Record since 04-26-05
Win (120)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (310)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: DREAMINTHENITEAWAY (Won)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Windsor Raceway
Race # 10
Horse: THISHORSEWILLFLY (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 3
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Harness Racing Picks for 07-31-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (119)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (30)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: DREAMINTHENITEAWAY
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Windsor Raceway
Race # 10
Horse: THISHORSEWILLFLY
Post Position: # 3
Win (119)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (30)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: DREAMINTHENITEAWAY
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Windsor Raceway
Race # 10
Horse: THISHORSEWILLFLY
Post Position: # 3
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Harness Racing Results for 07-30-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (119)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (30)
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 8
Horse: TABOR MOON (Won)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 11
Horse: ANVIL THE MAN (Scratched)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 2
Horse: FALCONS FOLLY (Won)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 2
Horse: LORI LOUISE (Won)
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 8
Horse: MYPANNER (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 7
Race # 9
Horse: MEDOLAND CARTER (Won)
Post Position: # 6
Race # 13
Horse: PERFECT PANDEROSA (Won)
Post Position: # 5
Win (119)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (30)
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 8
Horse: TABOR MOON (Won)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 11
Horse: ANVIL THE MAN (Scratched)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 2
Horse: FALCONS FOLLY (Won)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 2
Horse: LORI LOUISE (Won)
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 8
Horse: MYPANNER (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 7
Race # 9
Horse: MEDOLAND CARTER (Won)
Post Position: # 6
Race # 13
Horse: PERFECT PANDEROSA (Won)
Post Position: # 5
On Sunday, It All Starts Again
STEELERS.COM
How will the NFL respond to Ben Roethlisberger in his second season as a starting quarterback? How will Roethlisberger respond to that response? Will it be Antwaan Randle El or Cedrick Wilson starting at wide receiver with Plaxico Burress now with the New York Giants? Will any of the young cornerbacks – Ike Taylor, Ricardo Colclough or Bryant McFadden – make a serious push for playing time? How is Heath Miller going to fit into the passing game? Is Max Starks ready to be a starter?
It’s training camp season in the NFL, and for the Steelers it begins with all players having to report to St. Vincent College by 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 31.
Training camp is the place a team goes to find answers to these kinds of questions, it’s the place a team goes to remember how to be competitive.
During their 26 days in Latrobe, the Steelers will find most of the answers to the questions of personnel and playing time, all the while trying to build the foundation they hope will allow them to achieve their goal, which is to win a championship.
One of the two of the most laudable characteristics of the 2004 Steelers was their ability to have players step in for injured teammates with little or no drop-off in performance, and the other was the way in which the team navigated the 17-week regular season with a one-game-at-a-time tunnel vision. Both of those characteristics were formed at training camp.
“Where you start is so much based on where you finished the previous year, because that’s the reality of where you are,” said Coach Bill Cowher. “But starting that way doesn’t mean you don’t still have to build that foundation. This is going to be a tough camp. It’s going to be very demanding. It’s going to be very competitive. It’s going to test their focus. We’re not trying to live up to a 15-1 record and the idea of, how do you do better than that? The bottom line is we were 1-1 in the postseason, and we have to do better than that.”
Cowher has promised a competitive training camp, and based on the success the team had last season following just such a camp, the players can be sure he’s not going to break his promise.
In a lot of ways, the Steelers go to their training camp with fewer issues than most of their competition. Cowher’s entire staff of assistants returns intact, and all 11 defensive starters (at least the starters over the second half of the season and the playoffs) return. The offense has to replace Burress, plus Keydrick Vincent and Oliver Ross on the right side of the offensive line, but Vincent was a replacement for starter Kendall Simmons in the first place, and Starks came along nicely at right tackle as his rookie year progressed.
But all of that’s on paper, and very little in the NFL transpires according to the way it’s originally drawn up. The Steelers are going to have issues arise, and they’re going to have to resolve them; they’re going to have adversity, and they’re going to have to overcome it. Just as they did so well last year, starting with Simmons going down with a season-ending knee injury, which happened during a training camp practice.
“We have to go back up to training camp and create that foundation,” said Cowher. “It’s not like we’re building a building and can just finish the thing off. We’re back at the foundation, back at the bottom and we’re building our way back up. There’s no easy way of doing it, and it’s part of the process.
“There’s going to be a new collection of 53 players, and there are going to be some new roles that players will have to accept going in, and there are going to be a set of challenges this team will have to respond to throughout the course of 16 games. There’s going to be a greater scrutiny on this football team because of some of the expectations. With that, you have to be careful not to overreact to some situations, but there’s going to be some adversities to come up and how we respond to that week in and week out largely will determine the outcome of the season.”
Scrutiny always is going to exist for the Steelers, because football is king in Western Pennsylvania, and the Steelers are the area’s favorite football team. But the increased scrutiny to which Cowher referred can be expected to come nationally, because a 15-1 team that was defeated in the conference championship round by the eventual Super Bowl winner is going to go into the following season with a target on its back.
“It will be a demanding camp,” said Cowher. “The one thing I like about these guys is you have to know how to compete within your own team. This team always has been able to make practices very competitive, but in doing that you have to be careful that you make sure to leave it all on the field. You don’t want to take those things into the locker room.
“These guys will get to the point where it will be competitive, it will get physical. There will be a lot of emotion when you put the pads on and it gets hot and it gets to be about the second or third week at camp and you’re seeing these same guys, it starts to get old fast. Those four weeks we’re up these seem like four months. It will get competitive and there will be some skirmishes, I’m sure, but that’s not always all bad.”
Not if it helps a team become a team.
Harness Racing Picks for 07-30-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (114)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 8
Horse: TABOR MOON
Post Position: # 5
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 11
Horse: ANVIL THE MAN
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 2
Horse: FALCONS FOLLY
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 2
Horse: LORI LOUISE
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 8
Horse: MYPANNER
Post Position: # 7
Race # 9
Horse: MEDOLAND CARTER
Post Position: # 6
Race # 13
Horse: PERFECT PANDEROSA
Post Position: # 5
Win (114)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 8
Horse: TABOR MOON
Post Position: # 5
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 11
Horse: ANVIL THE MAN
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 2
Horse: FALCONS FOLLY
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 2
Horse: LORI LOUISE
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 8
Horse: MYPANNER
Post Position: # 7
Race # 9
Horse: MEDOLAND CARTER
Post Position: # 6
Race # 13
Horse: PERFECT PANDEROSA
Post Position: # 5
Friday, July 29, 2005
CA Sec'y Of State: Diebold 10% failure rate "not good enough for voters"
State rejects e-voting systemCounties scramble to replace Diebold machines
After possibly the most extensive testing ever on a voting system, California has rejected Diebold's flagship electronic voting machine because of printer jams and screen freezes, sending local elections officials scrambling for other means of voting.
"There was a failure rate of about 10 percent, and that's not good enough for the voters of California and not good enough for me," said Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.
If the machines had been used in an actual election, the result could have been frustrated poll workers and long lines for thousands of voters, said elections officials and voter advocates on Thursday. "We certainly can't take any kind of risk like that with this kind of device on California voters," McPherson said. Rejection of the TSx by California, the nation's largest voting system market, could influence local elections officials from Utah to Mississippi and Ohio, home of Diebold corporate headquarters, where dozens of counties are poised to purchase the latest Diebold touchscreen.
State elections officials in Ohio say they still have confidence in the machines.
After possibly the most extensive testing ever on a voting system, California has rejected Diebold's flagship electronic voting machine because of printer jams and screen freezes, sending local elections officials scrambling for other means of voting.
"There was a failure rate of about 10 percent, and that's not good enough for the voters of California and not good enough for me," said Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.
If the machines had been used in an actual election, the result could have been frustrated poll workers and long lines for thousands of voters, said elections officials and voter advocates on Thursday. "We certainly can't take any kind of risk like that with this kind of device on California voters," McPherson said. Rejection of the TSx by California, the nation's largest voting system market, could influence local elections officials from Utah to Mississippi and Ohio, home of Diebold corporate headquarters, where dozens of counties are poised to purchase the latest Diebold touchscreen.
State elections officials in Ohio say they still have confidence in the machines.
U.S. Army to Leave 13 Bases in Germany
BERLIN - The U.S. Army will pull out of 13 bases in southern Germany as part of its repositioning of American forces around the world, its European headquarters said Friday.
Eleven bases in and around the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg will be handed over to the German government by September 2007, the Army's European headquarters in Heidelberg said. Two more bases near Wuerzburg will close and be handed over in subsequent years.
While facilities like the huge Ramstein Air Base, a hub for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are being retained, Washington is bringing many units home and opening smaller, more flexible bases abroad to respond to new threats such as international terrorism.
The new bases will host U.S.-based troops rotating through for shorter periods of time, without the schools and family housing that went with Cold War-era bases.
Eleven bases in and around the Bavarian city of Wuerzburg will be handed over to the German government by September 2007, the Army's European headquarters in Heidelberg said. Two more bases near Wuerzburg will close and be handed over in subsequent years.
While facilities like the huge Ramstein Air Base, a hub for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are being retained, Washington is bringing many units home and opening smaller, more flexible bases abroad to respond to new threats such as international terrorism.
The new bases will host U.S.-based troops rotating through for shorter periods of time, without the schools and family housing that went with Cold War-era bases.
U.S. Evicted From Air Base In Uzbekistan
WP
Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page A01
Uzbekistan formally evicted the United States yesterday from a military base that has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday.
In a highly unusual move, the notice of eviction from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, was delivered by a courier from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, said a senior U.S. administration official involved in Central Asia policy. The message did not give a reason. Uzbekistan will give the United States 180 days to move aircraft, personnel and equipment, U.S. officials said.
If Uzbekistan follows through, as Washington expects, the United States will face several logistical problems for its operations in Afghanistan. Scores of flights have used K2 monthly. It has been a landing base to transfer humanitarian goods that then are taken by road into northern Afghanistan, particularly to Mazar-e Sharif -- with no alternative for a region difficult to reach in the winter. K2 is also a refueling base with a runway long enough for large military aircraft. The alternative is much costlier midair refueling.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld returned this week from Central Asia, where he won assurances from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that the United States can use its bases for operations in Afghanistan. U.S. forces use Tajikistan for emergency landings and occasional refueling, but it lacks good roads into Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan does not border Afghanistan.
Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page A01
Uzbekistan formally evicted the United States yesterday from a military base that has served as a hub for combat and humanitarian missions to Afghanistan since shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pentagon and State Department officials said yesterday.
In a highly unusual move, the notice of eviction from Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, was delivered by a courier from the Uzbek Foreign Ministry to the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, said a senior U.S. administration official involved in Central Asia policy. The message did not give a reason. Uzbekistan will give the United States 180 days to move aircraft, personnel and equipment, U.S. officials said.
If Uzbekistan follows through, as Washington expects, the United States will face several logistical problems for its operations in Afghanistan. Scores of flights have used K2 monthly. It has been a landing base to transfer humanitarian goods that then are taken by road into northern Afghanistan, particularly to Mazar-e Sharif -- with no alternative for a region difficult to reach in the winter. K2 is also a refueling base with a runway long enough for large military aircraft. The alternative is much costlier midair refueling.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld returned this week from Central Asia, where he won assurances from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that the United States can use its bases for operations in Afghanistan. U.S. forces use Tajikistan for emergency landings and occasional refueling, but it lacks good roads into Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan does not border Afghanistan.
Harness Racing Results for 07-29-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (114)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Ocean Downs
Race # 1
Horse: ALBERTS DRIFTER (Won)
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: UP FRONT DRAGONFLY (Won)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 6
Horse: PROUD CHIPPER (Won)
Post Position: # 1
Win (114)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Ocean Downs
Race # 1
Horse: ALBERTS DRIFTER (Won)
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: UP FRONT DRAGONFLY (Won)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 6
Horse: PROUD CHIPPER (Won)
Post Position: # 1
North Carolina Republican Switched Vote on CAFTA
For weeks, Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., was colorfully adamant in his opposition to the Central American Free Trade Agreement. "What does CAFTA sound like? NAFTA," Hayes declared. "It's not in the best interests of a core constituency I represent. Every time I drive through Kannapolis and I see those empty plants, I know there is no way I could vote for CAFTA."
But an hour into what is normally a 15-minute roll call - and still short the votes needed to avoid handing President Bush an embarrassing defeat - Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told Hayes he could promise increased GOP attention to the challenges China poses to the domestic textile industry.
Hayes switched his vote, and the agreement passed 217-215.
Democrats vow to make Hayes' change of heart an issue when he seeks a fifth House term in 2006 from a textile-heavy district in a state where many voters blame the North American Free Trade Agreement for the loss of tens of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs in furniture and textiles over the past decade."Rarely have we seen a member of Congress so adamantly speak on one side of a position in public only to support the other side on the floor," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "Call it a flip-flop or a pander or whatever you want - to most North Carolinians I know, that's what's called simply not telling the truth to your voters."
In a telephone interview Thursday, Hayes said he had voted no when the clock ran out on CAFTA late Wednesday night, with the measure apparently headed to a 214-210 defeat. That's when House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked if Hayes was willing to switch."They came to me and said, 'Negotiations are open. Put on the table the things that your district and people need, and we'll get them,'" Hayes said.Hayes said he didn't have a laundry list of demands. But he said he told Hastert he wants the White House to step up enforcement of existing trade regulations with China and to impose sanctions if China continues flooding the U.S. market with textile imports. That was promised, he said.
But an hour into what is normally a 15-minute roll call - and still short the votes needed to avoid handing President Bush an embarrassing defeat - Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told Hayes he could promise increased GOP attention to the challenges China poses to the domestic textile industry.
Hayes switched his vote, and the agreement passed 217-215.
Democrats vow to make Hayes' change of heart an issue when he seeks a fifth House term in 2006 from a textile-heavy district in a state where many voters blame the North American Free Trade Agreement for the loss of tens of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs in furniture and textiles over the past decade."Rarely have we seen a member of Congress so adamantly speak on one side of a position in public only to support the other side on the floor," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "Call it a flip-flop or a pander or whatever you want - to most North Carolinians I know, that's what's called simply not telling the truth to your voters."
In a telephone interview Thursday, Hayes said he had voted no when the clock ran out on CAFTA late Wednesday night, with the measure apparently headed to a 214-210 defeat. That's when House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked if Hayes was willing to switch."They came to me and said, 'Negotiations are open. Put on the table the things that your district and people need, and we'll get them,'" Hayes said.Hayes said he didn't have a laundry list of demands. But he said he told Hastert he wants the White House to step up enforcement of existing trade regulations with China and to impose sanctions if China continues flooding the U.S. market with textile imports. That was promised, he said.
Harness Racing Picks for 07-29-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (111)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Ocean Downs
Race # 1
Horse: ALBERTS DRIFTER
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: UP FRONT DRAGONFLY
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 6
Horse: PROUD CHIPPER
Post Position: # 1
Win (111)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Ocean Downs
Race # 1
Horse: ALBERTS DRIFTER
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 5
Horse: UP FRONT DRAGONFLY
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 6
Horse: PROUD CHIPPER
Post Position: # 1
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Harness Racing Results for 07-28-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (111)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 9
Horse: ILLUSIONIST (Won)
Post Position: # 7
****************************
Maywood Park
Race # 11
Horse: NU DAY FOR MAC (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 3
****************************
The Meadowlands
Race # 7
Horse: SWEET SAKRA SUE (Place)
Post Position: # 7
Win (111)
Place (40)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (29)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 9
Horse: ILLUSIONIST (Won)
Post Position: # 7
****************************
Maywood Park
Race # 11
Horse: NU DAY FOR MAC (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 3
****************************
The Meadowlands
Race # 7
Horse: SWEET SAKRA SUE (Place)
Post Position: # 7
House Voting Machines from Diebold?
Talking Points Memo
Something very weird happened in the CAFTA vote last night. The bill passed the House by only two votes -- amidst what's been described as unprecedented arm-twisting and gaming on the floor.
One seemingly-strong opponent of the bill, Rep. Charles Taylor (R) of North Carolina, was reported this morning as not voting.
But he says that's not true. This morning his office was telling constituents that he had in fact voted "NO" and that the House clerk had "botched" the record and failed to record his vote.
Here is the statement his office just put out this morning ...
I voted NO on the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) in the vote last night. I informed the Majority Leader and the Appropriations Chairman I was voting no, as I had informed my constituents I was voting no. Rep. Howard Coble and I voted "no" together. Due to an error, my "no" vote did not record on the voting machine. The Clerk's computer logs verified that I had attempted to vote, but it did not show my "nay". I am re-inserting my "No" vote in the record. But even with my NO vote re-inserted, the bill still passed.
Something very weird happened in the CAFTA vote last night. The bill passed the House by only two votes -- amidst what's been described as unprecedented arm-twisting and gaming on the floor.
One seemingly-strong opponent of the bill, Rep. Charles Taylor (R) of North Carolina, was reported this morning as not voting.
But he says that's not true. This morning his office was telling constituents that he had in fact voted "NO" and that the House clerk had "botched" the record and failed to record his vote.
Here is the statement his office just put out this morning ...
I voted NO on the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) in the vote last night. I informed the Majority Leader and the Appropriations Chairman I was voting no, as I had informed my constituents I was voting no. Rep. Howard Coble and I voted "no" together. Due to an error, my "no" vote did not record on the voting machine. The Clerk's computer logs verified that I had attempted to vote, but it did not show my "nay". I am re-inserting my "No" vote in the record. But even with my NO vote re-inserted, the bill still passed.
Harness Racing Picks for 07-28-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (110)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 9
Horse: ILLUSIONIST
Post Position: # 7
****************************
Maywood Park
Race # 11
Horse: NU DAY FOR MAC
Post Position: # 3
****************************
The Meadowlands
Race # 7
Horse: SWEET SAKRA SUE
Post Position: # 7
Win (110)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 9
Horse: ILLUSIONIST
Post Position: # 7
****************************
Maywood Park
Race # 11
Horse: NU DAY FOR MAC
Post Position: # 3
****************************
The Meadowlands
Race # 7
Horse: SWEET SAKRA SUE
Post Position: # 7
Judge chides Bush administration's anti-terror tactics while sentencing would-be LA bomber
Seattle (AP) --
The sentence itself was fairly straightforward: An Algerian man received 22 years for plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium. It was what the judge said in imposing the term that raised eyebrows.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the successful prosecution of Ahmed Ressam should serve not only as a warning to terrorists, but as a statement to the Bush administration about its terrorism-fighting tactics.
"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," he said. "The message to the world from today's sentencing is that our courts have not abandoned our commitment to the ideals that set our nation apart."
He added that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have made Americans realize they are vulnerable to terrorism and that some believe "this threat renders our Constitution obsolete ... If that view is allowed to prevail, the terrorists will have won."
The sentence itself was fairly straightforward: An Algerian man received 22 years for plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium. It was what the judge said in imposing the term that raised eyebrows.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said the successful prosecution of Ahmed Ressam should serve not only as a warning to terrorists, but as a statement to the Bush administration about its terrorism-fighting tactics.
"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," he said. "The message to the world from today's sentencing is that our courts have not abandoned our commitment to the ideals that set our nation apart."
He added that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have made Americans realize they are vulnerable to terrorism and that some believe "this threat renders our Constitution obsolete ... If that view is allowed to prevail, the terrorists will have won."
Ex-CIA agent sues to publish Tora Bora account
Officer who helped lead mission says CIA is blocking publication of his book
WASHINGTON - The CIA is squelching publication of a new book detailing events leading up to Osama bin Laden’s escape from his Tora Bora mountain stronghold during the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, says a former CIA officer who led much of the fighting.
In a story he says he resigned from the agency to tell, Gary Berntsen recounts the attacks he coordinated at the peak of the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in late 2001, including how U.S. commanders knew bin Laden was in the rugged mountains near the Pakistani border and the al-Qaida leader’s much-discussed getaway.
Berntsen claims in a federal court lawsuit that the CIA is over-classifying his manuscript and has repeatedly missed deadlines written into its own regulations to review his book. His attorney, Roy Krieger, said he delivered papers to the U.S. District Court in Washington after hours Wednesday.
WASHINGTON - The CIA is squelching publication of a new book detailing events leading up to Osama bin Laden’s escape from his Tora Bora mountain stronghold during the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, says a former CIA officer who led much of the fighting.
In a story he says he resigned from the agency to tell, Gary Berntsen recounts the attacks he coordinated at the peak of the fighting in eastern Afghanistan in late 2001, including how U.S. commanders knew bin Laden was in the rugged mountains near the Pakistani border and the al-Qaida leader’s much-discussed getaway.
Berntsen claims in a federal court lawsuit that the CIA is over-classifying his manuscript and has repeatedly missed deadlines written into its own regulations to review his book. His attorney, Roy Krieger, said he delivered papers to the U.S. District Court in Washington after hours Wednesday.
Targeting the 15 Democratic Sellouts
BY David Sorota
We now know who the 15 Democrats are that each undermined their party and America's middle class tonight by casting the deciding vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The bill passed by one vote, meaning each of the 15 Democrats cast the deciding vote. When 27 Republicans vote against their own party leadership as they did on CAFTA, Democrats have only these 15 sellouts within their ranks to blame for the fact that the Democratic Party has been relegated to permanent minority status.
They 15 Democratic sellouts were:
Melissa Bean (IL)
Jim Cooper (TN)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Norm Dicks (WA)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX)
William Jefferson (LA)
Jim Matheson (UT)
Greg Meeks (NY)
Dennis Moore (KS)
Jim Moran (VA)
Solomon Ortiz (TX)
Ike Skelton (MO)
Vic Snyder (AR)
John Tanner (TN)
Ed Towns (NY)
Let's be clear - all of these people should never get a red cent from labor unions or the progressive community again, and that goes even for the ones who represent marginal districts. The idea that this was a "tough vote" for a Democrat who represents a swing district doesn't hold water - no one is getting voted out of office over voting against CAFTA, and voting for American workers. Remember, polls show that Americans are sick and tired of Congress passing these corporate-written "free" trade deals that sell out ordinary workers.
But, let's further break this down. Which of these 15 Members has CONSISTENTLY been selling out the Democratic Party and America's middle class? The way we find that out is by looking at other recent votes on key economic issues, such as the Bankruptcy Bill, and the bill to limit citizens' legal rights and protect corporations that abuse Americans.
Starting with bankruptcy, we get the list whittled down to 12: Bean, Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Jefferson, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran, Ortiz, Skelton and Tanner.
Moving to the bill that limits citizens' legal rights and protects corporations that abuse ordinary Americans, the list gets whittled down to 9: Bean, Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran and Tanner.
These are the 9 Democrats who are the difference between House Democrats being in the majority and the minority - they are the people who undermine the vast majority of honest/courageous Democrats who fight for ordinary people in Congress everyday. They are the ones who make it consistenly impossible for Democrats to deliver a message that they are the party that stands up for ordinary working people in this country. The fact is, if Democrats are going to be in the minority for the forseeable future, it would be better if these folks were defeated, because they do more harm than good to a party that desperately needs unity to let America knows what it stands for.
Again, while I have described why it is ridiculous to give a pass to any of these 9 because they represent marginal districts, even if you sort out for that factor the number barely changes. Winning with 55% or more of the vote is considered crushing an opponent - and only Melissa Bean falls under that threshold. The 8 others win by 55% or better, meaning they don't even have the pathetic/dishonest "I'm a marginal Member so I have to sell out American workers" excuse: Cooper (69%) , Cuellar (59%), Hinojosa (58%), Matheson (55%), Meeks (100% - unopposed), Moore (55%), Moran (60%), and Tanner (74%).
In an earlier post today, I mentioned that Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) ought to be frightened of a primary challenge from the Working Families Party and the progressive community in New York City. But he's not the only one on this list that better be nervous about their job as an insulated career politician. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), for instance, has been dogged by controversy throughout his career, including actually personally profiting from his previous sellouts to the credit card industry. Maybe this will be the vote that draws him the strong primary challenger needed to defeat him in his solidly progressive district.
To sum up - each of these 15 Democrats ought to pay a price at the polls for their brazen sell out tonight on CAFTA. They undermined their party and America's workers. And the 9 Democrats of these 15 that have been consistently stabbing the Democratic Party in the back - well, they have shown an unfathomable willingness to disregard anything other than corporate campaign cash. They are the reason why Americans are so cynical about the political process, why Democrats can't win key states like Ohio, and, in general, why Democrats are currently in permanent minority status.
Sources:
House roll call vote on CAFTA:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll443.xml
House roll call vote on the Bankruptcy Bill:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll108.xml
House roll call vote on limiting citizens' legal rights and protecting corporate abusers:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll038.xml
Melissa Bean election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/I...
Jim Cooper election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Henry Cuellar election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Ruben Hinojosa election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Jim Matheson election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/U...
Greg Meeks election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/N...
Dennis Moore election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/K...
Jim Moran election results: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/V...
John Tanner election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Greg Meeks should be worried:http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/07/which-dems-will-face...
Jim Moran should be worried – he is already scandal-plagued:http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33671-2002Jul...
We now know who the 15 Democrats are that each undermined their party and America's middle class tonight by casting the deciding vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The bill passed by one vote, meaning each of the 15 Democrats cast the deciding vote. When 27 Republicans vote against their own party leadership as they did on CAFTA, Democrats have only these 15 sellouts within their ranks to blame for the fact that the Democratic Party has been relegated to permanent minority status.
They 15 Democratic sellouts were:
Melissa Bean (IL)
Jim Cooper (TN)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Norm Dicks (WA)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX)
William Jefferson (LA)
Jim Matheson (UT)
Greg Meeks (NY)
Dennis Moore (KS)
Jim Moran (VA)
Solomon Ortiz (TX)
Ike Skelton (MO)
Vic Snyder (AR)
John Tanner (TN)
Ed Towns (NY)
Let's be clear - all of these people should never get a red cent from labor unions or the progressive community again, and that goes even for the ones who represent marginal districts. The idea that this was a "tough vote" for a Democrat who represents a swing district doesn't hold water - no one is getting voted out of office over voting against CAFTA, and voting for American workers. Remember, polls show that Americans are sick and tired of Congress passing these corporate-written "free" trade deals that sell out ordinary workers.
But, let's further break this down. Which of these 15 Members has CONSISTENTLY been selling out the Democratic Party and America's middle class? The way we find that out is by looking at other recent votes on key economic issues, such as the Bankruptcy Bill, and the bill to limit citizens' legal rights and protect corporations that abuse Americans.
Starting with bankruptcy, we get the list whittled down to 12: Bean, Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Jefferson, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran, Ortiz, Skelton and Tanner.
Moving to the bill that limits citizens' legal rights and protects corporations that abuse ordinary Americans, the list gets whittled down to 9: Bean, Cooper, Cuellar, Hinojosa, Matheson, Meeks, Moore, Moran and Tanner.
These are the 9 Democrats who are the difference between House Democrats being in the majority and the minority - they are the people who undermine the vast majority of honest/courageous Democrats who fight for ordinary people in Congress everyday. They are the ones who make it consistenly impossible for Democrats to deliver a message that they are the party that stands up for ordinary working people in this country. The fact is, if Democrats are going to be in the minority for the forseeable future, it would be better if these folks were defeated, because they do more harm than good to a party that desperately needs unity to let America knows what it stands for.
Again, while I have described why it is ridiculous to give a pass to any of these 9 because they represent marginal districts, even if you sort out for that factor the number barely changes. Winning with 55% or more of the vote is considered crushing an opponent - and only Melissa Bean falls under that threshold. The 8 others win by 55% or better, meaning they don't even have the pathetic/dishonest "I'm a marginal Member so I have to sell out American workers" excuse: Cooper (69%) , Cuellar (59%), Hinojosa (58%), Matheson (55%), Meeks (100% - unopposed), Moore (55%), Moran (60%), and Tanner (74%).
In an earlier post today, I mentioned that Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) ought to be frightened of a primary challenge from the Working Families Party and the progressive community in New York City. But he's not the only one on this list that better be nervous about their job as an insulated career politician. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), for instance, has been dogged by controversy throughout his career, including actually personally profiting from his previous sellouts to the credit card industry. Maybe this will be the vote that draws him the strong primary challenger needed to defeat him in his solidly progressive district.
To sum up - each of these 15 Democrats ought to pay a price at the polls for their brazen sell out tonight on CAFTA. They undermined their party and America's workers. And the 9 Democrats of these 15 that have been consistently stabbing the Democratic Party in the back - well, they have shown an unfathomable willingness to disregard anything other than corporate campaign cash. They are the reason why Americans are so cynical about the political process, why Democrats can't win key states like Ohio, and, in general, why Democrats are currently in permanent minority status.
Sources:
House roll call vote on CAFTA:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll443.xml
House roll call vote on the Bankruptcy Bill:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll108.xml
House roll call vote on limiting citizens' legal rights and protecting corporate abusers:http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll038.xml
Melissa Bean election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/I...
Jim Cooper election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Henry Cuellar election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Ruben Hinojosa election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Jim Matheson election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/U...
Greg Meeks election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/N...
Dennis Moore election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/K...
Jim Moran election results: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/V...
John Tanner election results:http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/T...
Greg Meeks should be worried:http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/07/which-dems-will-face...
Jim Moran should be worried – he is already scandal-plagued:http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33671-2002Jul...
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Harness Racing Results for 07-27-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (110)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 1
Horse: JP PAGE (Won)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 9
Horse: UP FRONT LEADER (Won)
Post Position: # 3
Win (110)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 1
Horse: JP PAGE (Won)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 9
Horse: UP FRONT LEADER (Won)
Post Position: # 3
DSM Update
Democrats.com is a co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, which is raising awareness of the Downing Street Memos, the British documents which prove George Bush lied to Congress and the American people to get support for his long-planned invasion of Iraq.
ACTION NEEDED ON REP. LEE'S RESOLUTIONCongresswoman Barbara Lee and 29 co-sponsors are backing a Resolution of Inquiry which, if passed, will require the White House and the State Department to "transmit all information relating to communication with officials of the United Kingdom between January 1, 2002, and October 16, 2002, relating to the policy of the United States with respect to Iraq." If the Downing Street Documents are not accurate, this is the White House's opportunity to prove it. If your Representative is not a co-sponsor (http://tinyurl.com/8mzrn), we need you to ask him or her to become a co-sponsor of H.Res. 375. Many, even possibly some Republicans, will co-sponsor this, but they have to be asked.
Please do all three of the following:
Email your congress member: http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/50
Phone your congress member: http://www.usalone.com/get_instantcongress.htm
Fax your congress member: http://www.usalone.com/get_instantcongress.htm
Find more information and flyers about the Resolution: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902
ACTION NEEDED ON REP. LEE'S RESOLUTIONCongresswoman Barbara Lee and 29 co-sponsors are backing a Resolution of Inquiry which, if passed, will require the White House and the State Department to "transmit all information relating to communication with officials of the United Kingdom between January 1, 2002, and October 16, 2002, relating to the policy of the United States with respect to Iraq." If the Downing Street Documents are not accurate, this is the White House's opportunity to prove it. If your Representative is not a co-sponsor (http://tinyurl.com/8mzrn), we need you to ask him or her to become a co-sponsor of H.Res. 375. Many, even possibly some Republicans, will co-sponsor this, but they have to be asked.
Please do all three of the following:
Email your congress member: http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/50
Phone your congress member: http://www.usalone.com/get_instantcongress.htm
Fax your congress member: http://www.usalone.com/get_instantcongress.htm
Find more information and flyers about the Resolution: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902
Harness Racing Picks for 07-27-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (108)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 1
Horse: JP PAGE
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 9
Horse: UP FRONT LEADER
Post Position: # 3
Win (108)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
Pompano Park
Race # 1
Horse: JP PAGE
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 9
Horse: UP FRONT LEADER
Post Position: # 3
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Prosecutor In CIA Leak Case Casting A Wide Net
WP
Wednesday, July 27, 2005; Page A01
The special prosecutor in the CIA leak probe has interviewed a wider range of administration officials than was previously known .... Posecutors have questioned former CIA director George J. Tenet and deputy director John E. McLaughlin, former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow, State Department officials, and even a stranger who approached columnist Robert D. Novak on the street. In doing so, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has asked not only about how CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked but also how the administration went about shifting responsibility from the White House to the CIA for having included 16 words in the 2003 State of the Union address about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium from Africa.
SNIP
Using background conversations with at least three journalists and other means, Bush officials attacked Wilson's credibility. They said that his 2002 trip to Niger was a boondoggle arranged by his wife, but CIA officials say that is incorrect.
One reason for the confusion about Plame's role is that she had arranged a trip for him to Niger three years earlier on an unrelated matter, CIA officials told The Washington Post.
SNIP
In a strange twist in the investigation, the grand jury -- acting on a tip from Wilson -- has questioned a person who approached Novak on Pennsylvania Avenue on July 8, 2003, six days before his column appeared in The Post and other publications, Wilson said in an interview. The person, whom Wilson declined to identify to The Post, asked Novak about the "yellow cake" uranium matter and then about Wilson, Wilson said. He first revealed that conversation in a book he wrote last year. In the book, he said he tried to reach Novak on July 8, and they finally connected on July 10. In that conversation, Wilson said he did not confirm his wife worked for the CIA but that Novak told him he had obtained the information from a "CIA source."
SNIP
People familiar with this part of the probe provided new details about the memo, including that it was then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage who requested it the day Wilson went public and asked that a copy be sent to then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to take with him on a trip to Africa the next day. Bush and several top aides were on that trip. Carl W. Ford Jr., who was director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the time and who supervised the original production of the memo, has appeared before the grand jury, according to a former State Department official
Wednesday, July 27, 2005; Page A01
The special prosecutor in the CIA leak probe has interviewed a wider range of administration officials than was previously known .... Posecutors have questioned former CIA director George J. Tenet and deputy director John E. McLaughlin, former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow, State Department officials, and even a stranger who approached columnist Robert D. Novak on the street. In doing so, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has asked not only about how CIA operative Valerie Plame's name was leaked but also how the administration went about shifting responsibility from the White House to the CIA for having included 16 words in the 2003 State of the Union address about Iraqi efforts to acquire uranium from Africa.
SNIP
Using background conversations with at least three journalists and other means, Bush officials attacked Wilson's credibility. They said that his 2002 trip to Niger was a boondoggle arranged by his wife, but CIA officials say that is incorrect.
One reason for the confusion about Plame's role is that she had arranged a trip for him to Niger three years earlier on an unrelated matter, CIA officials told The Washington Post.
SNIP
In a strange twist in the investigation, the grand jury -- acting on a tip from Wilson -- has questioned a person who approached Novak on Pennsylvania Avenue on July 8, 2003, six days before his column appeared in The Post and other publications, Wilson said in an interview. The person, whom Wilson declined to identify to The Post, asked Novak about the "yellow cake" uranium matter and then about Wilson, Wilson said. He first revealed that conversation in a book he wrote last year. In the book, he said he tried to reach Novak on July 8, and they finally connected on July 10. In that conversation, Wilson said he did not confirm his wife worked for the CIA but that Novak told him he had obtained the information from a "CIA source."
SNIP
People familiar with this part of the probe provided new details about the memo, including that it was then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage who requested it the day Wilson went public and asked that a copy be sent to then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to take with him on a trip to Africa the next day. Bush and several top aides were on that trip. Carl W. Ford Jr., who was director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the time and who supervised the original production of the memo, has appeared before the grand jury, according to a former State Department official
Abu Ghraib Dog Tactics Came From Guantanamo
WP
Testimony Further Links Procedures at 2 Facilities
Military interrogators at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq learned about the use of military working dogs to intimidate detainees from a team of interrogators dispatched from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to court testimony yesterday.
One interrogation analyst also testified that sleep deprivation and forced nudity -- which were used in Cuba on high-value detainees -- later were approved tactics at Abu Ghraib. Another soldier said that interrogators would regularly pass instructions to have dog handlers and military police "scare up" detainees as part of interrogation plans, part of an approved approach that relied on exploiting the fear of dogs.
SNIP
Pvt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick, one of the ringleaders of abuse by military police who is serving an eight-year prison term, testified by phone from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., that interrogators were authorized to use dogs and that a civilian contract interrogator left him lists of the cells he wanted dog handlers to visit. "They were allowed to use them to . . . intimidate inmates," Frederick said.
Sgt. Santos A. Cardona, 31, of California, and Sgt. Michael J. Smith, 24, of Florida, are charged with maltreatment of detainees, largely for allegedly encouraging and permitting unmuzzled working dogs to threaten and attack them. Prosecutors have focused on an incident caught in published photographs, when the two men allegedly cornered a naked detainee and allowed the dogs to bite him on each thigh as he cowered in fear.
Testimony Further Links Procedures at 2 Facilities
Military interrogators at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq learned about the use of military working dogs to intimidate detainees from a team of interrogators dispatched from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to court testimony yesterday.
One interrogation analyst also testified that sleep deprivation and forced nudity -- which were used in Cuba on high-value detainees -- later were approved tactics at Abu Ghraib. Another soldier said that interrogators would regularly pass instructions to have dog handlers and military police "scare up" detainees as part of interrogation plans, part of an approved approach that relied on exploiting the fear of dogs.
SNIP
Pvt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick, one of the ringleaders of abuse by military police who is serving an eight-year prison term, testified by phone from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., that interrogators were authorized to use dogs and that a civilian contract interrogator left him lists of the cells he wanted dog handlers to visit. "They were allowed to use them to . . . intimidate inmates," Frederick said.
Sgt. Santos A. Cardona, 31, of California, and Sgt. Michael J. Smith, 24, of Florida, are charged with maltreatment of detainees, largely for allegedly encouraging and permitting unmuzzled working dogs to threaten and attack them. Prosecutors have focused on an incident caught in published photographs, when the two men allegedly cornered a naked detainee and allowed the dogs to bite him on each thigh as he cowered in fear.
Harness Racing Results for 07-26-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (108)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: QUEEN TEEN (Won)
Post Position: #2
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 4
Horse: RAID THE BANK (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Plainridge Raceway
Race # 1
Horse: ALILSHY (Place)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: JUST BELIEVE (Won)
Post Position: # 5
Win (108)
Place (39)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (28)
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: QUEEN TEEN (Won)
Post Position: #2
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 4
Horse: RAID THE BANK (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Plainridge Raceway
Race # 1
Horse: ALILSHY (Place)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: JUST BELIEVE (Won)
Post Position: # 5
Anthrax Epidemic Hits United States, Thousands of Animals Dead, US Government Orders Media Blackout
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Russian Subscribers
Russian Intelligence Analysts are reporting today that a vast area of the United States Midwestern Regions have been flooded with Scientists, Military and Intelligence Organizations attempting to stop a massive Anthrax Epidemic that to date has killed (estimated) over 15,000 animals. One news report from this troubled region we can read as reported by the Farm and Ranch News Service in their article titled "Anthrax case area enlarging" and which says;
"On July 6, anthrax was confirmed in two herds in Ransom County," said Dr. Beth Carlson, Deputy State Veterinarian. "Since then several additional cases of the disease have been confirmed in the area, which now includes southern Barnes County. Suspect cases have been reported in eastern Dickey and LaMoure counties as well." The anthrax-infected herds have been quarantined and are being vaccinated. Most cases have involved cattle; however, horses, bison, and farmed elk have also been affected. Carlson said anthrax has occurred in this area in the past, however, premises with no previous history of anthrax are being confirmed by the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at North Dakota State University."
Another report from another of the American States affected we can read as reported by the Capital Journal News Service in their article titled "Anthrax turns up in Sully County buffalo" and which says, “Anthrax is a very serious quarantinable disease because it can cause the rapid loss of a large number of animals in a very short time,” said Holland. Holland said there’s really no way to diagnose the disease in a herd other than when animals begin dying. It’s also important that the dead animals are disposed of with care.“Anthrax is also communicable to humans, as well as other animals, through carcasses,” said Holland, who added that it was vital that proper measures were taken to dispose of the dead animals. Holland said that while this is the first case in South Dakota, North Dakota has had about 21 herds affected by the disease."
Though not completely eradiated in the United States, an outbreak on the scale currently occurring there, and their Military Governments massive response, can only lead one to the suspicion that this present outbreak is related to terrorism, and as reported by Dr. Kari A. Mergenhagen of the United States University at Buffalo, State University of New York, in her report titled "Anthrax Attack: A Case on Bioterrorism" and which says;
Russian Intelligence Analysts are reporting today that a vast area of the United States Midwestern Regions have been flooded with Scientists, Military and Intelligence Organizations attempting to stop a massive Anthrax Epidemic that to date has killed (estimated) over 15,000 animals. One news report from this troubled region we can read as reported by the Farm and Ranch News Service in their article titled "Anthrax case area enlarging" and which says;
"On July 6, anthrax was confirmed in two herds in Ransom County," said Dr. Beth Carlson, Deputy State Veterinarian. "Since then several additional cases of the disease have been confirmed in the area, which now includes southern Barnes County. Suspect cases have been reported in eastern Dickey and LaMoure counties as well." The anthrax-infected herds have been quarantined and are being vaccinated. Most cases have involved cattle; however, horses, bison, and farmed elk have also been affected. Carlson said anthrax has occurred in this area in the past, however, premises with no previous history of anthrax are being confirmed by the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at North Dakota State University."
Another report from another of the American States affected we can read as reported by the Capital Journal News Service in their article titled "Anthrax turns up in Sully County buffalo" and which says, “Anthrax is a very serious quarantinable disease because it can cause the rapid loss of a large number of animals in a very short time,” said Holland. Holland said there’s really no way to diagnose the disease in a herd other than when animals begin dying. It’s also important that the dead animals are disposed of with care.“Anthrax is also communicable to humans, as well as other animals, through carcasses,” said Holland, who added that it was vital that proper measures were taken to dispose of the dead animals. Holland said that while this is the first case in South Dakota, North Dakota has had about 21 herds affected by the disease."
Though not completely eradiated in the United States, an outbreak on the scale currently occurring there, and their Military Governments massive response, can only lead one to the suspicion that this present outbreak is related to terrorism, and as reported by Dr. Kari A. Mergenhagen of the United States University at Buffalo, State University of New York, in her report titled "Anthrax Attack: A Case on Bioterrorism" and which says;
Harness Racing Picks for 07-26-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (106)
Place (38)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: QUEEN TEEN
Post Position: #2
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 4
Horse: RAID THE BANK
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Plainridge Raceway
Race # 1
Horse: ALILSHY
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: JUST BELIEVE
Post Position: # 5
Win (106)
Place (38)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
The Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: QUEEN TEEN
Post Position: #2
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 4
Horse: RAID THE BANK
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Plainridge Raceway
Race # 1
Horse: ALILSHY
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: JUST BELIEVE
Post Position: # 5
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Harness Racing Results for 07-24-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (106)
Place (38)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 7
Horse: S A REBEL (Won)
Post Position: #1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 3
Horse: LOTZEE MAN (Place)
Post Position: # 4
Win (106)
Place (38)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 7
Horse: S A REBEL (Won)
Post Position: #1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 3
Horse: LOTZEE MAN (Place)
Post Position: # 4
The Top 10 Conservative Idiots (No. 207)
July 25, 2005 · Perjury and/or Obstruction of Justice Edition
White House Conspirators were feeling the heat last week, as as Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby were identified as two sources for the Plame leak. George W. Bush even rolled out his nominee for the Supreme Court, John Roberts, in a futile attempt to divert attention away from the scandal.
White House Conspirators were feeling the heat last week, as as Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby were identified as two sources for the Plame leak. George W. Bush even rolled out his nominee for the Supreme Court, John Roberts, in a futile attempt to divert attention away from the scandal.
A neighbor's view of Valerie Wilson's 'outing'
USA Today
Joe and Valerie Wilson are my next door neighbors in a hilly neighborhood just west of Georgetown. We moved in within months of each other seven years ago, attracted to our respective houses by the view of the Capitol in the distance and the Washington Monument in the foreground. The patriotic view is stirring.
SNIP
As I finished reading the column, Joe ventured out onto his deck and offered a neighborly hello. I held up the paper and yelled over, "I had no idea about Valerie!" Joe looked stricken and gestured to me to keep my voice down. I immediately realized the "outing" of Valerie as a covert CIA operative had had a devastating effect on the Wilson family. In the weeks to follow, I came to understand just how harrowing the disclosure was. Obviously, the identification of Valerie meant an end to her decades-long career. It also meant the country had lost an essential part of the services provided by someone who was an expert on weapons of mass destruction.
Much more than that, it meant — along with the danger faced by Valerie's secret sources because of her exposure — the Wilson family was in danger. There is no shortage of crazies in the world who blame the CIA for their problems. What a tragedy that the Wilson kids cannot play in their yard without their parents having some degree of worry because of this episode.
SNIP
And we also now know that the only reason Valerie Wilson was mentioned was because, as Time magazine put it, the administration had declared "war on Wilson" for his whistle-blowing. The outing of Valerie seemed intended to send a not-so-subtle message to other potential critics, "Mess with us, and we'll mess with your family."
Joe and Valerie Wilson are my next door neighbors in a hilly neighborhood just west of Georgetown. We moved in within months of each other seven years ago, attracted to our respective houses by the view of the Capitol in the distance and the Washington Monument in the foreground. The patriotic view is stirring.
SNIP
As I finished reading the column, Joe ventured out onto his deck and offered a neighborly hello. I held up the paper and yelled over, "I had no idea about Valerie!" Joe looked stricken and gestured to me to keep my voice down. I immediately realized the "outing" of Valerie as a covert CIA operative had had a devastating effect on the Wilson family. In the weeks to follow, I came to understand just how harrowing the disclosure was. Obviously, the identification of Valerie meant an end to her decades-long career. It also meant the country had lost an essential part of the services provided by someone who was an expert on weapons of mass destruction.
Much more than that, it meant — along with the danger faced by Valerie's secret sources because of her exposure — the Wilson family was in danger. There is no shortage of crazies in the world who blame the CIA for their problems. What a tragedy that the Wilson kids cannot play in their yard without their parents having some degree of worry because of this episode.
SNIP
And we also now know that the only reason Valerie Wilson was mentioned was because, as Time magazine put it, the administration had declared "war on Wilson" for his whistle-blowing. The outing of Valerie seemed intended to send a not-so-subtle message to other potential critics, "Mess with us, and we'll mess with your family."
INCOMPETENCE ON SENATE INTEL
by Larry C. Johnson
I guess Senator Pat Roberts believes that if he repeats a lie long enough it eventually becomes true. While it is one thing for a political bag carrier like Ken Mehlman to be woefully ignorant about CIA practices and procedures, it is downright alarming that Senator Roberts can be so misinformed. Today, while appearing on CNN's Late Edition, Roberts repeated the specious claim that Valerie Plame could not be undercover because she went to work everyday at CIA Headquarters.
Folks, there is no excuse for this level of incompetence. There are thousands of undercover CIA employees who drive through the three gates at CIA Headquarters in McLean, Virginia everyday. And this Senator from Kansas who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee has the audacity to blame CIA for intelligence failures? How can he recognize failures when he does not even understand the very simple basics about people who work undercover at CIA? He should spend more time reading up on the CIA and less time memorizing Ken Mehlman talking points. Gee Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.
I guess Senator Pat Roberts believes that if he repeats a lie long enough it eventually becomes true. While it is one thing for a political bag carrier like Ken Mehlman to be woefully ignorant about CIA practices and procedures, it is downright alarming that Senator Roberts can be so misinformed. Today, while appearing on CNN's Late Edition, Roberts repeated the specious claim that Valerie Plame could not be undercover because she went to work everyday at CIA Headquarters.
Folks, there is no excuse for this level of incompetence. There are thousands of undercover CIA employees who drive through the three gates at CIA Headquarters in McLean, Virginia everyday. And this Senator from Kansas who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee has the audacity to blame CIA for intelligence failures? How can he recognize failures when he does not even understand the very simple basics about people who work undercover at CIA? He should spend more time reading up on the CIA and less time memorizing Ken Mehlman talking points. Gee Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.
Indiana Guardsman Awaits Court-Martial in Iraqi Officer's Death
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Cpl. Dustin Berg seemed to be a hometown hero in the making when he left on his 20th birthday to fight in the war that inspired him to join the military.
His family brimmed with pride two years later with news that the Indiana National Guardsman was coming home from Iraq, wounded but alive.
Then the Army accused him of war crimes.
Berg, now 22, is accused of killing an Iraqi police officer in November 2003, then shooting himself in the stomach to give the impression of a gun battle and prevent an investigation. He faces charges of murder and giving false statements with a court-martial set to begin Monday at Fort Knox, Ky.
His family brimmed with pride two years later with news that the Indiana National Guardsman was coming home from Iraq, wounded but alive.
Then the Army accused him of war crimes.
Berg, now 22, is accused of killing an Iraqi police officer in November 2003, then shooting himself in the stomach to give the impression of a gun battle and prevent an investigation. He faces charges of murder and giving false statements with a court-martial set to begin Monday at Fort Knox, Ky.
Rove Scandal Chipping at Bush Agenda
July 25, 2005
THE main reason the growing scandal around Karl Rove matters - aside from the fact that a senior White House official may have committed a felony - is that it damages George W. Bush's declining political capital.
From social security reform to Iranian nuclear proliferation, from Supreme Court nominations to US-China confrontation, a president needs domestic political capital to achieve his policy goals. Bush's chip stack is clearly shrinking.
Most second-term presidents have 18months to govern before lame-duck status sets in. Bush is already wrestling with Congress on foreign and domestic priorities. The battle over Rove's possible involvement in a felony dangerously distracts the White House and is likely to undermine support for the President's agenda.
Rove, the man credited with Bush's winning campaign strategies in 2000 and last year, has been dogged by charges he leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent to at least three journalists. One, Robert Novak, published the agent's name in his syndicated column. A second, The New York Times correspondent Judith Miller, is in jail for refusing to reveal who gave her the agent's name. The third, Time magazine's Matthew Cooper, avoided jail when Rove, his source, released him from a confidentiality deal, allowing him to testify before a grand jury. Time also handed over Cooper's notes and emails relating to the leak.
THE main reason the growing scandal around Karl Rove matters - aside from the fact that a senior White House official may have committed a felony - is that it damages George W. Bush's declining political capital.
From social security reform to Iranian nuclear proliferation, from Supreme Court nominations to US-China confrontation, a president needs domestic political capital to achieve his policy goals. Bush's chip stack is clearly shrinking.
Most second-term presidents have 18months to govern before lame-duck status sets in. Bush is already wrestling with Congress on foreign and domestic priorities. The battle over Rove's possible involvement in a felony dangerously distracts the White House and is likely to undermine support for the President's agenda.
Rove, the man credited with Bush's winning campaign strategies in 2000 and last year, has been dogged by charges he leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent to at least three journalists. One, Robert Novak, published the agent's name in his syndicated column. A second, The New York Times correspondent Judith Miller, is in jail for refusing to reveal who gave her the agent's name. The third, Time magazine's Matthew Cooper, avoided jail when Rove, his source, released him from a confidentiality deal, allowing him to testify before a grand jury. Time also handed over Cooper's notes and emails relating to the leak.
Eight Days in July
By FRANK RICH
PRESIDENT BUSH'S new Supreme Court nominee was a historic first after all: the first to be announced on TV dead center in prime time, smack in the cross hairs of "I Want to Be a Hilton." It was also one of the hastiest court announcements in memory, abruptly sprung a week ahead of the White House's original timetable. The agenda of this rushed showmanship - to change the subject in Washington - could not have been more naked. But the president would have had to nominate Bill Clinton to change this subject.
When a conspiracy is unraveling, and it's every liar and his lawyer for themselves, the story takes on a momentum of its own. When the conspiracy is, at its heart, about the White House's twisting of the intelligence used to sell the American people a war - and its desperate efforts to cover up that flimflam once the W.M.D. cupboard proved bare and the war went south - the story will not end until the war really is in its "last throes."
Only 36 hours after the John Roberts unveiling, The Washington Post nudged him aside to second position on its front page. Leading the paper instead was a scoop concerning a State Department memo circulated the week before the outing of Joseph Wilson's wife, the C.I.A. officer Valerie Plame, in literally the loftiest reaches of the Bush administration - on Air Force One. The memo, The Post reported, marked the paragraph containing information about Ms. Plame with an S for secret. So much for the cover story that no one knew that her identity was covert.
But the scandal has metastasized so much at this point that the forgotten man Mr. Bush did not nominate to the Supreme Court is as much a window into the White House's panic and stonewalling as its haste to put forward the man he did. When the president decided not to replace Sandra Day O'Connor with a woman, why did he pick a white guy and not nominate the first Hispanic justice, his friend Alberto Gonzales? Mr. Bush was surely not scared off by Gonzales critics on the right (who find him soft on abortion) or left (who find him soft on the Geneva Conventions). It's Mr. Gonzales's proximity to this scandal that inspires real fear.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S new Supreme Court nominee was a historic first after all: the first to be announced on TV dead center in prime time, smack in the cross hairs of "I Want to Be a Hilton." It was also one of the hastiest court announcements in memory, abruptly sprung a week ahead of the White House's original timetable. The agenda of this rushed showmanship - to change the subject in Washington - could not have been more naked. But the president would have had to nominate Bill Clinton to change this subject.
When a conspiracy is unraveling, and it's every liar and his lawyer for themselves, the story takes on a momentum of its own. When the conspiracy is, at its heart, about the White House's twisting of the intelligence used to sell the American people a war - and its desperate efforts to cover up that flimflam once the W.M.D. cupboard proved bare and the war went south - the story will not end until the war really is in its "last throes."
Only 36 hours after the John Roberts unveiling, The Washington Post nudged him aside to second position on its front page. Leading the paper instead was a scoop concerning a State Department memo circulated the week before the outing of Joseph Wilson's wife, the C.I.A. officer Valerie Plame, in literally the loftiest reaches of the Bush administration - on Air Force One. The memo, The Post reported, marked the paragraph containing information about Ms. Plame with an S for secret. So much for the cover story that no one knew that her identity was covert.
But the scandal has metastasized so much at this point that the forgotten man Mr. Bush did not nominate to the Supreme Court is as much a window into the White House's panic and stonewalling as its haste to put forward the man he did. When the president decided not to replace Sandra Day O'Connor with a woman, why did he pick a white guy and not nominate the first Hispanic justice, his friend Alberto Gonzales? Mr. Bush was surely not scared off by Gonzales critics on the right (who find him soft on abortion) or left (who find him soft on the Geneva Conventions). It's Mr. Gonzales's proximity to this scandal that inspires real fear.
British Ambassador to the United Nations and Special Envoy to Iraq, Jeremy Greenstock, Attempts to Publish Damaging Allegations About "The Bush"
LONDON -- Frequented by heads of state, ministers and military leaders, the Ditchley Foundation has long been the pulsing heart through which the Anglo-American alliance flows.
Now, however, it is at the center of a political storm that threatens to strike at the ties binding the old allies, as its director, former British ambassador to the United Nations and special envoy to Iraq, Jeremy Greenstock, attempts to publish damaging allegations about the Bush administration's rush to war in Iraq.
Set in rural Oxfordshire, the 18th century mansion house of Ditchley Park has welcomed a succession of distinguished visitors, most notably during World War II when it served as Winston Churchill's weekend headquarters.
Since its establishment as the home of the Ditchley Foundation in 1958 - with the objective of advancing Anglo-American links - it has hosted around 15 "intimate weekend conferences of decision-makers" each year.
"Small select groups" of no more than 40 "distinguished" senior figures from the worlds of politics, business and industry, academia, the civil service, the armed forces and the media, are invited to attend the low-key gatherings, where matters of international concern can be discussed in an open, strictly off-the-record forum.
Given the levels of secrecy surrounding this protectorate of the trans-Atlantic marriage, whose governors include former heads of state, the revelation that its director is involved in a battle with the British government over his attempt to publish private conversations with, among others, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has come as a shock to many.
The Foreign Office has blocked publication of The Costs of War by Greenstock, a highly respected former diplomat who served as the British ambassador to the United Nations during the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and as the prime minister's special envoy to Iraq in its aftermath.
In an extract seen and reported by The Observer newspaper on July 17, Greenstock describes Washington's decision to go to war as "politically illegitimate" and says UN negotiations "never rose over the level of awkward diversion for the US administration".
And though acknowledging that "honorable decisions" were taken to remove the threat of Saddam Hussein, he claims the opportunities of the post-invasion phase were "dissipated in poor policy analysis and narrow-minded execution".
During his time in Iraq following the fall of Saddam, Greenstock became disillusioned with the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and its leader Paul Bremer. By the time he returned to London, his relationship with Bremer had deteriorated.
A CPA official told the Telegraph newspaper last year: "There was an understanding in the CPA that Bremer and Greenstock didn't like each other. It personified the differences between the two views. Greenstock thought Bremer was naive; Bremer thought Greenstock was pursuing the wrong policies."
Greenstock kept a diary as the security situation in Iraq deteriorated, and in his book is said to lay bare the inner workings of the CPA as it attempted to deal with the spiraling violence.
Officials who have seen the book are said to have been "deeply shocked" by the way in which Greenstock has quoted widely from the private discussions of the UN Security Council and "privileged" private conversations with Blair and Straw.
The exchanges are said to paint a rather unflattering picture of both politicians. He is also said to be scathing about Bremer and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who at the time of the Iraq war was President Bush's national security adviser.
"I think some people are really quite surprised that someone like Sir Jeremy has done this," one source told the newspaper. "In particular the way he has quoted private conversations with the prime minister."
Now, however, it is at the center of a political storm that threatens to strike at the ties binding the old allies, as its director, former British ambassador to the United Nations and special envoy to Iraq, Jeremy Greenstock, attempts to publish damaging allegations about the Bush administration's rush to war in Iraq.
Set in rural Oxfordshire, the 18th century mansion house of Ditchley Park has welcomed a succession of distinguished visitors, most notably during World War II when it served as Winston Churchill's weekend headquarters.
Since its establishment as the home of the Ditchley Foundation in 1958 - with the objective of advancing Anglo-American links - it has hosted around 15 "intimate weekend conferences of decision-makers" each year.
"Small select groups" of no more than 40 "distinguished" senior figures from the worlds of politics, business and industry, academia, the civil service, the armed forces and the media, are invited to attend the low-key gatherings, where matters of international concern can be discussed in an open, strictly off-the-record forum.
Given the levels of secrecy surrounding this protectorate of the trans-Atlantic marriage, whose governors include former heads of state, the revelation that its director is involved in a battle with the British government over his attempt to publish private conversations with, among others, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has come as a shock to many.
The Foreign Office has blocked publication of The Costs of War by Greenstock, a highly respected former diplomat who served as the British ambassador to the United Nations during the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and as the prime minister's special envoy to Iraq in its aftermath.
In an extract seen and reported by The Observer newspaper on July 17, Greenstock describes Washington's decision to go to war as "politically illegitimate" and says UN negotiations "never rose over the level of awkward diversion for the US administration".
And though acknowledging that "honorable decisions" were taken to remove the threat of Saddam Hussein, he claims the opportunities of the post-invasion phase were "dissipated in poor policy analysis and narrow-minded execution".
During his time in Iraq following the fall of Saddam, Greenstock became disillusioned with the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and its leader Paul Bremer. By the time he returned to London, his relationship with Bremer had deteriorated.
A CPA official told the Telegraph newspaper last year: "There was an understanding in the CPA that Bremer and Greenstock didn't like each other. It personified the differences between the two views. Greenstock thought Bremer was naive; Bremer thought Greenstock was pursuing the wrong policies."
Greenstock kept a diary as the security situation in Iraq deteriorated, and in his book is said to lay bare the inner workings of the CPA as it attempted to deal with the spiraling violence.
Officials who have seen the book are said to have been "deeply shocked" by the way in which Greenstock has quoted widely from the private discussions of the UN Security Council and "privileged" private conversations with Blair and Straw.
The exchanges are said to paint a rather unflattering picture of both politicians. He is also said to be scathing about Bremer and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who at the time of the Iraq war was President Bush's national security adviser.
"I think some people are really quite surprised that someone like Sir Jeremy has done this," one source told the newspaper. "In particular the way he has quoted private conversations with the prime minister."
Harness Racing Picks for 07-24-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (105)
Place (37)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 7
Horse: S A REBEL
Post Position: #1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 3
Horse: LOTZEE MAN
Post Position: # 4
Win (105)
Place (37)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 7
Horse: S A REBEL
Post Position: #1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 3
Horse: LOTZEE MAN
Post Position: # 4
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Harness Racing Results for 07-23-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (105)
Place (37)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
Cal Expo
Race # 8
Horse: YOUNGBLOOD HANOVER (Place)
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 1
Horse: TABOR MOON (Won)
Post Position: # 3
****************************
Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: CAMS FAST GUN (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Northfield Park
Race # 10
Horse: FREEWAY (Show)
Post Position: # 1
Race # 13
Horse: ARIZONA ATTACK (Won)
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 5
Horse: CAMN YANKEE (Won)
Post Position: # 5
Win (105)
Place (37)
Show (7)
Out of the Money (27)
****************************
Cal Expo
Race # 8
Horse: YOUNGBLOOD HANOVER (Place)
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 1
Horse: TABOR MOON (Won)
Post Position: # 3
****************************
Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: CAMS FAST GUN (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Northfield Park
Race # 10
Horse: FREEWAY (Show)
Post Position: # 1
Race # 13
Horse: ARIZONA ATTACK (Won)
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 5
Horse: CAMN YANKEE (Won)
Post Position: # 5
Layoff trend worries U.S. industry experts
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - In a week where Alan Greenspan said he expected the U.S. economy to keep growing, and Wall Street seemed generally pleased with corporate performance, workers at Eastman Kodak Co., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp., among others, were warned about thousands of new layoffs.
"You get immune to it after a while," longtime Kodak technician John Hladis said with barely a shrug when the scythe fell once more at the Rochester-based photography company, slicing away another 10,000 employees.
But some economy watchers are suddenly concerned that this latest flurry of job cuts - a byproduct of various trends such as outsourcing, mergers, automation, changing technology and consumer demands - might foreshadow some trouble ahead.
"You get immune to it after a while," longtime Kodak technician John Hladis said with barely a shrug when the scythe fell once more at the Rochester-based photography company, slicing away another 10,000 employees.
But some economy watchers are suddenly concerned that this latest flurry of job cuts - a byproduct of various trends such as outsourcing, mergers, automation, changing technology and consumer demands - might foreshadow some trouble ahead.
Senator gets donations from Southwest Airlines, introduces bill
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, who introduced a bill this week to allow Southwest Airlines to expand routes out of Dallas, received $4,500 from the airline's chairman and its political action committee in May.
Herb Kelleher, Southwest's chairman, contributed $2,000 to Ensign's re-election campaign on May 16, according to Federal Election Commission reports. On the same day, the Southwest Airlines Co. Freedom Fund PAC gave Ensign $2,500.
The contributions came at a time when Ensign was weighing how much to get involved in legislation that would impact the airline. Ensign spokesman Jack Finn told a reporter on May 2 the senator was undecided.
Ensign also received an earlier donation from the Freedom Fund PAC. The airline committee contributed $2,500 to the senator on Oct. 13, 2003. Ensign declined to be interviewed Friday. Finn said the contributions "played no role whatsoever" in the senator's legislation to benefit Southwest.
Herb Kelleher, Southwest's chairman, contributed $2,000 to Ensign's re-election campaign on May 16, according to Federal Election Commission reports. On the same day, the Southwest Airlines Co. Freedom Fund PAC gave Ensign $2,500.
The contributions came at a time when Ensign was weighing how much to get involved in legislation that would impact the airline. Ensign spokesman Jack Finn told a reporter on May 2 the senator was undecided.
Ensign also received an earlier donation from the Freedom Fund PAC. The airline committee contributed $2,500 to the senator on Oct. 13, 2003. Ensign declined to be interviewed Friday. Finn said the contributions "played no role whatsoever" in the senator's legislation to benefit Southwest.
Democrats spotlight CIA leak in radio address
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats attacked President Bush's response to a top aide's role in outing a CIA operative on Saturday, turning their radio address over to an ex-agent critical of his actions.
Larry Johnson, a former CIA agent and registered Republican, accused Bush of flip-flopping on his promise to fire anyone at the White House implicated in the leak and said Americans deserved better.
"We deserve people who work in the White House who are committed to protecting classified information, telling the truth to the American people, and living by example to the idea that a country at war with Islamic extremists cannot focus its efforts on attacking other American citizens who simply tried to tell the truth," Johnson said.
Democrats have urged Bush to fire top adviser Karl Rove or revoke his access to classified information after he was identified by a reporter as being a source in the leak of Valerie Plame's name two years ago. The leak came after her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson, accused the White House of twisting intelligence to justify an invasion of Iraq.
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is leading the probe into the unmasking of Plame, whose identity and role at the CIA were made public in a column by Robert Novak. Novak cited "two senior administration officials" as his sources.
Larry Johnson, a former CIA agent and registered Republican, accused Bush of flip-flopping on his promise to fire anyone at the White House implicated in the leak and said Americans deserved better.
"We deserve people who work in the White House who are committed to protecting classified information, telling the truth to the American people, and living by example to the idea that a country at war with Islamic extremists cannot focus its efforts on attacking other American citizens who simply tried to tell the truth," Johnson said.
Democrats have urged Bush to fire top adviser Karl Rove or revoke his access to classified information after he was identified by a reporter as being a source in the leak of Valerie Plame's name two years ago. The leak came after her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson, accused the White House of twisting intelligence to justify an invasion of Iraq.
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is leading the probe into the unmasking of Plame, whose identity and role at the CIA were made public in a column by Robert Novak. Novak cited "two senior administration officials" as his sources.
Harness Racing Picks for 07-23-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (102)
Place (36)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Cal Expo
Race # 8
Horse: YOUNGBLOOD HANOVER
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 1
Horse: TABOR MOON
Post Position: # 3
****************************
Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: CAMS FAST GUN
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Northfield Park
Race # 10
Horse: FREEWAY
Post Position: # 1
Race # 13
Horse: ARIZONA ATTACK
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 5
Horse: CAMN YANKEE
Post Position: # 5
Win (102)
Place (36)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Cal Expo
Race # 8
Horse: YOUNGBLOOD HANOVER
Post Position: # 6
****************************
Hazel Park
Race # 1
Horse: TABOR MOON
Post Position: # 3
****************************
Meadows
Race # 1
Horse: CAMS FAST GUN
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Northfield Park
Race # 10
Horse: FREEWAY
Post Position: # 1
Race # 13
Horse: ARIZONA ATTACK
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 5
Horse: CAMN YANKEE
Post Position: # 5
Friday, July 22, 2005
"KARL ROVE: He has betrayed the nation"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
It's ironic that political genius Karl Rove - and perhaps others - could end up in prison for exposing the identity of an undercover CIA agent. Ironic, because their essential mistake in doing so was one of identity: their own.
They think they work for President George W. Bush. They don't. They work for America.
There's no reason to believe that Rove gave much thought at all to Valerie Plame Wilson, a 20-year CIA veteran working in the agency's counterproliferation division, when he mentioned her to at least two reporters in July 2003. The only reason she was in his sights was that she was married to Joseph Wilson IV. Wilson, a retired veteran U.S. diplomat, had gone public with disturbing information that the Bush administration might have twisted intelligence information to support its campaign for starting a war with Iraq.
It's ironic that political genius Karl Rove - and perhaps others - could end up in prison for exposing the identity of an undercover CIA agent. Ironic, because their essential mistake in doing so was one of identity: their own.
They think they work for President George W. Bush. They don't. They work for America.
There's no reason to believe that Rove gave much thought at all to Valerie Plame Wilson, a 20-year CIA veteran working in the agency's counterproliferation division, when he mentioned her to at least two reporters in July 2003. The only reason she was in his sights was that she was married to Joseph Wilson IV. Wilson, a retired veteran U.S. diplomat, had gone public with disturbing information that the Bush administration might have twisted intelligence information to support its campaign for starting a war with Iraq.
Harness Racing Results for 07-22-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (102)
Place (36)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 10
Horse: QUEST HANOVER (Won)
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 6
Horse: CHEVIE BE THERE (Place)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 1
Horse: GREEN DOT (Won)
Post Position: # 4
Win (102)
Place (36)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 10
Horse: QUEST HANOVER (Won)
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 6
Horse: CHEVIE BE THERE (Place)
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 1
Horse: GREEN DOT (Won)
Post Position: # 4
Bush aide misled FBI, say reports
The Guardian
The investigation into the White House leak of a CIA agent's identity is now focusing on whether two top administration officials provided misleading statements to the FBI, it was reported yesterday.
According to press accounts, Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser, and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice-president's chief of staff, both provided testimony that was later contradicted by other evidence.
The revelations come at a time when the burgeoning scandal over the outing of a CIA undercover agent, Valerie Plame, is threatening to engulf the White House.
Ms Plame was the wife of a government critic, Joseph Wilson, who had questioned the justification of the Iraq invasion, and the leak is alleged to have been an attempt to discredit or intimidate him.
In an initial round of interviews with investigators, Mr Rove is reported to have omitted to mention that he had discussed the agent's identity with a Time reporter in July 2003, a few days after Mr Wilson had published a highly critical article.
According to a Bloomberg news agency report, Mr Libby testified that he had first heard about Ms Plame from an NBC television journalist, Tim Russert. But according to NBC, Mr Russert denied the claim in his evidence to a grand jury last year.
A statement by NBC at the time said Mr Russert "did not know Ms Plame's name or that she was a CIA operative and that he did not provide that information to Mr Libby".
The New York Times yesterday reported that at the time of the leak, Mr Rove and Mr Libby had been collaborating on the administration's response to Mr Wilson's central allegation that President George Bush had misled the American public in his January 2003 State of the Union address.
In that speech, laying out the case for war, the president cited evidence of Iraqi attempts to buy uranium in Niger, west Africa. The claim was found to have been based on forged documents.
George Tenet, the director of the CIA at the time, took responsibility for the false claim, helping to draw fire away from the White House, but yesterday's report suggests that Mr Rove and Mr Libby had a role in drafting his public admission.
The news that the two senior officials were intimately involved in the issue added to scepticism about their claims to have initially heard about Ms Plame from journalists, rather than the other way round.
Leaking the identity of an undercover agent is a serious crime under US law, but prosecutors would have to prove that the leaker was aware of the agent's covert status. However, the investigation, led by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, is reported also to be investigating possible charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, a parallel investigation is under way into who forged the Niger documents. They are known to have been passed to an Italian journalist by a former Italian defence intelligence officer, Rocco Martino, in October 2002, but their origins have remained a mystery. Mr Martino has insisted to the Italian press that he was "a tool used by someone for games much bigger than me", but has not specified who that might be.
A source familiar with the inquiry said investigators were examining whether former US intelligence agents may have been involved in possible collaboration with Iraqi exiles determined to prove that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear programme.
The investigation into the White House leak of a CIA agent's identity is now focusing on whether two top administration officials provided misleading statements to the FBI, it was reported yesterday.
According to press accounts, Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser, and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice-president's chief of staff, both provided testimony that was later contradicted by other evidence.
The revelations come at a time when the burgeoning scandal over the outing of a CIA undercover agent, Valerie Plame, is threatening to engulf the White House.
Ms Plame was the wife of a government critic, Joseph Wilson, who had questioned the justification of the Iraq invasion, and the leak is alleged to have been an attempt to discredit or intimidate him.
In an initial round of interviews with investigators, Mr Rove is reported to have omitted to mention that he had discussed the agent's identity with a Time reporter in July 2003, a few days after Mr Wilson had published a highly critical article.
According to a Bloomberg news agency report, Mr Libby testified that he had first heard about Ms Plame from an NBC television journalist, Tim Russert. But according to NBC, Mr Russert denied the claim in his evidence to a grand jury last year.
A statement by NBC at the time said Mr Russert "did not know Ms Plame's name or that she was a CIA operative and that he did not provide that information to Mr Libby".
The New York Times yesterday reported that at the time of the leak, Mr Rove and Mr Libby had been collaborating on the administration's response to Mr Wilson's central allegation that President George Bush had misled the American public in his January 2003 State of the Union address.
In that speech, laying out the case for war, the president cited evidence of Iraqi attempts to buy uranium in Niger, west Africa. The claim was found to have been based on forged documents.
George Tenet, the director of the CIA at the time, took responsibility for the false claim, helping to draw fire away from the White House, but yesterday's report suggests that Mr Rove and Mr Libby had a role in drafting his public admission.
The news that the two senior officials were intimately involved in the issue added to scepticism about their claims to have initially heard about Ms Plame from journalists, rather than the other way round.
Leaking the identity of an undercover agent is a serious crime under US law, but prosecutors would have to prove that the leaker was aware of the agent's covert status. However, the investigation, led by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, is reported also to be investigating possible charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, a parallel investigation is under way into who forged the Niger documents. They are known to have been passed to an Italian journalist by a former Italian defence intelligence officer, Rocco Martino, in October 2002, but their origins have remained a mystery. Mr Martino has insisted to the Italian press that he was "a tool used by someone for games much bigger than me", but has not specified who that might be.
A source familiar with the inquiry said investigators were examining whether former US intelligence agents may have been involved in possible collaboration with Iraqi exiles determined to prove that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear programme.
Bush Administration Files 11th Hour Papers Blocking the Release of Darby CD Photos and Video Of Abu Ghraib Torture
Synopsis
On July 22, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) denounced the latest efforts of the Bush Administration to block the release of the Darby photos and videos depicting torture at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison facility. On June 2, 2004, CCR, along with the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense, and Veterans for Peace filed papers with the U.S. District Court, charging the Department of Defense and other government agencies with illegally withholding records concerning the abuse of detainees in American military custody. Since then, the organizations have been repeatedly rebuffed in their efforts to investigate what happened at the prison.
In June, the government requested and received an extension from the judge stating that they needed time in order to redact the faces of the men, women and children believed to be shown in the photographs and videos. They were given until today to produce the images, but at the eleventh hour filed a motion to oppose the release of the photos and videos, based on an entirely new argument: they are now requesting a 7(F) exemption from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act to withhold law enforcement-related information in order to protect the physical safety of individuals. Today’s move is the latest in a series of attempts by the government to keep the images from being made public and to cover up the torture of detainees in U.S. custody around the world.
Joseph Darby was the U.S reservist who turned over the photos and videos to U.S. Army officials and touched off the Abu Ghraib scandal in April 2004.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” stated Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “We can not move forward from this scandal until we have a full public accounting and independent investigation into what happened at Abu Ghraib. The government cannot continue to hide evidence of torture. The time to release these photos and videos was a long time ago.”
On July 22, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) denounced the latest efforts of the Bush Administration to block the release of the Darby photos and videos depicting torture at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison facility. On June 2, 2004, CCR, along with the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense, and Veterans for Peace filed papers with the U.S. District Court, charging the Department of Defense and other government agencies with illegally withholding records concerning the abuse of detainees in American military custody. Since then, the organizations have been repeatedly rebuffed in their efforts to investigate what happened at the prison.
In June, the government requested and received an extension from the judge stating that they needed time in order to redact the faces of the men, women and children believed to be shown in the photographs and videos. They were given until today to produce the images, but at the eleventh hour filed a motion to oppose the release of the photos and videos, based on an entirely new argument: they are now requesting a 7(F) exemption from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act to withhold law enforcement-related information in order to protect the physical safety of individuals. Today’s move is the latest in a series of attempts by the government to keep the images from being made public and to cover up the torture of detainees in U.S. custody around the world.
Joseph Darby was the U.S reservist who turned over the photos and videos to U.S. Army officials and touched off the Abu Ghraib scandal in April 2004.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” stated Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “We can not move forward from this scandal until we have a full public accounting and independent investigation into what happened at Abu Ghraib. The government cannot continue to hide evidence of torture. The time to release these photos and videos was a long time ago.”
Ex-CIA Officers Rip Bush Over Rove Leak
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former U.S. intelligence officers criticized President Bush on Friday for not disciplining Karl Rove in connection with the leak of the name of a CIA officer, saying Bush's lack of action has jeopardized national security.
In a hearing held by Senate and House Democrats examining the implications of exposing Valerie Plame's identity, the former intelligence officers said Bush's silence has hampered efforts to recruit informants to help the United States fight the war on terror. Federal law forbids government officials from revealing the identity of an undercover intelligence officer.
SNIP
Dana Perino, a White House spokesman, said Friday that the administration would have no comment on the investigation while it was continuing.
Patrick Lang, a retired Army colonel and defense intelligence officer, said Bush's silence sends a bad signal to foreigners who might be thinking of cooperating with the U.S. on intelligence matters.
Some of the quotes
"This says to them that if you decide to cooperate, someone will give you up, so you don't do it," Lang said. "They are not going to trust you in any way."
Johnson, who said he is a registered Republican, said he wished a GOP lawmaker would have the courage to stand up and "call the ugly dog the ugly dog."
"Where are these men and women with any integrity to speak out against this?" Johnson asked. "I expect better behavior out of Republicans."
"I wouldn't be here this morning if President Bush had done the one thing required of him as commander in chief - protect and defend the Constitution," said Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst. "The minute that Valerie Plame's identity was outed, he should have delivered a strict and strong message to his employees."
In a hearing held by Senate and House Democrats examining the implications of exposing Valerie Plame's identity, the former intelligence officers said Bush's silence has hampered efforts to recruit informants to help the United States fight the war on terror. Federal law forbids government officials from revealing the identity of an undercover intelligence officer.
SNIP
Dana Perino, a White House spokesman, said Friday that the administration would have no comment on the investigation while it was continuing.
Patrick Lang, a retired Army colonel and defense intelligence officer, said Bush's silence sends a bad signal to foreigners who might be thinking of cooperating with the U.S. on intelligence matters.
Some of the quotes
"This says to them that if you decide to cooperate, someone will give you up, so you don't do it," Lang said. "They are not going to trust you in any way."
Johnson, who said he is a registered Republican, said he wished a GOP lawmaker would have the courage to stand up and "call the ugly dog the ugly dog."
"Where are these men and women with any integrity to speak out against this?" Johnson asked. "I expect better behavior out of Republicans."
"I wouldn't be here this morning if President Bush had done the one thing required of him as commander in chief - protect and defend the Constitution," said Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst. "The minute that Valerie Plame's identity was outed, he should have delivered a strict and strong message to his employees."
Harness Racing Picks for 07-22-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (100)
Place (35)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 10
Horse: QUEST HANOVER
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 6
Horse: CHEVIE BE THERE
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 1
Horse: GREEN DOT
Post Position: # 4
Win (100)
Place (35)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Pocono Downs
Race # 10
Horse: QUEST HANOVER
Post Position: # 1
****************************
Raceway Park
Race # 6
Horse: CHEVIE BE THERE
Post Position: # 5
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 1
Horse: GREEN DOT
Post Position: # 4
CNOOC Critics Took Money From Chevron
NYT
Three leaders in the congressional campaign to discourage Chinese oil company CNOOC Ltd.'s acquisition of Unocal Corp. accepted campaign contributions from rival suitor Chevron Corp. in recent weeks, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The lawmakers -- Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. -- have been among the most vocal on Capitol Hill in criticizing CNOOC's proposed deal as anticompetitive and a threat to national security. The perception that Congress could delay or spike a CNOOC deal is viewed as a major factor in Unocal's decision to stick with Chevron despite its lower bid.
All three donations were disbursed by Chevron on June 29, about a week after CNOOC announced its bid, according to Chevron's June report to the FEC. Pombo received a contribution of $2,000, while Conrad and Inhofe each received $1,000.
Three leaders in the congressional campaign to discourage Chinese oil company CNOOC Ltd.'s acquisition of Unocal Corp. accepted campaign contributions from rival suitor Chevron Corp. in recent weeks, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The lawmakers -- Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. -- have been among the most vocal on Capitol Hill in criticizing CNOOC's proposed deal as anticompetitive and a threat to national security. The perception that Congress could delay or spike a CNOOC deal is viewed as a major factor in Unocal's decision to stick with Chevron despite its lower bid.
All three donations were disbursed by Chevron on June 29, about a week after CNOOC announced its bid, according to Chevron's June report to the FEC. Pombo received a contribution of $2,000, while Conrad and Inhofe each received $1,000.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Harness Racing Results for 07-21-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (100)
Place (35)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 3
Horse: SOUTHWIND HEMLOCK (Won)
Post Position: # 3
Race # 4
Horse: BRUCESTREOS (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: I LIKE STEPHANIE (Place)
Post Position: # 6
Win (100)
Place (35)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (26)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 3
Horse: SOUTHWIND HEMLOCK (Won)
Post Position: # 3
Race # 4
Horse: BRUCESTREOS (Out of the Money)
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: I LIKE STEPHANIE (Place)
Post Position: # 6
Harness Racing Picks for 07-21-05
Record since 04-26-05
Win (99)
Place (34)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (25)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 3
Horse: SOUTHWIND HEMLOCK
Post Position: # 3
Race # 4
Horse: BRUCESTREOS
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: I LIKE STEPHANIE
Post Position: # 6
Win (99)
Place (34)
Show (6)
Out of the Money (25)
****************************
Flamboro Downs
Race # 3
Horse: SOUTHWIND HEMLOCK
Post Position: # 3
Race # 4
Horse: BRUCESTREOS
Post Position: # 4
****************************
Scioto Downs
Race # 5
Horse: I LIKE STEPHANIE
Post Position: # 6
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Soldiers may refuse to serve over legal threat
Officers say troops will be scared to act and morale will suffer
Thursday July 21, 2005
The Guardian
British soldiers will refuse to serve in Iraq if they face the threat of being prosecuted for war crimes, serving and former service personnel warned last night. A number of non-commissioned officers who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity - they are forbidden from talking to the press by Queen's Regulations - said they had been disgusted to learn that more fellow soldiers face prison as a result of their actions in Iraq.
One soldier, who served with the Irish Guards in Iraq during the conflict in 2003 and knows the three soldiers charged on Tuesday with war crimes, said: "It's going to put all the other lads in a horrible position. Everyone is going to be scared to do anything. If they get fired upon, they are going to be scared to fire back.
"Morale is going to hit rock bottom. The situation in Iraq is just going to turn into Northern Ireland. People are going to refuse to serve in Iraq or everyone is going to be asking to go on rear party or other duties."
Thursday July 21, 2005
The Guardian
British soldiers will refuse to serve in Iraq if they face the threat of being prosecuted for war crimes, serving and former service personnel warned last night. A number of non-commissioned officers who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity - they are forbidden from talking to the press by Queen's Regulations - said they had been disgusted to learn that more fellow soldiers face prison as a result of their actions in Iraq.
One soldier, who served with the Irish Guards in Iraq during the conflict in 2003 and knows the three soldiers charged on Tuesday with war crimes, said: "It's going to put all the other lads in a horrible position. Everyone is going to be scared to do anything. If they get fired upon, they are going to be scared to fire back.
"Morale is going to hit rock bottom. The situation in Iraq is just going to turn into Northern Ireland. People are going to refuse to serve in Iraq or everyone is going to be asking to go on rear party or other duties."
Plame's Identity Marked As Secret
Washington Post
Thursday, July 21, 2005; A01
A classified State Department memorandum central to a federal leak investigation contained information about CIA officer Valerie Plame in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret, a clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified, according to current and former government officials.
Plame -- who is referred to by her married name, Valerie Wilson, in the memo -- is mentioned in the second paragraph of the three-page document, which was written on June 10, 2003, by an analyst in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), according to a source who described the memo to The Washington Post.
The paragraph identifying her as the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV was clearly marked to show that it contained classified material at the "secret" level, two sources said. The CIA classifies as "secret" the names of officers whose identities are covert, according to former senior agency officials.
Anyone reading that paragraph should have been aware that it contained secret information, though that designation was not specifically attached to Plame's name and did not describe her status as covert, the sources said. It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a federal official to knowingly disclose the identity of a covert CIA official if the person knows the government is trying to keep it secret.
Thursday, July 21, 2005; A01
A classified State Department memorandum central to a federal leak investigation contained information about CIA officer Valerie Plame in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret, a clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified, according to current and former government officials.
Plame -- who is referred to by her married name, Valerie Wilson, in the memo -- is mentioned in the second paragraph of the three-page document, which was written on June 10, 2003, by an analyst in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), according to a source who described the memo to The Washington Post.
The paragraph identifying her as the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV was clearly marked to show that it contained classified material at the "secret" level, two sources said. The CIA classifies as "secret" the names of officers whose identities are covert, according to former senior agency officials.
Anyone reading that paragraph should have been aware that it contained secret information, though that designation was not specifically attached to Plame's name and did not describe her status as covert, the sources said. It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a federal official to knowingly disclose the identity of a covert CIA official if the person knows the government is trying to keep it secret.
Press release from Rep. Cynthia McKinney's Diebold press conference
July 17, 2005
Congresswoman McKinney Reveals Shocking Data on Diebold and Elections in Georgia
“I have been investigating Diebold and electronic voting as a citizen, a candidate, and a Congresswoman. We reveal the first results of our investigation today.” Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
(Decatur, GA) .. www.house.gov/mckinney …Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney held a press conference on Diebold and electronic voting in her District office today. With her at the event was Mr. Sam Barber, owner of American Computer Technology (ACT). Mr. Barber was a former partner with Diebold Elections Systems on the original 54 million dollar contract with the State of Georgia to provide equipment and services for Georgia elections. Mr. Barber’s company was to provide assembly and testing services for the Diebold DRE machines. Together, McKinney and Barber painted a very different picture of the problems with testing, certification, and the machines themselves than the picture of an almost flawless election that has been painted by the State of Georgia.
With internal memos between Diebold and the State of Georgia, which were acquired through open records, and Mr. Barbers testimony, it was revealed that the voting machines used in the 2002 election were not adequately tested, the training provided by Diebold for Georgia election officials was seriously flawed, and in some cases nonexistent. It appears that the election was almost completely turned over to Diebold by the State of Georgia. “We continue to focus on the symptoms of the problem, instead of focusing on the source of the problems”, stated Barber. One of the documents shown to the audience and given to the press was a draft of the Georgia “Punch List”, dated December 3, 2002, which was after the general election had already been held. The List contained numerous bugs and errors that were encountered during the election, but kept from the public.
Although the State of Georgia declared that the election went smoothly and encountered few problems, the Punch List revealed problems with the memory cards running low or out of memory, defective voting units, defective encoder performance, and deficient training on safeguards to detect tampering or theft. The list states, “Diebold staff providing training to counties, in many cases, were not adequately trained themselves and at times provided inaccurate information.” The list indicated that during the election, at least 5 county servers failed, and that there was evidence of failure with additional servers. Some CDs received from the counties that were supposed to contain election results were blank. There were also problems with a patch that was installed, and problems with “jumping” selections of candidates. Overall, the election was fraught with very serious problems, many of which had the potential to alter the results of the election.
This was the first in a series of press conferences that McKinney has planned to inform the public of the danger of electronic voting without a verifiable paper trail.
Congresswoman McKinney Reveals Shocking Data on Diebold and Elections in Georgia
“I have been investigating Diebold and electronic voting as a citizen, a candidate, and a Congresswoman. We reveal the first results of our investigation today.” Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
(Decatur, GA) .. www.house.gov/mckinney …Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney held a press conference on Diebold and electronic voting in her District office today. With her at the event was Mr. Sam Barber, owner of American Computer Technology (ACT). Mr. Barber was a former partner with Diebold Elections Systems on the original 54 million dollar contract with the State of Georgia to provide equipment and services for Georgia elections. Mr. Barber’s company was to provide assembly and testing services for the Diebold DRE machines. Together, McKinney and Barber painted a very different picture of the problems with testing, certification, and the machines themselves than the picture of an almost flawless election that has been painted by the State of Georgia.
With internal memos between Diebold and the State of Georgia, which were acquired through open records, and Mr. Barbers testimony, it was revealed that the voting machines used in the 2002 election were not adequately tested, the training provided by Diebold for Georgia election officials was seriously flawed, and in some cases nonexistent. It appears that the election was almost completely turned over to Diebold by the State of Georgia. “We continue to focus on the symptoms of the problem, instead of focusing on the source of the problems”, stated Barber. One of the documents shown to the audience and given to the press was a draft of the Georgia “Punch List”, dated December 3, 2002, which was after the general election had already been held. The List contained numerous bugs and errors that were encountered during the election, but kept from the public.
Although the State of Georgia declared that the election went smoothly and encountered few problems, the Punch List revealed problems with the memory cards running low or out of memory, defective voting units, defective encoder performance, and deficient training on safeguards to detect tampering or theft. The list states, “Diebold staff providing training to counties, in many cases, were not adequately trained themselves and at times provided inaccurate information.” The list indicated that during the election, at least 5 county servers failed, and that there was evidence of failure with additional servers. Some CDs received from the counties that were supposed to contain election results were blank. There were also problems with a patch that was installed, and problems with “jumping” selections of candidates. Overall, the election was fraught with very serious problems, many of which had the potential to alter the results of the election.
This was the first in a series of press conferences that McKinney has planned to inform the public of the danger of electronic voting without a verifiable paper trail.
Roves button reads "I'm a Source, Not a Target"
In this photograph taken in June 2003, Karl Rove, senior adviser to President Bush and Robert Novak are pictured together at a party marking the 40th anniversary of Novak's newspaper column at the Army Navy Club in Washington DC. At the event a number of people wore buttons reading, "I'm a source, not a target." Rove is at the center of a controversy about the leaking of a CIA operative's identity which originally appeared in Novak's newspaper column. (AP Photo/Lauren Shay)
Wall Street Journal enters Rove fray: State Dept. memo made clear info 'shouldn't be shared'
RAWSTORY
A classified State Department memo that may be pivotal to the CIA leak case made clear that information identifying an agent and her role in her husband's intelligence-gathering mission was sensitive and shouldn't be shared, according to a person familiar with the document, the (paid-restricted) Wall Street Journal reports Tuesday. Excerpts follow.
News that the memo was marked for its sensitivity emerged as President Bush yesterday appeared to backtrack from his 2004 pledge to fire any member of his staff involved in the leaking of the CIA agent's name. In a news conference yesterday that followed disclosures that his top strategist, Karl Rove, had discussed Ms. Wilson's CIA employment with two reporters, Mr. Bush adopted a different formulation, specifying criminality as the standard for firing.
The memo's details are significant because they will make it harder for officials who saw the document to claim that they didn't realize the identity of the CIA officer was a sensitive matter. Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor, may also be looking at whether other crimes -- such as perjury, obstruction of justice or leaking classified information -- were committed.
A classified State Department memo that may be pivotal to the CIA leak case made clear that information identifying an agent and her role in her husband's intelligence-gathering mission was sensitive and shouldn't be shared, according to a person familiar with the document, the (paid-restricted) Wall Street Journal reports Tuesday. Excerpts follow.
News that the memo was marked for its sensitivity emerged as President Bush yesterday appeared to backtrack from his 2004 pledge to fire any member of his staff involved in the leaking of the CIA agent's name. In a news conference yesterday that followed disclosures that his top strategist, Karl Rove, had discussed Ms. Wilson's CIA employment with two reporters, Mr. Bush adopted a different formulation, specifying criminality as the standard for firing.
The memo's details are significant because they will make it harder for officials who saw the document to claim that they didn't realize the identity of the CIA officer was a sensitive matter. Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor, may also be looking at whether other crimes -- such as perjury, obstruction of justice or leaking classified information -- were committed.
AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF
18 July 2005
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the
tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of
Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of
former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert
Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an
undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame’s name was a shameful
event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have
damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S.
intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of
confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and,
directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers
and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to
supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador
Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is
the idea that Ambassador Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover
and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this
“talking point”:
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, “And let's
be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job
at Langley. She went back and forth every single day.”
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on
July 12, 2005 that, “Well, they weren't taking affirmative
measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in
Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover
going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them.”
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said
on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, “And also I think
it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a
protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any
meaningful investigation about that.”
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17,
2005, “It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might
have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of topsecret
definition on things longer than they needed to. You
know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she
went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in
Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA,
and she went to that office every day.”
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence
community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of
U.S. intelligence officers who “work at a desk” in the Washington, D.C. area
every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have
non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an
investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we
believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply
discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work
undercover for their nation’s security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers
technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However,
we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that
our nation’s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all
intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move
proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who
participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. the President
would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be
tolerated and would be consistent with his duties
as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan
voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political
footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not
in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her
stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her
country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at
discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence,
which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at
home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend
long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they love this
country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to
defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public
acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their
government’s protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man
and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect
their ability to live their cover.
Sincerely yours,
_____________________________________
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, CIA
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint
Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence
Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the
tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of
Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of
former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert
Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an
undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame’s name was a shameful
event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have
damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S.
intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of
confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and,
directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers
and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to
supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador
Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is
the idea that Ambassador Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover
and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this
“talking point”:
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, “And let's
be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job
at Langley. She went back and forth every single day.”
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on
July 12, 2005 that, “Well, they weren't taking affirmative
measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in
Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover
going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them.”
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said
on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, “And also I think
it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a
protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any
meaningful investigation about that.”
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17,
2005, “It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might
have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of topsecret
definition on things longer than they needed to. You
know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she
went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in
Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA,
and she went to that office every day.”
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence
community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of
U.S. intelligence officers who “work at a desk” in the Washington, D.C. area
every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have
non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an
investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we
believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply
discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work
undercover for their nation’s security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers
technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However,
we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that
our nation’s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all
intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move
proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who
participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. the President
would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be
tolerated and would be consistent with his duties
as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan
voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political
footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not
in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her
stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her
country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at
discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence,
which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at
home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend
long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they love this
country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to
defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public
acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their
government’s protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man
and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect
their ability to live their cover.
Sincerely yours,
_____________________________________
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, CIA
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint
Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence
Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
US reports China missile build-up
BBC
China has increased the number of short-range ballistic missiles on its coast opposite Taiwan, the US has said.
In an annual report to Congress, the Pentagon claimed there were now up to 730 such missiles in place. Last year's report found only 500.
The Pentagon said China could now be spending up to $90bn a year on defence, and that its military build-up put regional balances at risk.
But China has dismissed the claims, insisting its rise would be peaceful.
"Not only is China not a threat to anyone, but we would also like to make friends with people in every country, work together and develop mutually beneficial co-operation in order to facilitate everyone's progress," Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Wednesday.
China has increased the number of short-range ballistic missiles on its coast opposite Taiwan, the US has said.
In an annual report to Congress, the Pentagon claimed there were now up to 730 such missiles in place. Last year's report found only 500.
The Pentagon said China could now be spending up to $90bn a year on defence, and that its military build-up put regional balances at risk.
But China has dismissed the claims, insisting its rise would be peaceful.
"Not only is China not a threat to anyone, but we would also like to make friends with people in every country, work together and develop mutually beneficial co-operation in order to facilitate everyone's progress," Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said on Wednesday.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Prophet Yahweh, Whatever
MEDIA ALERT: Prophet Yahweh, Seer Of Yahweh, Will Call Down UFOs For Radio And Television News And Talk Shows In All 50 States Of America, One State At A Time.
Beginning August 7, 2005, Prophet Yahweh, Seer of Yahweh, will start his "50 State UFO Summoning Tour 2005." During this time, UFOs will appear on Prophet's signal for radio or television news and talk shows to film and photograph.
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) July 20, 2005 -- Prophet Yahweh, Seer of YAHWEH, was blessed to discover the lost, ancient art of summoning UFOs and spaceships on-demand. Since 1979, hundreds of UFOs have appeared on his signal for witnesses to see.
Prophet is willing to call down UFOs for your station's news or talk show to video and photograph? Want to find out more about this? Just keep reading.
On May 23, 2005, Prophet sent out a press release announcing his Las Vegas Media-Only UFO Summoning Event. In it, he stated that for 45 days, TV camera crews would immediately start filming UFOs that appeared on his signal, if TV stations came and filmed him summoning them. Prophet also said that if the media continued filming his summonings, sometime before the 45 day Las Vegas Media-Only summoning was over, a spaceship would descend and sit in the sky over Las Vegas for a day and a half.
Beginning August 7, 2005, Prophet Yahweh, Seer of Yahweh, will start his "50 State UFO Summoning Tour 2005." During this time, UFOs will appear on Prophet's signal for radio or television news and talk shows to film and photograph.
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) July 20, 2005 -- Prophet Yahweh, Seer of YAHWEH, was blessed to discover the lost, ancient art of summoning UFOs and spaceships on-demand. Since 1979, hundreds of UFOs have appeared on his signal for witnesses to see.
Prophet is willing to call down UFOs for your station's news or talk show to video and photograph? Want to find out more about this? Just keep reading.
On May 23, 2005, Prophet sent out a press release announcing his Las Vegas Media-Only UFO Summoning Event. In it, he stated that for 45 days, TV camera crews would immediately start filming UFOs that appeared on his signal, if TV stations came and filmed him summoning them. Prophet also said that if the media continued filming his summonings, sometime before the 45 day Las Vegas Media-Only summoning was over, a spaceship would descend and sit in the sky over Las Vegas for a day and a half.
Female Purple Finger's No Longer Wanted
Iraqi Constitution Draft Includes Curbs to Women's Rights
NYT
A working draft of Iraq's new constitution would cede a strong role to Islamic law and could sharply curb women's rights, particularly in personal matters like divorce and family inheritance.
The document's writers are also debating whether to drop or phase out a measure enshrined in the interim constitution, co-written last year by the Americans, requiring that women make up at least a quarter of the parliament.
The draft of a chapter of the new constitution obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday guarantees equal rights for women as long as those rights do not "violate Shariah," or Koranic law.
NYT
A working draft of Iraq's new constitution would cede a strong role to Islamic law and could sharply curb women's rights, particularly in personal matters like divorce and family inheritance.
The document's writers are also debating whether to drop or phase out a measure enshrined in the interim constitution, co-written last year by the Americans, requiring that women make up at least a quarter of the parliament.
The draft of a chapter of the new constitution obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday guarantees equal rights for women as long as those rights do not "violate Shariah," or Koranic law.
Rove: Lying to the FBI?
Karl Rove's alibi would be easier to believe if he hadn't hidden it from FBI investigators in 2003.
By Murray Waas
White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove did not disclose that he had ever discussed CIA officer Valerie Plame with Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper during Rove’s first interview with the FBI, according to legal sources with firsthand knowledge of the matter.
The omission by Rove created doubt for federal investigators, almost from the inception of their criminal probe into who leaked Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak, as to whether Rove was withholding crucial information from them, and perhaps even misleading or lying to them, the sources said.
Also leading to the early skepticism of Rove's accounts was the claim that although he first heard that Plame worked for the CIA from a journalist, he said could not recall the name of the journalist. Later, the sources said, Rove wavered even further, saying he was not sure at all where he first heard the information.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, has said that Rove never knew that Plame was a covert officer when he discussed her CIA employment with reporters, and that he only first learned of her clandestine status when he read about it in the newspaper. Luskin did not return a telephone call today seeking comment for this story.
If recently disclosed press accounts of conversations that Rove had with reporters are correct, Novak and Rove first spoke about Plame on July 8, 2003. It was three days later, on July 11, that Rove also spoke about Plame to Time magazine correspondent Matthew Cooper. Three days after that, on July 14, Novak's column appeared in which he identified Plame as an "agency operative." According to Novak's account, it was he, not Rove, who first broached the issue of Plame's employment with the CIA, and that Rove at most simply said that he, too, had heard much the same information.
Novak's column came during a period of time when senior White House officials were attempting to discredit Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was then asserting that the Bush administration had relied on faulty intelligence to bolster its case to go to war with Iraq. Wilson had only recently led a CIA-sponsored mission to Niger to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein was covertly attempting to buy enriched uranium from the African nation to build a nuclear weapon. Wilson reported back that the claims were most likely the result of a hoax. But President Bush had still cited them during a State of the Union address as evidence that Hussein had an aggressive program to develop weapons of mass destruction.
In the column, Novak called Plame an "agency operative," thus identifying her as a covert CIA agent. But Novak has since claimed that his use of the phrase "agency operative" was a formulation of his own, and that he did not know, or mean to tell his readers, that she had a covert status with the agency.
Rove, too, has told federal investigators he did not know that Plame had a covert status with the CIA when he spoke with Novak, and Cooper, about Plame.
The distinction as to whether Rove specifically knew Plame’s status has been central to the investigation of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald; under the law, a government official can only be prosecuted if he or she knew of a person's covert status and "that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent."
But investigators were also skeptical of Novak's claim that his use of the term "operative" was a journalistic miscue because it appeared to provide legal protection for whoever his source or sources were. And although Novak's and Rove's accounts of their conversations regarding Plame were largely consistent, they appeared to be self-serving.
It has been, in large part, for all of these reasons that Fitzgerald so zealously sought the testimony of reporters Cooper and Judith Miller of The New York Times, according to sources sympathetic to Fitzgerald. Cooper testified to Fitzgerald's grand jury last week, after earlier having been found in civil contempt for refusing to do so. In contrast, Miller has refused to testify, and is currently serving a sentence in an Alexandria, Virginia, jail.
Finally, also driving Fitzgerald's investigation has been Rove's assertions that he only found out about Plame's status with the CIA from a journalist -- and one whose name he does not recall. But as The New York Times first disclosed on July 16, senior Bush administration officials first learned that Plame worked for the CIA from a classified briefing paper on July 7, 2003, exactly a week before Novak's column naming Plame appeared and at the time that senior Bush administration officials were devising a strategy to discredit Wilson.
The classified memorandum, dated June 10, 2003, was written by Marc Grossman, then the undersecretary of state for political affairs, and reportedly made claims similar to those made by Wilson: that the Bush administration had relied on faulty intelligence to exaggerate the threat posed by Hussein to make the case to go to war with Iraq. The report was circulated to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and a slew of other senior administration officials who were then traveling with President Bush to Africa.
Fitzgerald has focused on whether Rove might have learned of Plame's identity from one of the many senior White House officials who read the memo, according to the Times account and attorneys whose clients have testified before the federal grand jury.
Murray Waas is an investigative reporter. He will be reporting further about the Plame grand jury on his blog, Whatever Already.
By Murray Waas
White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove did not disclose that he had ever discussed CIA officer Valerie Plame with Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper during Rove’s first interview with the FBI, according to legal sources with firsthand knowledge of the matter.
The omission by Rove created doubt for federal investigators, almost from the inception of their criminal probe into who leaked Plame's name to columnist Robert Novak, as to whether Rove was withholding crucial information from them, and perhaps even misleading or lying to them, the sources said.
Also leading to the early skepticism of Rove's accounts was the claim that although he first heard that Plame worked for the CIA from a journalist, he said could not recall the name of the journalist. Later, the sources said, Rove wavered even further, saying he was not sure at all where he first heard the information.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, has said that Rove never knew that Plame was a covert officer when he discussed her CIA employment with reporters, and that he only first learned of her clandestine status when he read about it in the newspaper. Luskin did not return a telephone call today seeking comment for this story.
If recently disclosed press accounts of conversations that Rove had with reporters are correct, Novak and Rove first spoke about Plame on July 8, 2003. It was three days later, on July 11, that Rove also spoke about Plame to Time magazine correspondent Matthew Cooper. Three days after that, on July 14, Novak's column appeared in which he identified Plame as an "agency operative." According to Novak's account, it was he, not Rove, who first broached the issue of Plame's employment with the CIA, and that Rove at most simply said that he, too, had heard much the same information.
Novak's column came during a period of time when senior White House officials were attempting to discredit Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was then asserting that the Bush administration had relied on faulty intelligence to bolster its case to go to war with Iraq. Wilson had only recently led a CIA-sponsored mission to Niger to investigate claims that Saddam Hussein was covertly attempting to buy enriched uranium from the African nation to build a nuclear weapon. Wilson reported back that the claims were most likely the result of a hoax. But President Bush had still cited them during a State of the Union address as evidence that Hussein had an aggressive program to develop weapons of mass destruction.
In the column, Novak called Plame an "agency operative," thus identifying her as a covert CIA agent. But Novak has since claimed that his use of the phrase "agency operative" was a formulation of his own, and that he did not know, or mean to tell his readers, that she had a covert status with the agency.
Rove, too, has told federal investigators he did not know that Plame had a covert status with the CIA when he spoke with Novak, and Cooper, about Plame.
The distinction as to whether Rove specifically knew Plame’s status has been central to the investigation of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald; under the law, a government official can only be prosecuted if he or she knew of a person's covert status and "that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent."
But investigators were also skeptical of Novak's claim that his use of the term "operative" was a journalistic miscue because it appeared to provide legal protection for whoever his source or sources were. And although Novak's and Rove's accounts of their conversations regarding Plame were largely consistent, they appeared to be self-serving.
It has been, in large part, for all of these reasons that Fitzgerald so zealously sought the testimony of reporters Cooper and Judith Miller of The New York Times, according to sources sympathetic to Fitzgerald. Cooper testified to Fitzgerald's grand jury last week, after earlier having been found in civil contempt for refusing to do so. In contrast, Miller has refused to testify, and is currently serving a sentence in an Alexandria, Virginia, jail.
Finally, also driving Fitzgerald's investigation has been Rove's assertions that he only found out about Plame's status with the CIA from a journalist -- and one whose name he does not recall. But as The New York Times first disclosed on July 16, senior Bush administration officials first learned that Plame worked for the CIA from a classified briefing paper on July 7, 2003, exactly a week before Novak's column naming Plame appeared and at the time that senior Bush administration officials were devising a strategy to discredit Wilson.
The classified memorandum, dated June 10, 2003, was written by Marc Grossman, then the undersecretary of state for political affairs, and reportedly made claims similar to those made by Wilson: that the Bush administration had relied on faulty intelligence to exaggerate the threat posed by Hussein to make the case to go to war with Iraq. The report was circulated to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and a slew of other senior administration officials who were then traveling with President Bush to Africa.
Fitzgerald has focused on whether Rove might have learned of Plame's identity from one of the many senior White House officials who read the memo, according to the Times account and attorneys whose clients have testified before the federal grand jury.
Murray Waas is an investigative reporter. He will be reporting further about the Plame grand jury on his blog, Whatever Already.
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