Saturday, September 30, 2006
Bush: NIE Leak Caused 'Misimpressions'
President Bush Saturday hit back at critics who have cited an intelligence report as evidence that the Iraq war has worsened the terrorism threat.
Bush said the leaks of the report that appeared in media a week ago created "misimpressions" of its findings. Bush later declassified 3-1/2 pages of the National Intelligence Estimate prepared by the 16 U.S. spy agencies.
The report's judgment that the Iraq war has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic extremists was seen by Democrats as bolstering their election-year argument that Bush's policies had made America less safe.
Bush used his weekly radio address to challenge that interpretation.
"Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home," Bush said.
"This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we are provoking them," he said.
Bush said the leaks of the report "created a heated debate in our nation's capital, and a lot of misimpressions about the document's conclusions."
The NIE report put the White House on the defensive as Bush and his Republican Party try to convince Americans that they are the toughest on security ahead of November elections in which they are fighting to keep control of Congress.
Democrats hope the Nov. 7 election will be a referendum on the Iraq war, which is increasingly unpopular with Americans.
The White House also grappled this week with questions raised by a new book, "State of Denial," by journalist Bob Woodward, who claims Bush resisted demands to boost U.S. troops in Iraq and was misleading Americans about the level of violence there.
The NIE report said the Iraq war was giving rise to a new generation of jihadist leaders and operatives and was "breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."
But Bush, in his radio address, pointed to parts of the report that he said back up his case that pulling out of Iraq would only serve to embolden terrorists.
"Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight," the report said.
Bush encouraged Americans to read the NIE report for themselves. But Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, said the document was highly damaging to the administration because it exposed mistakes.
"They have done things that they ought not to have done - such as invading Iraq - and they have left undone things that they ought to have done - such as a serious effort at Israeli-Palestinian peace," Walt said. "As a result, they have made jihadis and other extremists look like heroes."
President Bush Saturday hit back at critics who have cited an intelligence report as evidence that the Iraq war has worsened the terrorism threat.
Bush said the leaks of the report that appeared in media a week ago created "misimpressions" of its findings. Bush later declassified 3-1/2 pages of the National Intelligence Estimate prepared by the 16 U.S. spy agencies.
The report's judgment that the Iraq war has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic extremists was seen by Democrats as bolstering their election-year argument that Bush's policies had made America less safe.
Bush used his weekly radio address to challenge that interpretation.
"Some in Washington have selectively quoted from this document to make the case that by fighting the terrorists in Iraq, we are making our people less secure here at home," Bush said.
"This argument buys into the enemy's propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we are provoking them," he said.
Bush said the leaks of the report "created a heated debate in our nation's capital, and a lot of misimpressions about the document's conclusions."
The NIE report put the White House on the defensive as Bush and his Republican Party try to convince Americans that they are the toughest on security ahead of November elections in which they are fighting to keep control of Congress.
Democrats hope the Nov. 7 election will be a referendum on the Iraq war, which is increasingly unpopular with Americans.
The White House also grappled this week with questions raised by a new book, "State of Denial," by journalist Bob Woodward, who claims Bush resisted demands to boost U.S. troops in Iraq and was misleading Americans about the level of violence there.
The NIE report said the Iraq war was giving rise to a new generation of jihadist leaders and operatives and was "breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."
But Bush, in his radio address, pointed to parts of the report that he said back up his case that pulling out of Iraq would only serve to embolden terrorists.
"Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight," the report said.
Bush encouraged Americans to read the NIE report for themselves. But Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University, said the document was highly damaging to the administration because it exposed mistakes.
"They have done things that they ought not to have done - such as invading Iraq - and they have left undone things that they ought to have done - such as a serious effort at Israeli-Palestinian peace," Walt said. "As a result, they have made jihadis and other extremists look like heroes."
Friday, September 29, 2006
Mexico Opposes Border Wall
Mexico warned Thursday that the U.S. proposal to build miles of border fence will damage relations between the two countries.
The Foreign Relations Department said it was "deeply worried" about the proposal, which is working its way through the Senate, adding it will "increase tension in border communities."
"These measures will harm the bilateral relationship. They are against the spirit of co-operation that is needed to guarantee security on the common border," the department said in a statement.
The House of Representatives and Senate are maneuvering to speed construction of a 700-mile fence along the United States' southern border aimed at keeping migrants and criminals from entering the country illegally.
A House-Senate homeland security funding bill containing $1.2 billion to begin building the fence could be passed and sent to President Bush before lawmakers depart Washington this weekend.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said that only a comprehensive immigration reform would stop millions of Mexicans sneaking across its northern desert and swimming over the Rio Grande into the United States.
"A partial measure that is exclusively focused on security does not deal with reality and represents a political answer rather than a viable solution," it said in the statement.
President Vicente Fox has rallied against the wall, calling it "shameful" and comparing it to the Berlin Wall, which divided Germany.
President-elect Felipe Calderon, who takes over from Fox on Dec.1, has also spoken out against the measure.
There are an estimated 11 million Mexicans in the United States, about half of whom are illegal. Last year, Mexican migrants sent home more than $20 billion in remittances, providing Mexico with its second biggest source of foreign income after oil.
Mexico warned Thursday that the U.S. proposal to build miles of border fence will damage relations between the two countries.
The Foreign Relations Department said it was "deeply worried" about the proposal, which is working its way through the Senate, adding it will "increase tension in border communities."
"These measures will harm the bilateral relationship. They are against the spirit of co-operation that is needed to guarantee security on the common border," the department said in a statement.
The House of Representatives and Senate are maneuvering to speed construction of a 700-mile fence along the United States' southern border aimed at keeping migrants and criminals from entering the country illegally.
A House-Senate homeland security funding bill containing $1.2 billion to begin building the fence could be passed and sent to President Bush before lawmakers depart Washington this weekend.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said that only a comprehensive immigration reform would stop millions of Mexicans sneaking across its northern desert and swimming over the Rio Grande into the United States.
"A partial measure that is exclusively focused on security does not deal with reality and represents a political answer rather than a viable solution," it said in the statement.
President Vicente Fox has rallied against the wall, calling it "shameful" and comparing it to the Berlin Wall, which divided Germany.
President-elect Felipe Calderon, who takes over from Fox on Dec.1, has also spoken out against the measure.
There are an estimated 11 million Mexicans in the United States, about half of whom are illegal. Last year, Mexican migrants sent home more than $20 billion in remittances, providing Mexico with its second biggest source of foreign income after oil.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Bush Approval Rating Up to 42 Percent
President George W. Bush enjoyed a modest rise in public approval after his recent political offensive on Iraq and national security, but voters still favor Democrats in the November 7 congressional election, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released Thursday.
Zogby said Republicans could benefit from the climb in Bush's approval, sparked by increased support among his base voters. The poll found 42 percent of voters thought Bush's job performance was excellent or good, up from 39 percent two weeks ago and 34 percent in mid-August.
"The president and the Republicans are still on the ropes, but they certainly seem to have hit bottom and bounced back," Zogby said. "This is still very competitive."
Six weeks before voters decide which party controls the U.S. Congress, a majority thinks the country is on the wrong track and nearly three-quarters give the Republican-led Congress negative marks for its job performance.
Democrats have an edge of 9 percentage points, 42 percent to 33 percent, over Republicans when voters were asked which party's candidate they will support in November, the poll found. But voters were evenly split when asked which party they preferred to lead Congress.
The national poll, taken Friday through Monday, found 20 percent of voters still undecided about their congressional vote, leaving room for a momentum shift in the next six weeks. Democrats must pick up 15 House of Representatives seats and six Senate seats in November to reclaim majorities in each chamber.
Public doubts about Iraq, Bush's low ratings and pessimism about the country's future have fueled predictions that Republicans will lose seats in November and are in danger of losing control of at least the House.
The war in Iraq topped the concerns of likely voters, with 33 percent picking it as their most important issue. Security and the fight against terrorism were close behind with 30 percent, while 23 percent chose the economy and jobs as the top issue.
But 53 percent said the Iraq war was not worth the loss of lives, a slight improvement for Bush from an early September poll where 58 percent said it was not.
The results follow a political offensive this month by Bush and Republicans to portray Democrats as weak on security and to link the unpopular Iraq war to the broader fight against terrorism.
Other polls taken around the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks also have shown Bush and Republicans gaining ground on Democrats, elevating the security issue and bolstering confidence in their leadership on the war on terrorism.
The Zogby poll of 1,000 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
The poll found a majority of voters, 55 percent, believed the country was on the wrong track, usually a reliable indicator of public mood and a bad sign for incumbents.
"There is frustration and disappointment among voters, particularly concerning the direction of the economy," Zogby said.
About one-third of voters, 34 percent, believe their personal finances are better now than four years ago, while 21 percent think they are worse and 44 percent say they are about the same.
The poll also asked which course the United States should pursue over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Nearly half, 45 percent, said Washington should join with allies on a diplomatic effort.
One in four respondents, 26 percent, said they would support sending ground troops into Iran to halt its nuclear efforts, with 70 percent disagreeing.
Asked which of the last four U.S. presidents would be judged most positively by history, 50 percent of poll respondents listed Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton was second with 29 percent and the current president was third with 11 percent. His father, George H.W. Bush, was fourth with 6 percent.
President George W. Bush enjoyed a modest rise in public approval after his recent political offensive on Iraq and national security, but voters still favor Democrats in the November 7 congressional election, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released Thursday.
Zogby said Republicans could benefit from the climb in Bush's approval, sparked by increased support among his base voters. The poll found 42 percent of voters thought Bush's job performance was excellent or good, up from 39 percent two weeks ago and 34 percent in mid-August.
"The president and the Republicans are still on the ropes, but they certainly seem to have hit bottom and bounced back," Zogby said. "This is still very competitive."
Six weeks before voters decide which party controls the U.S. Congress, a majority thinks the country is on the wrong track and nearly three-quarters give the Republican-led Congress negative marks for its job performance.
Democrats have an edge of 9 percentage points, 42 percent to 33 percent, over Republicans when voters were asked which party's candidate they will support in November, the poll found. But voters were evenly split when asked which party they preferred to lead Congress.
The national poll, taken Friday through Monday, found 20 percent of voters still undecided about their congressional vote, leaving room for a momentum shift in the next six weeks. Democrats must pick up 15 House of Representatives seats and six Senate seats in November to reclaim majorities in each chamber.
Public doubts about Iraq, Bush's low ratings and pessimism about the country's future have fueled predictions that Republicans will lose seats in November and are in danger of losing control of at least the House.
The war in Iraq topped the concerns of likely voters, with 33 percent picking it as their most important issue. Security and the fight against terrorism were close behind with 30 percent, while 23 percent chose the economy and jobs as the top issue.
But 53 percent said the Iraq war was not worth the loss of lives, a slight improvement for Bush from an early September poll where 58 percent said it was not.
The results follow a political offensive this month by Bush and Republicans to portray Democrats as weak on security and to link the unpopular Iraq war to the broader fight against terrorism.
Other polls taken around the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks also have shown Bush and Republicans gaining ground on Democrats, elevating the security issue and bolstering confidence in their leadership on the war on terrorism.
The Zogby poll of 1,000 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
The poll found a majority of voters, 55 percent, believed the country was on the wrong track, usually a reliable indicator of public mood and a bad sign for incumbents.
"There is frustration and disappointment among voters, particularly concerning the direction of the economy," Zogby said.
About one-third of voters, 34 percent, believe their personal finances are better now than four years ago, while 21 percent think they are worse and 44 percent say they are about the same.
The poll also asked which course the United States should pursue over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Nearly half, 45 percent, said Washington should join with allies on a diplomatic effort.
One in four respondents, 26 percent, said they would support sending ground troops into Iran to halt its nuclear efforts, with 70 percent disagreeing.
Asked which of the last four U.S. presidents would be judged most positively by history, 50 percent of poll respondents listed Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton was second with 29 percent and the current president was third with 11 percent. His father, George H.W. Bush, was fourth with 6 percent.
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
Virginia Senator George Allen is under fire for making racially insensitive remarks and for having a Confederate flag in his office. He blames it all on the Jewish controlled media.
The Senate has passed a resolution to build a 700 mile fence along our 2,000 mile Mexican border. This is what happens when you let President Bush do the math.
The Fox network has a new show coming out called "When Presidents Attack!”
Did you see that? President Clinton’s interview with Chris Wallace, he said he tried to kill Osama bin Laden many times. I’d believe Clinton but we all know how bad his aim is.
If Osama bin Laden weighed 200 more pounds and wore a red beret Clinton would have nailed him!
There’s rumors going around that George Clooney might run for a political office. When asked about it Clooney said, "The only thing I’m running for is two legs and skirt.” He said that. Which Ted Kennedy responded, "No reason you can’t do both.”
Letterman's Top Ten
Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Ordering The Burger King Quad Stacker
10."Are my papers in order?"
9. "Can I get it supersized?"
8. "Will I have time to run 298 miles to burn off the calories?"
7. "Could this have anything to do with why the rest of the world hates us?"
6. "Should I talk to my doctor about Lipitor?"
5. "Can I get it on a low-carb bun?"
4."How come there isn't any sausage on this bad boy?"
3. "Why is Burger King making me sign a release form?"
2. "Should I wait til they come out with the 'Quint Stacker'?"
1. "Do I have my cardiologist on speed dial?"
Leno
Virginia Senator George Allen is under fire for making racially insensitive remarks and for having a Confederate flag in his office. He blames it all on the Jewish controlled media.
The Senate has passed a resolution to build a 700 mile fence along our 2,000 mile Mexican border. This is what happens when you let President Bush do the math.
The Fox network has a new show coming out called "When Presidents Attack!”
Did you see that? President Clinton’s interview with Chris Wallace, he said he tried to kill Osama bin Laden many times. I’d believe Clinton but we all know how bad his aim is.
If Osama bin Laden weighed 200 more pounds and wore a red beret Clinton would have nailed him!
There’s rumors going around that George Clooney might run for a political office. When asked about it Clooney said, "The only thing I’m running for is two legs and skirt.” He said that. Which Ted Kennedy responded, "No reason you can’t do both.”
Letterman's Top Ten
Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Ordering The Burger King Quad Stacker
10."Are my papers in order?"
9. "Can I get it supersized?"
8. "Will I have time to run 298 miles to burn off the calories?"
7. "Could this have anything to do with why the rest of the world hates us?"
6. "Should I talk to my doctor about Lipitor?"
5. "Can I get it on a low-carb bun?"
4."How come there isn't any sausage on this bad boy?"
3. "Why is Burger King making me sign a release form?"
2. "Should I wait til they come out with the 'Quint Stacker'?"
1. "Do I have my cardiologist on speed dial?"
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Larry Sabato Recants, Didn't Hear Allen
One of Virginia's best-known political analysts said he had never personally heard Sen. George Allen use racial epithets, despite saying on television a day earlier that the senator "did use the n-word."
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said Tuesday in an e-mail to The Associated Press, "I didn't personally hear GFA (Allen's initials) say the n-word.
"My conclusion is based on the very credible testimony I have heard for weeks, mainly from people I personally know and knew in the '70s," Sabato wrote.
Sabato, a classmate of Allen's at the University of Virginia in the early 1970s, said Monday on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" that he knew Allen had used racial slurs, but declined to say whether he had witnessed them.
Allen, a Republican who had been mentioned as a presidential contender and is now fighting an unexpectedly difficult race for a second U.S. Senate term, had said through a campaign aide that Sabato's claim was inaccurate.
"We're obviously glad that Mr. Sabato clarified his comments," said Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager. "We remain committed to trying to dispel these erroneous stories that have been out there."
Also Tuesday, Allen's Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, declined to say definitively whether he had ever used a racial slur to describe blacks.
"I don't think that there's anyone who grew up around the South that hasn't had the word pass through their lips at one time or another in their life," Webb told reporters.
Webb referred to his novel, "Fields of Fire," which aides said includes passages using the n-word as part of character dialogue. But he added: "I have never issued a racial or ethnic slur."
Asked for clarification of his original answer, spokeswoman Jessica Smith quoted Webb as saying, "I have never used that word in my general vocabulary or in any derogatory way."
She declined to say whether he had ever used the word apart from when he wrote his book.
Allegations of racial insensitivity by Allen dating to his high school days in California have become a major distraction for the senator since August, when he called a Webb campaign volunteer of Indian descent "macaca." The word is considered a racial slur in some cultures.
On Monday, a former football teammate of Allen's, Dr. Ken Shelton, said he heard Allen frequently use a common slur applied to blacks among white friends while in college. Allen called the claim "ludicrously false" and released statements from four other ex-teammates defending the senator and rejecting Shelton's claims.
Also in interviews with the AP and Salon.com late Sunday, Shelton claimed that on a hunting trip to Louisa County in 1973 or 1974, Allen stuffed the severed head of a female deer into the oversized mailbox of a black household near Bumpass, Va., 40 miles east of the university.
But in interviews Tuesday, two Louisa County sheriff's deputies who were on the force in the early '70s said that they recall no complaints about severed animal heads.
Retired Lt. Robert Rigsby said he was in charge of investigations in the early '70s, and any such report would have gone through him.
"I think that's a myth," Rigsby said.
Another veteran officer, Deputy William Seay, also could recall no such incident. Authorities said they did not know if records from so long ago would be preserved.
The leader of the Louisa County chapter of the NAACP, Stewart Cooke, said in a telephone interview that he had not heard of such an incident, but added that he had not lived in Louisa County at the time. He refused to comment further.
One of Virginia's best-known political analysts said he had never personally heard Sen. George Allen use racial epithets, despite saying on television a day earlier that the senator "did use the n-word."
Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said Tuesday in an e-mail to The Associated Press, "I didn't personally hear GFA (Allen's initials) say the n-word.
"My conclusion is based on the very credible testimony I have heard for weeks, mainly from people I personally know and knew in the '70s," Sabato wrote.
Sabato, a classmate of Allen's at the University of Virginia in the early 1970s, said Monday on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" that he knew Allen had used racial slurs, but declined to say whether he had witnessed them.
Allen, a Republican who had been mentioned as a presidential contender and is now fighting an unexpectedly difficult race for a second U.S. Senate term, had said through a campaign aide that Sabato's claim was inaccurate.
"We're obviously glad that Mr. Sabato clarified his comments," said Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager. "We remain committed to trying to dispel these erroneous stories that have been out there."
Also Tuesday, Allen's Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, declined to say definitively whether he had ever used a racial slur to describe blacks.
"I don't think that there's anyone who grew up around the South that hasn't had the word pass through their lips at one time or another in their life," Webb told reporters.
Webb referred to his novel, "Fields of Fire," which aides said includes passages using the n-word as part of character dialogue. But he added: "I have never issued a racial or ethnic slur."
Asked for clarification of his original answer, spokeswoman Jessica Smith quoted Webb as saying, "I have never used that word in my general vocabulary or in any derogatory way."
She declined to say whether he had ever used the word apart from when he wrote his book.
Allegations of racial insensitivity by Allen dating to his high school days in California have become a major distraction for the senator since August, when he called a Webb campaign volunteer of Indian descent "macaca." The word is considered a racial slur in some cultures.
On Monday, a former football teammate of Allen's, Dr. Ken Shelton, said he heard Allen frequently use a common slur applied to blacks among white friends while in college. Allen called the claim "ludicrously false" and released statements from four other ex-teammates defending the senator and rejecting Shelton's claims.
Also in interviews with the AP and Salon.com late Sunday, Shelton claimed that on a hunting trip to Louisa County in 1973 or 1974, Allen stuffed the severed head of a female deer into the oversized mailbox of a black household near Bumpass, Va., 40 miles east of the university.
But in interviews Tuesday, two Louisa County sheriff's deputies who were on the force in the early '70s said that they recall no complaints about severed animal heads.
Retired Lt. Robert Rigsby said he was in charge of investigations in the early '70s, and any such report would have gone through him.
"I think that's a myth," Rigsby said.
Another veteran officer, Deputy William Seay, also could recall no such incident. Authorities said they did not know if records from so long ago would be preserved.
The leader of the Louisa County chapter of the NAACP, Stewart Cooke, said in a telephone interview that he had not heard of such an incident, but added that he had not lived in Louisa County at the time. He refused to comment further.
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
Liquids can now be carried on flights again. However the liquids must be bought in airport gift shops. You know who thought of this? The airport gift shops.
Former President Clinton is now pushing a new global initiative to ban Fox News.
Bill hasn’t been this angry since Hillary made him take his page off MySpace.
Gas prices have now gone from obscene to jus indecent.
"Jackass II” is the big hit at the box office. Don’t confuse that with "Jackass I” which is about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
As you know Hugo Chavez insulted President Bush last week at the U.N. This upset many Americans. It goes across party lines. Democrat Representative Charlie Rangel said it’s one thing for Americans to criticize President Bush, but not okay for foreign leaders to do it on American soil. Sort of like Catholics making fun of Catholics. Jews making fun of Jews. Or Michael Jackson making fun of child molesters.
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. They beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Dome last night. Did you see the Falcons defense? The levees did better.
It was the first time the Saints had played in the Super Dome since Hurricane Katrina. The amazing thing is that FEMA still hasn’t showed up there.
Leno
Liquids can now be carried on flights again. However the liquids must be bought in airport gift shops. You know who thought of this? The airport gift shops.
Former President Clinton is now pushing a new global initiative to ban Fox News.
Bill hasn’t been this angry since Hillary made him take his page off MySpace.
Gas prices have now gone from obscene to jus indecent.
"Jackass II” is the big hit at the box office. Don’t confuse that with "Jackass I” which is about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
As you know Hugo Chavez insulted President Bush last week at the U.N. This upset many Americans. It goes across party lines. Democrat Representative Charlie Rangel said it’s one thing for Americans to criticize President Bush, but not okay for foreign leaders to do it on American soil. Sort of like Catholics making fun of Catholics. Jews making fun of Jews. Or Michael Jackson making fun of child molesters.
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. They beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Dome last night. Did you see the Falcons defense? The levees did better.
It was the first time the Saints had played in the Super Dome since Hurricane Katrina. The amazing thing is that FEMA still hasn’t showed up there.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Clinton Left Us No Terror Plan
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice challenged former President Clinton's claim that he did more than many of his conservative critics to pursue al-Qaida, saying in an interview published Tuesday that the Bush administration aggressively pursued the group even before the 9/11 attacks.
"What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years," Rice said during a meeting with editors and reporters at the New York Post.
The newspaper published her comments after Clinton appeared on "Fox News Sunday" in a combative interview in which he defended his handling of the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and said he "worked hard" to have the al-Qaida leader killed.
"That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said in the interview. "They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try."
Rice disputed his assessment.
"The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think the 9/11 commission understood that," she said.
Rice also took exception to Clinton's statement that he "left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy" for incoming officials when he left office.
"We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al-Qaida," she told the newspaper, which is owned by News Corp. (NWSA), the same company that owns Fox News Channel.
In the interview, Clinton accused host Chris Wallace of a "conservative hit job" and asked: "I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, 'Why didn't you do anything about the Cole?' I want to know how many people you asked, 'Why did you fire Dick Clarke?'"
Rice portrayed the departure of former White House anti-terrorism chief Richard A. Clarke differently, saying he "left when he did not become deputy director of homeland security."
The interview has been the focus of much attention - drawing more than 800,000 views on YouTube and earning the show its best ratings in nearly three years.
Rice questioned the value of the dialogue.
"I think this is not a very fruitful discussion," she said. "We've been through it. The 9/11 commission has turned over every rock and we know exactly what they said."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice challenged former President Clinton's claim that he did more than many of his conservative critics to pursue al-Qaida, saying in an interview published Tuesday that the Bush administration aggressively pursued the group even before the 9/11 attacks.
"What we did in the eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding years," Rice said during a meeting with editors and reporters at the New York Post.
The newspaper published her comments after Clinton appeared on "Fox News Sunday" in a combative interview in which he defended his handling of the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and said he "worked hard" to have the al-Qaida leader killed.
"That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," Clinton said in the interview. "They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try."
Rice disputed his assessment.
"The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think the 9/11 commission understood that," she said.
Rice also took exception to Clinton's statement that he "left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy" for incoming officials when he left office.
"We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al-Qaida," she told the newspaper, which is owned by News Corp. (NWSA), the same company that owns Fox News Channel.
In the interview, Clinton accused host Chris Wallace of a "conservative hit job" and asked: "I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you asked, 'Why didn't you do anything about the Cole?' I want to know how many people you asked, 'Why did you fire Dick Clarke?'"
Rice portrayed the departure of former White House anti-terrorism chief Richard A. Clarke differently, saying he "left when he did not become deputy director of homeland security."
The interview has been the focus of much attention - drawing more than 800,000 views on YouTube and earning the show its best ratings in nearly three years.
Rice questioned the value of the dialogue.
"I think this is not a very fruitful discussion," she said. "We've been through it. The 9/11 commission has turned over every rock and we know exactly what they said."
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
According to a French paper Osama bin Laden has died. It’s been a good Jewish weekend all around!
President Clinton lost his temper in an interview with Mike Wallace. He might not be the pleasant and polite first lady Hillary needs after all.
Even Muslims watching the interview were saying, "Take it easy!”
The President of Pakistan said in an interview on "60 Minutes” that the U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan into the Stone Age if they didn’t cooperate in the war on terror. President Bush says that he doesn’t know anything of the threat. He also went on to say that he didn’t know anything of Pakistan until looking at a map.
The NSA is now making the carry on of some liquids legal on flights again. But only liquids bought in secure locations at airports. So basically you’ll have to buy a 3 ounce bottle of hair gel for $167.
The Columbian President is begging the United States for financial aid. It seems after the breakup of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston the country is seeing hard times.
Today is the birthday of both Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. She is 37 and he is 156.
They celebrated with a chocolate cake with Botox frosting.
Leno
According to a French paper Osama bin Laden has died. It’s been a good Jewish weekend all around!
President Clinton lost his temper in an interview with Mike Wallace. He might not be the pleasant and polite first lady Hillary needs after all.
Even Muslims watching the interview were saying, "Take it easy!”
The President of Pakistan said in an interview on "60 Minutes” that the U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan into the Stone Age if they didn’t cooperate in the war on terror. President Bush says that he doesn’t know anything of the threat. He also went on to say that he didn’t know anything of Pakistan until looking at a map.
The NSA is now making the carry on of some liquids legal on flights again. But only liquids bought in secure locations at airports. So basically you’ll have to buy a 3 ounce bottle of hair gel for $167.
The Columbian President is begging the United States for financial aid. It seems after the breakup of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston the country is seeing hard times.
Today is the birthday of both Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones. She is 37 and he is 156.
They celebrated with a chocolate cake with Botox frosting.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Democrats 'Defeatists' on Terror War
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Monday accused Democrats of being soft in the war on terrorism with a strategy of "resignation and defeatism in the face of determined enemies."
Cheney, in a speech to Wisconsin Republicans, singled out in particular Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean for criticism.
Democrats would like the November elections to be seen as a referendum on President Bush's handling of the Iraq war. The party got a boost this past weekend with media reports of an intelligence report indicating that the Iraq war had led to a mushrooming of jihadist ideology.
Republicans, on the other hand, want to portray Democrats as soft on terrorism in hopes of hanging on to both houses of the U.S. Congress in November elections.
Cheney cited Reid for suggesting the United States should not have invaded Iraq in 2003 even if it meant leaving Saddam Hussein in power and for opposing the Patriot Act, controversial laws passed with the goal of fighting terrorism. He criticized Dean for saying the capture of Saddam had not made America safer.
"As we make our case to the voters in this election season, it's vital to keep issues of national security at the top of the agenda," Cheney said.
Cheney in particular attacked Democrats for turning their backs on Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, now running as an independent after losing his state's Democratic primary in August to anti-war candidate Ned Lamont.
Lieberman has firmly backed the Iraq war while criticizing the president's handling of it.
"For the sake of our security, this nation must reject any strategy of resignation and defeatism in the face of determined enemies," Cheney said.
At Milwaukee's Pfister Hotel, Cheney helped the state's Republican Party raise $150,000. In the race to become the state's governor, polls show Republican Mark Green down about five percentage points to Democrat Jim Doyle.
The Cheney visit was strong on a "war on terrorism" theme. Upon exiting Air Force Two at Milwaukee's airport, he was greeted by 10 members of Wisconsin's Air Force Reserve unit, some of whom had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Later he was to address members of the Michigan National Guard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, before attending a closed Republican fund-raiser expected to raise $300,000.
Without much fanfare, Cheney has been an active money-raiser for his party in this campaign cycle, having raised $33 million in 100 events.
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney Monday accused Democrats of being soft in the war on terrorism with a strategy of "resignation and defeatism in the face of determined enemies."
Cheney, in a speech to Wisconsin Republicans, singled out in particular Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean for criticism.
Democrats would like the November elections to be seen as a referendum on President Bush's handling of the Iraq war. The party got a boost this past weekend with media reports of an intelligence report indicating that the Iraq war had led to a mushrooming of jihadist ideology.
Republicans, on the other hand, want to portray Democrats as soft on terrorism in hopes of hanging on to both houses of the U.S. Congress in November elections.
Cheney cited Reid for suggesting the United States should not have invaded Iraq in 2003 even if it meant leaving Saddam Hussein in power and for opposing the Patriot Act, controversial laws passed with the goal of fighting terrorism. He criticized Dean for saying the capture of Saddam had not made America safer.
"As we make our case to the voters in this election season, it's vital to keep issues of national security at the top of the agenda," Cheney said.
Cheney in particular attacked Democrats for turning their backs on Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, now running as an independent after losing his state's Democratic primary in August to anti-war candidate Ned Lamont.
Lieberman has firmly backed the Iraq war while criticizing the president's handling of it.
"For the sake of our security, this nation must reject any strategy of resignation and defeatism in the face of determined enemies," Cheney said.
At Milwaukee's Pfister Hotel, Cheney helped the state's Republican Party raise $150,000. In the race to become the state's governor, polls show Republican Mark Green down about five percentage points to Democrat Jim Doyle.
The Cheney visit was strong on a "war on terrorism" theme. Upon exiting Air Force Two at Milwaukee's airport, he was greeted by 10 members of Wisconsin's Air Force Reserve unit, some of whom had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Later he was to address members of the Michigan National Guard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, before attending a closed Republican fund-raiser expected to raise $300,000.
Without much fanfare, Cheney has been an active money-raiser for his party in this campaign cycle, having raised $33 million in 100 events.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Can Osama Be Lured to 'Disprove' Death Report?
NewsMax - A leaked intelligence report of Osama bin Laden's death has met scepticism from Western and Muslim governments but may increase a clamor from his followers to show himself on video for the first time in nearly two years.
One theory surrounding the mysterious French leak is that it was designed precisely to flush the al Qaeda leader into the open, prompting him to release a new tape that might give a clue to his whereabouts and state of health.
"Western intelligence, the Americans, the Saudis want bin Laden to appear," said Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamist groups at the al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo.
"Perhaps they're trying to agitate him to appear by video to try to fix some information about his real (location)."
Rashwan said expectations of an imminent appearance by bin Laden had mounted among contributors to Islamist Web sites discussing the report of his demise.
The French regional daily L'Est Republican quoted France's DGSE foreign intelligence agency as saying the Saudi secret services were convinced the al Qaeda leader had died of typhoid in Pakistan in late August.
But France, the United States and Britain all said they were unable to confirm the death of bin Laden, who in previous tapes over the past five years has boasted of how he ordered the September 11 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had no evidence that he had died, and reports to that effect were "purely speculative".
Bin Laden's most recent audiotapes were issued in July, but the al Qaeda leader, believed to suffer from a serious kidney ailment, has not recorded any new video message since the eve of the U.S. presidential election in late 2004.
That long absence from view - contrasting with frequent, high-quality video broadcasts from his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri - has heightened speculation he is either too ill to appear, or too tightly confined to a secret hiding place.
A new tape would give Western intelligence significant clues to bin Laden's physical state. And the logistical chain involved in producing and delivering it to a broadcaster such as Al Jazeera could also be vulnerable to investigation.
But the other, perhaps more likely, explanation behind the French leak is that is just the latest of many speculative and poorly sourced scraps of intelligence on bin Laden, the world's most famous fugitive.
The latest account said he had died from typhoid; others have had him expiring from a lung disease or killed by bombing. Despite a statement last year from then-CIA boss Porter Goss that he had an "excellent" idea of bin Laden's whereabouts, the trail appears to be cold.
"The big question is whether his death . . . would have a demoralising effect, or if he achieves the status of martyr and becomes a rallying figure," one U.S. intelligence official said this weekend.
Rashwan, however, was in no doubt bin Laden's death, whenever it happened, would be announced by al Qaeda within days because it would make him an even more powerful symbol and motivator for his supporters.
"He is now the symbol of the Islamic jihad," he said. "He will become for them a kind of myth. It will give them more inspiration than the individual himself."
NewsMax - A leaked intelligence report of Osama bin Laden's death has met scepticism from Western and Muslim governments but may increase a clamor from his followers to show himself on video for the first time in nearly two years.
One theory surrounding the mysterious French leak is that it was designed precisely to flush the al Qaeda leader into the open, prompting him to release a new tape that might give a clue to his whereabouts and state of health.
"Western intelligence, the Americans, the Saudis want bin Laden to appear," said Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamist groups at the al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo.
"Perhaps they're trying to agitate him to appear by video to try to fix some information about his real (location)."
Rashwan said expectations of an imminent appearance by bin Laden had mounted among contributors to Islamist Web sites discussing the report of his demise.
The French regional daily L'Est Republican quoted France's DGSE foreign intelligence agency as saying the Saudi secret services were convinced the al Qaeda leader had died of typhoid in Pakistan in late August.
But France, the United States and Britain all said they were unable to confirm the death of bin Laden, who in previous tapes over the past five years has boasted of how he ordered the September 11 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had no evidence that he had died, and reports to that effect were "purely speculative".
Bin Laden's most recent audiotapes were issued in July, but the al Qaeda leader, believed to suffer from a serious kidney ailment, has not recorded any new video message since the eve of the U.S. presidential election in late 2004.
That long absence from view - contrasting with frequent, high-quality video broadcasts from his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri - has heightened speculation he is either too ill to appear, or too tightly confined to a secret hiding place.
A new tape would give Western intelligence significant clues to bin Laden's physical state. And the logistical chain involved in producing and delivering it to a broadcaster such as Al Jazeera could also be vulnerable to investigation.
But the other, perhaps more likely, explanation behind the French leak is that is just the latest of many speculative and poorly sourced scraps of intelligence on bin Laden, the world's most famous fugitive.
The latest account said he had died from typhoid; others have had him expiring from a lung disease or killed by bombing. Despite a statement last year from then-CIA boss Porter Goss that he had an "excellent" idea of bin Laden's whereabouts, the trail appears to be cold.
"The big question is whether his death . . . would have a demoralising effect, or if he achieves the status of martyr and becomes a rallying figure," one U.S. intelligence official said this weekend.
Rashwan, however, was in no doubt bin Laden's death, whenever it happened, would be announced by al Qaeda within days because it would make him an even more powerful symbol and motivator for his supporters.
"He is now the symbol of the Islamic jihad," he said. "He will become for them a kind of myth. It will give them more inspiration than the individual himself."
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Unconfirmed Report Bin Laden Dead
President Jacques Chirac said Saturday that information contained in a leaked intelligence document raising the possibility that Osama bin Laden may have died of typhoid in Pakistan last month is "in no way whatsoever confirmed."
Chirac said he was "a bit surprised" at the leak and has asked Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie to probe how a document from a French foreign intelligence service was published in the French press.
The regional newspaper l'Est Republicain on Saturday printed what it described as a copy of a confidential document from the DGSE intelligence service citing an uncorroborated report from Saudi secret services that the leader of the al-Qaida terror network had died.
The DGSE transmitted the document, dated Sept. 21 or Thursday, to Chirac and other top French officials, the newspaper said.
"This information is in no way whatsoever confirmed," Chirac said Saturday when asked about the document. "I have no comment."
In Washington, CIA duty officer Paul Gimigliano said he could not confirm the DGSE report.
The Washington-based IntelCenter, which monitors terrorism communications, said it was not aware of any similar reports on the Internet.
"We've seen nothing from any al-Qaida messaging or other indicators that would point to the death of Osama bin Laden," IntelCenter director Ben N. Venzke told The Associated Press.
Al-Qaida would likely release information of his death fairly quickly if it were true, said Venzke, whose organization also provides counterterrorism intelligence services for the American government.
"They would want to release that to sort of control the way that it unfolds. If they wait too long, they could lose the initiative on it," he said.
The last time the IntelCenter says it could be sure bin Laden was alive was June 29, when al-Qaida released an audiotape in which the terror leader eulogized the death of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq earlier that month.
Chirac spoke at a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkl in Compiegne, France, where the leaders were holding a summit.
Putin suggested that leaks can be ways to manipulate. "When there are leaks ... one can say that (they) were done especially."
Earlier the French defense ministry said it was opening an investigation into the leak.
"The information diffused this morning by the l'Est Republicain newspaper concerning the possible death of Osama bin Laden cannot be confirmed," a Defense Ministry statement said.
The DGSE, or Direction Generale des Services Exterieurs, indicated that its information came from a single source.
"According to a reliable source, Saudi security services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead," said the intelligence report.
There have been periodic reports of bin Laden's illness or death in recent years but none has been proven accurate.
According to this report, Saudi security services were pursuing further details, notably the place of his burial.
"The chief of al-Qaida was a victim of a severe typhoid crisis while in Pakistan on August 23, 2006," the document says. His geographic isolation meant that medical assistance was impossible, the French report said, adding that his lower limbs were allegedly paralyzed.
The report further said Saudi security services had their first information on bin Laden's alleged death on Sept. 4.
In Pakistan, a senior official of that country's top spy agency, the ISI or Directorate of Inter-Service Intelligence, said he had no information to confirm bin Laden's whereabouts or that he might be dead. The official said he believed the report could be fabricated. The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the topic and spoke on condition of anonymity.
U.S. Embassy officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan also said they could not confirm the French report.
Gen. Henri Bentegeat, the French army chief of staff, said in a radio debate last Sunday that bin Laden's fate remained a mystery.
"Today, bin Laden is certainly not in Afghanistan," Bentegeat said. "No one is completely certain that he is even alive."
President Jacques Chirac said Saturday that information contained in a leaked intelligence document raising the possibility that Osama bin Laden may have died of typhoid in Pakistan last month is "in no way whatsoever confirmed."
Chirac said he was "a bit surprised" at the leak and has asked Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie to probe how a document from a French foreign intelligence service was published in the French press.
The regional newspaper l'Est Republicain on Saturday printed what it described as a copy of a confidential document from the DGSE intelligence service citing an uncorroborated report from Saudi secret services that the leader of the al-Qaida terror network had died.
The DGSE transmitted the document, dated Sept. 21 or Thursday, to Chirac and other top French officials, the newspaper said.
"This information is in no way whatsoever confirmed," Chirac said Saturday when asked about the document. "I have no comment."
In Washington, CIA duty officer Paul Gimigliano said he could not confirm the DGSE report.
The Washington-based IntelCenter, which monitors terrorism communications, said it was not aware of any similar reports on the Internet.
"We've seen nothing from any al-Qaida messaging or other indicators that would point to the death of Osama bin Laden," IntelCenter director Ben N. Venzke told The Associated Press.
Al-Qaida would likely release information of his death fairly quickly if it were true, said Venzke, whose organization also provides counterterrorism intelligence services for the American government.
"They would want to release that to sort of control the way that it unfolds. If they wait too long, they could lose the initiative on it," he said.
The last time the IntelCenter says it could be sure bin Laden was alive was June 29, when al-Qaida released an audiotape in which the terror leader eulogized the death of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq earlier that month.
Chirac spoke at a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkl in Compiegne, France, where the leaders were holding a summit.
Putin suggested that leaks can be ways to manipulate. "When there are leaks ... one can say that (they) were done especially."
Earlier the French defense ministry said it was opening an investigation into the leak.
"The information diffused this morning by the l'Est Republicain newspaper concerning the possible death of Osama bin Laden cannot be confirmed," a Defense Ministry statement said.
The DGSE, or Direction Generale des Services Exterieurs, indicated that its information came from a single source.
"According to a reliable source, Saudi security services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead," said the intelligence report.
There have been periodic reports of bin Laden's illness or death in recent years but none has been proven accurate.
According to this report, Saudi security services were pursuing further details, notably the place of his burial.
"The chief of al-Qaida was a victim of a severe typhoid crisis while in Pakistan on August 23, 2006," the document says. His geographic isolation meant that medical assistance was impossible, the French report said, adding that his lower limbs were allegedly paralyzed.
The report further said Saudi security services had their first information on bin Laden's alleged death on Sept. 4.
In Pakistan, a senior official of that country's top spy agency, the ISI or Directorate of Inter-Service Intelligence, said he had no information to confirm bin Laden's whereabouts or that he might be dead. The official said he believed the report could be fabricated. The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the topic and spoke on condition of anonymity.
U.S. Embassy officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan also said they could not confirm the French report.
Gen. Henri Bentegeat, the French army chief of staff, said in a radio debate last Sunday that bin Laden's fate remained a mystery.
"Today, bin Laden is certainly not in Afghanistan," Bentegeat said. "No one is completely certain that he is even alive."
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
Have you seen these commercials for Whitman's new Weight Watcher's chocolates? They are chocolates for people trying to lose weight. Chocolates for people trying to lose weight? Didn't those used to be called laxatives? Aren't they just Ex-Lax?
According to a new book called "Men, Love and Sex," 50% of women want their men to take control in bed. The other 50% want their men to put down the remote control in bed.
According to a new survey by Zogby International, 70% of men say that breast implants are not sexy. Sure! Guys are going to Hooters for the food! Those little chicken wings are so delicious!
They've come out with a new Tickle Me Elmo Doll that lies on its back and kicks its legs in the air. Don't confuse this with the Paris Hilton Doll. That's totally different!
Leno
Have you seen these commercials for Whitman's new Weight Watcher's chocolates? They are chocolates for people trying to lose weight. Chocolates for people trying to lose weight? Didn't those used to be called laxatives? Aren't they just Ex-Lax?
According to a new book called "Men, Love and Sex," 50% of women want their men to take control in bed. The other 50% want their men to put down the remote control in bed.
According to a new survey by Zogby International, 70% of men say that breast implants are not sexy. Sure! Guys are going to Hooters for the food! Those little chicken wings are so delicious!
They've come out with a new Tickle Me Elmo Doll that lies on its back and kicks its legs in the air. Don't confuse this with the Paris Hilton Doll. That's totally different!
Friday, September 22, 2006
'Scooter' Libby Lawyers Win Classified Information Fight
A federal judge handed a victory to the defense Thursday in the Valerie Plame case, siding with Vice President Dick Cheney's indicted former chief of staff in a fight over release of classified information.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton decided that he won't impose strict standards sought by prosecutors who want to limit the amount of classified information used in the trial of defendant I. Lewis Libby.
Prosecutors had proposed a stringent three-part legal test that would have allowed information to be considered for the trial only when its benefit to the defense outweighed the government's need to keep it secret.
Walton sided with Libby's lawyers, who said any evidence that's relevant to the case should be considered for use. Once Walton rules on which evidence is relevant, government attorneys can propose portions to be blacked out or summarized, the judge said.
Libby is accused of lying to authorities about conversation he had with reporters regarding the CIA employment of Plame. Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the Bush administration's intelligence leading up to the Iraq war and the couple has accused Libby and others of leaking Plame's identity as retribution.
Libby, who is charged with perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI, wants access to classified information, including Cheney's daily intelligence memos, to show that Libby had more important things on his mind at the time of the leak and honestly didn't remember his conversations with reporters.
Prosecutors have suggested Libby is trying to derail the case by threatening to expose national secrets - a tactic known as graymail.
A federal judge handed a victory to the defense Thursday in the Valerie Plame case, siding with Vice President Dick Cheney's indicted former chief of staff in a fight over release of classified information.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton decided that he won't impose strict standards sought by prosecutors who want to limit the amount of classified information used in the trial of defendant I. Lewis Libby.
Prosecutors had proposed a stringent three-part legal test that would have allowed information to be considered for the trial only when its benefit to the defense outweighed the government's need to keep it secret.
Walton sided with Libby's lawyers, who said any evidence that's relevant to the case should be considered for use. Once Walton rules on which evidence is relevant, government attorneys can propose portions to be blacked out or summarized, the judge said.
Libby is accused of lying to authorities about conversation he had with reporters regarding the CIA employment of Plame. Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, criticized the Bush administration's intelligence leading up to the Iraq war and the couple has accused Libby and others of leaking Plame's identity as retribution.
Libby, who is charged with perjury, obstruction and lying to the FBI, wants access to classified information, including Cheney's daily intelligence memos, to show that Libby had more important things on his mind at the time of the leak and honestly didn't remember his conversations with reporters.
Prosecutors have suggested Libby is trying to derail the case by threatening to expose national secrets - a tactic known as graymail.
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
As you know marijuana was confiscated from Willie Nelson’s tour bus this week. Did you know you can actually use Willie’s bus as a bong? Just suck the exhaust out of the tail pipe.
Keith Richards said in an interview that he can’t do drugs anymore because today’s drugs aren’t of high quality. Drugs today can’t get him high anymore. That’s when you know you’ve done too much dope – when no drug on the planet can get you high anymore.
Actually today he was snorting crushed up moon rocks.
A celebrity birthday today. Nicole Ritchie! She turned 25 pounds today. So happy birthday to her.
Conan
Yesterday was a crazy day over at the U.N. It’s like the "Jerry Springer Show” over there now.
While addressing the U.N. yesterday the Venezuelan President said that the place stunk after President Bush had spoke there the day before. Then someone told him that was just the wind from New Jersey.
He also called President Bush "the devil”. Then today he called him a "cowboy”. President Bush’s response was, "He is sure making it hard me to figure out my Halloween costume.”
Tonight was a big night on television. On ABC "Grey’s Anatomy”, on CBS was "CSI”, and on NBC "Deal or No Deal”, all going against each other in the same time slot. So you could watch sexy doctors, sexy detectives, or Howie Mandel.
Leno
As you know marijuana was confiscated from Willie Nelson’s tour bus this week. Did you know you can actually use Willie’s bus as a bong? Just suck the exhaust out of the tail pipe.
Keith Richards said in an interview that he can’t do drugs anymore because today’s drugs aren’t of high quality. Drugs today can’t get him high anymore. That’s when you know you’ve done too much dope – when no drug on the planet can get you high anymore.
Actually today he was snorting crushed up moon rocks.
A celebrity birthday today. Nicole Ritchie! She turned 25 pounds today. So happy birthday to her.
Conan
Yesterday was a crazy day over at the U.N. It’s like the "Jerry Springer Show” over there now.
While addressing the U.N. yesterday the Venezuelan President said that the place stunk after President Bush had spoke there the day before. Then someone told him that was just the wind from New Jersey.
He also called President Bush "the devil”. Then today he called him a "cowboy”. President Bush’s response was, "He is sure making it hard me to figure out my Halloween costume.”
Tonight was a big night on television. On ABC "Grey’s Anatomy”, on CBS was "CSI”, and on NBC "Deal or No Deal”, all going against each other in the same time slot. So you could watch sexy doctors, sexy detectives, or Howie Mandel.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
GOP Campaign Cash Triples That of Democrats
Republicans had a $20 million advantage over Democrats at the beginning of the month as the parties entered the fiercely paced final leg before Election Day.
According to monthly financial reports due Wednesday, the Republican National Committee had three times more cash on hand in August than the Democratic National Committee. But the Democrats' Senate campaign organization had banked more than $10 million more than its Republican counterpart.
The two party committees battling over control of the House held almost equal amounts in their bank accounts.
All in all, the parties together had more than $170 million in the bank, signaling an expensive race to Nov. 7 between Democrats hungry to take control of Congress and Republicans battling to hold onto their narrow majorities in the House and Senate.
The Republican National Committee reported raising $7.7 million in August, with $39.3 million in the bank. The Democratic National Committee said it raised $6.6 million in August and banked $10.9 million.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $5 million and had $29.8 million cash on hand. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign reported raising $3.3 million in August and had $18.6 million in the bank.
The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $8.5 million and banked $36 million, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $5 million and had $35 million in the bank.
The six organizations constitute the operational force of the national parties. The RNC and the DNC provide resources not only to national politics, but also to state party organizations. The campaign committees focus exclusively on House and Senate races.
In the final stretch of the campaign, the RNC has pledged to spend $60 million in advertising and voter mobilization. The DNC has focused on building state party organizations and get out the vote efforts.
Republicans had a $20 million advantage over Democrats at the beginning of the month as the parties entered the fiercely paced final leg before Election Day.
According to monthly financial reports due Wednesday, the Republican National Committee had three times more cash on hand in August than the Democratic National Committee. But the Democrats' Senate campaign organization had banked more than $10 million more than its Republican counterpart.
The two party committees battling over control of the House held almost equal amounts in their bank accounts.
All in all, the parties together had more than $170 million in the bank, signaling an expensive race to Nov. 7 between Democrats hungry to take control of Congress and Republicans battling to hold onto their narrow majorities in the House and Senate.
The Republican National Committee reported raising $7.7 million in August, with $39.3 million in the bank. The Democratic National Committee said it raised $6.6 million in August and banked $10.9 million.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $5 million and had $29.8 million cash on hand. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign reported raising $3.3 million in August and had $18.6 million in the bank.
The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $8.5 million and banked $36 million, The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $5 million and had $35 million in the bank.
The six organizations constitute the operational force of the national parties. The RNC and the DNC provide resources not only to national politics, but also to state party organizations. The campaign committees focus exclusively on House and Senate races.
In the final stretch of the campaign, the RNC has pledged to spend $60 million in advertising and voter mobilization. The DNC has focused on building state party organizations and get out the vote efforts.
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
Willie Nelson was arrested for procession of marijuana earlier this week. Nice to see we’re cracking down on crime in this country!
Police officers said Willie’s bus reeked of pot. That’s when you know it’s bad, when the pot smoke overwhelms the diesel smell of your tour bus.
A giant bus with Willie Nelson on the side. That’s probable cause right there isn’t it?
Whitman’s has come out with a new chocolate that helps you loose weight. Didn’t that used to be called a laxative?
James Watson is getting the Nobel Peace Prize. He was one of the co-finders of DNA. If it wasn’t for DNA we wouldn’t have the "Maury Povich Show”.
Letterman
I have some good news for out-of-towners. The crime rate in New York City has never been lower. All the criminals are stuck in traffic.
It’s ventriloquist week here on the "Late Show”. I’m excited. Even my mom has switched from watching Leno this week.
President Bush was in town the other day. I like it when he’s in town. Someone with lower approval ratings than me.
I think something is wrong. It has to be the stress. When President Bush addressed the U.N. he said Iraq has spinach of mass destruction.
The Iranian President was also at the U.N. He’s trying to win over the American people. He was signing baseballs that say, "Sorry for enriching uranium.”
Mel Gibson’s daughter got married. Hey Mel, don’t think of it as losing a daughter – think of it as gaining another designated driver.
Letterman's Top Ten
Top Ten Signs Your Husband Is Gay
10. You come home to find him handling the gardener's hose.
9. On your wedding day, you wore the same dress.
8. Favorite magazines: "Gourmet" and "Honcho"
7. Your name: Jodi - name he calls out during sex: Lou
6. Constantly leaving that seat down, am I right girls?
5. Bumper sticker reads: "I'd rather be having sex with dudes".
4. During "Brokeback Mountain," He mumbles, "It didn't happen exactly like that."
3. At your sister's wedding reception, he caught the bouquet.
2. Yells, "Honey, I'm home after a long day of gay sex!"
1. Says he got rear-ended but the car looks fine.
Leno
Willie Nelson was arrested for procession of marijuana earlier this week. Nice to see we’re cracking down on crime in this country!
Police officers said Willie’s bus reeked of pot. That’s when you know it’s bad, when the pot smoke overwhelms the diesel smell of your tour bus.
A giant bus with Willie Nelson on the side. That’s probable cause right there isn’t it?
Whitman’s has come out with a new chocolate that helps you loose weight. Didn’t that used to be called a laxative?
James Watson is getting the Nobel Peace Prize. He was one of the co-finders of DNA. If it wasn’t for DNA we wouldn’t have the "Maury Povich Show”.
Letterman
I have some good news for out-of-towners. The crime rate in New York City has never been lower. All the criminals are stuck in traffic.
It’s ventriloquist week here on the "Late Show”. I’m excited. Even my mom has switched from watching Leno this week.
President Bush was in town the other day. I like it when he’s in town. Someone with lower approval ratings than me.
I think something is wrong. It has to be the stress. When President Bush addressed the U.N. he said Iraq has spinach of mass destruction.
The Iranian President was also at the U.N. He’s trying to win over the American people. He was signing baseballs that say, "Sorry for enriching uranium.”
Mel Gibson’s daughter got married. Hey Mel, don’t think of it as losing a daughter – think of it as gaining another designated driver.
Letterman's Top Ten
Top Ten Signs Your Husband Is Gay
10. You come home to find him handling the gardener's hose.
9. On your wedding day, you wore the same dress.
8. Favorite magazines: "Gourmet" and "Honcho"
7. Your name: Jodi - name he calls out during sex: Lou
6. Constantly leaving that seat down, am I right girls?
5. Bumper sticker reads: "I'd rather be having sex with dudes".
4. During "Brokeback Mountain," He mumbles, "It didn't happen exactly like that."
3. At your sister's wedding reception, he caught the bouquet.
2. Yells, "Honey, I'm home after a long day of gay sex!"
1. Says he got rear-ended but the car looks fine.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Hugo Chavez Calls Bush 'Devil' at U.N.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush "the devil."
The impassioned speech by the leftist leader came a day after Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparred over Tehran's disputed nuclear program but managed to avoid a personal encounter.
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said, referring to Bush's address on Tuesday and making the sign of the cross. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."
Standing at the podium, Chavez quipped that a day after Bush's appearance: "In this very spot it smells like sulfur still."
Chavez held up a book by American leftist writer Noam Chomsky "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" and recommended it to everyone in the General Assembly.
The leftist leader, who has joined Iran and Cuba in opposing U.S. influence, accused Washington of "domination, exploitation and pillage of peoples of the world."
"We appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our head," he said.
Chavez drew tentative giggles at times from the audience, but also some applause when he called Bush the devil.
The main U.S. seat in the assembly hall was empty as Chavez spoke. But there was a "junior note taker" there, as is customary "when governments like that speak," the U.S. ambassador to the U.N said.
Ambassador John Bolton told The Associated Press that Chavez had the right to express his opinion, adding it was "too bad the people of Venezuela don't have free speech."
"I'm just not going to comment on this because his remarks just don't warrant a response," Bolton said. "Serious people can listen to what he had to say and if they do they will reject it."
Describing the U.N. as an "important world stage" on which leaders represent their citizens, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey, said such personal attacks were "disappointing."
"And I'll leave it to the Venezuelan people to determine whether President Chavez represented them and presented them in a way they would have liked to have seen," he said.
Chavez spoke on the second day of the annual ministerial meetings, which were overshadowed by an ambitious agenda of sideline talks.
The Mideast peace process also was in the spotlight, with ministers from the Quartet that drafted the stalled road map - the U.S., the U.N., the European Union and Russia - planning to meet. The Security Council also was scheduled to hold a ministerial meeting Thursday that Arab leaders hope will help revive the Mideast peace process.
Bush tried to advance his campaign for democracy in the Middle East during his address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, saying extremists were trying to justify their violence by falsely claiming the U.S. is waging war on Islam. He singled out Iran and Syria as sponsors of terrorism.
Bush also pointed to Tehran's rejection of a Security Council demand to stop enriching uranium by Aug. 31 or face the possibility of sanctions. But he addressed his remarks to the Iranian people in a clear insult to the government.
"The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons," the U.S. leader said.
"Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions," he said. "Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran's pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program."
He said he hoped to see "the day when you can live in freedom, and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace."
Ahmadinejad took the podium hours later, denouncing U.S. policies in Iraq and Lebanon and accusing Washington of abusing its power in the Security Council to punish others while protecting its own interests and allies.
The hard-line leader insisted that his nation's nuclear activities are "transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eye" of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. He also reiterated his nation's commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad proposed a debate with Bush at the General Assembly's ministerial meeting after the White House dismissed a previous TV debate proposal as a "diversion" from serious concerns over Iran's nuclear program.
But even though the two leaders spoke from the same podium, they skipped each other's addresses and managed to avoid direct contact during the ministerial meeting.
Also on Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that terrorism is rebounding in his country and said efforts to build democracy there had suffered setbacks over the past year as violence increased, especially in the volatile south where NATO forces have been battling Taliban militants in some of the fiercest battles since the hard-line government was toppled in 2001.
"We have seen terrorism rebounding as terrorists have infiltrated our borders to step up their murderous campaign against our people," he told the General Assembly.
He said the situation was so bad it had contributed to a rise in polio from four cases in 2005 to 27 this year because health workers were unable to reach the region.
But he said the problem had to be fought beyond Afghanistan's borders as well as within.
"We must look beyond Afghanistan to the sources of terrorism," he said. "We must destroy terrorist sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan."
He also expressed concern about "the increased incidents of Islamophobia in the West," saying it does not "bode well for the cause of building understanding and cooperation across civilizations."
The crisis in the ravaged Sudanese region of Darfur also was on the agenda Wednesday, with the African Union's Peace and Security Council meeting to discuss breaking the deadlock over a plan to replace an AU force with U.N. peacekeepers.
The bloc decided to extend the mandate of peacekeeping forces in Darfur through the end of the year, ensuring that international troops will remain in the war-torn Sudanese province for now.
The United Nations will provide material and logistic support to the mission, though Sudan is still resisting demands that the U.N. take over the mission from the AU, said Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, head of the AU Peace and Security Council.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush "the devil."
The impassioned speech by the leftist leader came a day after Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparred over Tehran's disputed nuclear program but managed to avoid a personal encounter.
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said, referring to Bush's address on Tuesday and making the sign of the cross. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."
Standing at the podium, Chavez quipped that a day after Bush's appearance: "In this very spot it smells like sulfur still."
Chavez held up a book by American leftist writer Noam Chomsky "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" and recommended it to everyone in the General Assembly.
The leftist leader, who has joined Iran and Cuba in opposing U.S. influence, accused Washington of "domination, exploitation and pillage of peoples of the world."
"We appeal to the people of the United States and the world to halt this threat, which is like a sword hanging over our head," he said.
Chavez drew tentative giggles at times from the audience, but also some applause when he called Bush the devil.
The main U.S. seat in the assembly hall was empty as Chavez spoke. But there was a "junior note taker" there, as is customary "when governments like that speak," the U.S. ambassador to the U.N said.
Ambassador John Bolton told The Associated Press that Chavez had the right to express his opinion, adding it was "too bad the people of Venezuela don't have free speech."
"I'm just not going to comment on this because his remarks just don't warrant a response," Bolton said. "Serious people can listen to what he had to say and if they do they will reject it."
Describing the U.N. as an "important world stage" on which leaders represent their citizens, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey, said such personal attacks were "disappointing."
"And I'll leave it to the Venezuelan people to determine whether President Chavez represented them and presented them in a way they would have liked to have seen," he said.
Chavez spoke on the second day of the annual ministerial meetings, which were overshadowed by an ambitious agenda of sideline talks.
The Mideast peace process also was in the spotlight, with ministers from the Quartet that drafted the stalled road map - the U.S., the U.N., the European Union and Russia - planning to meet. The Security Council also was scheduled to hold a ministerial meeting Thursday that Arab leaders hope will help revive the Mideast peace process.
Bush tried to advance his campaign for democracy in the Middle East during his address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, saying extremists were trying to justify their violence by falsely claiming the U.S. is waging war on Islam. He singled out Iran and Syria as sponsors of terrorism.
Bush also pointed to Tehran's rejection of a Security Council demand to stop enriching uranium by Aug. 31 or face the possibility of sanctions. But he addressed his remarks to the Iranian people in a clear insult to the government.
"The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons," the U.S. leader said.
"Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions," he said. "Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran's pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program."
He said he hoped to see "the day when you can live in freedom, and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace."
Ahmadinejad took the podium hours later, denouncing U.S. policies in Iraq and Lebanon and accusing Washington of abusing its power in the Security Council to punish others while protecting its own interests and allies.
The hard-line leader insisted that his nation's nuclear activities are "transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eye" of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. He also reiterated his nation's commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad proposed a debate with Bush at the General Assembly's ministerial meeting after the White House dismissed a previous TV debate proposal as a "diversion" from serious concerns over Iran's nuclear program.
But even though the two leaders spoke from the same podium, they skipped each other's addresses and managed to avoid direct contact during the ministerial meeting.
Also on Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that terrorism is rebounding in his country and said efforts to build democracy there had suffered setbacks over the past year as violence increased, especially in the volatile south where NATO forces have been battling Taliban militants in some of the fiercest battles since the hard-line government was toppled in 2001.
"We have seen terrorism rebounding as terrorists have infiltrated our borders to step up their murderous campaign against our people," he told the General Assembly.
He said the situation was so bad it had contributed to a rise in polio from four cases in 2005 to 27 this year because health workers were unable to reach the region.
But he said the problem had to be fought beyond Afghanistan's borders as well as within.
"We must look beyond Afghanistan to the sources of terrorism," he said. "We must destroy terrorist sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan."
He also expressed concern about "the increased incidents of Islamophobia in the West," saying it does not "bode well for the cause of building understanding and cooperation across civilizations."
The crisis in the ravaged Sudanese region of Darfur also was on the agenda Wednesday, with the African Union's Peace and Security Council meeting to discuss breaking the deadlock over a plan to replace an AU force with U.N. peacekeepers.
The bloc decided to extend the mandate of peacekeeping forces in Darfur through the end of the year, ensuring that international troops will remain in the war-torn Sudanese province for now.
The United Nations will provide material and logistic support to the mission, though Sudan is still resisting demands that the U.N. take over the mission from the AU, said Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, head of the AU Peace and Security Council.
Late Nite Jokes
Conan
President Bush addressed the United Nations today. So it could be understood the speech was translated simultaneously in French, German and English.
The latest polls show that President Bush has rebounded to 45%. That’s his highest rating this year. A spokesman for the administration said that they are happy to be going from overwhelming dislike to just general dislike.
The President of Iran refused to attend a U.N. banquet because they were serving wine. His reasoning was that he did not want to get drunk and say something pro-Semitic.
Last night on "Deal or No Deal” a contestant won $675,000. That is the most money ever won on the show. When asked about the winnings the contestant said, "I’m glad I dropped out of high school and went into focusing on suitcase picking.”
Authorities raided Willie Nelson’s tour bus this week and confiscated one and one half pounds of marijuana. Willie was outraged asking what happened to his other three pounds.
Conan
President Bush addressed the United Nations today. So it could be understood the speech was translated simultaneously in French, German and English.
The latest polls show that President Bush has rebounded to 45%. That’s his highest rating this year. A spokesman for the administration said that they are happy to be going from overwhelming dislike to just general dislike.
The President of Iran refused to attend a U.N. banquet because they were serving wine. His reasoning was that he did not want to get drunk and say something pro-Semitic.
Last night on "Deal or No Deal” a contestant won $675,000. That is the most money ever won on the show. When asked about the winnings the contestant said, "I’m glad I dropped out of high school and went into focusing on suitcase picking.”
Authorities raided Willie Nelson’s tour bus this week and confiscated one and one half pounds of marijuana. Willie was outraged asking what happened to his other three pounds.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Iran Pays Off China, Russia, France and Germany
NewsMax - There’s a strong economic incentive behind the U.N. Security Council and Germany’s opposition to American calls for sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program — billions of dollars in trade.
The United States has little to lose if sanctions are imposed. America imports only about $100 million of goods from Iran, mostly rugs, nuts and juice, while exporting about $55 million in cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, and wood pulp.
But total trade between Iran and permanent Security Council members Russia, China, and France, plus Germany, is expected to top $22 billion this year, up from $18 billion last year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
China’s exports to Iran are up 25 percent this year. Chinese companies sold nearly $400 million worth of air conditioners and other machinery in the first six months of 2006, plus $300 million in trucks and other vehicles.
In addition, China gets around 18 percent of its crude oil from Iran — $15 billion worth — and dozens of Chinese companies are engaged in construction work in Iran.
Germany is Iran’s largest supplier of foreign goods, with $5.4 billion in exports last year. Iran buys German steel, and automaker DaimlerChrysler is planning a Mercedes-Benz plant in Iran.
Germany’s chamber of commerce claims that severe economic sanctions on Iran could cost Germany 10,000 jobs.
France exported $2.33 billion in goods last year. This month a Tehran vehicle manufacturer announced that it will begin selling to Russia cars that it builds in Iran in cooperation with France’s PSA Peugeot-Citroen, according to the Journal.
Russia is building Iran’s first nuclear power plant, a $1 billion project, and has agreed to a $700 million deal to sell air-defense missile systems to Iran.
The Journal reports that these commercial ties, along with Iran’s position as holder of the second-largest oil reserves, "put a built-in limit on how far industrial powers will go.”
And a senior U.S. official concedes: "Anything that really restricts trade will be hard, if not impossible, to get.”
But Nicholas Burns, the State Department’s undersecretary for political affairs, maintains that American allies "understand that sanctions may very well be necessary to counter Iran’s drive for a nuclear weapons capability.”
NewsMax - There’s a strong economic incentive behind the U.N. Security Council and Germany’s opposition to American calls for sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program — billions of dollars in trade.
The United States has little to lose if sanctions are imposed. America imports only about $100 million of goods from Iran, mostly rugs, nuts and juice, while exporting about $55 million in cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, and wood pulp.
But total trade between Iran and permanent Security Council members Russia, China, and France, plus Germany, is expected to top $22 billion this year, up from $18 billion last year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
China’s exports to Iran are up 25 percent this year. Chinese companies sold nearly $400 million worth of air conditioners and other machinery in the first six months of 2006, plus $300 million in trucks and other vehicles.
In addition, China gets around 18 percent of its crude oil from Iran — $15 billion worth — and dozens of Chinese companies are engaged in construction work in Iran.
Germany is Iran’s largest supplier of foreign goods, with $5.4 billion in exports last year. Iran buys German steel, and automaker DaimlerChrysler is planning a Mercedes-Benz plant in Iran.
Germany’s chamber of commerce claims that severe economic sanctions on Iran could cost Germany 10,000 jobs.
France exported $2.33 billion in goods last year. This month a Tehran vehicle manufacturer announced that it will begin selling to Russia cars that it builds in Iran in cooperation with France’s PSA Peugeot-Citroen, according to the Journal.
Russia is building Iran’s first nuclear power plant, a $1 billion project, and has agreed to a $700 million deal to sell air-defense missile systems to Iran.
The Journal reports that these commercial ties, along with Iran’s position as holder of the second-largest oil reserves, "put a built-in limit on how far industrial powers will go.”
And a senior U.S. official concedes: "Anything that really restricts trade will be hard, if not impossible, to get.”
But Nicholas Burns, the State Department’s undersecretary for political affairs, maintains that American allies "understand that sanctions may very well be necessary to counter Iran’s drive for a nuclear weapons capability.”
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
More is coming out from Matt Lauer’s interview with Debra Lefave. The police were notified by the boy’s mother. You ever notice in these cases involving teachers and male students that it is always the mother calling the police? It’s never the father.
Lefave is no longer a teacher. She’s now a waitress. The bad news is that it’s at Chuckie Cheese.
In Louisiana federal agents raided Willie Nelson’s tour bus and found a pound and a half of marijuana. Looks like Willie is cutting back in his old age!
That was just his bong. Lucky they didn’t find his stash.
Are you all watching "Survivor: Apartheid”? In this edition of "Survivor” the tribes have been broken up into ethnic groups; whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. The writers are Jewish.
If Michael Jackson was a contestant on the show I wonder which tribe he would be a part of?
The next season of "Survivor” will feature Christians versus Muslims in "Survivor: Baghdad Island”.
Ford Motor Company’s motto is still "Job 1”. But jobs 2 through 7500 are now eliminated.
Letterman
Am I not right when I say that if it’s not one thing, it’s another? How about this tainted spinach deal? Spinach is contaminated with ecoli bacteria. Or at the Hello Deli that is known as the number two.
On the good side there has never been a better time to pick a fight with Popeye.
There’s a lot of tension in the world. Today Pope Benedict apologized to Muslims for statements he has made. Altar boys are still waiting for theirs.
President Bush is going to address the United Nations. He’s going to announce his plan to reunite Bobby Brown with Whitney Houston.
Bobby and Whitney have split up. They decided to start seeing other crackheads.
Over the weekend Pete Rose signed 30 baseballs at a sports show in L.A. He signed each ball saying, "Sorry I bet on baseball.” O.J. signed knives that said, "Sorry I killed my wife.”
Leno
More is coming out from Matt Lauer’s interview with Debra Lefave. The police were notified by the boy’s mother. You ever notice in these cases involving teachers and male students that it is always the mother calling the police? It’s never the father.
Lefave is no longer a teacher. She’s now a waitress. The bad news is that it’s at Chuckie Cheese.
In Louisiana federal agents raided Willie Nelson’s tour bus and found a pound and a half of marijuana. Looks like Willie is cutting back in his old age!
That was just his bong. Lucky they didn’t find his stash.
Are you all watching "Survivor: Apartheid”? In this edition of "Survivor” the tribes have been broken up into ethnic groups; whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. The writers are Jewish.
If Michael Jackson was a contestant on the show I wonder which tribe he would be a part of?
The next season of "Survivor” will feature Christians versus Muslims in "Survivor: Baghdad Island”.
Ford Motor Company’s motto is still "Job 1”. But jobs 2 through 7500 are now eliminated.
Letterman
Am I not right when I say that if it’s not one thing, it’s another? How about this tainted spinach deal? Spinach is contaminated with ecoli bacteria. Or at the Hello Deli that is known as the number two.
On the good side there has never been a better time to pick a fight with Popeye.
There’s a lot of tension in the world. Today Pope Benedict apologized to Muslims for statements he has made. Altar boys are still waiting for theirs.
President Bush is going to address the United Nations. He’s going to announce his plan to reunite Bobby Brown with Whitney Houston.
Bobby and Whitney have split up. They decided to start seeing other crackheads.
Over the weekend Pete Rose signed 30 baseballs at a sports show in L.A. He signed each ball saying, "Sorry I bet on baseball.” O.J. signed knives that said, "Sorry I killed my wife.”
Monday, September 18, 2006
Bush Approval Rating Up Sharply
President George W. Bush's approval rating has risen to 44 percent – his highest rating in a year – while only 51 percent now say they "disapprove” of his job performance, a new USA Today/Gallup Poll reveals.
Bush’s approval rating was as low as 31 percent in May and 37 percent as recently as Aug. 7-10.
The rating has risen largely on the strength of increased support from Republicans — 86 percent said they approve of his performance, compared with 70 percent in May.
The upswing in approval comes amid falling gas prices and a two-week drive by the president to highlight his administration's efforts to fight terrorism.
The new findings reflect "a consistent, persistent, tenacious effort to make . . . the Republican Party's ability to deal with terrorism the No. 1 issue in the campaign," political scientist Richard Eichenberg of Tufts University told USA Today.
In the new poll, slightly more than a quarter of respondents said Iraq is their top concern going into this fall’s elections; 19 percent cited terrorism and 18 percent those economic conditions.
But for the first time since December 2005, a majority of people did not say the war in Iraq was a mistake; the split was 49 percent to 49 percent.
Other results of the poll reported in USA Today:
A 55 percent to 42 percent majority said they supported Bush’s terrorist surveillance program, the policy of wiretapping phone conversations between U.S. citizens here and suspected terrorists abroad without obtaining a court order.
Three-quarters said Iraq is in the midst of a civil war.
55 percent said the U.S. goal in Iraq and the Middle East should be stable governments, while 33 percent agreed with the president that the goal should be democratic governments.
President George W. Bush's approval rating has risen to 44 percent – his highest rating in a year – while only 51 percent now say they "disapprove” of his job performance, a new USA Today/Gallup Poll reveals.
Bush’s approval rating was as low as 31 percent in May and 37 percent as recently as Aug. 7-10.
The rating has risen largely on the strength of increased support from Republicans — 86 percent said they approve of his performance, compared with 70 percent in May.
The upswing in approval comes amid falling gas prices and a two-week drive by the president to highlight his administration's efforts to fight terrorism.
The new findings reflect "a consistent, persistent, tenacious effort to make . . . the Republican Party's ability to deal with terrorism the No. 1 issue in the campaign," political scientist Richard Eichenberg of Tufts University told USA Today.
In the new poll, slightly more than a quarter of respondents said Iraq is their top concern going into this fall’s elections; 19 percent cited terrorism and 18 percent those economic conditions.
But for the first time since December 2005, a majority of people did not say the war in Iraq was a mistake; the split was 49 percent to 49 percent.
Other results of the poll reported in USA Today:
A 55 percent to 42 percent majority said they supported Bush’s terrorist surveillance program, the policy of wiretapping phone conversations between U.S. citizens here and suspected terrorists abroad without obtaining a court order.
Three-quarters said Iraq is in the midst of a civil war.
55 percent said the U.S. goal in Iraq and the Middle East should be stable governments, while 33 percent agreed with the president that the goal should be democratic governments.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
McCain Irks Conservatives on Detainees, Immigration
NewsMax - Republican Sen. John McCain's standoff with the White House over treatment of detainees - an issue the former POW knows intimately well - threatens to exacerbate his already contentious relationship with conservatives.
"Maverick status is looked upon as a strength in Congress, but a maverick in the White House is not looked upon with great admiration from our folks," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said Monday.
"Politically, this isn't wise," added the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, which supports the president's call for Congress to approve tough interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects.
McCain, with his eye on a 2008 presidential bid, had taken steps to improve his relationship with conservatives, addressing a graduation class at Liberty University earlier this year at the invitation of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a former adversary.
The Arizona senator has been a staunch supporter of President Bush on the Iraq war. He has alienated conservatives, however, for opposing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and supporting federal expansion of embryonic stem-cell research.
Social conservatives also have taken issue with his effort to overhaul the immigration system, in part, by granting millions of illegal immigrants a path to eventual citizenship, and his work with a rogue group of senators to avert a Senate fight over Bush's judicial nominations.
The warnings from conservatives over the detainee issue illustrate the risk McCain faces in taking on the White House - alienating a base of support he would need to win the Republican presidential nomination.
As the clash escalated, McCain shrugged off suggestions that the dust-up could hurt him politically, telling reporters last week that his "credibility with the American people is that I do what I think is right."
McCain could benefit by showing voters he stands alone and inoculating himself from future efforts to link him to the legacy of Bush, whose support in public opinion polls hovers in the low 40 percent range.
McCain advisers brush off the notion of long-term political consequences.
"At the end of the day, he's going to do what he thinks is right, and when he does that, it works out politically," said John Weaver, a senior political adviser for McCain. He added that when McCain doesn't hold true to that, it usually "blows up in our face."
Long known as a maverick, McCain's latest tussle with the White House is over the president's insistence that Congress allow the CIA to use aggressive methods against terrorism suspects.
McCain and a growing group of Senate Republicans contend the United States must adhere strictly to the Geneva Conventions international standards.
Bush wants Congress to quickly pass his own proposed legislation authorizing military tribunals for detainees and harsh interrogations of terror suspects. Last week, he singled out McCain, a rival for the presidential nomination in 2000, making clear whom he blamed for standing in the way.
A year ago, McCain led a high-profile charge in Congress to clarify a law against torture by extending it to also ban cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners. The White House issued a veto threat.
But McCain, a former Navy pilot tortured during nearly six years of imprisonment in Vietnam, attracted enough support in the House and Senate to override a veto. After a very public spat, the White House and McCain reached an agreement that essentially resulted in the senator getting what he wanted. Bush signed the bill in December.
Since then, McCain has resisted engaging in a public battle over how the administration has implemented the law, choosing instead to use back channels to make known his displeasure and negotiate with the Pentagon and the White House. That changed last week.
"We have an honest disagreement with some particular points of this topic," said Weaver, who characterized the relationship between McCain and the White House as excellent.
Over the past year, McCain's ties to the president have grown. Several of Bush's high-profile campaign strategists have lined up behind McCain, widely considered the front-runner for the GOP's presidential nomination though he has yet to formally enter the race.
Traveling in politically pivotal New Hampshire over the weekend, McCain again was the target of conservatives' ire - this time because of his interrogation position.
The editorial page of the Manchester Union-Leader accused McCain of "blocking our ability to gain from terrorist captives the vital information we need to fight a war in which the enemy strikes us here at home from multiple locations around the world."
Sixteen months from presidential primary season, some Republicans believe McCain's latest haggling with the White House won't have lasting negative implications.
"In the long term, no one can hold a candle to McCain on national security issues," said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist. Plus, he said: "Strong poll numbers and a commanding lead in a presidential race allows everyone to forgive and forget."
NewsMax - Republican Sen. John McCain's standoff with the White House over treatment of detainees - an issue the former POW knows intimately well - threatens to exacerbate his already contentious relationship with conservatives.
"Maverick status is looked upon as a strength in Congress, but a maverick in the White House is not looked upon with great admiration from our folks," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said Monday.
"Politically, this isn't wise," added the Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, which supports the president's call for Congress to approve tough interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects.
McCain, with his eye on a 2008 presidential bid, had taken steps to improve his relationship with conservatives, addressing a graduation class at Liberty University earlier this year at the invitation of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, a former adversary.
The Arizona senator has been a staunch supporter of President Bush on the Iraq war. He has alienated conservatives, however, for opposing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and supporting federal expansion of embryonic stem-cell research.
Social conservatives also have taken issue with his effort to overhaul the immigration system, in part, by granting millions of illegal immigrants a path to eventual citizenship, and his work with a rogue group of senators to avert a Senate fight over Bush's judicial nominations.
The warnings from conservatives over the detainee issue illustrate the risk McCain faces in taking on the White House - alienating a base of support he would need to win the Republican presidential nomination.
As the clash escalated, McCain shrugged off suggestions that the dust-up could hurt him politically, telling reporters last week that his "credibility with the American people is that I do what I think is right."
McCain could benefit by showing voters he stands alone and inoculating himself from future efforts to link him to the legacy of Bush, whose support in public opinion polls hovers in the low 40 percent range.
McCain advisers brush off the notion of long-term political consequences.
"At the end of the day, he's going to do what he thinks is right, and when he does that, it works out politically," said John Weaver, a senior political adviser for McCain. He added that when McCain doesn't hold true to that, it usually "blows up in our face."
Long known as a maverick, McCain's latest tussle with the White House is over the president's insistence that Congress allow the CIA to use aggressive methods against terrorism suspects.
McCain and a growing group of Senate Republicans contend the United States must adhere strictly to the Geneva Conventions international standards.
Bush wants Congress to quickly pass his own proposed legislation authorizing military tribunals for detainees and harsh interrogations of terror suspects. Last week, he singled out McCain, a rival for the presidential nomination in 2000, making clear whom he blamed for standing in the way.
A year ago, McCain led a high-profile charge in Congress to clarify a law against torture by extending it to also ban cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners. The White House issued a veto threat.
But McCain, a former Navy pilot tortured during nearly six years of imprisonment in Vietnam, attracted enough support in the House and Senate to override a veto. After a very public spat, the White House and McCain reached an agreement that essentially resulted in the senator getting what he wanted. Bush signed the bill in December.
Since then, McCain has resisted engaging in a public battle over how the administration has implemented the law, choosing instead to use back channels to make known his displeasure and negotiate with the Pentagon and the White House. That changed last week.
"We have an honest disagreement with some particular points of this topic," said Weaver, who characterized the relationship between McCain and the White House as excellent.
Over the past year, McCain's ties to the president have grown. Several of Bush's high-profile campaign strategists have lined up behind McCain, widely considered the front-runner for the GOP's presidential nomination though he has yet to formally enter the race.
Traveling in politically pivotal New Hampshire over the weekend, McCain again was the target of conservatives' ire - this time because of his interrogation position.
The editorial page of the Manchester Union-Leader accused McCain of "blocking our ability to gain from terrorist captives the vital information we need to fight a war in which the enemy strikes us here at home from multiple locations around the world."
Sixteen months from presidential primary season, some Republicans believe McCain's latest haggling with the White House won't have lasting negative implications.
"In the long term, no one can hold a candle to McCain on national security issues," said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist. Plus, he said: "Strong poll numbers and a commanding lead in a presidential race allows everyone to forgive and forget."
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Dems Plan 'Red to Blue' Campaign
"For us to win we have to focus. It's all about picking, making good judgments about priorities," Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago tells Newsweek in the current issue about the Democrats' hopes for winning control of the House.
If you are one of the 40 members of the Democrats' Red to Blue Program, donations from strangers across the country will blow through your campaign mail slot. The Red to Blue program is a Good Housekeeping Seal, says Emanuel in the Sept. 25 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, Sept. 18). "It means a lot of things: campaign well run, campaign well financed, good candidate. It means a good opportunity to pick up a seat. Candidates want to be on [the list] and donors want the clarity," says Emanuel.
Emanuel's brother, Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel is fast becoming a political networking force in Los Angeles, issuing his clients and partners invitations to fund-raising events, including one for his brother and for his House campaign committee, report chief political correspondent Howard Fineman and White House correspondent Holly Bailey.
The Democrats' hopes for winning control of the House rest on whether real people can be as effective as they have been portrayed as being on TV — the hard-charging character of Josh Lyman on NBC's "The West Wing" was modeled on Emanuel. The part was created and written by Aaron Sorkin and played by Bradley Whitford — both men are clients of Ari's. The manically in-your-face character of agent Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage" is modeled on Ari, who represents Steve Tompkins and Mark Wahlberg, executive producers of the show.
The entertainment industry remains a major source of cash for the Democrats, who get two out of every three dollars given to federal candidates. The industry has given about $10 million to Democrats so far. And while Ari is hardly the key moneyman, he is emerging as a leader of a newer generation of Hollywood fund-raisers, who rely less on their own wallets than their networks' and who are willing to become public political figures, not just back room types.
Ari cosponsored a $220,000 fund-raiser for his brother's personal PAC in June; in the days before and after the event, the PAC received $30,000 in checks from employees of the Endeavor Agency, the firm Ari founded. Other contributors included Ari's celebrity clients, among them Sorkin and Michael Douglas. (Rahm's PAC, in turn, has donated some of that cash to members of the Red to Blue program.) Endeavor employees have given more than $50,000 to the House campaign committee; clients such as Sorkin have given generously, too.
"He can pick up the phone and get anyone — anyone — on the line," says a friend who deals with Ari on a daily basis but who is still afraid to talk about him on the record. "Ari's a definite player and very strategic," Robin Bronk, who heads the nonpartisan Creative Coalition, an arts lobbying group, tells Newsweek.
"For us to win we have to focus. It's all about picking, making good judgments about priorities," Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Chicago tells Newsweek in the current issue about the Democrats' hopes for winning control of the House.
If you are one of the 40 members of the Democrats' Red to Blue Program, donations from strangers across the country will blow through your campaign mail slot. The Red to Blue program is a Good Housekeeping Seal, says Emanuel in the Sept. 25 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, Sept. 18). "It means a lot of things: campaign well run, campaign well financed, good candidate. It means a good opportunity to pick up a seat. Candidates want to be on [the list] and donors want the clarity," says Emanuel.
Emanuel's brother, Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel is fast becoming a political networking force in Los Angeles, issuing his clients and partners invitations to fund-raising events, including one for his brother and for his House campaign committee, report chief political correspondent Howard Fineman and White House correspondent Holly Bailey.
The Democrats' hopes for winning control of the House rest on whether real people can be as effective as they have been portrayed as being on TV — the hard-charging character of Josh Lyman on NBC's "The West Wing" was modeled on Emanuel. The part was created and written by Aaron Sorkin and played by Bradley Whitford — both men are clients of Ari's. The manically in-your-face character of agent Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage" is modeled on Ari, who represents Steve Tompkins and Mark Wahlberg, executive producers of the show.
The entertainment industry remains a major source of cash for the Democrats, who get two out of every three dollars given to federal candidates. The industry has given about $10 million to Democrats so far. And while Ari is hardly the key moneyman, he is emerging as a leader of a newer generation of Hollywood fund-raisers, who rely less on their own wallets than their networks' and who are willing to become public political figures, not just back room types.
Ari cosponsored a $220,000 fund-raiser for his brother's personal PAC in June; in the days before and after the event, the PAC received $30,000 in checks from employees of the Endeavor Agency, the firm Ari founded. Other contributors included Ari's celebrity clients, among them Sorkin and Michael Douglas. (Rahm's PAC, in turn, has donated some of that cash to members of the Red to Blue program.) Endeavor employees have given more than $50,000 to the House campaign committee; clients such as Sorkin have given generously, too.
"He can pick up the phone and get anyone — anyone — on the line," says a friend who deals with Ari on a daily basis but who is still afraid to talk about him on the record. "Ari's a definite player and very strategic," Robin Bronk, who heads the nonpartisan Creative Coalition, an arts lobbying group, tells Newsweek.
Late Nite Jokes
Letterman
Scientists have figured out a way to make mice give birth to rats. Finally a solution to our rat shortage!
"Sports Illustrated” has released its list of the top ten most feared athletes. Number one on the list is O.J. Simpson.
Conan
Big celebrity news. Yesterday it was announced that Whitney Huston and Bobby Brown were getting divorced after 14 years of marriage. They had to get a divorce because apparently being with each other violated each of their paroles.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to build a 700 mile fence along the Mexican border. The idea is to keep Mexicans from getting back to Mexico.
President Bush says that he has no plans to invade North Korea. Instead this time he and Rumsfeld are just going to wing it.
Actor George Clooney addressed the United Nations today. Luckily there were translators on site that understand how to speak "handsome”.
Letterman
Scientists have figured out a way to make mice give birth to rats. Finally a solution to our rat shortage!
"Sports Illustrated” has released its list of the top ten most feared athletes. Number one on the list is O.J. Simpson.
Conan
Big celebrity news. Yesterday it was announced that Whitney Huston and Bobby Brown were getting divorced after 14 years of marriage. They had to get a divorce because apparently being with each other violated each of their paroles.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to build a 700 mile fence along the Mexican border. The idea is to keep Mexicans from getting back to Mexico.
President Bush says that he has no plans to invade North Korea. Instead this time he and Rumsfeld are just going to wing it.
Actor George Clooney addressed the United Nations today. Luckily there were translators on site that understand how to speak "handsome”.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Keep 7 Confession Methods
At the center of the dispute among some leading Republican senators and the Bush administration on how to fight the war on terror are seven approved CIA interrogation methods that the administration wants to maintain for use against suspected high-level terrorists, according to one congressional source and a lawyer involved in the negotiations, report senior editor Michael Hirsh and investigative correspondent Mark Hosenball in the current issue of Newsweek.
CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden told agency personnel last week in an e-mail that he was not asking for a "CIA carve-out" - in other words, an exception for CIA interrogators.
In the Sept. 25 issue of Newsweek, Scott Horton, a New York City Bar Association lawyer who has advised the Senate on the legislation, says Capitol Hill aides have told him that the CIA has sought to use the following techniques: (1) induced hypothermia; (2) long periods of forced standing; (3) sleep deprivation; (4) the "attention grab" (the forceful seizing of a suspect's shirt); (5) the "attention slap"; (6) the "belly slap"; and (7) sound and light manipulation.
According to a Senate source who would speak to Newsweek only if he were not identified, Bush administration officials, in private negotiations with the Senate, have agreed to drop waterboarding from a list of approved CIA interrogation techniques. Waterboarding is an interrogation method that creates the sensation of drowning so that the panicked prisoner will talk. Asked to comment, a senior administration official tells Newsweek he cannot discuss what CIA methods are still being considered. But the official, who would speak only if he were not named, tells Newsweek that "one should not assume all techniques used previously will be used in the future." He also noted that the new U.S. Army field manual bans waterboarding.
The GOP's intraparty dispute centers on a single provision of the Geneva Conventions. The senators, who appear to have the support of a majority of their colleagues, want to keep the Geneva restriction broadly defined in order to protect U.S. troops abroad. "What is billed [by Bush] as 'clarifying' our treaty obligations will be seen as 'withdrawing' from the treaty obligations," says Sen. Lindsey Graham. "It will set precedent, which could come back to haunt us," he tells Newsweek.
At the center of the dispute among some leading Republican senators and the Bush administration on how to fight the war on terror are seven approved CIA interrogation methods that the administration wants to maintain for use against suspected high-level terrorists, according to one congressional source and a lawyer involved in the negotiations, report senior editor Michael Hirsh and investigative correspondent Mark Hosenball in the current issue of Newsweek.
CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden told agency personnel last week in an e-mail that he was not asking for a "CIA carve-out" - in other words, an exception for CIA interrogators.
In the Sept. 25 issue of Newsweek, Scott Horton, a New York City Bar Association lawyer who has advised the Senate on the legislation, says Capitol Hill aides have told him that the CIA has sought to use the following techniques: (1) induced hypothermia; (2) long periods of forced standing; (3) sleep deprivation; (4) the "attention grab" (the forceful seizing of a suspect's shirt); (5) the "attention slap"; (6) the "belly slap"; and (7) sound and light manipulation.
According to a Senate source who would speak to Newsweek only if he were not identified, Bush administration officials, in private negotiations with the Senate, have agreed to drop waterboarding from a list of approved CIA interrogation techniques. Waterboarding is an interrogation method that creates the sensation of drowning so that the panicked prisoner will talk. Asked to comment, a senior administration official tells Newsweek he cannot discuss what CIA methods are still being considered. But the official, who would speak only if he were not named, tells Newsweek that "one should not assume all techniques used previously will be used in the future." He also noted that the new U.S. Army field manual bans waterboarding.
The GOP's intraparty dispute centers on a single provision of the Geneva Conventions. The senators, who appear to have the support of a majority of their colleagues, want to keep the Geneva restriction broadly defined in order to protect U.S. troops abroad. "What is billed [by Bush] as 'clarifying' our treaty obligations will be seen as 'withdrawing' from the treaty obligations," says Sen. Lindsey Graham. "It will set precedent, which could come back to haunt us," he tells Newsweek.
Late Nite Jokes
Leno
Britney Spears has given birth to a six pound eleven ounce boy. The name of the baby is Larry the Cable Guy Federline.
Actually when the baby was born Britney requested that the cord stay attached to make it easier to carry.
The price of gas is supposed to be down to $2 per gallon by Thanksgiving. The bad news is that turkey will be $80 per pound.
Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the New York Senate race has been married three times and had two kids with his chief of staff while married to another woman. For the first time a Clinton is the family values candidate.
A man by the name of Ulysses S. Grant won a race in Delaware and believes that his name helped him win. It didn’t work out so well for his opponent – Fred bin Laden.
A 79 year old woman in Chicago was arrested for robbing a bank. She’s being extradited to Florida so she can be tried as a juvenile.
Jackie Chan is upset that he is only in martial arts movies. He wants other roles. Why doesn’t he do what normal people do and run for governor?
The U.S. Department of Justice has broken up a 14 year old drug ring – Whitney Huston and Bobby Brown.
Conan
Bravo has announced that next year they will start a gay version of "The View”. Gay people everywhere are saying, "I thought the gay version of The View was The View.”
Leno
Britney Spears has given birth to a six pound eleven ounce boy. The name of the baby is Larry the Cable Guy Federline.
Actually when the baby was born Britney requested that the cord stay attached to make it easier to carry.
The price of gas is supposed to be down to $2 per gallon by Thanksgiving. The bad news is that turkey will be $80 per pound.
Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the New York Senate race has been married three times and had two kids with his chief of staff while married to another woman. For the first time a Clinton is the family values candidate.
A man by the name of Ulysses S. Grant won a race in Delaware and believes that his name helped him win. It didn’t work out so well for his opponent – Fred bin Laden.
A 79 year old woman in Chicago was arrested for robbing a bank. She’s being extradited to Florida so she can be tried as a juvenile.
Jackie Chan is upset that he is only in martial arts movies. He wants other roles. Why doesn’t he do what normal people do and run for governor?
The U.S. Department of Justice has broken up a 14 year old drug ring – Whitney Huston and Bobby Brown.
Conan
Bravo has announced that next year they will start a gay version of "The View”. Gay people everywhere are saying, "I thought the gay version of The View was The View.”
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Valerie Plame Sues Richard Armitage Over CIA Leak
One-time covert CIA officer Valerie Plame on Wednesday sued the former No. 2 official at the State Department for violating her privacy rights.
The suit does not accuse Richard Armitage, who was deputy secretary of state in the Bush administration, of participating in an administration conspiracy to blow her cover.
Plame added Armitage's name to a civil suit in U.S. District Court against Vice President Dick Cheney, his former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and White House adviser Karl Rover.
Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, say the White House leaked Plame's identity as retribution for Wilson's criticisms of prewar intelligence on Iraq.
Armitage admitted last week that he told two reporters in 2003 that Plame worked for the CIA, but he said the disclosure was inadvertent. Armitage said he knew of no plan to leak Plame's identity; some people said that admission disproved the conspiracy theory.
By adding Armitage's name to the suit, Plame's lawyers set up a different scenario. They contend a White House conspiracy existed, but that Armitage's leak was independent of it.
Armitage is accused of violating Plame's privacy rights. He is not accused of violating the Wilsons' constitutional rights to equal protection and freedom of speech — allegations that remain against the White House officials.
Wilson discounted reports that then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger to make a nuclear weapon. Such a claim wound up in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has investigated the leak for years and has not charged anyone with intentionally leaking Plame's identity. Libby is under indictment for lying to authorities about his conversations with reporters
One-time covert CIA officer Valerie Plame on Wednesday sued the former No. 2 official at the State Department for violating her privacy rights.
The suit does not accuse Richard Armitage, who was deputy secretary of state in the Bush administration, of participating in an administration conspiracy to blow her cover.
Plame added Armitage's name to a civil suit in U.S. District Court against Vice President Dick Cheney, his former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and White House adviser Karl Rover.
Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, say the White House leaked Plame's identity as retribution for Wilson's criticisms of prewar intelligence on Iraq.
Armitage admitted last week that he told two reporters in 2003 that Plame worked for the CIA, but he said the disclosure was inadvertent. Armitage said he knew of no plan to leak Plame's identity; some people said that admission disproved the conspiracy theory.
By adding Armitage's name to the suit, Plame's lawyers set up a different scenario. They contend a White House conspiracy existed, but that Armitage's leak was independent of it.
Armitage is accused of violating Plame's privacy rights. He is not accused of violating the Wilsons' constitutional rights to equal protection and freedom of speech — allegations that remain against the White House officials.
Wilson discounted reports that then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium from Niger to make a nuclear weapon. Such a claim wound up in President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has investigated the leak for years and has not charged anyone with intentionally leaking Plame's identity. Libby is under indictment for lying to authorities about his conversations with reporters
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Amnesty International Admits Hezbollah Committed War Crimes
Hezbollah militants broke international law by firing thousands of rockets into Israel and killing dozens of civilians during the recent conflict with Israel, Amnesty International charged Thursday.
The human rights group called for a United Nations inquiry into what it called war crimes by Israel and Hezbollah, but its report focused on the actions of the Lebanese militants during the 34-day conflict.
Hezbollah launched nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel in July and August, killing at least 39 civilians.
The firing of rockets into urban areas in northern Israel disregarded international laws that call for distinguishing between civilian and military targets, Amnesty said.
"Targeting civilians is a war crime. There's no gray area," said Larry Cox, Amnesty's executive director in the United States.
Although Hezbollah denies targeting Israeli civilians, it fired inaccurate rockets packed with thousands of metal ball bearings to maximize harm to noncombatants, Amnesty furthered.
Hezbollah had no immediate comment Thursday on the Amnesty report.
The report is Amnesty's most extensive condemnation of Hezbollah since the conflict began in July.
It comes after Amnesty accused Israel of violating international law with indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon. The human rights group also previously called on Hezbollah to release two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and abstain from targeting civilians.
Violence erupted between Israel and Lebanon after Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. The ensuing fighting left more than 1,000 people dead, mostly Lebanese civilians, according to UNICEF.
A U.N.-brokered cease-fire in August quelled the violence and Israel and Hezbollah have mostly complied with the order, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this week.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said he had no doubt that the Islamic militia fired rockets in a premeditated way to kill a maximum number of civilians.
"It is also important to remember that the leaders of Hezbollah have spoken on many occasions about their desire to destroy the state of Israel," Regev said.
Amnesty plans to publish additional reports studying whether Hezbollah contributed to civilian deaths in Lebanon by purposely hiding among civilians, said Nicole Choueiry, a spokesman for Amnesty in Britain.
Israel and Lebanon reject the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands making any prosecution there unlikely.
Hezbollah militants broke international law by firing thousands of rockets into Israel and killing dozens of civilians during the recent conflict with Israel, Amnesty International charged Thursday.
The human rights group called for a United Nations inquiry into what it called war crimes by Israel and Hezbollah, but its report focused on the actions of the Lebanese militants during the 34-day conflict.
Hezbollah launched nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel in July and August, killing at least 39 civilians.
The firing of rockets into urban areas in northern Israel disregarded international laws that call for distinguishing between civilian and military targets, Amnesty said.
"Targeting civilians is a war crime. There's no gray area," said Larry Cox, Amnesty's executive director in the United States.
Although Hezbollah denies targeting Israeli civilians, it fired inaccurate rockets packed with thousands of metal ball bearings to maximize harm to noncombatants, Amnesty furthered.
Hezbollah had no immediate comment Thursday on the Amnesty report.
The report is Amnesty's most extensive condemnation of Hezbollah since the conflict began in July.
It comes after Amnesty accused Israel of violating international law with indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon. The human rights group also previously called on Hezbollah to release two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and abstain from targeting civilians.
Violence erupted between Israel and Lebanon after Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. The ensuing fighting left more than 1,000 people dead, mostly Lebanese civilians, according to UNICEF.
A U.N.-brokered cease-fire in August quelled the violence and Israel and Hezbollah have mostly complied with the order, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this week.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said he had no doubt that the Islamic militia fired rockets in a premeditated way to kill a maximum number of civilians.
"It is also important to remember that the leaders of Hezbollah have spoken on many occasions about their desire to destroy the state of Israel," Regev said.
Amnesty plans to publish additional reports studying whether Hezbollah contributed to civilian deaths in Lebanon by purposely hiding among civilians, said Nicole Choueiry, a spokesman for Amnesty in Britain.
Israel and Lebanon reject the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands making any prosecution there unlikely.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
$188 Billion in U.S. Pensions Tied to Terror
U.S. public pension funds can deal a serious blow to terror by divesting the $188 billion they have invested in companies that do business with terrorist-sponsoring regimes.
And the campaign to use America’s financial clout to fight terrorism has already begun.
Two years ago, the Center for Security Policy published an analysis showing that about 100 U.S. public pension funds had invested roughly $188 billion in firms doing business with terrorist-sponsoring countries such as Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea.
The report disclosed that on average, America's top 100 pension systems invest between 15 and 23 percent of their portfolio in companies that do business in terrorist-sponsoring states, and 39 of the 100 were found to be invested in more than 100 companies with corporate ties to those states.
But now the state treasurer of Missouri, Sarah Steelman, has set an example by making the Missouri Investment Trust "terror free” and divesting the stocks whose issuing companies are involved with rogue regimes.
The Center for Security Policy’s president, Frank J. Gaffney Jr., writes in the Washington Times: "Thanks to her courageous and visionary leadership, a model has been created that should be followed by every public pension fund in the country - starting with the many-billion-dollar Federal Thrift Savings Plan for which all executive branch, congressional and other federal government employees are eligible.”
The first terror-free mutual fund, Abacus Bull Moose Growth Fund, has been established to offer investors a place to put their retirement accounts and other savings "that will not enrich our enemies,” said Gaffney.
They can earn a handsome return in the process: the Abacus fund has an average annual return of some 14 1/2 percent.
Gaffney reports that one of the world's largest international investment banks, with trillions of dollars under management, has recently – and quietly – adopted a corporate policy to prevent its dealings from helping terrorist-sponsoring states.
The U.S. government has also begun to wield the financial weapon – American-led initiatives have been launched in the last year to constrict the flow of cash to nations like North Korea and Iran.
For example, the Banco Delta Asia in Macao was sanctioned for laundering North Korea’s high-quality counterfeit U.S. dollars and other abuses.
Gaffney concludes: "Amidst the mood of defeatism and highly publicized war reverses, primarily on the political front at home, it is heartening to see public and private sector efforts that wield anew what, arguably, continues to be this nation's most formidable weapon - our financial power.”
U.S. public pension funds can deal a serious blow to terror by divesting the $188 billion they have invested in companies that do business with terrorist-sponsoring regimes.
And the campaign to use America’s financial clout to fight terrorism has already begun.
Two years ago, the Center for Security Policy published an analysis showing that about 100 U.S. public pension funds had invested roughly $188 billion in firms doing business with terrorist-sponsoring countries such as Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea.
The report disclosed that on average, America's top 100 pension systems invest between 15 and 23 percent of their portfolio in companies that do business in terrorist-sponsoring states, and 39 of the 100 were found to be invested in more than 100 companies with corporate ties to those states.
But now the state treasurer of Missouri, Sarah Steelman, has set an example by making the Missouri Investment Trust "terror free” and divesting the stocks whose issuing companies are involved with rogue regimes.
The Center for Security Policy’s president, Frank J. Gaffney Jr., writes in the Washington Times: "Thanks to her courageous and visionary leadership, a model has been created that should be followed by every public pension fund in the country - starting with the many-billion-dollar Federal Thrift Savings Plan for which all executive branch, congressional and other federal government employees are eligible.”
The first terror-free mutual fund, Abacus Bull Moose Growth Fund, has been established to offer investors a place to put their retirement accounts and other savings "that will not enrich our enemies,” said Gaffney.
They can earn a handsome return in the process: the Abacus fund has an average annual return of some 14 1/2 percent.
Gaffney reports that one of the world's largest international investment banks, with trillions of dollars under management, has recently – and quietly – adopted a corporate policy to prevent its dealings from helping terrorist-sponsoring states.
The U.S. government has also begun to wield the financial weapon – American-led initiatives have been launched in the last year to constrict the flow of cash to nations like North Korea and Iran.
For example, the Banco Delta Asia in Macao was sanctioned for laundering North Korea’s high-quality counterfeit U.S. dollars and other abuses.
Gaffney concludes: "Amidst the mood of defeatism and highly publicized war reverses, primarily on the political front at home, it is heartening to see public and private sector efforts that wield anew what, arguably, continues to be this nation's most formidable weapon - our financial power.”
Monday, September 11, 2006
President's Address to the Nation on 9/11
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Five years ago, this date -- September the 11th -- was seared into America's memory. Nineteen men attacked us with a barbarity unequaled in our history. They murdered people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities -- and made war upon the entire free world. Since that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike any we have fought before. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe. On this solemn night, I've asked for some of your time to discuss the nature of the threat still before us, what we are doing to protect our nation, and the building of a more hopeful Middle East that holds the key to peace for America and the world.
On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil. Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning skyscrapers -- and called home so that their last words to their families would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit. And we saw courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke -- and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the innocent who lost their lives -- and we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that others might live.
For many of our citizens, the wounds of that morning are still fresh. I've met firefighters and police officers who choke up at the memory of fallen comrades. I've stood with families gathered on a grassy field in Pennsylvania, who take bittersweet pride in loved ones who refused to be victims -- and gave America our first victory in the war on terror. I've sat beside young mothers with children who are now five years old -- and still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms. Out of this suffering, we resolve to honor every man and woman lost. And we seek their lasting memorial in a safer and more hopeful world.
Since the horror of 9/11, we've learned a great deal about the enemy. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. And we have learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation.
Our nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start of the Cold War. We saw what a handful of our enemies can do with box-cutters and plane tickets. We hear their threats to launch even more terrible attacks on our people. And we know that if they were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, they would use them against us. We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes. America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I. But the war is not over -- and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious. If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny of millions across the world.
For America, 9/11 was more than a tragedy -- it changed the way we look at the world. On September the 11th, we resolved that we would go on the offense against our enemies, and we would not distinguish between the terrorists and those who harbor or support them. So we helped drive the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. We put al Qaeda on the run, and killed or captured most of those who planned the 9/11 attacks, including the man believed to be the mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. He and other suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence Agency, and they provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks in America and across the world. Now these men have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay, so they can be held to account for their actions. Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice.
On September the 11th, we learned that America must confront threats before they reach our shores, whether those threats come from terrorist networks or terrorist states. I'm often asked why we're in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. My administration, the Congress, and the United Nations saw the threat -- and after 9/11, Saddam's regime posed a risk that the world could not afford to take. The world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. And now the challenge is to help the Iraqi people build a democracy that fulfills the dreams of the nearly 12 million Iraqis who came out to vote in free elections last December.
Al Qaeda and other extremists from across the world have come to Iraq to stop the rise of a free society in the heart of the Middle East. They have joined the remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment sectarian violence and drive us out. Our enemies in Iraq are tough and they are committed -- but so are Iraqi and coalition forces. We're adapting to stay ahead of the enemy, and we are carrying out a clear plan to ensure that a democratic Iraq succeeds.
We're training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. We're helping Iraq's unity government grow in strength and serve its people. We will not leave until this work is done. Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad. Osama bin Laden calls this fight "the Third World War" -- and he says that victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's "defeat and disgrace forever." If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden, our enemies will be emboldened; they will gain a new safe haven; they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to happen. America will stay in the fight. Iraq will be a free nation, and a strong ally in the war on terror.
We can be confident that our coalition will succeed because the Iraqi people have been steadfast in the face of unspeakable violence. And we can be confident in victory because of the skill and resolve of America's Armed Forces. Every one of our troops is a volunteer, and since the attacks of September the 11th, more than 1.6 million Americans have stepped forward to put on our nation's uniform. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the war on terror, the men and women of our military are making great sacrifices to keep us safe. Some have suffered terrible injuries -- and nearly 3,000 have given their lives. America cherishes their memory. We pray for their families. And we will never back down from the work they have begun.
We also honor those who toil day and night to keep our homeland safe, and we are giving them the tools they need to protect our people. We've created the Department of Homeland Security. We have torn down the wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence from sharing information. We've tightened security at our airports and seaports and borders, and we've created new programs to monitor enemy bank records and phone calls. Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement and intelligence professionals, we have broken up terrorist cells in our midst and saved American lives.
Five years after 9/11, our enemies have not succeeded in launching another attack on our soil, but they've not been idle. Al Qaeda and those inspired by its hateful ideology have carried out terrorist attacks in more than two dozen nations. And just last month, they were foiled in a plot to blow up passenger planes headed for the United States. They remain determined to attack America and kill our citizens -- and we are determined to stop them. We'll continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and legal authority they need to do their jobs.
In the first days after the 9/11 attacks I promised to use every element of national power to fight the terrorists, wherever we find them. One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom. The terrorists fear freedom as much as they do our firepower. They are thrown into panic at the sight of an old man pulling the election lever, girls enrolling in schools, or families worshiping God in their own traditions. They know that given a choice, people will choose freedom over their extremist ideology. So their answer is to deny people this choice by raging against the forces of freedom and moderation. This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. And we're fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.
We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom. Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want their freedom, and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. For 60 years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. And then, on a bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. So we changed our policies, and committed America's influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism.
With our help, the people of the Middle East are now stepping forward to claim their freedom. From Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut, there are brave men and women risking their lives each day for the same freedoms that we enjoy. And they have one question for us: Do we have the confidence to do in the Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and Asia? By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to the hopes of decent men and women, we're offering a path away from radicalism. And we are enlisting the most powerful force for peace and moderation in the Middle East: the desire of millions to be free.
Across the broader Middle East, the extremists are fighting to prevent such a future. Yet America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it -- sometimes at the cost of thousands of good men in a single battle. When Franklin Roosevelt vowed to defeat two enemies across two oceans, he could not have foreseen D-Day and Iwo Jima -- but he would not have been surprised at the outcome. When Harry Truman promised American support for free peoples resisting Soviet aggression, he could not have foreseen the rise of the Berlin Wall -- but he would not have been surprised to see it brought down. Throughout our history, America has seen liberty challenged, and every time, we have seen liberty triumph with sacrifice and determination.
At the start of this young century, America looks to the day when the people of the Middle East leave the desert of despotism for the fertile gardens of liberty, and resume their rightful place in a world of peace and prosperity. We look to the day when the nations of that region recognize their greatest resource is not the oil in the ground, but the talent and creativity of their people. We look to the day when moms and dads throughout the Middle East see a future of hope and opportunity for their children. And when that good day comes, the clouds of war will part, the appeal of radicalism will decline, and we will leave our children with a better and safer world.
On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this cause. Our nation has endured trials, and we face a difficult road ahead. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country, and we must put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us. We will defeat our enemies. We will protect our people. And we will lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty.
Earlier this year, I traveled to the United States Military Academy. I was there to deliver the commencement address to the first class to arrive at West Point after the attacks of September the 11th. That day I met a proud mom named RoseEllen Dowdell. She was there to watch her son, Patrick, accept his commission in the finest Army the world has ever known. A few weeks earlier, RoseEllen had watched her other son, James, graduate from the Fire Academy in New York City. On both these days, her thoughts turned to someone who was not there to share the moment: her husband, Kevin Dowdell. Kevin was one of the 343 firefighters who rushed to the burning towers of the World Trade Center on September the 11th -- and never came home. His sons lost their father that day, but not the passion for service he instilled in them. Here is what RoseEllen says about her boys: "As a mother, I cross my fingers and pray all the time for their safety -- but as worried as I am, I'm also proud, and I know their dad would be, too."
Our nation is blessed to have young Americans like these -- and we will need them. Dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. They're not the first to try, and their fate will be the same as those who tried before. Nine-Eleven showed us why. The attacks were meant to bring us to our knees, and they did, but not in the way the terrorists intended. Americans united in prayer, came to the aid of neighbors in need, and resolved that our enemies would not have the last word. The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free.
Thank you, and may God bless you.
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Five years ago, this date -- September the 11th -- was seared into America's memory. Nineteen men attacked us with a barbarity unequaled in our history. They murdered people of all colors, creeds, and nationalities -- and made war upon the entire free world. Since that day, America and her allies have taken the offensive in a war unlike any we have fought before. Today, we are safer, but we are not yet safe. On this solemn night, I've asked for some of your time to discuss the nature of the threat still before us, what we are doing to protect our nation, and the building of a more hopeful Middle East that holds the key to peace for America and the world.
On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil. Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning skyscrapers -- and called home so that their last words to their families would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit. And we saw courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke -- and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the innocent who lost their lives -- and we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that others might live.
For many of our citizens, the wounds of that morning are still fresh. I've met firefighters and police officers who choke up at the memory of fallen comrades. I've stood with families gathered on a grassy field in Pennsylvania, who take bittersweet pride in loved ones who refused to be victims -- and gave America our first victory in the war on terror. I've sat beside young mothers with children who are now five years old -- and still long for the daddies who will never cradle them in their arms. Out of this suffering, we resolve to honor every man and woman lost. And we seek their lasting memorial in a safer and more hopeful world.
Since the horror of 9/11, we've learned a great deal about the enemy. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. And we have learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation.
Our nation is being tested in a way that we have not been since the start of the Cold War. We saw what a handful of our enemies can do with box-cutters and plane tickets. We hear their threats to launch even more terrible attacks on our people. And we know that if they were able to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, they would use them against us. We face an enemy determined to bring death and suffering into our homes. America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I. But the war is not over -- and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious. If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. We are in a war that will set the course for this new century -- and determine the destiny of millions across the world.
For America, 9/11 was more than a tragedy -- it changed the way we look at the world. On September the 11th, we resolved that we would go on the offense against our enemies, and we would not distinguish between the terrorists and those who harbor or support them. So we helped drive the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. We put al Qaeda on the run, and killed or captured most of those who planned the 9/11 attacks, including the man believed to be the mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. He and other suspected terrorists have been questioned by the Central Intelligence Agency, and they provided valuable information that has helped stop attacks in America and across the world. Now these men have been transferred to Guantanamo Bay, so they can be held to account for their actions. Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice.
On September the 11th, we learned that America must confront threats before they reach our shores, whether those threats come from terrorist networks or terrorist states. I'm often asked why we're in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The answer is that the regime of Saddam Hussein was a clear threat. My administration, the Congress, and the United Nations saw the threat -- and after 9/11, Saddam's regime posed a risk that the world could not afford to take. The world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power. And now the challenge is to help the Iraqi people build a democracy that fulfills the dreams of the nearly 12 million Iraqis who came out to vote in free elections last December.
Al Qaeda and other extremists from across the world have come to Iraq to stop the rise of a free society in the heart of the Middle East. They have joined the remnants of Saddam's regime and other armed groups to foment sectarian violence and drive us out. Our enemies in Iraq are tough and they are committed -- but so are Iraqi and coalition forces. We're adapting to stay ahead of the enemy, and we are carrying out a clear plan to ensure that a democratic Iraq succeeds.
We're training Iraqi troops so they can defend their nation. We're helping Iraq's unity government grow in strength and serve its people. We will not leave until this work is done. Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad. Osama bin Laden calls this fight "the Third World War" -- and he says that victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's "defeat and disgrace forever." If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden, our enemies will be emboldened; they will gain a new safe haven; they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement. We will not allow this to happen. America will stay in the fight. Iraq will be a free nation, and a strong ally in the war on terror.
We can be confident that our coalition will succeed because the Iraqi people have been steadfast in the face of unspeakable violence. And we can be confident in victory because of the skill and resolve of America's Armed Forces. Every one of our troops is a volunteer, and since the attacks of September the 11th, more than 1.6 million Americans have stepped forward to put on our nation's uniform. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts in the war on terror, the men and women of our military are making great sacrifices to keep us safe. Some have suffered terrible injuries -- and nearly 3,000 have given their lives. America cherishes their memory. We pray for their families. And we will never back down from the work they have begun.
We also honor those who toil day and night to keep our homeland safe, and we are giving them the tools they need to protect our people. We've created the Department of Homeland Security. We have torn down the wall that kept law enforcement and intelligence from sharing information. We've tightened security at our airports and seaports and borders, and we've created new programs to monitor enemy bank records and phone calls. Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement and intelligence professionals, we have broken up terrorist cells in our midst and saved American lives.
Five years after 9/11, our enemies have not succeeded in launching another attack on our soil, but they've not been idle. Al Qaeda and those inspired by its hateful ideology have carried out terrorist attacks in more than two dozen nations. And just last month, they were foiled in a plot to blow up passenger planes headed for the United States. They remain determined to attack America and kill our citizens -- and we are determined to stop them. We'll continue to give the men and women who protect us every resource and legal authority they need to do their jobs.
In the first days after the 9/11 attacks I promised to use every element of national power to fight the terrorists, wherever we find them. One of the strongest weapons in our arsenal is the power of freedom. The terrorists fear freedom as much as they do our firepower. They are thrown into panic at the sight of an old man pulling the election lever, girls enrolling in schools, or families worshiping God in their own traditions. They know that given a choice, people will choose freedom over their extremist ideology. So their answer is to deny people this choice by raging against the forces of freedom and moderation. This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. And we're fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.
We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom. Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want their freedom, and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. For 60 years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. And then, on a bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. So we changed our policies, and committed America's influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism.
With our help, the people of the Middle East are now stepping forward to claim their freedom. From Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut, there are brave men and women risking their lives each day for the same freedoms that we enjoy. And they have one question for us: Do we have the confidence to do in the Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and Asia? By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to the hopes of decent men and women, we're offering a path away from radicalism. And we are enlisting the most powerful force for peace and moderation in the Middle East: the desire of millions to be free.
Across the broader Middle East, the extremists are fighting to prevent such a future. Yet America has confronted evil before, and we have defeated it -- sometimes at the cost of thousands of good men in a single battle. When Franklin Roosevelt vowed to defeat two enemies across two oceans, he could not have foreseen D-Day and Iwo Jima -- but he would not have been surprised at the outcome. When Harry Truman promised American support for free peoples resisting Soviet aggression, he could not have foreseen the rise of the Berlin Wall -- but he would not have been surprised to see it brought down. Throughout our history, America has seen liberty challenged, and every time, we have seen liberty triumph with sacrifice and determination.
At the start of this young century, America looks to the day when the people of the Middle East leave the desert of despotism for the fertile gardens of liberty, and resume their rightful place in a world of peace and prosperity. We look to the day when the nations of that region recognize their greatest resource is not the oil in the ground, but the talent and creativity of their people. We look to the day when moms and dads throughout the Middle East see a future of hope and opportunity for their children. And when that good day comes, the clouds of war will part, the appeal of radicalism will decline, and we will leave our children with a better and safer world.
On this solemn anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to this cause. Our nation has endured trials, and we face a difficult road ahead. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country, and we must put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us. We will defeat our enemies. We will protect our people. And we will lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty.
Earlier this year, I traveled to the United States Military Academy. I was there to deliver the commencement address to the first class to arrive at West Point after the attacks of September the 11th. That day I met a proud mom named RoseEllen Dowdell. She was there to watch her son, Patrick, accept his commission in the finest Army the world has ever known. A few weeks earlier, RoseEllen had watched her other son, James, graduate from the Fire Academy in New York City. On both these days, her thoughts turned to someone who was not there to share the moment: her husband, Kevin Dowdell. Kevin was one of the 343 firefighters who rushed to the burning towers of the World Trade Center on September the 11th -- and never came home. His sons lost their father that day, but not the passion for service he instilled in them. Here is what RoseEllen says about her boys: "As a mother, I cross my fingers and pray all the time for their safety -- but as worried as I am, I'm also proud, and I know their dad would be, too."
Our nation is blessed to have young Americans like these -- and we will need them. Dangerous enemies have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. They're not the first to try, and their fate will be the same as those who tried before. Nine-Eleven showed us why. The attacks were meant to bring us to our knees, and they did, but not in the way the terrorists intended. Americans united in prayer, came to the aid of neighbors in need, and resolved that our enemies would not have the last word. The spirit of our people is the source of America's strength. And we go forward with trust in that spirit, confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free.
Thank you, and may God bless you.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Clinton to ABC: Don't Air 9/11 Film
Lawyers for former President Bill Clinton penned a letter to ABC Friday demanding that the network correct what they consider "fiction" regarding 'The Path to 9/11' docudrama or decide not to broadcast the program.
The letter was signed by Bruce R. Lindsey, CEO of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and Douglas J. Band, counselor to President Clinton.
They claim, on behalf of Clinton, that the 'Path to 9/11' docudrama set to air Sunday and Monday nights on ABC TV network uses disinformation that harms the legacy of Clinton by distorting his record with regard to the possible capture of Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks five years ago.
"At a moment when we should be debating how to make the nation safer by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, 'The Path to 9/11' calls into question the accuracy of the Commission's report and whether fabricated scenes are, in fact, an accurate portrayal of history," the wrote.
The letter writers express their "concern" for how the airing of the series will impact the public who view it on television.
"Labeling the show as 'fiction' does not meet your responsibility to the victims of the September 11th attacks, their families, the hard work of the 9/11 Commission, or to the American people as a whole," they write.
The letter writers cite public comments in the past few days by former Clinton administration officials, an actor who stars in the series and the former head of the 9/11 Commission as examples of the "fictional drama" that many may perceive as a factual documentary of what preceded the 9/11 attacks.
The Clinton team chastised ABC for not making the necessary changes to the docudrama or pulling the series entirely in view of the outrage expressed by the former president and his supporters.
Some points made by the letter writers:
Your corporate partner, Scholastic, has disassociated itself from this proect.
9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who served as co-executive producer on "The Path to 9/11," has stated that he raised concerns about the accuracy of several scenes in the film . . .
Harvey Keitel, who plays the star role of FBI agent John O'Neill, told reporters . . . he is upset that several scenes were simply invented for dramatic purposes.
ABC has stated publicly that it is still editing the series in advance of its premiere, but the Clinton team considers this "an admission that it is irreparably flawed," they write.
"As a nation, we need to be focused on preventing another attack, not fictionalizing the last one for television ratings. "The Path to 9/11" not only tarnishes the work of the 9/11 Commission, but also cheapens the fith anniversary of what was a very painful moment in history for all Americans."
Lawyers for former President Bill Clinton penned a letter to ABC Friday demanding that the network correct what they consider "fiction" regarding 'The Path to 9/11' docudrama or decide not to broadcast the program.
The letter was signed by Bruce R. Lindsey, CEO of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and Douglas J. Band, counselor to President Clinton.
They claim, on behalf of Clinton, that the 'Path to 9/11' docudrama set to air Sunday and Monday nights on ABC TV network uses disinformation that harms the legacy of Clinton by distorting his record with regard to the possible capture of Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks five years ago.
"At a moment when we should be debating how to make the nation safer by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, 'The Path to 9/11' calls into question the accuracy of the Commission's report and whether fabricated scenes are, in fact, an accurate portrayal of history," the wrote.
The letter writers express their "concern" for how the airing of the series will impact the public who view it on television.
"Labeling the show as 'fiction' does not meet your responsibility to the victims of the September 11th attacks, their families, the hard work of the 9/11 Commission, or to the American people as a whole," they write.
The letter writers cite public comments in the past few days by former Clinton administration officials, an actor who stars in the series and the former head of the 9/11 Commission as examples of the "fictional drama" that many may perceive as a factual documentary of what preceded the 9/11 attacks.
The Clinton team chastised ABC for not making the necessary changes to the docudrama or pulling the series entirely in view of the outrage expressed by the former president and his supporters.
Some points made by the letter writers:
Your corporate partner, Scholastic, has disassociated itself from this proect.
9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who served as co-executive producer on "The Path to 9/11," has stated that he raised concerns about the accuracy of several scenes in the film . . .
Harvey Keitel, who plays the star role of FBI agent John O'Neill, told reporters . . . he is upset that several scenes were simply invented for dramatic purposes.
ABC has stated publicly that it is still editing the series in advance of its premiere, but the Clinton team considers this "an admission that it is irreparably flawed," they write.
"As a nation, we need to be focused on preventing another attack, not fictionalizing the last one for television ratings. "The Path to 9/11" not only tarnishes the work of the 9/11 Commission, but also cheapens the fith anniversary of what was a very painful moment in history for all Americans."
Saturday, September 9, 2006
N.Y. Times Praises 'Path to 9/11'
Bill Clinton may not be happy about the upcoming ABC miniseries "The Path to 9/11," claiming that it distorts his handling of the terrorist threat, but it won critical support from an unexpected source – the New York Times.
The paper’s TV critic Alessandra Stanley acknowledged that the two-part miniseries is "fictionalized," but she nevertheless found it evenhanded.
"Dramatic license was certainly taken, but blame is spread pretty evenly across the board," Stanley writes in her review.
"It's not the inaccuracies of 'The Path to 9/11' that make ABC's miniseries so upsetting. It's the situation on the ground in Afghanistan now."
Former Clinton aide Dick Morris told NewsMax on Thursday that the attack by Clinton and his allies on the miniseries is "outrageous," insisting that Clinton and his national security adviser, Sandy Berger, "were both responsible for failing to catch or kill Osama bin Laden on several different occasions."
Stanley apparently would agree.
"The first bombing of the World Trade Center happened on Bill Clinton's watch," she writes in her review, portions of which were quoted by Editor & Publisher.
"So did the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen. ...
"There is no dispute that in 2000, the destroyer Cole was attacked, Washington dithered and Mr. bin Laden's men kept burrowing deeper and deeper into their plot to attack America on its own soil."
Not all reviewers gave the September 10-11 miniseries high marks. Chicago Sun-Times critic Doug Elfman called the film "amateurish" and a "bore." New York Post critic John Podhoretz called it "stiff."
But the trade publication Hollywood Reporter praised the miniseries.
In a review carried by Reuters under the headline "Controversial 'Path to 9/11' a riveting thriller," Ray Richmond writes, "That [the miniseries] also happens to be powerfully acted, artfully produced and shot like a truly riveting page-turner is sure to be overshadowed by the controversy it is generating. ...
"ABC's 'Path to 9/11' lays much of the blame at the feet of a priority-challenged President Clinton and CIA director George Tenet for not taking out Osama bin Laden when given the chance. ...
"Politics aside, what 'Path to 9/11' does well is supply a chilling distillation of opportunities lost and warnings ignored. The essence of its dramatic instincts is sound and delivered powerfully, building at its conclusion to a horrific crescendo with footage of the planes slamming into the towers and the subsequent devastating carnage."
Bill Clinton may not be happy about the upcoming ABC miniseries "The Path to 9/11," claiming that it distorts his handling of the terrorist threat, but it won critical support from an unexpected source – the New York Times.
The paper’s TV critic Alessandra Stanley acknowledged that the two-part miniseries is "fictionalized," but she nevertheless found it evenhanded.
"Dramatic license was certainly taken, but blame is spread pretty evenly across the board," Stanley writes in her review.
"It's not the inaccuracies of 'The Path to 9/11' that make ABC's miniseries so upsetting. It's the situation on the ground in Afghanistan now."
Former Clinton aide Dick Morris told NewsMax on Thursday that the attack by Clinton and his allies on the miniseries is "outrageous," insisting that Clinton and his national security adviser, Sandy Berger, "were both responsible for failing to catch or kill Osama bin Laden on several different occasions."
Stanley apparently would agree.
"The first bombing of the World Trade Center happened on Bill Clinton's watch," she writes in her review, portions of which were quoted by Editor & Publisher.
"So did the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen. ...
"There is no dispute that in 2000, the destroyer Cole was attacked, Washington dithered and Mr. bin Laden's men kept burrowing deeper and deeper into their plot to attack America on its own soil."
Not all reviewers gave the September 10-11 miniseries high marks. Chicago Sun-Times critic Doug Elfman called the film "amateurish" and a "bore." New York Post critic John Podhoretz called it "stiff."
But the trade publication Hollywood Reporter praised the miniseries.
In a review carried by Reuters under the headline "Controversial 'Path to 9/11' a riveting thriller," Ray Richmond writes, "That [the miniseries] also happens to be powerfully acted, artfully produced and shot like a truly riveting page-turner is sure to be overshadowed by the controversy it is generating. ...
"ABC's 'Path to 9/11' lays much of the blame at the feet of a priority-challenged President Clinton and CIA director George Tenet for not taking out Osama bin Laden when given the chance. ...
"Politics aside, what 'Path to 9/11' does well is supply a chilling distillation of opportunities lost and warnings ignored. The essence of its dramatic instincts is sound and delivered powerfully, building at its conclusion to a horrific crescendo with footage of the planes slamming into the towers and the subsequent devastating carnage."
Friday, September 8, 2006
Clinton to ABC: Don't Air 9/11 Film
Lawyers for former President Clinton penned a letter to ABC on Friday demanding that the network correct what they consider "fiction" regarding 'The Path to 9/11' docudrama or decide not to broadcast the program.
The letter was signed by Bruce R. Lindsey, CEO of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and Douglas J. Band, counselor to Clinton.
They claim, on behalf of Clinton, that the "Path to 9/11" docudrama set to air Sunday and Monday nights on ABC uses disinformation that harms Clinton's legacy. This is achieved by distorting Clinton's record with regard to the possible capture of Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks five years ago.
"At a moment when we should be debating how to make the nation safer by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, 'The Path to 9/11' calls into question the accuracy of the commission's report and whether fabricated scenes are, in fact, an accurate portrayal of history," they wrote.
Clinton's lawyers express their "concern" for how the airing of the series will impact the public who view it on television.
"Labeling the show as 'fiction' does not meet your responsibility to the victims of the September 11th attacks, their families, the hard work of the 9/11 Commission, or to the American people as a whole," they write.
Clinton's lawyers also cited several examples of public outrage over the film, including comments by former Clinton administration officials, criticism from an actor who stars in the series and the former head of the 9/11 Commission.
The lawyers said the "fictional drama" employed by the filmmakers may actually be construed as a factual representation of what preceded the 9/11 attacks.
The Clinton team chastised ABC for not making the necessary changes to the docudrama or pulling the series entirely in view of the outrage expressed by the former president and his supporters.
Some points made by the letter writers to ABC:
Your corporate partner, Scholastic, has disassociated itself from this project.
9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who served as co-executive producer on "The Path to 9/11," has stated that he raised concerns about the accuracy of several scenes in the film . . .
Harvey Keitel, who plays the star role of FBI agent John O'Neill, told reporters . . . he is upset that several scenes were simply invented for dramatic purposes.
ABC has stated publicly that it is still editing the series in advance of its premiere, but the Clinton team considers this "an admission that it is irreparably flawed."
"As a nation, we need to be focused on preventing another attack, not fictionalizing the last one for television ratings. "The Path to 9/11" not only tarnishes the work of the 9/11 Commission, but also cheapens the fifth anniversary of what was a very painful moment in history for all Americans."
Lawyers for former President Clinton penned a letter to ABC on Friday demanding that the network correct what they consider "fiction" regarding 'The Path to 9/11' docudrama or decide not to broadcast the program.
The letter was signed by Bruce R. Lindsey, CEO of the William J. Clinton Foundation, and Douglas J. Band, counselor to Clinton.
They claim, on behalf of Clinton, that the "Path to 9/11" docudrama set to air Sunday and Monday nights on ABC uses disinformation that harms Clinton's legacy. This is achieved by distorting Clinton's record with regard to the possible capture of Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks five years ago.
"At a moment when we should be debating how to make the nation safer by implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, 'The Path to 9/11' calls into question the accuracy of the commission's report and whether fabricated scenes are, in fact, an accurate portrayal of history," they wrote.
Clinton's lawyers express their "concern" for how the airing of the series will impact the public who view it on television.
"Labeling the show as 'fiction' does not meet your responsibility to the victims of the September 11th attacks, their families, the hard work of the 9/11 Commission, or to the American people as a whole," they write.
Clinton's lawyers also cited several examples of public outrage over the film, including comments by former Clinton administration officials, criticism from an actor who stars in the series and the former head of the 9/11 Commission.
The lawyers said the "fictional drama" employed by the filmmakers may actually be construed as a factual representation of what preceded the 9/11 attacks.
The Clinton team chastised ABC for not making the necessary changes to the docudrama or pulling the series entirely in view of the outrage expressed by the former president and his supporters.
Some points made by the letter writers to ABC:
Your corporate partner, Scholastic, has disassociated itself from this project.
9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean, who served as co-executive producer on "The Path to 9/11," has stated that he raised concerns about the accuracy of several scenes in the film . . .
Harvey Keitel, who plays the star role of FBI agent John O'Neill, told reporters . . . he is upset that several scenes were simply invented for dramatic purposes.
ABC has stated publicly that it is still editing the series in advance of its premiere, but the Clinton team considers this "an admission that it is irreparably flawed."
"As a nation, we need to be focused on preventing another attack, not fictionalizing the last one for television ratings. "The Path to 9/11" not only tarnishes the work of the 9/11 Commission, but also cheapens the fifth anniversary of what was a very painful moment in history for all Americans."
