Be INFORMED

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Bribes And Profit Student Loan Lenders

   With the college student loan scandal ever widening, it is time that we take a look at some of the players in this crime spree. Yes sir! More of the Bush Crime Family ethics tour.

    Robert Kuttner does this for us at CommonDreams.

 

Published on Saturday, April 21, 2007 by

Privatizing and Profiteering

by Robert Kuttner

The Deepening college loan scandal is a classic case of what can happen when government uses private companies as middlemen to carry out public goals. Lately, investigations by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, US Senator Edward Kennedy, and others have revealed a number of problems:

  • Bribes paid by loan companies to colleges and universities. For example, Drexel University in Philadelphia was promised $250,000 in exchange for designating Education Finance Partners as its sole “preferred lender.” Since 2005, according to Cuomo’s office, Drexel has steered more than $16 million in loans to the company, costing students more than available alternatives.
  • Personal conflicts of interests by some college student aid officials. At Columbia University, an associate dean owned substantial stock in a “preferred lender.” At Johns Hopkins, a financial aid officer got consulting fees and had her graduate school tuition paid by Student Loan Xpress, one of the worst offenders.
  • Self-dealing by US Department of Education officials. Matteo Fontana, a senior department official held at least $100,000 in stock of one loan company he was overseeing. Several other Bush officials in charge of student aid come from the industry.
  • Exorbitant profiteering in this industry, which is subsidized by taxpayers. The biggest private student loan company, Sallie Mae, is being sold for $25 billion. Its former chairman, Albert L. Lord, got $228 million in salary and stock options in 2005, according to The New York Times.In response, Cuomo is promoting a code of conduct, and Kennedy has proposed legislation that would prohibit bribes, conflicts of interest, and kindred abuses. But, as Kennedy points out, the problems go much deeper.The private student loan industry exists side-by-side with a more efficient and corruption-free direct loan program run by the federal government. This program, whose origins date back to 1958, passes along the government’s own low borrowing rate. Congress added the subsidized private loan program as an alternative in 1965.

    The oddity of having two programs side by side has been repeatedly criticized by the Government Accountability Office. The proliferation of private student loan programs adds complexity as well as cost. Filling out student loan applications is literally more complex than doing your taxes — in this case the complexity is brought to you by the private sector.

    The private lending industry adds nothing of value and takes no real risk, since loan repayment is guaranteed by the government. It simply skims off exorbitant profit at taxpayer expense — and then adds further costs of marketing and bribing college officials. According to government figures tabulated by US News & World Report, the direct loan program does better than break even, while the private loan program costs taxpayers $12.80 for every $100 borrowed. Most of those extra costs go for company profits. If all reduced-rate loans had been made through the direct loan program, Kennedy reports, we would have saved $30 billion since 1994, the year Congress revised and expanded the federal program.

    Over time, the private student lending industry has become a major lobbying force, using political connections and campaign contributions to hobble its more efficient direct government competitor and block limits on its own profits. The industry succeeded in rigging the rules so that the more efficient public program is losing market share. One provision rammed through the Republican Congress prohibits the public program from marketing itself. Another kept Congress from reducing the maximum interest rates private lenders could charge.

    In the 2004 and 2006 election cycles, Sallie Mae donated at least $877,000 to the election campaigns of President Bush and Republican candidates; $122,470 went to the PAC of Representative John Boehner , then head of the House education committee, according to the group Campaign for America’s Future. To add insult to industry, the Republican Congress and the Bush administration have cut funding for Pell grants, so that students and parents are more reliant on the tender mercies of private lenders.

    The private student loan industry adds nothing of value. The policy of subsidizing private lenders to serve public purposes (and to corrupt our colleges and universities) should be scrapped in favor of the direct federal loan program.

    If this saga sounds familiar, it exactly parallels the privatized Medicare drug program and the efforts by the insurance industry to turn the rest of Medicare into a taxpayer subsidy for private industry. Though three decades of government-bashing have left many politicians reluctant to draw the obvious conclusion, it is often more efficient and less corrupting for government to do the public’s business directly.


    Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and a senior fellow at Demos. His column appears regularly in the Globe.

    © Copyright

    2007

    2007 The Boston Globe                                                                           Tags:  

  • Paul Wolfowitz, The Pentagon, and His Whore

      Paul Wolfowitz has been a very busy, corrupt Bush loyalist way before the World Bank story came out, especially for his little whore, Shaha Ali Riza.

    Sidney Blumenthal has come up with some juicy details on the dealings ( illegal ) of Mr. Wolfowitz, which you may find interesting.

    Back in 2003, Wolfowitz had taken care of Riza by directing his trusted Pentagon deputy, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith -- who had been in charge of the Office of Special Plans and had been Wolfowitz's partner in managing the CPA -- to arrange for a military contract for her from Science Applications International Corp. When the contract was exposed this week, SAIC issued a statement that it "had no role in the selection of the personnel." In other words, the firm with hundreds of millions in contracts at stake had been ordered to hire Riza.   

    Riza, who is not a U.S. citizen, had to receive a security clearance in order to work at the State Department. Who intervened? It is not unusual to have British or French midlevel officers at the department on exchange programs, but they receive security clearances based on the clearances they already have with their host governments. Granting a foreign national who is detailed from an international organization a security clearance, however, is extraordinary, even unprecedented. So how could this clearance have been granted?      Full Article from Salon

       One corrupt person trying to police corruption somewhere else is the same as one person policing pedophiles while being one himself. It don't work.

     

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    Friday, April 20, 2007

    While the Republicans Say The Democrats Are Turning Their Backs On the Troops...

       Ever since Harry Reid came out and said that the war in Iraq is " lost ", we've heard nothing from the Republicans except how Reid's comments have hurt the troops with his comments  .

    Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said,  " I can't begin to imagine how our troops in the field, who are risking their lives every day, are going to react when they get back to base and hear that the Democrat leader of the United States Senate has declared the war is lost.''

         Whenever the troops heard the comments from Reid, I'd bet that most said that they already know the war is a lost, so now get us out of here!

        If you wish to hear what many of the military veteran's and families have to say about this mess in Iraq, then go to here to Video Vets Project and have a listen. While you are at it, why don't you send a link or copy to the White House?

       Here is a sample of what a few had to say.

    California Gold Star Mom:

    I used to lay in bed at about 11 o'clock at night an imagine somebody would be knocking on my door. And I would visualize how I would respond to that, and lay in bed, "Go away, don't come here for that." And so every minute you just expected to get the knock at the door - I just worried so much that somebody would come to my house and ultimately that's what happened.  I wrote this letter to Ken on the one year anniversary of his death..."I'm so proud that you chose to serve your country.  And in the same thought I am so unbearably offended that this Administration used your good will, your patriotism, and your values to send you to fight their illegal, immoral, war of choice."

     

    Pennsylvania Iraq Veteran:

    It never seemed to me that we were fighting Al Quaeda, Bin Laden, or the people who were responsible for attacking us on 9/11.  The mission was so confusing, and it seemed as if everybody in the community disliked us. To keep American soldiers in Iraq for an indefinite period of time being attacked by an unidentifiable enemy is wrong, immoral, and irresponsible...I feel used and I feel misled by the Administration. I feel that my patriotism has been used and exploited, my willingness to fight for this country has been used and exploited. I'm very proud of my military service, but I'm very disappointed in the civilian leadership and the Administration for sending us needlessly into combat.

    Indiana Iraq Veteran:

    When I was deployed to Iraq, we lacked crucial and necessary equipment and supplies...When I was in Iraq, I drove a pickup truck that you could buy off the lot anywhere at any Chevrolet dealership, and that was our means of transportation - that was the vehicle that we ought out of. We modified our pick-up truck to try to become a war fighting machine. We put a stand in the back of it so we could mount a machine gun in the back of the truck...It's important to end this war...we have our young men and women caught up in a religious and civil war, and we're doing more harm than good."

          August 21,2006

    WASHINGTON - August 21 - Calling President Bush’s “hard line” policies on Iraq and Iran failures that have undermined national security and made America less safe, General Joseph Hoar (USMC ret.), Lt. General Robert Gard (USA ret.), and Morton Halperin, former National Security Council staff, released an open letter signed by twenty-one colleagues urging the Administration to reverse course

     

    Think Progress

    Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who helped engineer the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, said Sunday the problems in Iraq are more complex than that conflict, and military victory is no longer possible. […]

    Reid’s remarks also echo senior military officials. Retired Gen. Wiliam Odom, head of Army intelligence and director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan, published an essay in February titled “Victory Is Not An Option.” Also, via TPM Cafe, here’s Gen. Tony McPeak, who served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first Gulf War:

    The war in Iraq isn’t over yet, but — surge or no surge — the United States has already lost. That’s the grim consensus of a panel of experts assembled by Rolling Stone to assess the future of Iraq. “Even if we had a million men to go in, it’s too late now,” says retired four-star Gen. Tony McPeak, who served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. “Humpty Dumpty can’t be put back together again.

     

    Senator Carl Levin (D-MI): Mr. Gates, do you believe that we are currently winning in Iraq?
    Secretary of Defense Robert Gates: No, sir.
    (Armed Services Committee Hearing, 12/4/07)

    Editorial: President Has Lost the War and His Honor. "The president might win this battle, but he already has lost the war in Iraq -- and the one for his honor." [Editorial, Santa Fe New Mexican, 3/24/07]

    Reagan NSA Director See Similarities to Vietnam in Iraq Conflict. General William Odom, who served as President Reagan's head of the National Security Agency, said the Iraqi insurgency parallels Vietnam. "I see a lot of similarities to Vietnam. It seems to me the persons who have the greatest interest in the U.S. being in Iraq are Osama bin Laden, Iranians and other radical movements in the Middle East. We made Iraq now safe for those kinds of movements and they're breeding them rapidly." [NPR "Morning Edition," 4/15/04]

           Any questions?

     

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    House Democratic Leaders Send Letter To Bush

       Here is the text of a letter that House Democratic Leaders sent to Resident Bush today to give him the facts about the Iraq war funding of the United States troops.

     

    April 20, 2007

    The President
    The White House
    Washington, D.C. 20500

    Dear Mr. President:

    As you know, Congress is working to produce a supplemental appropriations bill that will provide for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Disclosures this week by officials in the Department of Defense contradict repeated claims made by officials in your Administration in an effort to influence the outcome of congressional deliberations and public opinion. We therefore wanted to make sure you were aware of the facts on two critical issues relating to the supplemental.

    First, on the value of timelines for redeployment of our troops from Iraq, Secretary of Defense Gates said this week: “The debate in Congress…has been helpful in demonstrating to the Iraqis that American patience is limited…the strong feelings expressed in the Congress about the timetable probably has had a positive impact… in terms of communicating to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment.”

    Given the consideration that Secretary Gates has to give on a daily basis on how best to advance U.S. policy interests in Iraq, his views on the value of debating timetables for redeployment should be given great weight. Unlike some in your Administration who have been playing politics by criticizing the debate in Congress over responsible timelines, Secretary Gates recognizes that debating the timelines is constructive because it exerts pressure on Iraq’s leaders to forge political compromises.

    Second, despite claims by some in your Administration that our troops in Iraq would be harmed if additional funding is not provided quickly, the Comptroller of the Army has made clear this week that money currently available to the Department of Defense can pay for the war until the end of June. Although it is the intention of Congress to send you an appropriations measure next week, should you follow through on your threat not to sign it, it is clear that there is ample time to work together to devise an alternative.

    Congressional leaders are willing to work cooperatively with you on all matters relating to the war in Iraq. The bill we will send you provides for our veterans, protects our troops, rebuilds our military, holds the Iraqi government accountable, and responsibly winds down this war.

    To work cooperatively, all parties must acknowledge what the facts are. We hope that you will take this letter in the spirit of clarifying the facts on these two vital matters.

    Thank you for your consideration of our views.

    Sincerely,

    Nancy Pelosi
    Speaker of the House

    Steny H. Hoyer
    Majority Leader

    James E. Clyburn
    Majority Whip

    Rahm Emanuel
    Caucus Chairman

    John B. Larson
    Caucus Vice Chairman

    Xavier Becerra
    Assistant to the Speaker

          I'm hoping that Bush will get someone to read this letter to him. the reader may have to slap him around to keep his short attention span.

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    Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) Stepping down From His Seat On House Intelligence Committee

       Things just keep getting better for some House Republicans as this week goes by.

     

    Roll Call:  ( subscription-only )

    In a second blow to House Republicans this week, the FBI raided a business tied to the family of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) Thursday afternoon as part of an ongoing investigation into the three-term lawmaker.

    Details of the raid on Patriot Insurance Agency in Sonoita, Ariz., were not immediately available. Renzi’s most recent financial disclosure form lists the business as an asset belonging to his wife, Roberta, and valued at $1 million to $5 million.

    Little is known about the inquiries into Renzi’s activities, but according to media reports the Justice Department has been running a two-track investigation into Renzi regarding a land deal, as well as a piece of legislation he helped steer that may have improperly benefited a major campaign contributor. It was not immediately clear which investigation the raid pertained to, and neither his attorney nor his spokesman could be immediately reached for comment.

    As a result of the raid, Renzi is stepping down from his seat on the House Intelligence Committee, according to a statement from his office obtained Thursday evening by Roll Call.

          He can now keep Rep. Doolittle company for a while.

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    Iraq Accountability Act Heads To Conference

        You have to keep an eye on those sneaky little Republicans at all times, it seems.

    Republicans, led by Rep. Jerry Lewis, attempted to strip provisions in the Iraq Accountability Act holding the Iraqi government accountable and providing for a responsible redeployment from Iraq before it goes to conference committee for reconciliation with the Senate version of the emergency supplemental.    The Gavel

    Appropriations Chairman David Obey had a little to say about this attempt by the GOP.

       David Obey: " Let me put it another way. When the bill was before us the first time, our Republican friends did not bother to offer a recommital motion. Why? Because they were divided about how to proceed. They could reach no agreement. They had no policy. Now they are offering a motion which they say they’re going to vote against. Is that the best they can do? We’ve heard talk about a surrender date. The only surrender that’s involved here today is the surrender of the obligation of this Congress to oversee presidential and executive branch policy. The only surrender is the total surrender of our obligation and our authority to a White House that has demonstrated from day one that it had not a clue of what it was getting into and today has not a clue about how to get out. We have to provide better leadership than that. That’s what this bill tries to do."

       You can watch Chairman Obey speak Here.

      Here is a list of the Democrats who will be serving as conferees:

     

    Rep. Obey
    Rep. Murtha
    Rep. Clyburn
    Rep. Wasserman Schultz
    Rep. DeLauro
    Rep. Lowey
    Rep. Olver
    Rep. Serrano
    Rep. Visclosky
    Rep. Price (NC)
    Rep. Dicks
    Rep. Edwards
    Rep. Mollohan

      The New Elliott Ness gang!

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    Thursday, April 19, 2007

    A Letter From Anonymous Justice Department Employees To The Investigating committees

        The House and Senate Judiciary Committees got a letter  from some anonymous Justice Department employees concerning politics at the department.

          You can go here for the full letter in PDF. Meantime, here are a few excerpts.

    Dear Messrs. Chairman,

    Many of us in the Department of Justice have been watching with admiration as you expose the overly political firing of United States Attorneys and hope that you can help in returning our beloved Department to of establishing justice in the United States. We are equally concerned, however, about the politicizing of the non-political ranks of Justice employees, offices which are consistently and methodically being eroded by partisan politics.

    Many employees within the Department’s litigating divisions are sitting quietly by, hoping that you will investigate what has happened to the Attorney General’s Honors Program and even the Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP). You are surely aware that the Attorney General’s Honors Program has a long history of hiring top students from a variety of law schools, and it is the only way that young lawyers are able to come into the Department immediately after law school. This year the divisions once again pored over applications and resumes, choosing students to interview who demonstrated not only excellent grades but a real interest in the areas of law they might be hired to work in. After choosing potential candidates to interview, the division personnel forwarded their lists to the Office of Attorney Recruitment Management for what was traditionally final approval. This is no longer a final step, however, because the list had to go higher - to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. When the list of potential interviewees was returned this year, it had been cut dramatically.

    ...When division personnel staff later compared the remaining interviewees with the candidates struck form the list, one common denominator appeared repeatedly: most of those struck form the list had interned for a Hill Democrat, clerked for a Democratic judge, worked for a “liberal” cause, or otherwise appeared to have “liberal” leanings. Summa cum laude graduates of both Yale and Harvard were rejected for interviews....

    ...While the current political appointees repeatedly remind everyone that the U.S. Attorneys “serve at the pleasure of the President,” the Department’s career attorneys serve the people of the United States. We hope you will see fit to include this politicizing of the career ranks in your questioning of Attorney General Gonzales and his staff.

    Thank you.

    A Group of Concerned Department of Justice Employees

    Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. in response to the letter, had this to say.

    “I take any accusations of undue politicization of career staff seriously. We have already identified concerns in Department’s Civil Rights Division. These new accusations are clearly something we will want to consider as well.”

    Source

       Bear in mind the letter was delivered yesterday. Gonzo hit the stand to testify today. He should just save the taxpayers what little money we have left and resign.

     

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    Bush To Veto District of Columbia Bill?

           In legislation which was passed by the House ( 241-177 ), Washington, D.C. gets one step closer to having voting rights. But as is usual, the White House says that the bill will be veto' d because it is unconstitutional according the the Hoods on the Hill. This is one time though, that they may be right, unfortunately.

       My biggest gripe with this is why is the White House so concerned with the constitutionality of a bill since they generally pay no attention to the Constitution on the majority of matters when it comes to law and rights?

       It is just an outdated piece of paper so far as they are concerned which they have strived to replace with the GOP declaration of dictatorship.

    The bill would permanently increase full House membership to 437, giving the largely Democratic half-million residents of the district a seat and adding a temporary at-large seat for Republican-leaning Utah. The House has consisted of 435 seats since 1960.     Yahoo News

       I would say that it is that largely Democratic party of residents which concerns the Republican establishment the most.

       If the Constitution is correct in forbidding this, then this needs to be changed.

     

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    Rep. Doolittle Resigns His Seat

      It seems that Dr. Doolittle ( Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif. ) has resigned from his House Appropriations Committee seat. The embarrassment of the F.B.I. raiding his home was probably the reason for Doolittle's  trip out the door.

        Here is a bit more from Roll Call

    While Doolittle is expected to voluntarily take himself off the panel while the investigation continues, knowledgeable House sources said that Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and members of the Republican Steering Committee -- which determines committee assignments -- were prepared to remove him from his post if he would not do so himself.

       This makes it a lovely day in the neighborhood for some of us who disdain this administration. Hopefully when it is all over, Doolittle will be visiting the Federal Detention vacation center in an orange jumpsuit.

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    Baghdad Has Another Booming Day

       So Thursday was another booming day in Baghdad as close to 200 people were killed in the capital. 140 people were killed in the Sadriya district at a food market by a car bomb.

       No need to point out that this was the worst day of violence since the U.S. crackdown began. 

      PM Nouri Maliki: "This monstrous attack today did not distinguish between the old and young, between men and women. It targeted the population in a way that reminds us of the massacres and genocide committed by the former dictatorship."        BBC

       But  things are looking promising. Right.

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    Alberto In The Hot Seat Today

       Today is the day that Alberto Gonzales goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee to lie to it about the firings of 8 prosecutors, which we all know was carried out for political reasons.

       Since Gonzales hasn't been truthful about the firings ever since this story broke, he most certainly cannot afford to start this late in the game. He only has one other option and that would be to plead the 5th Amendment so that he doesn't incriminate himself.

        Senate Judiciary Committee has Alberto scheduled to testify all day today under oath.

       Although many Republicans have called for Gonzales to resign, along with many Democrats, there remain a few who support him.

      Sen. Orrin Hatch: "The sooner it's over, the better. If he just answers the questions, he'll be fine." 

       Rep. Chris Cannon: "I hope he doesn't apologize. He is in a really miserable position where people are focused and saying nasty things. He thinks that he acted appropriately. I told him he ought to be less gracious in his responses."

    Associated Press

    Critics allege that some of the eight fired were dismissed to interfere with ongoing corruption investigations in ways that might help Republicans. Gonzales strongly denies that, but Democrats have maintained that a stiff denial is insufficient without more details.

    Some Republicans acknowledge that merely sticking to the talking points in Gonzales' prepared testimony will make it hard for him to hang onto his job. The committee's senior Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, dismissed the prepared remarks as "pablum."    

          If the Senate Judiciary Committee does their job right today, Alberto Gonzales will be leaving in tears when the day is over. I'd rather it be handcuffs but we still have time for that later on.

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    Wednesday, April 18, 2007

    Bush Taken Aback By Reid/Pelosi Comments To Him

       I wish that I could have been a fly on the wall during the Bush and Reid/Pelosi discussion over the war funding!

      From TPM we have this tidbit.

          By Greg Sargent

    First, the source says, Bush bristled and was taken aback when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared the current situation to Vietnam; he also appeared irked by those who said the war couldn't be won.

    Second, according to the source, Reid told Bush that he understood that the White House would come after Congressional Dems after the veto of the bill with everything they had; Reid vowed to respond every bit as aggressively.

    "Reid talked about a recent conversation he had with a retired general where they talked about the similarities between the current situation and Vietnam," the source relates. "He talked about how the President and Secretary of Defense [during Vietnam] knew that the war was lost but continued to press on at the cost of thousands of additional lives lost."

    "The analogy to Vietnam appeared to touch a nerve with the President. He appeared a little sensitive to it," the source continued. "And he clearly didn't like to hear people in the room say that the war couldn't be won militarily."

    More: "Reid made it clear to the President that he understood that the President and Vice President after the veto would come after him and Speaker Pelosi with everything they have. Reid said that he and Pelosi would respond just as aggressively. He said he was convinced that they were on the right side of the issue."

         You may want to go this article and read the third comment which was left by a TPM reader.

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    Rep. John Doolittle Home Raided By F.B.I.

        Another Republican ( Rep. John Doolittle ) got caught in the crosshairs of the F.B.I. and his home was raided.  It is about time for this crook to make reservations for a prison cell!

    FBI Raids Doolittle's Home: The FBI has raided the Northern Virginia home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), according to Congressional sources. No details are publicly available yet about the circumstances of the raid, but Doolittle and his wife, Julie, have been under federal investigation for their ties to the scandal surrounding imprisoned former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.     Roll Call

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    Russ Feingold Sets CNN John Roberts Straight

    Russ Feingold writes to John Roberts, co-anchor of CNN's "American Morning," after he made some false statements about the Feingold-Reid Iraq redeployment bill.

      I write to express my concern about your comments during CNN's Late Edition on April 15th. During the broadcast, you falsely implied that the Feingold-Reid Iraq redeployment bill would "cut off the funds in the middle of a war" for "troops in the field." While I certainly respect differences of opinion in the debate about the war, I strongly object to this mischaracterization of our effort. Our legislation forces the safe redeployment of troops by March 31, 2008, by prohibiting funds for continued military operations after that date, with a few narrow exceptions. Troops in the field would continue to get their salaries, food, ammunition, weapons, and other supplies as they currently do. You went on to suggest that such an approach has "never happened before." In fact, this is precisely the step Congress took in 1993 to end military operations in Somalia.  

    PDF of the entire letter

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    Does Fox News Consider It's Viewers Stupid?

       I am beginning to believe that Fox News has some really ignorant and/ or stupid viewers! I just walked into the house and on the TV screen is the usual Fox News ticker running along the bottom of the screen with  " Breaking News " that Alberto Gonzales is going to testify about the attorney purge scandal.

       We have all know this was going to happen for some time now so my question is, are Fox viewers so forgetful about events that the news channel has to remind them about things that will be going on, or does Fox News consider their viewers stupid? On top of that, this is not breaking news!

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    Bush Escalation " Surges " Onward

    BAGHDAD - Four large bombs exploded across Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 127 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago. AP

       A car bomb parked at a market in Sadriyah killed 82 and wounded 94.

        Another car bomber hit an Iraqi police checkpoint at one of the entrances to Sadr City, killing 30 and wounding 45.

    Earlier, a parked car exploded near a private hospital in the central neighborhood of Karradah, killing 11 people and wounding 13, police said. The blast damaged the Abdul-Majid hospital and other nearby buildings.

    The fourth explosion was from a bomb left on a minibus in the northwestern Risafi area, killing four people and wounding six others, police said.

    Also in Baghdad, four policemen were killed Wednesday afternoon when gunmen ambushed their patrol south of the city center, police said. Six pedestrians were wounded in the gunfire.

         West of Baghdad, five insurgents were killed by U.S. troops and another 30 captured in an Anbar province raid.

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    White House Attempting Obstruction of Justice

       There is no other way to say it. Bush and company are attempting to control the flow of evidence ( emails ) that the House Judiciary Committee is asking for concerning the attorney purge ( illegal firings ).

        The White House sent a letter to the RNC telling them that they must pass all materials to the White house for clearance before going to the committee. "Clearance"  should be called exactly what the White house would be doing and that would be changing and/or deleting more criminal evidence against themselves. Karl Rove in particular.

        Read the letter HERE at TPM

      

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    Tuesday, April 17, 2007

    Karl Rove and His Email Deletion

    On my many adventures throughout the universe ( Internet ) I run across a lot of stuff, especially when it comes to videos.

      Have I got one for you! We have footage of Karl Rove deleting some his hard-core emails!




     

     

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    Are the Dem's Plans For Iraq That Much Different Than Bush's?

      I ran across this article from the Turkish Daily News while I was browsing around this evening.

       The writer takes a look at what the Democrats have/are actually doing about the war in Iraq and it doesn't look so spiffy, to say the least.

         The Arab's are not to happy with the Democrats at this point as they were expecting a little bit more from the Dems than what they have delivered thus far.

    Democrats were perceived by Arabs as promising to offer an alternative to Bush strategy in Iraq, but so far have merely proved themselves responsive to their voters' anti-war sentiments while the killing goes on, and in some ways gets worse, and the Democrats' supplemental budget bill provides funding to continue the war, while setting a controversial date to end it, and there is disagreement on its strategic effect. They could neither raise the “mission accomplished” banner nor could promise to do so in the near future, not even after Bush's constitutional mandate expires. 

    Would the Democrats' alternative end the occupation? Nothing is concrete and on record so far to indicate it would. Would it end the civil war? On the contrary it will make it worse as all statements by Democrat leaders point only to a “military redeployment” to extricate their troops out of the harm's way. Moreover, is this so-called alternative essentially different from the Republicans' strategy? On the unity of Iraq, oil, long-term US military presence, civil war and the “benchmarks” set for the new Iraqi rulers both alternatives are essentially the same. Their looming showdown over deadlines for combat operations in Iraq would neither set a deadline for the end of Bush era in Iraq nor herald an end to the US era in the country.

    It is almost certain Bush is going to keep his combat troops in Iraq for as long as he wants, until the deadline set by the US constitution for his exit on January 20, 2009.Only then the Bush era will end in Iraq to make room for carrying on the US era in the country either by a new Republican or Democrat administration, which will depend on the outcome of playing politics with more Iraqi blood.Arab observers could not miss facts like that the Democrat-approved $124 billion supplemental funding was more than Bush himself requested; Democrats only require Bush to seek Congressional approval before extending the occupation and spending new funds to do so. All these factors and more boil down to simply empowering Bush to continue his bloody war for at least one more year, until the eve of the next election.         Entire Article

         The sad thing after reading this piece was that I really could not come up with a counter point to it.

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    Will Bush Support U.S. Troops Or Will He Veto Them?

    Appropriations Chairmen on Iraq

    April 17th, 2007 by Jesse Lee

    An op-ed today by the respective chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations committees closes with the following:

    Bush’s choice on funding the troops
    House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey and Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd
    Christian Science Monitor - April 17, 2007

    Last week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that our troops in Iraq and those troops set to deploy will have their tours extended to 15 months. This comes on top of the White House’s announcement that they were rushing thousands of troops back to Iraq for extended tours of duty, without providing sufficient time for rest, recovery, and retraining.

    Such plans, political posturing, and veto threats have placed the safety of our troops in unnecessary jeopardy. It is simply unconscionable that the White House is now attempting to blame Congress for the failure to successfully prosecute the war.

    The president has said on many occasions that the US commitment to Iraq is not open-ended. Now is the time for him to show the nation that those were not hollow words.

    The president has also declared his commitment to improve the lives of our veterans. If the president chooses to work with Congress – the people’s representatives – we can reach a bipartisan solution that unites the country rather than divides it, while meeting the expectations and needs of the American people.       Original Article

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    Some Real Truth About The War In Iraq

      Former Reagan Pentagon official Lawrence Korb spent ten days in Iraq and he says that the Bush version of improvement in Iraq is basically bull.

       Korb also happens to be a Center for American Progress senior fellow.

       Korb says what we already know, and that is that the surge isn't working.

    Getting through Iraqi customs was a chore—it was like Moscow in the early 1990s. There were four lines: three for Iraqis and one for “others”. Like the majority of the passengers we went through the “others” line. It took at least an hour for me and my colleague to get through. The Blackwater and Halliburton people, however, went right around the line. One of the other less fortunate contractors remarked that it was not surprising since they are running the country.

    The long wait did allow me to speak to some of the contractors about the situation on the ground. When I assured them I was not a member of the press, they were unanimous that the surge was not working. One of them said that members of Muqtada Al-Sadr’s militia have sold their guns and melted back into the population in Sadr City and will buy back their guns at the appropriate time (our own security guard said something similar).

    ....I had an interesting discussion with an Iraqi official who is close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. He made several intriguing observations. First, in their video conferences, Maliki and Bush do not really communicate. The official also noted that in his discussions with visiting members of Congress there is really not much dialogue, with both sides giving canned presentations. Second, the U.S. military and State Department do not really work well together and General George Casey would complain to Iraqis about the former U.S. Ambassador to iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. Third, the insurgency got started when the Americans failed to take control after the overthrow and the Iraqis realized that the American military was not invincible—that is, its soldiers were human beings who displayed the full range of emotions, including fear. Fourth, do not believe anyone who tells you that the situation is getting better.

          So what about the reports from the White House ( Bush/Cheney ) which say that they are seeing improvement?

    But if one uses the reports of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and pushes the briefers, a different picture emerges. The place is a mess and despite the almost heroic efforts of some Americans and some Iraqis it is not getting better. One of the consultants told me not to believe anyone who says that the situation is getting better.

    While waiting to leave the Green Zone after our IRMO meeting, we visited the military exchange, or PX, and the “pharmacy” (liquor store—the Iraqis call it the Christian pharmacy). I was surprised and saddened that the servicemen and women pay the same prices for goods in Iraq as they do in the states.

    The other thing that struck me was the lack of American soldiers patrolling the neighborhoods. In fact, in my whole time here I did not see one American soldier outside the Green Zone.   

    On the back of this visit, I am more and more convinced that we must take control of our own destiny by setting a specific timetable for withdrawal. Currently, our fate is in the hands of an Iraqi government that does not have any real incentive to get its act together and does not even seem to understand the gravity of the situation or the declining level of support in the United States.

    While I did not see as many soldiers as on my last visit, the ones I spoke to were clearly dispirited about the repeated deployments and the three-month extension.  Full Article

          If this is an accurate account, I would say that Bush, Cheney and the rest of the right-wing hawks have some explaining to do to the American public and to the Congress.

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    Senator Byrd Slaps Down The White House

       Senator Robert Byrd posted a message to the White House on Iraq over at the Huffington Post yesterday.

    The American people have sent a clear message to Washington: it is time to start bringing our troops home from Iraq. Unfortunately, President Bush isn't listening. That's why the Congress has responded, crafting a new direction that will provide the Iraqi government with the necessary motivation to pursue real political reconciliation. The House and the Senate bills take different paths toward this goal, but each recognizes that the American people do not support an open-ended U.S. military occupation in Iraq.

    In the days since the Senate approved its version of the supplemental, the White House has taken on the regular practice of demonizing the Congress and attacking the bipartisan bill. Once again, President Bush took to the bully pulpit today and repeated his hollow claims that the provisions in this legislation would somehow undercut our troops. This is nonsense. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has determined that our military has $52 billion to cover expenses through the end of May.

    The President also asserted that Congress is holding funding for the troops hostage for what he has called "pork barrel" spending. More nonsense. Facts matter and once again the President is out of touch with the facts. This is legislation that meets some of the most critical needs of our troops and our nation.

    It is time for the White House to drop this trumped-up crisis talk and get down to the truth.

       Yes indeed!

     

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    Republicans/Bush Sink Lower In Latest Polls

      Here we go with the latest poll numbers on Bush and Iraq. This poll was done by the  Washington Post-ABC News from April 12-15, 2007 by telephone.

     

    20. Do you think (the United States must win the war in Iraq in order for the broader war on terrorism to be a success), or do you think (the war on terrorism can be a success without the United States winning the war in Iraq?)

    US must win war in Iraq for success: 37%.
    Can be a success without US winning war in Iraq: 57%.

       This is in comparison to the same questions asked back in January

    US must win war in Iraq for success: 45%. Can be a success without US winning war in Iraq: 47%.

       So it would seem that the Bush/White House propaganda is not working on the citizens of the united States as well as it use to.

    2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling (ITEM)?

                     Approve  29%               Disapprove  70%

    7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way (ITEM) are doing their job?

    a. the Republicans in Congress   Approve 39%    Disapprove 59%

    b. the Democrats in Congress     Approve 54%   Disapprove 54%      

         Nice to see the American public finally beginning to see these morons in the White house for what they really are.

     

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    The Bush War Funding Rhetoric

    Resident Bush:  “The clock is ticking for our troops. Congress’s failure to fund our troops will mean that the readiness of our forces will suffer.”

      This is what Resident Bush said yesterday while he had family members of some of the troops surrounding him.

    NYTIMES

    With a showdown looming, Mr. Bush has been using the only real ammunition he has: his presidential platform. In a speech to an American Legion Post last Tuesday, he warned that without the new funds, the Army might be forced to delay the formation of new combat brigade teams, a move that he said could require the Pentagon to extend some soldiers’ tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    But the next day, the Pentagon announced that it already had plans to extend troops tours in a move unrelated to the war financing issue.

       So now the moron is using troop family members for his photo-op's and to hopefully convince the Congress that it is in the U.S. troops best interest to give him the funding that he seeks with no strings attached.

        As the times article above notes, the Pentagon had already planned on the extended troop stay in Iraq anyway so Bush pretty much verified that he is nothing but a liar to begin with.

    Senator Jack Reed:  “The status quo that he’s talking about, which is basically, ‘Just give me the money, I’m going to do what I want to do,’ is rejected by an overwhelming number of Americans. They want to see some change.”

       Of course and the military generals and such will now start making public the fact that the military is running out of parts and supplies and a few other things in an attempt to make the Congress look bad.

       The usual Repugnican bullshit so that Bush can stop being a cry-baby. This man ( ? ) is pathetic! Plain and simple! The entire Republican base is pathetic and that is a harsh statement coming from a real former conservative.

           IMPEACH! INDICT! IMPRISON!

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    U.S. Troops Caught In The Middle

    George W. Bush said:

    Listen, I understand Republicans and Democrats in Washington have differences over the best course in Iraq. That's healthy. That's normal. And we should debate those differences. But our troops should not be caught in the middle.

       As pointed out at the Daily Kos, he should be as concerned about our troops being caught in the middle of the civil war in Iraq.

    -- Over the past six months, American troops have died in Iraq at the highest rate since the war began, an indication that the conflict is becoming increasingly dangerous for U.S. forces even after more than four years of fighting.

    From October 2006 through last month, 532 American soldiers were killed, the most during any six-month period of the war. March also marked the first time that the U.S. military suffered four straight months of 80 or more fatalities. April, with 58 service members killed through Monday, is on pace to be one of the deadliest months of the conflict for American forces.

    Senior American military officials attribute much of the increase to the Baghdad security crackdown, now in its third month. But the rate of fatalities was increasing even before...

        But hey, things are showing improvement because Vice Resident Cheney says so!

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    Monday, April 16, 2007

    Bush Speaks, Democrats Speak Back On War Funds Bill

        Resident Bush: "Listen, I understand Republicans and Democrats in Washington have differences over the best course in Iraq," Bush said. "That's healthy. That's normal, and we should debate those differences. But our troops should not be caught in the middle."

       This was that Bush clown speaking his usual bullshit only this time his photo-op included mothers and fathers and husbands and wives and the children of troops who have died in Iraq.

       Majority Leader Harry Reid had something to say about the Bush comments, of course.

       Harry Reid : "The president has a choice to make in the coming days: Cling to the discredited policies that have led our troops further into an intractable civil war, or work with a bipartisan majority of Congress to make us more secure."

    "We're committed to pressing these goals to the administration until they do change course."

          Vice Resident Cheney said that he thinks the Democrats will cave into Bush's demands and will send him a clean bill, but Harry Reid had other ideas on that one also.

    "The president is not going to get a bill that has nothing on it," Reid said. "It would be wrong for this legislative branch of government to capitulate to this wrong-headed policy that the vice president and the president have been leading."

      Bush also that he spoke with  P.M. Nouri al-Maliki who he said asked him to thank the military families and that Iraq would continue to work hard in the war on terror.      Source

       Yeah right! I hadn't been aware that the Bush Iraqi resident puppet and his group were fighting the war on terror. you most certainly can't tell that when you look at the number of deaths from U.S. troops and the Iraqis especially.

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    Where Is The Outrage Over Women Raped By Our Military In Iraq?

    Published on Monday, April 16, 2007 by CommonDreams.org

    Outrageous Words, Outrageous Deeds

    by Ralph Nader

    Now that the Don Imus flameout has once again demonstrated that vile words energize many activist groups and many media more than do devastating deeds, it is useful to revisit this strange dimension of public furor.

    The latest three word outburst in Mr. Imus’ practice of sexist and racist remarks may be compared with the continuing sexist and racist behaviors that civic opponents would argue should at the very least receive equal time from those who become indignant over cruel, bigoted language.

    On March 18, the New York Times ran a lengthy cover story in its heralded Sunday Magazine about widespread sexual harassment and rape of female U.S. soldiers by their male colleagues in Iraq. Written by a reporter, Sarah Corbett, the article combined the available official studies, and statements of specialists, with poignant narratives by women soldiers whom she interviewed intensively.

    The evidence she amassed included a report in 2003, funded by the Department of Defense (DOD), which declared that nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of female veterans seeking health care through the V.A. said they experienced rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent said they were raped multiple times, and 14 percent reported they were gang-raped.

    A change in DOD policy in 2005 allowing sexual assaults to be reported confidentially in “restricted reports” led to the number of reported assaults across the military rising 40 percent.

    There are still many reasons why female soldiers are reluctant to report sexual violence, especially in combat zones. Solidarity is survival. Complaining about your superior or soldiers of comparable ranking ruptures the working hierarchy and its military mission. In addition, it is often the woman’s word against the man’s word. As one sailor told Ms. Corbett, “You just don’t expect anything to be done about it anyway, so why even try?” She said she was raped at a naval base on Guam before being deployed to Iraq.

    Female soldiers coming back from Iraq relate their fears of even going to the latrines in the middle of the night for the fear of being sexually assaulted.

    Sexual violence is often dismissed as fabricated, exaggerated or consensual. It is important not to tarnish many upstanding and respectful male soldiers and sailors with sweeping generalizations.

    Abbie Pickett, who is a 24 year old combat-support specialist with the Wisconsin Army Naitonal Guard, told Ms. Corbett: “You’re one of three things in the military—a bitch, a whore or a dyke. As a female, you get classified pretty quickly.”

    Particularly since the Tailhook episode in 1991 which involved sexual violence against women at a naval party, the Pentagon has become more concerned about such assaults. There are far more women in areas of combat now as well. Over 160,000 women have seen active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan already.

    Bottom line to all the reports—official and individual—was summarized by the New York Times this way: “Many have reported being sexually assaulted, harassed and raped by fellow soldiers and officers.” (For more information see http://www.democracyrising.us)

    Assault and rape are crimes, deeds of devastating impact on the lives of these young women. They are not just vile words. Yet in the month since the New York Times article was published, there has been almost no public outrage and no demands for more investigation, more corrective action, more law enforcement.

    The members of Congress—women and men—have not mobilized for action. The press did not follow up on the article—“The Women’s War” by Ms. Corbett. The National Organization of Women (NOW) condemned Don Imus in no uncertain terms. They have not yet demanded multiple actions to be taken on this continuing violence against women.

    Aside from the indifference of the male legislators, Congress is now graced by the largest number of women lawmakers in its history. The Speaker of the House is a woman—Nancy Pelosi. Sure, she has her hands full with the Iraq war. But this is an internal war against many women who need her leadership and her status to spark remedial or preventative action.

    Words inflaming more than deeds is also too often the case when racial epithets are uttered by public figures. All those groups and civil rights leaders who conquered and ended the Don Imus media empire should ask themselves what have they done in any sustained manner, given their power and media access, about the brutality of racism by commercial interests in the urban ghettos. Deaths, injuries, disease and loss of livelihood are a daily occurrence, apart from raw street crime and drugs. Little children seriously poisoned by lead, asbestos and other toxics. Whole neighborhoods redlined without adequate corporate police protection. Predatory lending, predatory interest rates, marketing shoddy products and contaminated food proliferate.

    Where have been the cries of outrage, the demands for removal of these conditions and prosecution of these crooks and defrauders? The abysmal conditions are daily, weekly, monthly. They have been occasionally reported in gripping human interest terms and statistics and maps.

    If only the offenders used words, instead of committing these awful deeds. Maybe there would have been action, front page headlines and prime time television and radio coverage. If only they used words!

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    Justice Department Defy's Subpoena's

      The Bush Crime Family's Department of Justice blew off giving the documents ( prosecutor purge ) to the House Judiciary Committee, which were requested by subpoena last week the DoJ had until  2p.m. today to turn them over. 

     

    DOJ Fails to Comply with House Judiciary Subpoena

    April 16th, 2007 by Jesse Lee  The Gavel

    From the Judiciary Committee:

    Justice Department Fails to Comply with House Judiciary Subpoena

    (Washington, DC)- Today, U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) issued the following statement in response to the Justice Department’s failure to comply with the Committee’s subpoena response deadline of 2 p.m. today. The subpoena seeks information the Department has continued to refuse to provide or has provided only in redacted form.

    “We are disappointed that the Justice Department failed to produce the documents and other materials for which we issued a subpoena last week. While we understand that the Department considers this effort a priority and we plan to continue working with them, we will review all available legal options to secure compliance with the subpoena.”

      Gonzales, Bush, and Rove must have a lot to hide if they have seen fit to ignore a subpoena, but this should be no surprise since this group only acknowledges the laws that they see fit to follow, which are very few.

       Maybe the Congress can come up with law that would run much like a contempt of court law so that these hoods could be arrested until they do as they are ordered to do?

              IMPEACH! INDICT! IMPRISON!

     

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    Virginia Tech Death Toll At 31

        This is the worst shooting in history. This is a sad day in the United States and my heart goes out to the victim's families.

    The Associated Press
    Published April 16, 2007

    BLACKSBURG, Va. -- A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, government officials told The Associated Press.

    The gunman was killed, bringing to death toll to 31.

    More HERE

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    Shooting At Virginia Tech University Campus

        For those of you who haven't heard by some small chance, what appears to have been a lone gunman shot and killed 22 people and wounded 21 at the Virginia Tech University campus in Blacksburg, Virginia.  The police say that they think the shooter is now dead.

    CNN

    One person was killed and others were wounded at multiple locations inside a dormitory about 7:15 a.m., Flinchum said. Two hours later, another shooting at Norris Hall, an engineering building, resulted in multiple casualties, the university reported.

    The first reported shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed dormitory that houses 895 students. The dormitory, one of the largest residence halls on the 2,600-acre campus, is located near the drill field and stadium.

    The shootings came three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported. 

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    Are The Democrats Finally Paying Attention?

    Krugman: We're Doing the Dems a Favor

    By mcjoan  at Daily Kos     Sun Apr 15, 2007

    on 2008 elections

    Looks like Krugman's been reading the blogs again. As usual, it's beyond the firewall, but here are some choice excerpts.

    Normally, politicians face a difficult tradeoff between taking positions that satisfy their party’s base and appealing to the broader public.... But a funny thing has happened on the Democratic side: the party’s base seems to be more in touch with the mood of the country than many of the party’s leaders. And the result is peculiar: on key issues, reluctant Democratic politicians are being dragged by their base into taking highly popular positions.

    Iraq is the most dramatic example.... It took an angry base to push the Democrats into taking a tough line in the midterm election. And it took further prodding from that base — which was infuriated when Barack Obama seemed to say that he would support a funding bill without a timeline — to push them into confronting Mr. Bush over war funding. (Mr. Obama says that he didn’t mean to suggest that the president be given "carte blanche.")
    ...
    Health care is another example of the base being more in touch with what the country wants than the politicians. Except for John Edwards, who has explicitly called for a universal health insurance system financed with a rollback of high-income tax cuts, most leading Democratic politicians, still intimidated by the failure of the Clinton health care plan, have been cautious and cagey about presenting plans to cover the uninsured.

    But the Democratic presidential candidates — Mr. Obama in particular — have been facing a lot of pressure from the base to get specific about what they’re proposing. And the base is doing them a favor.... There’s no conflict between catering to the Democratic base and staking out positions that can win in the 2008 election, because the things the base wants — an end to the Iraq war, a guarantee of health insurance for all — are also things that the country as a whole supports. The only risk the party now faces is excessive caution on the part of its politicians. Or, to coin a phrase, the only thing Democrats have to fear is fear itself.

    It's hard to know what to say to that other than, "hear, hear." The Democratic base has become the majority opinion when it comes to Iraq, health care, ethics in government. The polls have been showing it for months. The netroots has been shouting it for months years. And now, maybe, our Dems are getting it.

    * * * *

       It would also be nice if our Dems would get with the program and begin looking at impeaching Gonzales if he doesn't resign from his position, and then to start working their way up the ladder towards the "Coward in Chief " in the White House.

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    Sunday, April 15, 2007

    Dick Cheney Still Visiting the State Of Denial

    "There is no question it's a very difficult assignment, but we’ve got a new commander in the field, we’ve got a good strategy in place, and I think we will soon see positive results."   Vice President Dick Cheney.... when he appeared on CBS' Face the Nation today.

    "I think the Congress will pass clean legislation," Cheney said. "I don't think that the majority of the Democrats in Congress want to leave America's fighting forces in harm's way without the resources they need to defend themselves."

    When suggested by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer that a majority of Americans want a timetable for American troop withdrawals from Iraq, as has been voted on in Congress, Cheney said, "Well, there is also a majority that I think would prefer to have us win. And there is a fundamental debate going on here in terms of whether or not our objective in Iraq is to quote 'withdrawal' or whether our objective in Iraq is to complete the mission. And I think a majority of Americans would prefer the latter."

    "There is no question it's a very difficult assignment, but we've got a new commander in the field, we’ve got a good strategy in place, and I think we will soon see positive results."

        So once again, we hear Cheney saying that we should see positive results soon. We have heard this line of crap for quite a few years now and things are still getting worse, not better.

       Cheney seems to forget that, yes, the majority of Americans would prefer a win in Iraq, but that same majority knows full well that it isn't going to happen. Cheney and Bush also know that it isn't happening.

     

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    Baghdad Gets Bombed In Spite Of Crackdowns

      Once again, it was not a good Sunday for many in Baghdad as mini buses and cars and roadside bombs exploded killing some 45 people in the usual sectarian violence.

       It is so nice to see Reident Bush's new way forward ( escalation ) going so well. I actually wish that it would work but we all know that is not going to happen.

       In the mean time, two of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's officials have said that al-Sadr followers would be quitting their cabinet post on Monday. That would be six spots vacated. That may well be the straw that breaks the camel's back for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki because he then may not have enough support to stay in power. He's barely hanging on as is.   Source

       But it just gets better in Iraq because Bush/Cheney, and McCain says things are improving. Here's proof.

       Apparently a few dozen Iraqi policemen held a demonstration in front of their police station and accused U.S. troops of having been treating them like " slaves " and " animals." 

       "No, no to America! Get out occupiers!" were some of what they shouted.

        From what I have been reading as of late, things such as this are quite common. But it has been my understanding that most of the abuse has come from the private army provided by Blackwater USA. That would be the  paid mercenaries hired by Bush.

          Three American service members were killed in the bullshit today.

    "The security plan has made more troubles for Iraqis than helping them," said Juma'a Khamis, 42, a technician who lives in the capital. "There have been no positive results. It's a failure, and so is the government."

    Others retained hope that the campaign could carve out breathing room for Iraqi forces to regain control of the city.

    "We need to build our security forces, and step by step we can achieve stability," said Nassir Amir, a 31-year-old civil engineer. "The Iraqi government is trying its best but it faces a lot of difficulties ... It needs more time — maybe one year at least."

       Did you read that? Unlike Fox News I do post both sides of the issue!

      Just thought that I would throw that in there.

     

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    " General Pelosi " Preferred Over Bush

    Currently, President Bush and Congress disagree about what to do about U.S. troop levels in Iraq. Who do you think should have the final say about troop levels in Iraq, the President or Congress?

    President: 44%
    Congress: 49%         Source

     

    67. Percentage of Americans who believe that Congress should allow funding only with a time limit (58 percent) or block all funding for the war in Iraq (9 percent), according to a new CBS poll. Fully 69 percent believe the escalation in Iraq has either made conditions worse (26 percent) or made no impact (43 percent), compared to 25 percent who believe it’s made conditions better     Source

     

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    Gonzales: I Didn't Do It!

       Alberto Gonzales has an op-ed piece in the WaPo just on the eve of him having to testify this week.

       Of course, he is still in denial saying that there was nothing done that was improper in the firings of the eight U.S. attorneys, blah, blah, blah.

      I guess that he hasn't read some of the emails and documents released   this past week which are saying that Mr. Gonzales is a liar. 

    I know that I did not -- and would not -- ask for the resignation of any U.S. attorney for an improper reason. Furthermore, I have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason.     Alberto Gonzales

       Better read those emails, idiot, before you go and perjure yourself.

     

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