The Truth Handler: October 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Polish Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk said his future government would seek to end the nation's military mission in Iraq next year, according to an interview published Wednesday.

The Associated Press: Report: Poland May Pull Out of Iraq

International Coalition of the Not-So-Willing...

U.S. World's Biggest Debtor Nation (25 year ago, biggest creditor)

The mystery of the missing $2.9 trillion | csmonitor.com

To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders

The White House plans to try implementing as much new policy as it can by administrative order while stepping up its confrontational rhetoric with Congress after concluding that President Bush cannot do much business with the Democratic leadership, administration officials said.According to those officials, Bush and his advisers blame Democrats for the holdup of Judge Michael B. Mukasey's nomination to be attorney general, the failure to pass any of the 12 annual spending bills, and what they see as their refusal to involve the White House in any meaningful negotiations over the stalemated children's health-care legislation.

To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders - washingtonpost.com

Using more administrative orders to implement new "policy." I'm pretty sure that's not how Schoolhouse Rock told me the U.S. government works in its epic, "I'm only a bill."

China Rebuffs Israel on Iran Sanctions

China Tuesday rejected Israel's call for tougher sanctions against Iran.Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni met with Premier Wen Jiabao to ask China to support new sanctions against Iran. But Wen rejected the idea.

China rebuffs Israel on Iran sanctions_Politics—China Economic Net

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Hugh Hewitt and a Ron Paul Supporter

During WWII, U.S. Gives Japanese Officer 15 Years Hard Labor for Waterboarding "War Crime"

[In] 1947, the United States charged a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, with war crimes for carrying out another form of waterboarding on a U.S. civilian. The subject was strapped on a stretcher that was tilted so that his feet were in the air and head near the floor, and small amounts of water were poured over his face, leaving him gasping for air until he agreed to talk.

Pensito Review » Mukasey Won’t Say Waterboarding Is Torture But in 1947 the U.S. Called It a War Crime, Sentenced Enemy Officer to 15 Years Hard Labor

Monday, October 29, 2007

Katrina Aid Goes Toward Luxury Condos

Katrina aid goes toward luxury condos - USATODAY.com

This is how tax money works. Liberals assume it helps the poor, but the reality is that the rich figure out a way to make it work for them most of the time.

Blackwater Bodyguards Given Immunity!?

The State Department promised Blackwater USA
bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last
month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has
learned.

Immunity deal hampers Blackwater inquiry - Yahoo! News

Overloaded VA System Forced to Turn Away Veterans

"Two Tampa Bay veterans hospitals turn away critically ill patients for huge chunks of the year because of an overloaded veterans’ health care system."

Two VA hospitals forced to turn away patients - Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army Times

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Turkey Launches Air Strikes on N. Iraq with Plane We Sold Them

Crooks and Liars » Turkish Air Force Strikes Targets Inside Iraq

Friday, October 26, 2007

Iraqi Government Budgeting Computer Down for a Month...No One Notices

The U.S. spent at least $38 million to give Iraq's government a computerized accounting system -- and no one noticed when it was not working for a month, a report said Wednesday.It was the latest in a series of reports from the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen Jr., that detailed slow progress on some projects and waste and chaos in the management of another.

azdailysun.com - National News

FEMA Holds Staged Press Conference Where Questions Asked by FEMA Employees

But something didn't seem right. The reporters were lobbing too many softballs. No one asked about trailers with formaldehyde for those made homeless by the fires. And the media seemed to be giving Johnson all day to wax on and on about FEMA's greatness...Of course, that could be because the questions were asked by FEMA staffers playing reporters. We're told the questions were asked by Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of external affairs, and by "Mike" Widomski, the deputy director of public affairs. Director of External Affairs John "Pat" Philbin asked a question, and another came, we understand, from someone who sounds like press aide Ali Kirin.

Al Kamen - FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be . . . FEMA - washingtonpost.com

Remember in elementary school when they told us that the U.S. had a government of, by, and for the people? I don't think that's true anymore, if it ever was.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The "Frightening Erosion" of Constitutional Protections

"This notion that presidents in our system of government don't have to carry out laws authorized by Congress is absolutely preposterous," the speaker said. "If that were the case - if Congress's laws are merely advisory - why would you need a veto?" A president who disapproves of a bill should say so in a veto message - that's why the Constitution gives him veto power. Bush's hundreds of signing statements are an "open power grab" that Americans should find intolerable. "We ought to be adamantly opposed to any claim that the president doesn't have to abide by laws that Congress has passed and he has signed."

Debating the scope of presidential power - The Boston Globe

Please read up and understand "signing statements" and their increased use.

Add a Portion of California Wildfires Damage to Cost of Bush's War

In California, half of the equipment the National Guard needs is not in the state, either because it is deployed in Iraq or other parts of the world or because it hasn’t been funded, according to Lt. Col. John Siepmann. While the Guard is in good shape to handle small-scale incidents, “our concern is a catastrophic event,” he said. “You would see a less effective response (to a major incident),” he said.

Think Progress » CA Guard Warned Of ‘Less Effective Response’ To Fires Due To Equipment Shortages Caused By Iraq

Bush (2003): War Will Cost $50 Billion

In the runup to the Iraq war in 2003, Bush administration officials said that forcibly changing regimes in Iraq should cost somewhere around $50 billion, and would be financed mostly through selling Iraqi oil...

"It's amazing to me that the President expects to be taken seriously when he says we cannot afford $20 billion in investments in education, health, law enforcement and science, but he doesn't blink an eye at asking to borrow $200 billion for a policy in Iraq that leaves us six months from now exactly where we were six months ago," House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI), said in a statement Monday.

Iraq, Afghanistan could cost $2.4 trillion - Oct. 24, 2007 - CNN.com

Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 10/24/2007 | Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ

House Budget Committee's Hearing on CBO's $2.4 Trillion Estimate of War Costs Attended by ONE Person in "Fiscal Conservative" Party

The House Budget Committee held a hearing today to receive testimony regarding the CBO’s estimate that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars may total $2.4 trillion. Only one Republican member of the committee attended. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) noted their absence:

Doggett: “I assume, by Mr. [Paul] Ryan (R-WI) being here, that every member of this panel, including every Republican member on that side of the aisle where all the seats are vacant, received notice about this hearing about the cost of war in Iraq?”

Spratt: “I’m sure they did.”

Doggett: “And when was this notice of the hearing sent out?” Spratt: “Seven days ago, as required by the rules.”

Think Progress » Conservatives too busy for hearing on Iraq war’s cost.

How Important are the Polls Showing Ron Paul with Low Numbers?

The Pew Research Center has released a new poll showing that 41% of Americans responding are unable to come up with the names of any Republican presidential candidates without prompting. In contrast, only 19% are unable to name even one Democratic candidate.

The Raw Story | Poll: 41% of Americans unable to name any GOP candidates

Group Sues KBR on Behalf of Taxpayers for Defrauding U.S. Whose Side Does DoJ Take? KBR's!

The People vs. the Profiteers: Politics & Power: vanityfair.com

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Global Poll: Country with Worst Influence? 1st: Iran 2nd: U.S.

Poll shows global opposition to Iran - and U.S. - Yahoo! News

CBO Estimates War to Cost $2.4 Trillion

The U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost taxpayers a total of $2.4 trillion by 2017 when counting the huge interest costs because combat is being financed with borrowed money, according to a study released on Wednesday.

U.S. CBO estimates $2.4 trillion long-term war costs | Politics | Reuters

...divide by 300 million, and that works out to $8000 per man, woman, and child. What's that, roughly $30,000 per household? Yeah right, Republicans are for fiscal responsibility. Bush actually had the gall to veto an infrastructure bill (to build U.S. bridges, not Iraqi ones we blew up) because it was $5 billion instead of $4 billion, then tout his diligence against the frivolous spending of congress.

Torture Directive Came Right from Rumsfeld

A recently disclosed FBI memo indicates that "marching orders" to abandon traditional interrogation methods came from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld himself.

Torture begins at the top - Salon.com

Monday, October 22, 2007

Muslim Terrorist Group Armed, Funded, Trained with American Tax Dollars

"It's scandalous," writes Klein. "In the midst of America's war on terror, the U.S. is perpetuating terrorism to the point where the most active Palestinian jihad group is carrying out regular attacks, including shootings and bombings, using American-provided weapons, funding and training."

WorldNetDaily: Accusation: U.S. trained terrorists

Benjamin Franklin Says Revolutionary War was Over Central Banking

“The Colonies would gladly have borne the little tax on tea and other matters had it not been the poverty caused by the bad influence of the English bankers on the Parliament, which has caused in the Colonies hatred of England and the Revolutionary War.”

How Benjamin Franklin Made New England Prosperous « Friends of the American Revolution

Bill Richardson (D) Suggests Linking Congressional and Presidental Pay to Deficit Reduction

Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson wants to link congressional and presidential pay raises to deficit reduction, though he acknowledged Sunday that the idea would never see the light of day.

FOXNews.com - Bill Richardson Links Congress' Raises to Deficit Reduction - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

Wait a minute, Republicans are telling me that Democrats are frivolous spenders of our tax money?

Bush Has Been Planning to Go to War with Iran for Years

Two former high-ranking policy experts from the Bush Administration say the U.S. has been gearing up for a war with Iran for years, despite claiming otherwise. It'll be Iraq all over again.

Print The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran That the White House Doesn't Want You to Know

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Garry Kasparov on How Oil Keeps Putin in Power

Plame's Job Was to Keep Nukes from Iran

CBS News has confirmed, in advance of a 60 Minutes interview with outed CIA agent Valerie Plame to be run this Sunday, that Plame "was involved in operations to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons."

The Raw Story | CBS confirms 2006 Raw Story scoop: Plame's job was to keep nukes from Iran

Friday, October 19, 2007

U.S. Government Spending as % of GDP (1929-2003)

Carried Away: U.S. Government Spending As a Percentage of GDP [Superseded]

The orange line goes from 3% to 20%. Are you trying to tell me the least-squares line for those lines isn't up?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Military Donations to Ron Paul Higher than ANY Candidate from EITHER Party

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, the congressman from the Houston area who opposes the Iraq war, has gotten more contributions than any other White House contender from donors identified as affiliated with the military.

Paul, Obama draw support from military voters | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Support the troops...support Ron Paul.

Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S.

Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese companies to build a pair of enormous power plants, the Iraqi electricity minister said Tuesday. Word of the project prompted serious concerns among American military officials, who fear that Iranian commercial investments can mask military activities at a time of heightened tension with Iran.

Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S. - New York Times

Yep, this wonderful foreign policy is really endearing the Iraqi government to the U.S. and U.S. companies.

Finnish Lawmaker Reveals U.S. Secrectly Building 14 Permanent Bases in Iraq

Jaakko Laakso told a group of Arab journalists-- who visited the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki recently-- that "the bases are not the bases the US government plans to build on the Iraq borders with Syria, but they are permanent bases located in the heartland of the country. "

Press TV

Ron Paul, Again, Raises More in Q3 from Soldiers than Other Republican Candidates

Ron Paul: $40,000
McCain: $21,000
Thompson: $20,000
Huckabee: $6,610
Romney: $5,710
Guiliani: $4,500

Ron Paul receives the most military donations among Republicans AGAIN in Q3 » The Truth @ The Spin Factor

I thought the Neocons were trying to tell me that if you wanted to end the war, you didn't "support the troops." But, the troops seem to support the guy who wants to end the war. How strange!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

DOD Sought Citizens' Bank Records

The American Civil Liberties Union said Sunday that newly uncovered documents show that the Pentagon secretly sent hundreds of letters seeking the financial records of private citizens without court approval.The ACLU said an analysis of 455 so-called national security letters issued after Sept. 11, 2001 shows that the Pentagon collaborated with the FBI to circumvent the law and may have overstepped its legal authority to obtain financial and credit records. The ACLU has been reviewing the letters and the accompanying documentation over the past few days.

ACLU: DoD sought citizens’ bank records - Army News

Monday, October 15, 2007

The Growth of the Federal Government

Today's economy is 8 TIMES more federal government spending dependent, compared to prior generations.

FSO Editorials: "Federal Government Spending Report - Update 2007" by Michael W. Hodges 10/09/2007

Bush Loves Bald Black Guys' Heads

Appointees Running Many Fed Agencies Just So Bush Can Avoid Congressional Confirmations

More than a quarter of the department’s 93 United States attorneys around the country are “acting.”At the top of the Department of Homeland Security, there is an acting general counsel, acting under secretary for national protection and acting assistant secretary for strategic plans. At the Department of Health and Human Services, the $600 billion-a-year Medicare and Medicaid programs have had an acting administrator since last fall.

White House Is Leaning on Interim Appointments - New York Times

Sunday, October 14, 2007

U.S. Ranks 41st in Maternal Mortality

The U.S. ranks 41st in a new analysis of maternal mortality rates in 171 countries released by a group of U.N. public health experts on Friday. The survey shows that even a developing country like South Korea is ahead of the United States.

HEALTH: Maternal Mortality Shames Superpower U.S.

Chart: U.S. R&D on Alternative Energy vs. Iraq

A sick graph @ Solar Power Rocks!

This is the chart that keeps Putin and Chavez in power, and hinders democratic reforms around the world. Oil at $90/barrel does not help the U.S. economy, nor its efforts to spread democracy and freedom around the world. Solar and wind power are democratic energy sources because they can be used virtually everywhere. They take political power out of dictators hands because who owns the land over oil is no longer important.

Bush Started Listening to Americans' Phone Calls BEFORE 9/11

Former CEO Says U.S. Punished Phone Firm - washingtonpost.com

For all you Neocon apologists who answer, "9/11" to any question as to why you're OK with Bush doing things contradictory to the Constitution, read this. His fascist, totalitarian tendencies were already there.

Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV'

Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products.

Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV' - Independent Online Edition > Americas

Wow. Add propaganda to the list now. How does this guy still have supporters?

US-Russia missile defense talks fail

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned President Bush's top two Cabinet officials on Friday to back off U.S. missile defense plans for eastern Europe as high-level talks yielded little more than a pledge to meet again.

US-Russia missile defense talks fail - Yahoo! News

We make them rich by staying dependant on their oil, we make them paranoid by having a unilateral, pre-emptive foreign policy, we give their leaders moral justification for spying, torturing, and detaining without legal representation of their own citizens, and we destroy the U.S.'s reputation as the shining beacon on the hill, so the citizens of Russia have fewer role models in the world with which to demand change...then we question why Putin acts so boldly and refuses to work with us.

Blackwater Guards Disarm U.S. Soldiers and Make Them Lie on Ground

The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV.

Does Blackwater Play By Its Own Rules in Iraq? - Newsweek: World News - MSNBC.com

Blackwater Guards Fired At Fleeing Civilians

Blackwater USA guards shot at Iraqi civilians as they tried to drive away from a Baghdad square on Sept. 16, according to a report compiled by the first U.S. soldiers to arrive at the scene, where they found no evidence that Iraqis had fired weapons.

Soldiers: Blackwater guards fired at fleeing cars - Washington Post - MSNBC.com

US General Damns Iraq 'Nightmare'

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US general damns Iraq 'nightmare'

Gen Ricardo Sanchez: US leaders "incompetent" and "corrupted". Calls Iraq "a nightmare with no end in sight".

Nevada Straw Poll: Romney Shows Up, Ron Paul Wins

Ron Paul won the GOP presidential straw poll conducted by organizers at the Conservative Leadership Conference held at the Nugget Casino this weekend “by a large margin,” according to an organizer.Paul won with 32 percent, McCain came in second with 17 percent, Hunter was third with 15 percent, and "Romney was in the lower numbers because people came out for his event but they just didn't vote for him," according to organizer and McCain operative Paul Jackson.

Despite Showing Up In Person, Romney Loses Nev. Straw Poll - First Read - msnbc.com

Friday, October 12, 2007

NSA punishes Qwest for refusing to spy on Americans

Documents released in an insider trading trial yesterday reveal that “the National Security Agency and other government agencies retaliated against Qwest because the Denver telco refused to go along with a phone spying program.” In the documents, former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio is quoted as saying “the request was both inappropriate and illegal, and repeatedly refusing to go along with it.” Nacchio’s lawyer said the CEO “refused to turn over customer telephone records because he didn’t think the NSA program had legal standing.”

Think Progress » NSA punishes Qwest for refusing to spy on Americans.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Ron Paul: A New Hope

Tumors Found on 225 Italian Soldiers Serving in MidEast

A total of 255 Italian troops have contracted tumours in missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and the Balkans over the ten years from 1996 to 2006. Thirty-seven, or 14.5%, have died. The information came in a statement made by the defence minister, Arturo Parisi, to the Senate commission of inquiry into depleted uranium. In the same period, 1,427 troops not involved in missions abroad also contracted tumours.

Corriere.it

Number Of U.S. Army Recruits With Criminal Records Doubles

The U.S. Army met its recruiting goals for the last year but enlisted thousands of new soldiers with criminal records and fewer who have earned high school diplomas, according to figures released Wednesday.

Number Of U.S. Army Recruits With Criminal Records Doubles - Politics on The Huffington Post

They're having to reach deeper into the apple barrel to get people to go fight this thing. The next Ken Burns documentary on this war won't be the same, will it? The uneducated and criminal don't make as good an interview as "The Greatest Generation."

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

MN Solders Brought Home One Day Short of Receiving Full Benefits

Nearly half the members of one of the longest serving U.S. military units in Iraq are not eligible for a more generous military educational benefit, with some falling one day short of eligibility.

The Associated Press: Minnesota Soldiers' Benefits Fall Short

Turkey Begins Shelling Northern Iraq

Turkey is shelling suspected Kurdish rebel camps across the border in northern Iraq, a newspaper reported Wednesday, but the government appeared unlikely to move toward sending ground troops until next week.

Turkey Shells Rebels in Northern Iraq

Ron Paul on Chris Matthews

List of Countries Left in Coalition of the Willing

List of countries that still belong to U.S.-led coalition in Iraq - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Spy Flies Found at Political Events (with pic)

FOXNews.com - Spy Flies All the Buzz at Washington, N.Y. Political Events - Technology News | News On Technology

Keeping Marijuana Illegal Costs $70 Billion Annually

A new study finds the marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion a year in law enforcement, diverts $113 billion from the legal economy, and loses a whopping $31.1 billion in revenue annually.

MotherJones.com | MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: Marijuana Laws Cost Taxpayers Billions

Remember, right-wingers are the ones telling you the left is for big government and "spending."

Army needs three to four years to recover from Iraq strains: chief

AFP: Army needs three to four years to recover from Iraq strains: chief

Monday, October 8, 2007

Polls: Bush's Numbers Closer to Nixon than Clinton for Impeachment

In March 2006, the Wall Street Journal found that public support for impeaching President Bush was nearly twice the peak support for impeaching President Clinton. This was in spite of eight years of 24/7 scandal mongering and impeachment talk and an actual impeachment trial in Clinton's case, and a virtual news blackout on the grassroots movement to impeach Bush.

Professor Smartass: Bush impeachment polls more like Nixon than Clinton

Isolationism vs. Non-Interventionism by Ron Paul

A non-interventionist foreign policy is not an isolationist foreign policy. It is quite the opposite. Under a Paul administration, the United States would trade freely with any nation that seeks to engage with us. American citizens would be encouraged to visit other countries and interact with other peoples rather than be told by their own government that certain countries are off limits to them...

It is not we non-interventionists who are isolationsists. The real isolationists are those who impose sanctions and embargoes on countries and peoples across the globe because they disagree with the internal and foreign policies of their leaders. The real isolationists are those who choose to use force overseas to promote democracy, rather than seek change through diplomacy, engagement, and by setting a positive example.

Union Leader - Rep. Ron Paul: I advocate the same foreign policy the Founding Fathers would - Monday, Oct. 8, 2007

Isolationist: N. Korea
Non-Interventionist: Switzerland

U.S. Embassy in Iraq Bigger than Vatican

The embassy, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world, was budgeted at $592 million. The core project was supposed to have been completed by last month, but the timetable has slipped so much that the State Department has sought and received permission from the Iraqi government to allow about 2,000 non-Iraqi construction employees to stay in the country until March.

Iraq Embassy Cost Rises $144 Million Amid Project Delays - washingtonpost.com

Yet Another Report Saying War on Terror Making Terror Worse, Not Better

The so-called War on Terror has been a "disaster" and British military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan must be fundamentally changed if al Qaida is to be defeated, a new report states.The report, by the Oxford Research Group think tank, calls for major changes in foreign policy and warns of the dangers of military action against Iran.Iraq has become a training ground for violent jihadists and British and US forces should withdraw from the country immediately, it adds.

War on terror has been a 'disaster' | UK Latest | Guardian Unlimited

Saturday, October 6, 2007

U.S. Interrogation in WWII

"We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or Ping-Pong than they do today, with their torture..."

Fort Hunt's Quiet Men Break Silence on WWII

Nearly two dozen previously unknown Iraqi insurgent groups announced a new coalition to fight foreign occupation but it also set conditions for talks with the U.S. in a statement on a Web site affiliated with the country's deposed Baath party.

Iraq Insurgents Unite To Fight U.S.

ABC News Coverage of Ron Paul

When the Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal opinion in December 2004, the Bush administration appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential authority to order brutal interrogations. But soon after Alberto R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures.

Secret U.S. Endorsement of Severe Interrogations - New York Times

Congress Gives Military $2.5 Billion Worth of Airplanes They Don't Want

Defense bill provides home for earmarks | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Ron Paul Raises $5 Million in Q3

Ron Paul's 114 percent increase is in stark contrast to the decrease suffered by Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain. Romney's fundraising was down 29 percent. Giuliani was down 40 percent. McCain was down 55 percent.

Ron Paul 2008: Press Release: Third Quarter Fundraising

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

What Does $87 Billion Look Like

A Little Visual Perspective on the $87 billion being spent on Iraq by Xinjo.com

Former Bush Lawyer Admits Eavesdropping Program Illegal

A former top lawyer for the Bush administration on Tuesday said that parts of the President Bush's controversial eavesdropping program were illegal.

Legality of Eavesdropping Questioned | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited

Israel says it bombed Syria

Nearly a month after a mysterious Israeli military airstrike in Syria generated political aftershocks from Washington to North Korea, the Israeli government lifted its official veil of secrecy Tuesday.It didn't provide much new information about what took place on Sept. 6, however. While its government censor cleared the way for journalists here to report that the incident had taken place, rigid rules remained in effect that ban reporting what the target was, what troops were involved or why the strike was ordered.

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 10/02/2007 | Israel says it bombed Syria, but why remains a mystery

OK folks, next time the Neocons throw the 'ol "poor Israelis" thing at you, show them this unprovoked attack.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Army is worn too thin, says general

The Army's top officer, General George Casey, told Congress yesterday that his branch of the military has been stretched so thin by the war in Iraq that it can not adequately respond to another conflict - one of the strongest warnings yet from a military leader that repeated deployments to war zones in the Middle East have hamstrung the military's ability to deter future aggression. (emphasis mine)

Casey tells Congress Army is stretched too thin - The Boston Globe

Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions

Seven chancellors and presidents of Iranian universities and research centers, in a letter addressed to their counterpart in the US Colombia University, denounced Lee Bollinger's insulting words against the Iranian nation and president and invited him to provide responses for 10 questions of the Iranian academicians and intellectuals.

Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions > NewHeavenNewEarth > News Articles Archive

Iraqis say Basra quieter after British troop pullout

"Residents of Iraq's southern city of Basra have begun strolling riverfront streets again after four years of fear, their city much quieter since British troops withdrew from the grand Saddam Hussein-era Basra Palace."

Iraqis say Basra quieter after British troop pullout | Reuters

Where's the "bloodbath," Neocons? Another of your predictions wrong. What a surprise!

China Military Might Grows as U.S. Distracted

"While the U.S. has been tied up in Iraq, China is modernizing its military and its air defenses are now nearly impenetrable to all but the newest of American fighters, the senior U.S. military official in Japan said."

China's Military Nearly Impenetrable

Christian Conservatives Weigh Abandoning GOP

ABC News: 'Giuliani Is Beyond the Pale': Christian Conservatives Weigh Abandoning GOP