ups" Prissy will be more than happy to help you verbally target.

Listen up, DLC democrats. Politico Democrats dis DLC convention

The lack of a single presidential candidate at the convention is nonetheless striking.

Even those long shots like Joe Biden, aching to catch some momentum, will not be attending.

Biden argues for restoring a Democratic coalition. But he's campaigning in New Hampshire over the weekend. His book tour is beginning. He, like his fellow candidates, is simply too busy for the DLC.

The snub would not be so noticeable if it were not for the presidential race beginning so early this cycle. No Democratic candidate for president attended the DLC gathering in 1999 or 2003. But in 2000, Al Gore gave the conference keynote address. In 2004, John Kerry did the same.

The DLC does not represent the grass roots that made them possible. They appear to snub their "base."

Gulf News US plans big arms sale to Saudi Arabia

Officials told the newspaper that the plan is aimed at bolstering GCC militaries to contain Iran’s growing strength in the region.

The State Department and the White House had no comment on the report, and a Pentagon spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Officials said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates plan to use their visit to Saudi Arabia next week to press for help over Iraq.

The newspaper quoted a senior State Department official as saying that Washington wants Gulf states to stress to Sunnis that engaging in violence is "killing your future."

That's right, cause this guy wants to "kill your future...

IHT Stock markets rise and fall according to a new world pecking order

The economic strength this year has been largely in Asia, where there is talk of an overheating Chinese economy and annual growth rates in gross domestic product remain in the double digits. While recessions in America and Europe would presumably damage China's exports, its growth has so far resisted government efforts to slow it down through higher interest rates.

As a result, the prices of such economically sensitive commodities as oil and copper are significantly higher now than they were in February.

"You can make the case that we are simply witnessing a reverse of the late 1990's - Asia collapse, long-term interest rates swoon and U.S. housing booms," said Robert Barbera, the chief economist of ITG. This time, he said, interest rates may not fall much, because of the Asian boom, and that will put more pressure on housing prices.

The plunge this week, while made in America, seemed to end in China. While Japan's stock market fell about 2 percent on Friday, the CSI 300 index, in China, managed a small gain. After that, European markets showed only mild moves.

Quotes of the Day

We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. --Benjamin Franklin

Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie, but rather mourn the apathetic, throng the coward and the meek who see the world's great anguish and its wrong, and dare not speak.--Ralph Chaplin

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.--Albert Einstein

The Ass and His Driver: AN ASS, being driven along a high road, suddenly started off and bolted to the brink of a deep precipice. While he was in the act of throwing himself over, his owner seized him by the tail, endeavoring to pull him back. When the Ass persisted in his effort, the man let him go and said, Conquer, but conquer to your cost. A willful beast must go his own way.--Aesop

The Boosh/Chainee Rain of Terra

Any of you mates still left, have questions or concerns for Commander Crook?

Hello Dearest Readers, can you believe all of this?

His own party cannot keep him in line. See below:

Bush Surprises Senate Aides With Unexpected Interruption of White House Meeting

July 17, 2007 by Major Garrett and Trish Turner Fox News

WASHINGTON — President Bush shocked Capitol Hill staffers and Republican leaders Monday when he crashed a meeting at the White House to deliver a blunt message that he wasn't backing down on Iraq and Republicans need to understand that.

"It was stunning," said one GOP aide who attended the meeting. "We couldn't believe he came in."

"We kept looking at each other, amazed he came in," said another Republican aide.

Bush was described as folksy, adamant and mildly profane as he interrupted the meeting between senior White House communications staffers Tony Snow and Ed Gillespie and GOP leaders. His message: the policy on Iraq isn't changing. He is not backing down and no one on Capitol Hill should be confused into thinking he is letting up.

Judge Bates tossed aside the Plame case like a glanced over USA Today blowing about in the metro...About the judge:

CNN Suit against Cheney task force dismissed

Lawmakers sought details on contacts with energy industry (2002)

Judge Bates serves on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (bio)

The judge who just dismissed the Valerie Plame lawsuit serves as a judge on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, aka the FISA court. Hat tip to

dc @ 1 Boring Old man! Impeach!

Valerie Plame's Lawsuit Dismissed

While Bates did not address the constitutional questions, he seemed to side with administration officials who said they were acting within their job duties. Plame had argued that what they did was illegal and outside the scope of their government jobs.

"The alleged means by which defendants chose to rebut Mr. Wilson's comments and attack his credibility may have been highly unsavory, " Bates wrote. "But there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level Executive Branch officials."

Hot Links

Discovery Science New La Nina Could Stir Up Hurricanes

The nine to 12 month La Nina traditionally causes heavy rainfall in Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia, droughts in parts of South America, an increased number of storms in the tropical Atlantic, cold snaps in North America and wetter conditions in southeastern Africa.

The Atlantic hurricane season is at its most active in August and September. US experts have predicted that a total of about nine to 10 Atlantic hurricanes could form in the course of 2007 after a relative lull last year.

Encyclopedia.com 2004 flashback Be careful what you wish for.(ISRAEL: Military operations) "What is certain is that Israel and the United States are seeking to establish a Kurdish state." Firouz Dowletabadi, Iran's Ambassador to Turkey, 7.21.04

In mid-May when the Ankara government froze three large-scale military tenders for the purchase of new fighter helicopters, remote piloted aircraft and tanks, Israeli defense companies were not happy. They had submitted a bid for two of the tenders, the aircraft and the helicopters. Israeli diplomatic sources insisted the freeze was "not related to Israeli and Turkish relations." The announcement came despite claims by diplomatic sources in Jerusalem that they were "unaware of any decision by Turkey to freeze contracts with Israeli firms. Moreover Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had met with his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalon, in Dublin only days earlier and assured him that Ankara was interested in "expanding ties with Israel." In the Haaretz report on the topic, Aluf Benn hinted there might be more to the freeze, Israel's Palestinian policy, perhaps. "Turkey has recently criticized the IDF's activities in the territories, particularly the assassination of Hamas leaders, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Abed al-Aziz Rantisi, as well as the demolishing of homes in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip," he wrote. On the other hand, "Following public criticism by Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, directed at Israel's activities in the territories, the Turkish government sent a communique to Israel stating that the criticism is an 'isolated' matter and will not affect relations between the two countries." (Haaretz 5.17.04)

Reuters Turkey boosts troops at Iraqi border: sources

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey's army has boosted troop levels in the restive southeast to more than 200,000, most of them stationed along the border with Iraq, security sources told Reuters on Friday.

Those sources, who declined to be named, said the unusually large buildup, which includes tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft, was part of a security crackdown on Kurdish rebels hiding in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates dismissed the estimate of 200,000 troops, saying it was too high.

The Pentagon has disputed reports of increased Turkish troop levels for days. The top U.S. general, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace, said Turkey has the capability to fight the rebels inside Iraq without boosting troop levels.

A very dangerous situation...almost makes one wonder if people are determined to bring about Armageddon.

Reuters China warns U.S. against "smear attacks" on imports

Good grief, they use prison labor camps to make products shipped to this country. Who needs "smear attacks?"

Need a laugh? Listen to one of the good guys take it as good as he can give it. And didn't Prissy tell you he's not only one of the best prosecutors in the country, but also has a wonderful sense of humor. Many lawyers can be the funniest people to hang out with. There's a fine line between law and art.

Video of Wait, Wait

Perhaps he missed his true calling! NPR Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me Click to listen to the special prosecutor being quizzed on the segment Not My Job: Patrick Fitzgerald. Quick with a quip, he is also a good sport.

What Prissy found surprising upon seeing in him in person vs. television, is that he's a soft-spoken guy. Certainly more polite than the neocon he caught...or Gonzo having the nerve to tell Mr. Fitzgerald that he was doing a "good job." The WaPo described Fitzgerald's reaction as "taken aback." Even some of the bad guys like Fitz

RAW Story Intel director doesn't want US 'not torture' tactics used on Americans

MR. RUSSERT: But by use of the term "enhanced interrogation measures," there clearly are things that are used to elicit information. Have we eliminated water-boarding? Can you confirm that? MR. MCCONNELL: I would rather not be specific on eliminating exactly what the techniques are with regard to any specific. When I was in a situation where I had to sign off, as a member of the process, my name to this executive order, I sat down with those who have been trained to do it, doctors who monitor it, understanding that no one is subjected to torture. They are treated in a way that they have adequate diet and not exposed to heat or cold, they are not abused in any way, but I did understand when exposed to the techniques how they work and why they work -- all under medical supervision, and one of the things that's very important, I think, for the American public to know -- in the history of this program it's been fewer than 100 people.

And so this is a program where we capture someone known to be a terrorist, we need information that they possess, and it has saved countless lives because they believe these techniques might involve torture, and they don't understand them, they tend to speak to us, talk to us in a very candid way.

MR. RUSSERT: Does this new executive order allow measures that if were used against a U.S. citizen who was apprehended by the enemy would be troubling to the American people?

MR. MCCONNELL: I can report to you that it's not torture.

MR. RUSSERT: How do you define torture?

MR. MCCONNELL: Well, torture is -- an attempt to define torture in the executive order gives examples of mutilation or murder or rape or physical pain, those kinds of things.

Let me just leave it by saying the techniques work. It's not torture, you're not subjected to heat or cold, but it is effective, and it's a psychological approach to causing someone to have uncertainty and, in a situation where they will feel compelled to talk to you about what you're asking on that.

Guess Mitch won't mind if we use a few on him, just to loosen him up and get him over that social anxiety for parties he attends.What will it take to make torture acceptable America?

No, Dearest Readers, we mustn't...breath deeply. We must show them how justice is supposed to work.

MSNBC Abu Ghraib figure gets spot on recreation board England spent 18 months in jail for role in Iraq prison abuses

Lindy England moving forward in a positive direction. No one is saying these soldiers should not have been disciplined. Half of those conducting torture were contractors, not military personnel. No contractors were ever charged for the assaults they were responsible for at Abu Ghraib.

The original master minds behind the memos creating the torture, still walk amongst us as free men.

MSNBC DoJ all but 'operating on autopilot'

Resignations and the on­going furore over allegedly politicized hiring and firing at the US justice department have left so many top positions vacant that the department is all but operating on autopilot, the Financial Times has learnt.

Six top DoJ officials have quit since February, when the sackings of at least nine US attorneys prompted an outcry in Congress. Outside Washington, 23 of the 93 US attorneys' offices, which investigate and try most cases, are devoid of permanent political leadership.

And... Patrick Leahy, the Democrat who chairs the Senate judiciary committee, pointed out that the White House has submitted nominees for only four of the 23 open US attorney positions. "The current status is un­acceptable," he said. The crisis of leadership at the justice department has allowed the White House to play politics with law enforcement."

Gonzo's Brand DOJ on Autopilot

WaPo U.S., Iran to Hold Second Round of Talks on Iraq

"We do feel that there are networks of explosively formed projectiles . . . that are coming from Iran," Rear Adm. Mark Fox, a senior U.S. military spokesman, told reporters Sunday.

Meanwhile, an influential legislator in the ruling Shiite-dominated alliance said it was unlikely that a U.S.-backed oil law would move forward significantly before August, when Iraq's parliament is scheduled to break for a vacation. The oil law is one of the so-called benchmark legislations that the Bush administration views as essential to restoring stability in Iraq.

"The problem is the cabinet agreed on this oil law and sent it to the parliament. But every day, a political bloc comes and says, 'I have some kind of reservation about this point, or change this point, or cancel this point,' " said Abbas al-Bayati, a Shiite Turkman legislator who is a member of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's United Iraqi Alliance.

The assessment, shared by other politicians, casts doubt on whether the oil legislation will be passed by September, when a crucial progress report is to be delivered to Congress and could determine how long U.S. troops remain in Iraq.

"It will never happen before September," Bayati said.

It had better...or Bayati and Boosh will be on their own.

CBS News and Harry Reid slow on the draw as usual... Reid: GOP Protecting Bush Not Troops

(CBS/AP) Senate Republicans who blocked a vote on setting a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq are more interested in protecting the president than protecting American troops, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Sunday on Face The Nation.

"Even Iraqis, by a 70 percent margin, think that Americans in Iraq are doing more harm than good," he said. "So getting the Americans out of Iraq ... I think, would lessen chaos rather than increase it."

The legislation stalled Wednesday after a 52-47 vote fell eight votes short of the 60 that Democrats needed to advance it. Reid kept the Senate all night Tuesday to try to force some movement on the issue.

KOS, some good stuff-but Prissy feels they are too slanted toward some bad Democrats and not enough to good progressives. Hadrian's Forum: John Yoo and the Roman Tyrant Sulla; Subversion of Rome's Constitution, Part 3

I was recently reading a kos diary, which said that John Yoo wrote that the AUMF is 'an express affirmation' (rather than authorization) of the President's constitutional powers to fight wars. What John Yoo said was that the congress is irrelevant. He said that congress has no power, and that its authority is largely symbolic and ceremonial. Any blogger who has read my Hadrian's Forum series will know that I have written a lot about the forces that subverted the Roman constitution and destroyed the Roman Republic. I fear that we are seeing the same thing happen again today, 2,000 years after the Roman republic fell.

So in the latest edition of my "Hadrian's Forum" series, I want to talk about one Roman who, like Bush, decided that he could ignore the constitution. The civil wars of Lucius Cornelius Sulla constituted an early warning of the declining authority of the Roman senate. This authority was what had tamed the Roman executive branch for hundreds of years before the days of Julius Caesar. Sulla demanded constitutional authority to command a war. When the senate refused this, Sulla took his troops, marched on Rome, and made himself dictator. (Will Dubya show his rear and try this next, Dearest Readers?) EmperorHadrian's diary:

Lucius Cornelius Sulla was born in 132 BC. Julius Caesar was assassinated only 35 years after Sulla's death in 79 BC. When Sulla was working his way up the ranks of Rome's army, the autocrat of a little kingdom was stirring up trouble. That autocrat, Mithridates VI (Mithridates the Great) ruled a kingdom in Anatolia (modern Turkey). The kingdom, called Pontus, was located on the northern end of Anatolia. Mithridates had goals of making his kingdom the greatest empire in northern Anatolia. After deposing the queen of Pontus, his mother Gespaepyris, he set his sights on larger conquests.

Mithridates entertained ambitions of making his state the dominant power in the Black Sea and Anatolia..... the Scythians and the allied Rhoxolanoi suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Pontic general Diophantus and accepted, albeit at the point of the sword, Mithridates as their overlord.

All the flack over why Harriet Miers cannot/will not testify? Fred Fielding, Dubya's lawyer said she doesn't have to, as well as others. Executive privilege...oh yeah? Well it didn't work so well when "Clinton did it!"

WaPo Flashback: President Is Denied Executive Privilege Wednesday, May 6, 1998

A federal judge has ruled that President Clinton cannot use the power of his office to block prosecutors from questioning his senior aides, rejecting Clinton's assertion of executive privilege in the Monica S. Lewinsky investigation, lawyers familiar with the decision said yesterday.

In a ruling issued under court seal Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson concluded that independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's need to collect evidence in his obstruction of justice probe outweighs Clinton's interest in preserving the confidentiality of White House discussions, the lawyers said.

The decision made Clinton the first president to take a claim of executive privilege to court and lose since the dramatic Watergate showdown in 1974, when the Supreme Court unanimously ordered Richard M. Nixon to turn over the secret Oval Office tapes that ultimately led to his resignation. Clinton's case also seems headed for the high court as sources indicated that the White House likely will appeal.

Passports, get your passports-while you still can...Law.comU.S. Firms Beef Up Their Presence in Germany

"The economy there in the last 12 to 18 months has really picked up considerably," Gander said of Germany. "There is a lot more need for legal services -- a lot more need for equity, [initial public offering] transactions, growth in the real estate area ... and pharmaceuticals have been very active."

Last in the news, but certainly not least. Dubya "legalizes" seizure of your assets, should you openly oppose his policies in Iraq. He's finally gone and done it-declared himself Dicktator of the former Free World...Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq

Russian newspapers are warning Americans what vagueness this executive order was written with and how dissent of this war by American citizens could be construed as a threat to the "stabilization Efforts in Iraq."

Where there is unAmerican manipulation of laws going on, there is KKKarl somehow involved. Rover has always been Dubya's true partner in slime.

Quotes of the Day

Dictators are rulers who always look good until the last ten minutes--Jan Masaryk

Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.--Winston Churchill

It is a paradox that every dictator has climbed to power on the ladder of free speech. Immediately on attaining power each dictator has suppressed all free speech except his own.-- Herbert Hoover

Every dictator is an enemy of freedom, an opponent of law.--Demosthenes