When the Woodshed Isn't Enough

March 28, 2007
When the Woodshed Isn't Enough

In terms of biography, Gonzales is totally unlike Stockman. His rise from poverty to become the first Hispanic attorney general is a great chapter in the American tradition. He owes his position not to brilliance but to his proven loyalty to Bush, the man he has served as a counselor for more than a decade.

But, like Stockman, he has given his president plenty of reasons to fire him. The Justice Department, a vital part of the federal government, has been reduced in stature and has lost the trust of both the public and its career employees under Gonzales.

Bush has modeled himself on Reagan in many ways. One of the worst traits they share is their reluctance to dismiss people for cause. It took more than three years of the mismanaged Iraq war for Bush to get rid of Don Rumsfeld.

The Republican White House is too often a no-fire zone.

Gonzales: an active agent to subvert the Justice Department

March 29, 2007
Gonzales: an active agent to subvert the Justice Department

In light of this pattern, cast a glance back from the US Attorneys scandal through Gonzales's tenure as AG and White House counsel. Look back from the prosecutors he fired to the memos he commissioned on the Geneva Conventions and Guantánamo. Just as Gonzales once tried to redefine torture as not torture, he now tries to define political firings as not political and not firings. In this picture Gonzales is not merely a deferential retainer or simply serving a controversial theory of presidential power; he is the active agent of a campaign to distort and subvert the purposes of the Justice Department and the plain language of federal statutes.

Poll: 60% say military action in Iran will cause more terrorism

March 30, 2007
Poll: 60% say military action in Iran will cause more terrorism

WASHINGTON, March 29 (UPI) -- Nearly 60 percent of respondents to a UPI-Zogby International poll said military action against Iran would increase the risk of a terror attack on U.S. soil.

Participants in the interactive poll, conducted March 14-16, were asked to rate the affect of military action against Iran, which is continuing to defy the United Nations and develop a nuclear program and is alleged to be helping insurgents in Iraq. The option range was 1-5 with "5" meaning "great impact" and "1" standing for "no impact at all."

Poll: 41.8 percent say U.S. credibility has been severely damaged

March 30, 2007
Poll: 41.8 percent say U.S. credibility has been severely damaged

WASHINGTON, March 30 (UPI) -- The damage to U.S. credibility regarding Iraqi weapons could affect the believability of similar charges against Iran, a UPI-Zogby International poll shows.

Asked about a hypothetical U.S. announcement on Iranian weapons development, respondents were mostly likely to say such acclaim would not be very credible (39.3 percent) and not at all credible (17.8). The "somewhat credible" answer pulled 32.7 percent of responses and "very credible" was chosen by 7.5 percent.

Iraq poll 2007: In graphics

March 19, 2007
Iraq poll 2007: In graphics

US 'no longer technology king'

March 29, 2007
US 'no longer technology king'

The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.

A deterioration of the political and regulatory environment in the US prompted the fall, the report said.

The top spot went for the first time to Denmark, followed by Sweden.

Gates: Congress should close Guantanamo Bay

March 29, 2007
Gates: Congress should close Guantanamo Bay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress should explore with the White House ways to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay while not releasing its most dangerous detainees, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

Gates, speaking at the hearing on defense spending, said he favored closing Guantanamo, but that some detainees there "based on their confessions, should never be released."

"Is there a way statutorily to address the concerns about some of these people who really need to be incarcerated forever but that doesn't get them involved in a judicial system where there is the potential of them being released, frankly?" Gates said.

Bush's long history of tilting Justice

March 28, 2007
Bush's long history of tilting Justice

THE SCANDAL unfolding around the firing of eight U.S. attorneys compels the conclusion that the Bush administration has rewarded loyalty over all else. A destructive pattern of partisan political actions at the Justice Department started long before this incident, however, as those of us who worked in its civil rights division can attest.

Under the Bush administration, however, all that changed. Over the last six years, this Justice Department has ignored the advice of its staff and skewed aspects of law enforcement in ways that clearly were intended to influence the outcome of elections.

It has notably shirked its legal responsibility to protect voting rights. From 2001 to 2006, no voting discrimination cases were brought on behalf of African American or Native American voters. U.S. attorneys were told instead to give priority to voter fraud cases, which, when coupled with the strong support for voter ID laws, indicated an intent to depress voter turnout in minority and poor communities.

Testimony that got so embarrassing for the White House that the Republicans tried to cut it off

March 30, 2007
Testimony that got so embarrassing for the White House that the Republicans tried to cut it off

In his Senate testimony yesterday, Kyle Sampson, the former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, tried to be a "loyal Bushie," a term Mr. Sampson used in his infamous e-mail message to describe what he was looking for in United States attorneys. But if Mr. Sampson was trying to fall on his sword, he had horrible aim. In testimony that got so embarrassing for the White House that the Republicans tried to cut it off, Mr. Sampson simply ended up making it clearer than ever that the eight prosecutors were fired for political reasons.

He provided more evidence, also, that the attorney general and other top Justice Department officials were dishonest in their initial statements about the firings.

Mr. Sampson flatly contradicted the attorney general's claim that he did not participate in the selection of the prosecutors to be fired and never had a conversation about "where things stood." Mr. Sampson testified that Mr. Gonzales was "aware of this process from the beginning," and that the two men regularly discussed where things stood. Mr. Sampson also confirmed that Mr. Gonzales was at the Nov. 27 meeting where the selected prosecutors' fates were sealed.

The deadliest days in Iraq

March 29, 2007
The deadliest days in Iraq
The deadliest days in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. Totals include people known to have died on that day as well as bodies found that day:
-August 31, 2005: At least 1,000 Shiite pilgrims are killed in a bridge stampede caused when somebody claimed there was a suicide bomber in their midst.

-Nov. 23, 2006: Mortar rounds and five car bombs kill 215 people in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City.

-March 6, 2007: Officials report 194 deaths, including 120 by two suicide bombers in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.

-March 2, 2004: Coordinated blasts from suicide bombers, mortars and planted explosives strike Shiite Muslim shrines in Karbala and Baghdad, killing at least 181 people.

-March 29, 2007: At least 179 people are killed, including 104 by multiple suicide bombers in the town of Khalis, north of Baghdad, and in predominantly Shiite markets in the capital.

Sampson Says Gonzales Made False Statement

March 29, 2007
Sampson Says Gonzales Made False Statement

Specter asked about Gonzales' "candor" in saying earlier this month that he was not a part of any discussions on the firings. He asked about the November 27, 2006 meeting "where there were discussions" and Gonzales allegedly attended. Was Gonzales' statement about taking part in no discussions accurate?

"I don't think it's accurate," Sampson replied. "I think he's recently clarified it. But I remember discussing with him this process of asking certain U.S. attorneys to resign, and I believe that he was present at the meeting on Nov. 27."

"So he was involved in discussions in contrast to his statement" this month? Specter asked.

"Yes," Sampson replied.

AP falsely claimed Obama has "delivered no policy speeches"

March 27, 2007
AP falsely claimed Obama has "delivered no policy speeches"

A March 27 Associated Press article -- headlined "Is Obama All Style and Little Substance?" -- falsely claimed that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has "delivered no policy speeches" while campaigning "and provided few details about how he would lead the country." In fact, on March 2, Obama delivered what the Chicago Tribune described as a "major policy speech on U.S.-Israel policy," and news reports indicate that in campaign speeches across the country, Obama has offered policy proposals on Iraq, education, the environment, energy, and health care.

Contrary to Pickler's assertion that Obama has "delivered no policy speeches," on March 2 he delivered a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in which Obama offered specific policy proposals for dealing with Iraq and the Middle East. In the speech, Obama asserted that the Iraq "war has fueled terrorism and helped galvanize terrorist organizations. And it has made the world less safe." Continuing, Obama detailed his proposal for ending the war in Iraq.

Ignoring Post's own reporting, Wash. Post editorial found no underlying misconduct in U.S. attorney firings

March 27, 2007
Ignoring Post's own reporting, Wash. Post editorial found no underlying misconduct in U.S. attorney firings

The implication that Gonzalez attempted to cover up what "didn't need covering" suggests that there is no evidence of underlying impropriety in the U.S. attorneys' dismissals. As Media Matters for America documented, Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney in New Mexico, has alleged that Domenici and Wilson "attempted to pressure him to speed up a probe of Democrats just before the November elections" -- both Domenici and Wilson have since acknowledged contacting Iglesias about his corruption investigations. In a March 5 article on Domenici's statement, the Post reported: "Legal experts say it violates congressional ethics rules for a senator or House member to communicate with a federal prosecutor regarding an ongoing criminal investigation."

Poll: Most Feel 'Surge' Not Working Or Making

March 28, 2007
Poll: Most Feel 'Surge' Not Working Or Making Things Worse in Iraq

NEW YORK A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds nearly two in three Americans believing the current escalation of U.S. troops in Baghdad "has not made much difference or has actually made the situation there worse," Gallup reports today. And more than half also say that, once we begin to remove troops from the region, "insurgents will step up their attacks in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces will not be able to control the violence."

The public also supports s setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq by fall 2008.

Poll: Giuliani, Clinton Lead

March 28, 2007
Poll: Giuliani, Clinton Lead

PRINCETON, NJ -- A new USA Today/Gallup poll suggests actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson could be a factor in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, should he decide to enter. Included for the first time in this poll, Thompson places third behind front-runner Rudy Giuliani and second-place John McCain. There has been little change in the Democratic ballot in recent weeks, other than a slight improvement for John Edwards. Hillary Rodham Clinton remains the Democratic leader, with Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Edwards also getting significant support.

General McCaffrey: "The population is in despair"

March 28, 2007
General McCaffrey: "The population is in despair"

An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders.

"The population is in despair," retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote in an eight-page document compiled in his capacity as a professor at West Point. "Life in many of the urban areas is now desperate."

McCaffrey is widely respected in the military, having fought in the Vietnam War, commanded a division in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and later served as the commander for U.S. military operations in Central America and South America. After retiring, he became President Bill Clinton's director of drug policy.

McCaffrey, who has met twice with President Bush to discuss the war, most recently in December, was scheduled to brief White House officials on his conclusions late yesterday.

CIA and torture

MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2007
CIA and torture

When the world trade center crumbled in 2001, so did America's commitment to the Geneva Convention and its pledge not to use torture against its enemies.

Following that horrible fall day six years ago, CIA planes began delivering suspected al Qaeda operatives to countries that use torture as an everyday investigative tool.

The story of how the United States began ferrying prisoners to totalitarian regimes, including Syria, which it says has ties to international terrorism itself, is brilliantly told in Stephen Grey's Ghost Plane.

US Sent Guantanamo Detainees Home to Torture in Russia

March 29, 2007
US Sent Guantanamo Detainees Home to Torture in Russia

Former Guantanamo detainees who were sent home to Russia in 2004 experienced torture and other abuse despite Moscow's pledge to the US government that they would be treated humanely, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.

The Russian prisoners' experience illustrates why the United States should stop relying on "diplomatic assurances" of fair treatment to justify sending prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to countries where they are at risk of torture.

The seven Russians were all detained soon after the US invasion of Afghanistan and eventually spent about two years in Guantanamo. Although they complained of mistreatment by the Americans, all of the detainees repeatedly asked authorities at Guantanamo not to be returned to Russia because they expected to be treated worse there. And indeed, three of them experienced serious torture and ill-treatment after being arrested in Russia. Two of them were convicted at unfair trials, and all of them have been harassed and hounded by Russian law enforcement.

Justice Department Says Letter on Firings Inaccurate

March 28, 2007
Justice Department Says Letter on Firings Inaccurate

March 28 (Bloomberg) -- The Justice Department said it provided inaccurate information to members of Congress in a February letter about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

Writing today to lawmakers investigating the terminations, the agency's acting head of legislative affairs, Richard Hertling, said that "certain statements" in the Feb. 23 letter were contradicted by documents that the department provided to Congress this month. Hertling didn't specify what the misstatements were.

The Feb. 23 letter to Democratic lawmakers discussed the appointment of Timothy Griffin, a former aide to White House political adviser Karl Rove, to a U.S. attorney position in Arkansas. The letter said Rove had no role in the decision to appoint Griffin and that nobody "inside or outside of the administration" lobbied for Griffin's appointment.

Bush Withdraws Swift Boat Liar Nomination

March 26, 2007
Bush Withdraws Swift Boat Liar Nomination

President George W. Bush has withdrawn his nomination of Sam Fox, head of Clayton-based Harbour Group, as ambassador to Belgium, according to a White House release Wednesday.

Democrats have criticized Fox for donating $50,000 to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group accused of distorting the military record of Kerry, D-Mass., during his 2004 presidential bid.

GAO Faults U.S. Military Over Munitions in Iraq

March 23, 2007
GAO Faults U.S. Military Over Munitions in Iraq

The U.S. military's faulty war plans and insufficient troops in Iraq left thousands and possibly millions of tons of conventional munitions unsecured or in the hands of insurgent groups after the 2003 invasion -- allowing widespread looting of weapons and explosives used to make roadside bombs that cause the bulk of U.S. casualties, according to a government report released yesterday.

Some weapons sites remained vulnerable as recently as October 2006, according to the Government Accountability Office report, which said the unguarded sites "will likely continue to support terrorist attacks throughout the region." For example, it said hundreds of tons of explosives at the Al Qa Qaa facility in Iraq that had been documented by the International Atomic Energy Agency were lost to theft and looting after April 9, 2003.

Senators Grill FBI Chief On Laws Being Broken by FBI

March 27, 2007
Senators Grill FBI Chief On Laws Being Broken by FBI

WASHINGTON -- FBI Director Robert Mueller labored Tuesday to persuade skeptical senators that the FBI can properly use its Patriot Act authority to gather telephone, e-mail and financial records of Americans and foreigners while pursuing terrorists.

He appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee after the Justice Department inspector general revealed abuses in the FBI's use of documents called national security letters to gather such data without approval from a judge.

"We're going to be re-examining the broad authorities we granted the FBI in the Patriot Act," Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told Mueller.

Mueller urged the panel not to revise the law.

"The statute did not cause the errors," Mueller said. "The FBI's implementation did."

Dismiss US Army Recruiter Who Sent Anti-Gay and Racist Email

March 27, 2007
Dismiss US Army Recruiter Who Sent Anti-Gay and Racist Email

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2007 – Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) today strongly condemned the anti-gay and racist emails sent by Army Recruiter Sergeant Marcia Ramode to Corey Andrew, a potential recruit.

In her emails with Andrew, Ramode said, among other things, that Andrew, an openly gay African American man, should "go back to Africa and do your gay voodoo limbo tango and wango dance and jump around and prance and run all over the place half naked there and practice your gay morals over there..."

Torture Lawsuit Against Rumsfeld Dropped

March 28, 2007
Torture Lawsuit Against Rumsfeld Dropped

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld cannot be tried on allegations of torture in overseas military prisons, a federal judge said Tuesday in a case he described as "lamentable."

U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan threw out a lawsuit brought on behalf of nine former prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said Rumsfeld cannot be held personally responsible for actions taken in connection with his government job.

The lawsuit contends the prisoners were beaten, suspended upside down from the ceiling by chains, urinated on, shocked, sexually humiliated, burned, locked inside boxes and subjected to mock executions.

No matter how appealing it might seem to use the courts to correct allegations of severe abuses of power, Hogan wrote, government officials are immune from such lawsuits. Additionally, foreigners held overseas are not normally afforded U.S. constitutional rights.

White House Aides Tried to Hide E-mails, Lawmaker Charges

March 26, 2007
White House Aides Tried to Hide E-mails, Lawmaker Charges

White House staff are using non-governmental e-mail addresses to avoid leaving a paper trail of their communications, a senior congressman charged Monday.

In a pair of letters Monday, House Oversight and Investigations Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman, D.-Calif., asked the Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign to preserve e-mails sent and received by White House officials using domains controlled by the two groups.

Waxman also asked the two to meet with his staff to explain how they handle e-mail accounts for government officials.

"Such e-mails written in the conduct of White House business would appear to be governmental records subject to preservation and eventual public disclosure," Waxman wrote.

The use of e-mail addresses from domains like "gwb43.com" by White House aides surfaced in the news earlier this month when the Justice Department released hundreds of e-mails between political appointees discussing the firing of several U.S. attorneys. E-mails from Scott Jennings, a deputy to White House political adviser Karl Rove, came from an address featuring the gwb43.com domain.

Report Charges Broad White House Efforts to Stifle Climate Research

March 27, 2007
Report Charges Broad White House Efforts to Stifle Climate Research

Bush administration officials throughout the government have engaged in White House-directed efforts to stifle, delay or dampen the release of climate change research that casts the White House or its policies in a bad light, says a new report that purports to be the most comprehensive assessment to date of the subject.

Researchers for the non-profit watchdog Government Accountability Project reviewed thousands of e-mails, memos and other documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests and from government whistle-blowers and conducted dozens of interviews with public affairs staff, scientists, reporters and others.

The group says it has identified hundreds of instances where White House-appointed officials interfered with government scientists' efforts to convey their research findings to the public, at the behest of top administration officials.

Senate approves a pullout date in Iraq bill

March 28, 2007
Senate approves a pullout date in Iraq bill

WASHINGTON — Citing the mounting casualties and lack of tangible progress in Iraq, a sharply divided Senate voted Tuesday in favor of setting a timetable that would give President Bush four months to begin withdrawing American troops.

The Senate withdrawal provision, which sets a March 31, 2008, target for ending combat operations, is tucked into a $122 billion package to finance U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a must-pass bill that Democrats view as their best shot at forcing Bush to change direction in Iraq.

The withdrawal language, which was narrowly upheld on a 50-48 vote Tuesday, was nearly identical to a Senate resolution that had failed by a 50-48 vote two weeks ago.

Tillman's mom: Congressional hearings on son's death neede

March 27, 2007
Tillman's mom: Congressional hearings on son's death needed

The meeting began civilly enough, she said, when the family - including Tillman's mother and father, his widow, Marie, and his younger brother, Kevin - agreed they would not interject until the investigators completed their presentation.

"It became obvious that they were giving a one-sided account," she said, focusing on the statements of the soldiers doing the shooting in the Afghanistan canyon instead of the soldiers on the ridgeline near where her son was killed.

"What about the other point of view?" she said she asked them. "They just stared at us."

Tempers flared.

"They told us that we were being very abusive to them," she said. "I said, 'You've lied to us for three years and that is a form of abuse."'

"We got very angry," she said.

She hopes congressional hearings, where witnesses would be subpoenaed to testify under oath, will get to the truth.

Gonzales Walks Out of News Conference

March 27, 2007
Gonzales Walks Out of News Conference

A scheduled 15-minute news conference with Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales was quickly cut short in Chicago on Tuesday, with Gonzales leaving the room after just three questions about the controversial dismissal of a group of U.S. attorneys.

Gonzales was at the Dirksen Federal Building to talk about a national campaign to promote the safety of children on the Internet. Instead, he again found himself defending his actions in the firings, which some say were politically motivated.

Texas, Addressing Sexual Abuse Scandal, May Free Thousands of Its Jailed Youths

March 24, 2007
Texas, Addressing Sexual Abuse Scandal, May Free Thousands of Its Jailed Youths

HOUSTON, March 23 — Battered by a sexual abuse scandal in its juvenile justice system, Texas may soon free most of the 4,000 jailed youths who have served their minimum sentences but who are still being held, in many cases for reasons that are undetermined.

Under plans announced Friday by the special master whom Gov. Rick Perry appointed to supervise the tarnished Texas Youth Commission, the cases of all juveniles who have served more than the nine-month minimum — 93 percent, by some accounts — will be reviewed by a panel of civil rights advocates, prosecutors and a youth official, reporting to a state judge. Unless the Youth Commission, which runs the state's youth detention centers, can demonstrate that such juveniles pose a danger to the community, they will be released.

Teen sex scandal ignored by AG

March 27, 2007
Teen sex scandal ignored by AG

The Texas juvenile justice sexual abuse scandal – in which Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton are accused of failing to take action – is a broader scandal that was covered up for two years, involving hundreds of serious complaints and investigations against dozens of staff members, according to officials.

The Texas Youth Commission scandal went unnoticed, says Texas Ranger Brian Burzynski, despite his numerous attempts, beginning in early 2005, to get local, state and federal prosecutors to investigate allegations teachers, administrators and guards had sex with minor male inmates.

Burzynski exposed the situation March 8 in testimony to the Texas legislature's Joint Committee on Operation and Management of the TYC. He stated he began his investigation Feb. 23, 2005, after a phone call from a teacher at the West Texas state school in Pyote, Texas, alleging another teacher at the school was involved in sexual misconduct with boy inmates.

A President All Alone

March 26, 2007
A President All Alone

Republicans in Congress do not trust their president to protect them. That alone is sufficient reason to withhold statements of support for Gonzales, because such a gesture could be quickly followed by his resignation under pressure. Rep. Adam Putnam (Fla.), the highly regarded young chairman of the House Republican Conference, praised Donald Rumsfeld in November only to see him sacked shortly thereafter.

But not many Republican lawmakers would speak up for Gonzales even if they were sure Bush would stick with him. He is the least popular Cabinet member on Capitol Hill, even more disliked than Rumsfeld was. The word most often used by Republicans to describe the management of the Justice Department under Gonzales is "incompetent."

Gonzales aide refuses to testify in prosecutors' firings

March 27, 2007
Gonzales aide refuses to testify in prosecutors' firings

WASHINGTON — A senior aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has decided against testifying before lawmakers about her role in the ousters of eight federal prosecutors, the latest flare-up in the controversy surrounding the Justice Department.

Monica Goodling's announcement that she would take the Fifth Amendment to avoid possibly incriminating herself came as the embattled attorney general cast himself as misunderstood in his conflicting accounts of his involvement in the firings. Goodling is the Justice Department's liaison to the White House.

Foreclosure Activity Seen Rising 33 Pct

March 26, 2007
Foreclosure Activity Seen Rising 33 Pct

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Foreclosure activity across the United States will rise by 33 percent this year as lenders tighten standards amid a jump in defaults on subprime mortgages, according to a RealtyTrac Inc. report released on Monday.

"Based on our numbers for the first two months of 2007, foreclosure activity is running at a rate that would project to a 33 percent increase over 2006," RealtyTrac Chief Executive James Saccacio said, adding that "we're going to continue to see a spike in the number of homeowners facing foreclosure."

Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Ohio, Texas, Arizona and Indiana followed Nevada on the list of states with 10 highest foreclosure rates in February.

Governor strips VA director of nursing home oversight

March 26, 2007
Governor strips VA director of nursing home oversight

Gov. Janet Napolitano on Monday removed the director of the State Department of Veterans Services from running a veterans' nursing home that was fined this month for patient neglect.

Patrick Chorpenning will stay on as director, but will not have any responsibility over the Arizona State Veterans Home in Phoenix where some of the state's oldest veterans are cared for, said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, a spokeswoman for the governor.

The nursing home is the department's top priority, accounting for $12 million of the department's $18 million budget and offering long-term care for as many as 200 patients, most of whom are World War II and Korean War veterans.

VA hospital in New England: mice, bugs and leaks

March 27, 2007
VA hospital in New England: mice, bugs and leaks

A review by the Department of Veterans Affairs in the wake of the scandal at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center has cited scores of substandard conditions in its New England hospitals and clinics, including the presence of rodents and bugs, chronic leaks, and dilapidated furniture.

The nationwide review, ordered by Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson, reported mice at the VA Medical Center in Providence, recurring reports of flies at an outpatient clinic in Hyannis, and mismatched, stained, and broken furniture in Manchester, N.H.

"This report highlights conditions that are unacceptable, and we must fix these problems immediately," Kennedy said. "The findings are just one more reason why the Veterans Administration needs additional funding and increased oversight. Our veterans and soldiers deserve medical facilities that match their enormous sacrifices."

Unchecked federal deficit prompts comptroller general to bypass elected officials

March 18, 2007
Unchecked federal deficit prompts comptroller general to bypass elected officials

Don't blame the nearly $500 billion spent on the war in Iraq or the $125 billion to rebuild after Katrina, Walker says. These expenses don't help, but the culprits he names are the large federal entitlement programs — Social Security and Medicare — in combination with demographic forces and political irresponsibility. It also doesn't help that there are no meaningful budget controls in place.

And don't be lulled by the recent reduction in the deficit over last year at this time, as tax collections surpass growth in expenditures. Walker claims even an optimistic projection of economic growth over the long term won't fix the underlying budget issues.

What would really make the nation's chief accountant a happy man is for Congress to address the much-needed revamping of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare — important stabilizing programs that are unsustainable in their current form. He believes lawmakers can maintain the integrity of the programs while realistically addressing the demographic challenge of the aging baby boomers.

The worst-case scenario for Walker would be failing to address these issues and defaulting on the debt, as did Argentina.

Gonzales should be impeached

March 24, 2007
Gonzales should be impeached

THE HOUSE of Representatives should begin impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Gonzales, the nation's highest legal officer, has been point man for serial assaults against the rule of law, most recently in the crude attempt to politicize criminal prosecutions. Obstruction of a prosecution is a felony, even when committed by the attorney general.

The firings of US attorneys had multiple political motives, all contrary to longstanding practice. In some cases, Republican politicians and the White House were angry that prosecutors were not going after Democrats with sufficient zeal. In other cases, they wanted the prosecutors to lighten up on Republicans. In still others, exemplary prosecutors were shoved aside to make room for rising Republican politicians being groomed for higher office.

Marine unit ordered out of Afghanistan because of corruption

March 23, 2007
Marine unit ordered out of Afghanistan because of corruption

WASHINGTON - Marines accused of shooting and killing civilians after a suicide bombing in
Afghanistan are under U.S. investigation, and their entire unit has been ordered to leave the country, officials said Friday.

Army Maj. Gen. Francis H. Kearney III, head of Special Operations Command Central, ordered the unit of about 120 Marines out of Afghanistan and initiated an investigation into the March 4 incident, said Lt. Col. Lou Leto, spokesman at Kearney's command headquarters in Tampa, Fla.

Leto, the spokesman at Special Operations Command Central headquarters, said the Marines, after being ambushed, responded in a way that created "perceptions (that) have really damaged the relationship between the local population and this unit."

Therefore, he said, "the general felt it was best to move them out of that area."

Ex-Prosecutor Says He Faced Partisan Questions Before Firing

March 26, 2007
Ex-Prosecutor Says He Faced Partisan Questions Before Firing

One of the eight former U.S. attorneys fired by the Bush administration said yesterday that White House officials questioned his performance in highly partisan political terms at a meeting in Washington in September, three months before his dismissal.

John McKay of Washington state, who had decided two years earlier not to bring voter fraud charges that could have undermined a Democratic victory in a closely fought gubernatorial race, said White House counsel Harriet Miers and her deputy, William Kelley, "asked me why Republicans in the state of Washington would be angry with me."

More Veterans Calling The Streets Home

March 25, 2007
More Veterans Calling The Streets Home

When he got out, Hassam became one of many homeless veterans.

"We have no inkling of the full scope of the problem," said Roy Kearse, vice president of Samaritan Village, a state-funded homeless shelter for veterans with addictions.

At Samaritan Village, Hassam found men who understood his downward spiral.

"They're returning home, they're running into obstacles and problems and all of the mechanisms aren't in place to get to them," said Kearse.

One in three homeless Americans is a veteran.

GOP lawmaker says impeachment an option for Bush

March 25, 2007
GOP lawmaker says impeachment an option for Bush

WASHINGTON — With his go-it-alone approach on Iraq, President Bush is flouting Congress and the public, so angering lawmakers that some consider impeachment an option over his war policy, a senator from Bush's own party said today.

GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a frequent critic of the war, stopped short of calling for Bush's impeachment. But he made clear that some lawmakers viewed that as an option should Bush choose to push ahead despite public sentiment against the war.

"Any president who says, I don't care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed — if a president really believes that, then there are — what I was pointing out, there are ways to deal with that," said Hagel, who is considering a 2008 presidential run.

U.S. House tells Bush to Leave Iraq

March 23, 2007
U.S. House tells Bush to Leave Iraq

Canadian Press: WASHINGTON — U.S. Democrats forced a dramatic clash with President George W. Bush over his war policy today by passing a bill requiring American combat troops to come home next year.

The House of Representatives, in a close vote of 218-212, passed an emergency spending bill that funds the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan but demands most U.S. soldiers leave Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008, at the latest.

The bold move earned a swift and blunt response from Bush, who said the House "abdicated its responsibility."

On Iraq, 50% Trust Dems, 38% Prefer GOP

March 23, 2007
On Iraq, 50% Trust Dems, 38% Prefer GOP

As the House of Representatives narrowly passed legislation requiring most U.S. troops to leave Iraq by September 2008, 50% of Americans say they trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle the situation in Iraq. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 38% trust Republicans more on this topic. Those figures have been relatively constant for several months. On the eve of Election 2006, 49% trusted Democrats more on Iraq while 42% placed their trust in the GOP (see history).

A separate survey found that just 30% of Americans give the President good or excellent marks for his handling of the situation in Iraq.

Men prefer Democrats on Iraq by a narrow 48% to 43% margin. Women, however, have a very strong preference for Nancy Pelosi´s party. Fifty-two percent (52%) of women trust Democrats while just 35% have more confidence in Republicans.

Why conservatives go nuclear over global warming

March 25, 2007
Why conservatives go nuclear over global warming

LAST YEAR, the National Journal asked a group of Republican senators and House members: "Do you think it's been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Earth is warming because of man-made problems?" Of the respondents, 23% said yes, 77% said no. In the year since that poll, of course, global warming has seized a massive amount of public attention. The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a study, with input from 2,000 scientists worldwide, finding that the certainty on man-made global warming had risen to 90%.

So, the magazine asked the question again last month. The results? Only 13% of Republicans agreed that global warming has been proved. As the evidence for global warming gets stronger, Republicans are actually getting more skeptical. Al Gore's recent congressional testimony on the subject, and the chilly reception he received from GOP members, suggest the discouraging conclusion that skepticism on global warming is hardening into party dogma. Like the notion that tax cuts are always good or that President Bush is a brave war leader, it's something you almost have to believe if you're an elected Republican.

Nearly 70 Violent Deaths in Iraq

March 24, 2007
Nearly 70 Violent Deaths in Iraq

(Baghdad) — A suicide truck bomber struck a police station in a mainly Sunni area in Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 20 people, police said, as insurgents apparently step up their campaign against Iraqis seen as collaborating with the U.S. and the Iraqi government.

The blast in Baghdad, which could be heard across the city and sent up a plume of black smoke over the skyline, came a day after Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie was seriously wounded in a suicide bombing during prayers at his home in Baghdad. Nine other people were killed, including al-Zubaie's brother and an aide.

Al-Zubaie was moved out of the intensive care unit Saturday morning and was in good condition, Sunni lawmaker Dhafer al-Ani said, adding that the deputy prime minister had received visitors at the U.S.-run hospital in the heavily guarded Green Zone.