Lame Duck Bush

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Congress, RepublicansLeave a Comment

There’s no other way to view it—even conservative Republicans are backing away from Bush:

The [Republican-controlled] House handed President Bush the first defeat in his effort to preserve the broad powers of the USA Patriot Act, voting yesterday to curtail the FBI’s ability to seize library and bookstore records for terrorism investigations.

Bush has threatened to veto any measure that weakens those powers. The surprise 238 to 187 rebuke to the White House was produced when a handful of conservative Republicans, worried about government intrusion, joined with Democrats who are concerned about personal privacy.

***

Democrats contend that the reversal is the first sign of growing wariness about some of the more intrusive elements of the Patriot Act, which was passed just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The American Civil Liberties Union called the vote a rare victory for civil liberties.

From WaPo.

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Death

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

Rumsfeld gave an interview to the BBC:

Asked if the security situation had improved [in Iraq], he admitted: “Statistically, no.”

“But clearly it has been getting better as we’ve gone along,” he added. “A lot of bad things that could have happened have not happened."

Source.

He’s right.  All lot of bad things could have happened as a result of the Iraq invasion.  We could have seen thousands of U.S. soldiers dead or critically wounded, the mass exodus of biological and chemical agents out of Iraq to God-knows-where, a veritable civil war in Iraq, a sharp decline in the U.S. esteem as a global leader and credible peacebroker, the mushrooming of the U.S. budget deficit, a brand new “Vietnam syndrome” that our fine military took great pains for 25 years to expunge, and the creation of on-the-job training ground for a new generation of would-be fanatical terrorists.  Thank God we dodged those bullets.

Seriously, when you are in a situation and someone says “it could have been worse”, that’s a sure sign that things are, you know, bad.

ExxonMobil-Cooney Timeline

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Corporate GreedLeave a Comment

I could rant and rave about the White House’s ass-licking of the oil industry, but sometimes all it takes is to let the facts speak for themselves:

  • Seven days ago: "President’s George Bush’s decision not to sign the United States up to the Kyoto global warming treaty was partly a result of pressure from ExxonMobil, the world’s most powerful oil company, and other industries, according to US State Department papers seen by the Guardian."

  • Also seven days ago: "A White House official who once led the oil industry’s fight against limits on greenhouse gases has repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming, according to internal documents….The official, Philip A. Cooney, removed or adjusted descriptions of climate research that government scientists and their supervisors…had already approved." [Note: Cooney was a former lobbyist for the oil industry]

  • Five days ago: "Philip A. Cooney, the chief of staff to President Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality, resigned yesterday, White House officials said."

  • Today: "Philip A. Cooney, the former White House staff member who repeatedly revised government scientific reports on global warming, will go to work for Exxon Mobil this fall, the oil company said yesterday."

    Acknowledgement: Kevin Drum

    • Seeing Is Believing

    Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, Godstuff, Health CareLeave a Comment

    Epilogue to Terri Schiavo:

    "The brain weighed 615 grams, roughly half of the expected weight of a human brain,” he said. “This damage was irreversible, and no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss of neurons.”

    [Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon] Thogmartin said the autopsy report was based on 274 external and internal body images, and an exhaustive review of Terri Schiavo’s medical records, police reports and social services agency records.

    [Source]

    Roy Moore – Potential Pain in the GOP Ass?

    Ken AshfordCourts/Law, GodstuffLeave a Comment

    The Boston Globe suggests an interesting future scenario.

    Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who refused to follow a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state’s judicial building, is pretty popular in Alabama.  And he’s set to run for Governor in 2006 against a rather lackluster tax-raising incumbant governor.

    If Moore wins, it is conceivable that he will order that the Ten Commandments (or some other religious monument) be placed in front of the Alabama State House, in open defiance of federal law.

    With the 2008 presidential race looming, President Bush would then face a no-win decision: either call out the National Guard to enforce a court order against a religious display on state grounds or allow a fellow born-again Christian to defy the courts.

    This is all highly speculative of course, but it has the potential to be another George-Wallace-in-the-door historical confrontation, pitting the law-and-order right against the Christian right.  And all during a presidential election year.  For that reason, I suspect many Republicans would prefer that Roy Moore go away for a while.  And I suspect Roy Moore and his followers have other plans.

    Michelle’s Odd Sense Of Humor

    Ken AshfordRight Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

    Perpetually-outraged internment-loving blogger Michelle Malkin recently posted this blog entry, entitled "Terrorists Heart The French", which I reprint in its entirety:

    Terrorist farewell gifts for a recently released French kidnapping victim:

    Two rings and a bottle of perfume.

    I guess Michelle’s point is that terrorists and the French are cut from the same cloth, peas-in-a-pod, kindred spirits, gift-giving bosom buddies, etc.

    Unfortunately, when you click on her link, you come to an article entitled "Abductors ‘Beat’ French Hostage", quite the opposite of “Terrorists Heart the French”.  The article recounts the story of the French journalist, Florence Aubenas, who was held for five months by Sunni religious fanatics, kept blindfolded in a room 13 feet by 6 feet, living “crouched down in the pitch black for weeks”, subject to beating when she talked with a cellmate, etc.  Hardly a heart-fest.

    But, hey.  Michelle glosses over all that, because the abducted journalist was, you know, French.  So it’s okay to make light.

    Okay, But Can We Convict Him Of Egomania?

    Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

    This deserves the raspberry-of-the-year award:

    The Jackson Web site mjjsource.com featured graphics declaring “Innocent” and showing a hand giving a victory sign as a fanfare plays. A scrolling calendar highlights historic events such as “Martin Luther King is born,” “The Berlin Wall falls,” “Nelson Mandela is freed,” and finally, “June 13, 2005, Remember this date for it is a part of HIStory.” The reference was to Jackson’s 1995 album “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I."

    Comparing the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Michael Jackson verdict?  There’s no rolling-eye graphic sarcastic enough to convey the stupidity.

    I can see it now.  Forty years from now, my grandchildren will gather around me, and look up at me in wonder and ask, “Grampa!  Where were you when Jacko was found innocent?”

    To truly appreciate this, you must must must visit the website referred to above.  It is a Flash presentation, so wait for it to load…

    Krazy Kristian Kookdom – Labelling Gays Edition

    Ken AshfordGodstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

    I found this to be interesting, even though the proponent is denying the charge:

    The leader of a conservative Christian lobby group appears to suggest that gays should be required to wear warning labels, although he denies that was his intention.

    “We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we ‘celebrate’ a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports,” Rev. Bill Banuchi, executive director of the New York Christian Coalition told the Mid Hudson News.

    The journal regularly publishes articles described by many mainstream psychologists as misleading and faulty.  The homosexuality morbidity study was conducted by the conservative anti-gay Family Research Institute.

    “Fun” fact: The Nazis made homosexuals where a pink triangle in concentration camps. 

    UPDATE:  Wonkette has the idea for a perfect label: “Warning: May result in a Judy Garland fetish”

    Atta-in-Prague Revisited

    Ken AshfordBush & Co., IraqLeave a Comment

    Anyone who thinks the Bush Administration was victim to flawed intelligence, take note:

    BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO PUBLIC:

    “Well, what we now have that’s developed since you and I last talked, Tim, of course, was that report that–it’s been pretty well confirmed that he [9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta] did go to Prague and he did meet with a senior official of the Iraqi intelligence service in Czechoslovakia last April, several months before the attack.” [NBC, Meet the Press, 12/9/01]

    BUSH ADMINISTRATION PRIVATELY:

    …”…there might be doubt about the alleged meeting in Prague between Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker on 9/11, and Iraqi intelligence (did we, he asked, know anything more about this meeting?)” [Paul Wolfowitz to British Ambassador Christopher Meyer as reflected in 3/18/02 memo]

    Why was Cheney saying the alleged meeting was “pretty well confirmed” when, in fact, we had “doubts” and were seeking more information from the Brits?

    “Democracy Freedom blah blah blah”

    Ken AshfordForeign AffairsLeave a Comment

    Defense officials from Russia and the United States last week helped block a new demand for an international probe into the Uzbekistan government’s shooting of hundreds of protesters last month, according to U.S. and diplomatic officials.

    British and other European officials had pushed to include language calling for an independent investigation in a communique issued by defense ministers of NATO countries and Russia after a daylong meeting in Brussels on Thursday. But the joint communique merely stated that "issues of security and stability in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan," had been discussed.

    The Washington Post
    U.S. Opposed Calls at NATO for Probe of Uzbek Killings
    June 14, 2005

    _______________________________

    It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

    George W. Bush
    Second Inaugural Address
    January 20, 2005

    [Hat tip: Billmon]

    9/11 Wives

    Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

    As someone who worked pro bono for several 9/11 survivors to receive compensation from the September 11 Victim’s Fund, I find these two stories (this one and this one) to be very discouraging.

    In the first story, the widow of the 9/11 victim stands to lose much of her husband’s pension.  Her husband was a pilot of one of the planes that crashed into the WTC.  United Airlines, her husband’s employer, is having huge financial troubles, and the pension plan may be a victim of it.

    In the second story, the widow received $5,000,000 from the Victim’s Fund and “blew it”.  Some of the money was spent on “frivilous items” for herself—the article notes that she owns $500,000 worth of shoes.  This is no fault of the Fund, and certainly not the fault of the widow herself.  She has a compulsive shopping problem, which is no laughing matter.  Thaknfully, she is making efforts to bring this problem to light.

    Snippets from The British Briefing Papers

    Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

    As a counterpart to the Downing Street Memo, further briefing papers from Britain demonstrate, as this article trumpets, that the U.S. lacked a postwar Iraq plan, and that Blair’s advisors predicted instability in the region.

    They also cast light on some of the strength (or lack thereof) of the pre-war intelligence regarding Iraq.  Some key quotes culled by Think Progress are below, but I recommend following the links (to the PDFs of the actual documents) for full details:

    British Knew Iraqi WMD Were Not a Threat: “There is no greater threat now that [Saddam] will use WMD than there has been in recent years, so continuing containment is an option.” [Iraq: Options Paper]

    Evidence Did Not Show Much Advance In Iraq’s Weapons Programs: “Even the best survey of Iraq’s WMD programmes will not show much advance in recent years on [the] nuclear, missile or CW/BW fronts: the programmes are extremely worrying but have not, as far as we know, been stepped up.” [Ricketts Paper, 3/22/02]

    Evidence Was Thin on Iraq/Al Qaeda Ties: “US is scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and Al [Qaida] is so far frankly unconvincing.” [Ricketts Paper, 3/22/02]

    “No Credible Evidence” On Iraq/Al Qaeda Link: “There has been no credible evidence to link Iraq with UBL and Al Qaida.” [Straw Paper, 3/25/02]

    Wolfowitz Knew Supposed Iraq/Al Qaeda Link Was Weak: Wolfowitz said that “there might be doubt about the alleged meeting in Prague between Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker on 9/11, and Iraqi intelligence (did we, he asked, know anything more about this meeting?).” [Meyer Paper, 3/18/02]

    There it is: the first draft of history.

    Cox & Forkum Embarassment Watch

    Ken AshfordRight Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

    From their rant about the new Ground zero memorial complex, I’ll start with a moronic gaffe to demonstrate their ignorance:

    Keep in mind the context here: the “Guantanamo is a gulag” ACLU and other leftists groups are involved in the memorial.

    Uh, guys.  That’s Amnesty International.  Two entirely different bodies.

    But then they REALLY step in it:

    In fact, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., should serve as a model for the WTC memorial, as a guiding principle on how to create a real tribute to the 9/11 victims that does not shy away from naming the enemy, its anti-freedom ideology, and telling the full, horrible story. It’s not a matter of scale but of content and presentation. Not only does the Holocaust Museum explain how and why Nazism came to power but also how and why the Nazis systematically murdered millions. It tells survivors’ stories and how the free state of Israel was born. It shows how life was reclaimed from a culture of death, destruction and tyranny. There are even television monitors—conscientiously shielded from children—that unblinkingly show the true horror committed against Jews and others.

    Of course, Cox & Forkum are too wrapped up in the paranoid outrage to realize that Tom Bernstein, the “radical liberal” on the IFC Board who is the center of the wingnut criticism, is actually on the Board of Directors of the Holocaust Museum and chairs certain committees there.

    Heh.

    Boot-On-The-Ground Check-In Time

    Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

    So what are our soldiers in Iraq saying?  Is the bad guys, as Cheney said, “in its last throes?”?  Do our fighting men and women (in their ever-decreasing numbers*) see the light at the end of the tunnel?

    Nope:

    "I know the party line. You know, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, five-star generals, four-star generals, President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld: The Iraqis will be ready in whatever time period,” said 1st Lt. Kenrick Cato, 34, of Long Island, N.Y., the executive officer of McGovern’s company, who sold his share in a database firm to join the military full time after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “But from the ground, I can say with certainty they won’t be ready before I leave. And I know I’ll be back in Iraq, probably in three or four years. And I don’t think they’ll be ready then."

    * As I write this, there is a breaking story that 5 marines were killed today in a roadside bomb.  Okay, so I guess there is a light at the end of the tunnel for some marines.  Not that the folks at Fox News give much of a crap about the honored dead as individuals anymore—they stopped updating their fatality list a month ago.