Sunday, November 04, 2007
The 'authority' of the USA is gone
When the best of the best of our nation comes to work seeking to end real threats against the people of the USA, but, are turned into political toys, the only conclusion a responsible citizen can come to is the administration in the Executive Branch is treasonist and works to cause danger to citizens rather than resolve it.
The conservative media has challenged the importance of the work of Valerie Plame to justify as a reason for her outing, therefore, allowing the Bush Administration to punish Ambassador Joe Wilson where it hits at home. This behavior by an elected president and vice president is absolutely outrageous. To realize these men are still in office is simply more outrageous.
The idea that the work of a CIA agent pursuing the marketing of Weapons of Mass Destruction to or of a global terrorist network is trivial pursuit is the most hideous statement I ever heard. The REASON George Walker Bush "Jr." and Richard "Halliburton" Cheney used to justify the illegal invasion into Iraq was the capacity of that sovereign country to proliferate Weapons of Mass Destruction and use them. When realizing they used the opportunity of outing a CIA agent to stop 'the truth' telling of Ambassador Wilson and to realize that agent was not only his spouse but the very agent that would have the most information regarding the very 'REASON' Bush and Cheney cited for the invasion is a relationship in reality no media service has pursued.
The Bush Executive Branch's outing of Valerie Plame served several purposes; it galvanized the conservative media to mount a campaign that would promote the lead up to war with Iraq, it promoted the idea that Ambassador Wilson's Op-Ed in The New York Times was illegitimate and it stopped the very progress Valerie Plame was making in protecting the nation. Not only that but the work she was doing to track the illegal and dangerous market of Weapons of Mass Destruction was destroyed. No one could come along and simply start her work where she left off. It would take years of rebuilding the infrastructure of the spy network Valerie was supporting to accomplish that goal, if indeed it could be accomplished again. In other words, the irresponsible outing of Valerie Plame for political volleys in the lead up to war revealed the underbelly of the CIA initiative and with it the agents both domestic and foreign providing a support to her work. I don't want to know whom in the world may have been in jeopardy or killed due to the outing of Valerie Plame, but, I am confident the infrastructure she accomplished to build leading to undermine such a dangerous market was destroyed with the Bush and Cheney desperation to launch the attacks into Iraq.
The USA's authority to protect the people of the nation has been destroyed with an outrageous political volley by the outing of Valerie Plame and the appearance of challenging the authority of Ambassador Wilson's reputation. These are reputations and careers recognized in the greater world as people that can be trusted for relaying sensitive information to a trusted ally. The irresponsible outing of Valerie has only caused paused to many in the global network to dismantle terrorist networks when it comes to informing the USA and taking the risk to protect the people of this nation while improving circumstances for those that come forward.
The outing of Valerie Plame is a heinous act against the security of the USA and it remains unpunished for it's severity and stupidity, only left to be repeated by those that place their narcisstic political interests ahead of the best interests of the people of the USA.
Newsnight Book Club - Fair Game by Valerie Plame Wilson (click here)
25 Oct 07, 04:01 PM
The latest entry into the Newsnight Book Club is Valerie Plame's Fair Game.
Valerie Plame Wilson is the woman at the centre of the scandal that, ultimately, led to the downfall, prosecution and conviction of the former White House chief of staff, Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, for revealing her identity as a CIA spy.
In Fair Game, Valerie Plame Wilson tells her side of the story, and details her life as a spy. The following extract covers the moment her identity was revealed.
Watch Newsnight’s 2005 interview with Joseph Wilson
Fair Game is published by Simon & Schuster....
Friday, July 27, 2007
Plame promises appeal...Iraq said gripped by fear...
Plame promises appeal...(click here)
Former C-I-A operative Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, say they'll appeal a federal court ruling against them. A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit in which they sought damages from Bush administration officials they blame for leaking Plame's C-I-A identity.
CAPITOL HILL (AP) The U-S ambassador to Baghdad says Iraq is a nation gripped by fear. Speaking by video link from Iraq, Ryan Crocker told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee progress can only happen when fear is replaced "with some level of trust and confidence."
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Currently, the 'best hope' in defeating Osama bin Laden comes in the form of widows, including 911 spouses.
Mariane Pearl's suit contends that Pakistan's biggest bank aided her husband's killers.
Pearl widow sues bank, extremists (click here)
NEW YORK - Daniel Pearl's widow sued more than a dozen reputed extremists and Pakistan's largest bank, blaming them for the 2002 torture and murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter.
A complaint filed yesterday in Brooklyn federal court by Mariane Pearl and her husband's estate alleges that Habib Bank Limited of Karachi knowingly provided financial services for al-Qaeda and other terror groups. Backed by the bank, terrorists "carried out the kidnapping, ransom, torture, execution and dismemberment of Daniel Pearl and broadcast those images nationwide," said the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.
Also named as a defendant is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the imprisoned mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.
There was no immediate response to a message left with the bank's Manhattan office.- AP
There is a lot of validity to the 'idea' that cutting off funding to a military operation, which al Qaeda is, will stop, slow and prevent any ability for the war to survive. To stop the funds available to terrorist networks is a very, very smart and 'real strategy' against their ability to carry out attacks. The West has a lot to be grateful for if these widows are successful. I wish them all the best.
Judge Halts Valerie Plame's Lawsuit
In this Friday, March 16, 2007, file photo, former CIA analyst Valerie Plame listens to opening statements on Capitol Hill during the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. A federal judge on Thursday, July 19, 2007, dismissed Plame's lawsuit against members of the Bush administration in the CIA leak scandal. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
ANOTHER 'GREAT MOMENT' for the Bush Administration. Outing a CIA agent is not only legal and pardoning a liar essential but 'the power brokers' have never been more obvious.
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge in Washington is tossing out a lawsuit filed by former CIA (click here) operative Valerie Plame against members of the Bush administration in the CIA leak scandal.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, and said he wouldn't express an opinion on the constitutional arguments.
Plame accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to leak her identity. She said it violated her privacy rights, and that it was an illegal act of retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration.
Her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, was a prominent critic of the administration's justifications for the war in Iraq.
Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Libby, the vice president's former chief of staff, was convicted of obstructing the investigation into the leak. He was fined and sentenced to two and a-half years in prison, but the prison sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush.
Plame's attorneys had said the lawsuit would be an uphill battle. Public officials are normally immune from such lawsuits filed in connection with their jobs.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds, and said he wouldn't express an opinion on the constitutional arguments.
Plame accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to leak her identity. She said it violated her privacy rights, and that it was an illegal act of retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration.
Her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, was a prominent critic of the administration's justifications for the war in Iraq.
Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Libby, the vice president's former chief of staff, was convicted of obstructing the investigation into the leak. He was fined and sentenced to two and a-half years in prison, but the prison sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush.
Plame's attorneys had said the lawsuit would be an uphill battle. Public officials are normally immune from such lawsuits filed in connection with their jobs.
Mr. Big Mouth has written a book. Like "No Clue." I won't ever buy it. Not worth it.
Men like Bob Novak have no conscience. He has 'alliances' when performing his 'job' as a pundit to the Neocon Americans of the Republican Party. Bob Novack is a prime example of how a democracy upheld as the last word in freedom can fall into the "W"rongest of hands and be exploited for criminal and commercial purpose.
Bob Novak's answer to the American Health Care Crisis is to close the office of the Surgeon General. Incredible the 'gall' these men have in putting forth an anarchic agenda to defeat democracy rather than uphold it.
The word is treason. It exists in this dialogue because 'of the people' involved with the 'power structure' within the USA democracy. Will they ever be punished? No. They will be excused by the power structure while under the direction of 'Their Party' members.
Trusting an Executive Branch of the USA has never been more important. While 'outing' a CIA agent is NOT a crime and a means of 'muting' a runaway CIA operation that actually 'endangers' the foreign policy of the USA, this operation by Valerie Plame was NOT a danger to the USA so much as necessary. She was operating a covert operation to expose people involved with WMD globally.
Mr. Novak acted out of pure unadulted lust for power and money. He had no desire to serve the USA in a patriotic manner, but, more 'The Republican Party' and it's Neocon substructure that promotes war as international policy and poverty as domestic policy.
The operative word here is 'justifies.' It speaks eons to the lack of truth exuded by the Neocons.
Novak justifies outing Plame & sources (click here)
Posted: Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:36 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Posted: Thursday, July 19, 2007 2:36 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Categories: Security
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
At a breakfast meeting with reporters, Bob Novak defended his decision to print Valerie Plame Wilson’s name in his column -- which sparked the CIA leak investigation. And he justified his outing of several once-anonymous sources in his new book, The Prince of Darkness....
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
At a breakfast meeting with reporters, Bob Novak defended his decision to print Valerie Plame Wilson’s name in his column -- which sparked the CIA leak investigation. And he justified his outing of several once-anonymous sources in his new book, The Prince of Darkness....
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
What happened to reverence for the truth?
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,583
By The Associated Press
07.02.07, 8:30 PM ET
As of Monday, July 2, 2007, at least 3,583 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,942 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is six higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 156 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 20; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, South Korea, one death each.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ A soldier was killed Monday by an explosion in Salahuddin province.
_ Two soldiers and one Marine were killed Sunday in Anbar province.
_ A soldier was killed Sunday by small-arms fire in southern Baghdad.
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Staff Sgt. Robb L. Rolfing, 29, Milton, Mass.; died Saturday in Baghdad of wounds from small-arms fire; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Carson, Colo.
_ Army Pfc. Jonathan M. Rossi, 20, Safety Harbor, Fla.; died Sunday in Baghdad of wounds from an explosive and small-arms fire; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved
As of Monday, July 2, 2007, at least 3,583 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,942 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is six higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Monday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 156 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 20; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, South Korea, one death each.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ A soldier was killed Monday by an explosion in Salahuddin province.
_ Two soldiers and one Marine were killed Sunday in Anbar province.
_ A soldier was killed Sunday by small-arms fire in southern Baghdad.
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Staff Sgt. Robb L. Rolfing, 29, Milton, Mass.; died Saturday in Baghdad of wounds from small-arms fire; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Carson, Colo.
_ Army Pfc. Jonathan M. Rossi, 20, Safety Harbor, Fla.; died Sunday in Baghdad of wounds from an explosive and small-arms fire; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved
George W. Bush is One Tough Hombre (click here)
…Mr. Bush is tough enough to invade a country that was no risk to America, causing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and shedding precious American blood in the process. Tough enough to sanction torture. Tough enough to order an American citizen arrested and held without trial.
But if you're rich and right-wing and Republican, George is a real softie. As George W. Bush demonstrated in giving Scooter Libby a Get Out of Jail Free Card, he is only compassionate to conservatives.
What does it say about America in the age of Bush when Judith Miller spends more time in jail over the Valerie Plame smear than Scooter Libby?...
…Mr. Bush is tough enough to invade a country that was no risk to America, causing tens of thousands of civilian deaths and shedding precious American blood in the process. Tough enough to sanction torture. Tough enough to order an American citizen arrested and held without trial.
But if you're rich and right-wing and Republican, George is a real softie. As George W. Bush demonstrated in giving Scooter Libby a Get Out of Jail Free Card, he is only compassionate to conservatives.
What does it say about America in the age of Bush when Judith Miller spends more time in jail over the Valerie Plame smear than Scooter Libby?...
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
A quarter million in fines and 30 months to think about it.
Patrick Fitzgerald received the sentence he asked for while Scooter Libby looks to the White House to do 'the corrupt act' of pardoning him.
David Corn 1 hour, 17 minutes ago
The Nation -- I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby stood before federal district court Judge Reggie Walton. It was finally the moment for Vice President Dick Cheney' Libby, who did not testify during the trial, thanked the court for showing him and his defense team consideration during the proceedings. He told the judge, "It is...my hope the court will consider...my whole life."
That was it.
No apology.
No expression of remorse.
Then Walton sentenced Libby to 30 months in jail and a $250,000 fine. Libby didn't flinch. His wife, Harriet Grant, cried. Notable conservatives in the front row of the crowded courtroom--Mary Matalin, Barbara Comstock, and Victoria Toensing--appeared shocked.
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald had asked Walton to incarcerate Libby for 30 to 37 months. At the hearing, prior to Walton's ruling, Libby's defense attorneys--Ted Wells and William Jeffress Jr.--contended that Libby should get off with probation. They threw several arguments at the judge. First, they claimed that the toughest sentencing guides should not be applied to Libby, echoing an argument put forward by Libby's champions in rightwing circles: Nobody was ever charged with leaking the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, so the whole case was not such a big deal. Walton did not bite. Citing appeals court decisions, he noted that in an obstruction of justice case it's the investigation that counts, not the ultimate outcome of the investigation. "Your position," Walton told Jeffress, "would seem to promote someone aggressively engaging in obstruction behavior."...
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Thomas Jefferson on treason
Treason. This, when real, merits the highest punishment. But most codes extend their definition of treason to acts not really against one’s country. They do not distinguish between acts against the government and acts against the oppressions of the government; the latter are virtues; yet they have furnished more victims to the executioner than the former; because real treasons are rare; oppressions frequent. The unsuccessful strugglers against tyranny, have been the chief martyrs of treason laws in all countries.
Reformation of government with our neighbors, being as much wanted now as religion is, or ever was anywhere, we should not wish then, to give up to the executioner, the patriot who fails, and flees to us. Treasons then, taking the simulated with the real, are sufficiently punished by exile.
—Heads of consideration on the establishment of extradition treaties, 22 March 1792
THE EARLY COLONISTS HAD A VERY REAL SENSE OF LOYALTY TO THEIR NEW CONSITUTION. In that, they practiced piety to the Constitution and held their hearts in loyalty to their new found freedoms.
Where they were religious men or not was not the issue so much as the result. They left England seeking a better life. They carried out a revolution against the British to claim freedom over oppression.
The motivations behind the actions of Mr. Bush (click on), on all fronts is more than questionable. He would like to paint himself as a victim to his administration (click on).
Bush stated while in Mexico, "I guess Al didn't handle it well, I am hearing about it in Mexico."
That slight of tongue is oddly interesting in that from the notations below, Mr. Bush knew full well the focus of this Justice Department in firing the eight US Attorneys. He approved of it. He dreamed of a greater elimination of US Attorneys with the consent of his White House Council. The only aspect that 'troubled' his South/Latin American Tour was the fact the media at home was telling the truth regarding an out of control administration in the White House. Out of control on all fronts.
The question is the brevity of this 'attitude' of this administration. Self-righteous, eliminating any and all citizens as important except for his Evangelical constituents that was pandered to by Karl Rove to hold onto a wedge to any election. A guaranteed Anti-Democrat constituency with enough numbers to destroy a Constitution. The Evangelicals are a very dedicated religion. They believe the overthrow of a nation to insure they have their own is appropriate. It is noted in magnitude throughout the Bush Administration.
Also in equal or even greater magnitude was a covert operation for wealth and power in the Oval Office. WIth the consent of Mr. Bush, there was negligence that lead to the attacks of September 11, 200l. There were lies conducted before the United Nations, the American Public and as a result a scandalous war that has currently killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. There is and has not been any remorse regarding these atrocities against all peoples, including that of the people of the very nation he is supposed to be loyal to.
The scandalous and self-righteous White House was more than negligent in their outing of a CIA agent in order to oppress the truth regarding the evidence that lead to the illegal invasion into Iraq. There was spying on Americans, Rendition Flights, alienation of allies, the estrangement of the international image of the USA, torture of prisoners. Domestically, the educational system of the USA is no longer internationally competitive, medical assurances are dwindling for most people, lost economic voracity with good paying jobs and lives easy to manage and enjoy, the loss of the housing boom that has floated the Bush Economy hence destroying The American Dream.
The loss of the Treasury Surplus while replaced by uncontrollable debt to fuel Bush/Cheney's war aspirations. Along with that the 'promise' of the USA to improve the lives of every generation of Americans. No real support for Genetic Research. Complete negligence of the Global Troposphere and hence even enhancing Human Induced Global Warming while he argues with Canada over access to the melting Arctic Ocean for the purpose of oil exploration, a Treasury Secretary that spends more time in China than the USA.
The word greed overshadows every aspect of this administration, at the cost of the dignity of the USA.
The issue is, has the Bush White House simply oppressed the will of the people of the USA or committed treason against their government. With a list this long of atrocities against the USA Constitution including the demoralization of Habeas Corpus, can there honestly be any doubt about the legitimate charge of treason of the entirety of this Executive Branch.
No.
There is absolutely no doubt.
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,200
As of Wednesday, March 14, 2007, at least 3,200 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,579 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is six higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 134 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 19; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, one death each.
Three more US troops die in Iraq (click on)
BAGHDAD: Three more US soldiers have died in Iraq, two of them in action and one in a separate incident, a military statement said. One soldier was killed by a roadside bomb attack while fighting in support of an air assault on insurgent targets southwest of Baghdad, and another “died as a result of injuries sustained from an explosion” in northern Iraq, Sunday’s statement said.
In the third incident, a soldier from Task Force Lightning, based in the northern city of Tikrit died “in a non-combated related incident, which is currently under investigation”. The deaths brought to 3,195 the US military’s losses in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to an AFP count based on Pentagon figures.
Meanwhile, a roadside bomb struck a car carrying government bodyguards on Monday, killing at least two and injuring three, police said. The bomb, planted along a busy highway in southeastern Baghdad, apparently targeted the car carrying the guards as they headed to work at the Ministry of Agriculture. The minister was not in the car, police said. agencies
Iraq fallback strategy
WASHINGTON: US military planners have begun work on a fallback strategy in case the US troop buildup in Iraq fails, including a gradual pullout of US forces and more emphasis on training and advising Iraqi forces, the Los Angeles Times reported in Monday’s editions.
The strategy, based partly on the US experience in El Salvador in the 1980s, is in the early planning stages, the newspaper said, citing US military officials and Pentagon consultants who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It is a fallback if the Bush administration’s plan to send about 26,000 more US troops fails to stabilise Iraq, or if the Democratic-led Congress limits that move, it said.
The newspaper quoted a Pentagon official as saying “This part of the world has an allergy against foreign presence. You have a window of opportunity that is relatively short. Your ability to influence this with a large US force eventually gets to a point that is self-defeating”.
The United States sent 55 Green Berets to El Salvador to help its military fight rebels from 1981 to 1992, in a drive to make the US military presence less visible, the newspaper said.
It said Pentagon officials said the Iraq plan would have to entail many more advisors, but that the El Salvador model had influenced planning.
There are currently about 140,000 US troops in Iraq.
Shifting from a troop increase to more reliance on an advisory role would bring the administration more in line with the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan panel that recommended a gradual reduction in US combat forces in Iraq. reuters
Iraq - Suicide Bombing Leaves 10 Dead (click on)
Yet another suicide bomb attack has struck Iraq today this time in the town of Tuz Khormato 130km north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, leaving at least 10 dead and 25 wounded.
The recent lull in violence in Baghdad has been put down to Shiite parties ordering their militias to avoid confrontations with American troops however violence has risen elsewhere in the country.
The U.S. military has increased its presence in the Iraqi capital in what many observers see as a last ditch attempt to quell the violence in the city.
The President's Council (click on)
In his preface, Minutaglio refers to a source who told him that “Gonzales was like a man who always seemed to be holding something inside, like someone whose skin practically bulged with all the confidences he had accumulated.” That person added that each time he envisioned Gonzales, he drew a mental picture of him leaning over and whispering to someone. That person suggested that if Gonzales ever sat for a portrait, it should be rendered in the manner of Rembrandt’s “’The Evangelist Matthew’”—with Gonzales as the mostly hidden, gauzy figure hovering behind the more clearly depicted and important-looking man in the foreground... And resting a few fingertips on the important man’s back... and leaning in to murmur in that man’s ear.”
The Treasonist Supreme Court Nominee and Presidential Council
ABOVE: Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers (left) and her religious leader, Ron Key (right). (click on)
White House sought to fire 93 attorneys Iclick on)
By Dan Eggen and John Solomon
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The White House suggested to the Justice Department two years ago that all 93 U.S. attorneys be fired, according to e-mails and internal documents that the administration will provide to Congress today.
Eventually, eight U.S. attorneys were dismissed by last December.
The firings took place after President Bush told Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that he had received complaints that some prosecutors had not energetically pursued voter-fraud investigations, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. One of the U.S. attorneys dismissed was John McKay of Seattle.
Documents and interviews indicate that Harriet Miers, who was then the White House counsel, suggested in February 2005 that all the prosecutors be dismissed and replaced with new Republican appointees for Bush's second term.
That proposal was rejected by Gonzales as impractical and disruptive, Justice officials said.
Gonzales did approve the idea of firing the smaller group of U.S. attorneys, but he left it to an aide, Kyle Sampson, to carry out most of the details, according to interviews and documents reviewed Monday by The Washington Post.
The documents include numerous e-mails between Sampson and Miers and others in the White House counsel's office.
Sampson resigned Monday, officials said, after acknowledging that he did not tell other Justice Department officials who testified to Congress about the extent of his communications with the White House about the U.S. attorneys, leading them to provide incomplete information in their testimony to lawmakers.
Congress has requested the documents as part of an investigation by the House and Senate Judiciary committees into whether the firings were politically motivated. While it is unclear whether the documents answer that question, they show that the White House and other administration officials were more deeply involved in the dismissals, and at an earlier date, than they have acknowledged.
Seven U.S. attorneys, including McKay, were fired Dec. 7, and another was fired months earlier, with little explanation from the Justice Department. Several of the former prosecutors have since alleged intimidation, including improper telephone calls from GOP lawmakers or their aides, and have alleged threats of retaliation by a Justice Department official.
Administration officials have repeatedly portrayed the firings as a routine personnel matter.
But interviews and documents indicate that over the course of two years, Bush, his top political adviser Karl Rove and other White House officials passed on to the Justice Department complaints they had received that some U.S. attorneys were not doing enough to prosecute certain crimes, such as voter fraud.
Bush personally mentioned such complaints to Gonzales in a conversation in October 2006, Perino said. "He believes informally he may have mentioned it to the AG during the meeting discussing other matters," Perino said. "White House officials, including the president, did not direct DOJ to take any specific action with regards to any specific U.S. attorney."
Perino said that "it doesn't appear the president was told about a list nor shown a list" of U.S. attorneys at any point in the discussions. She said Rove had an early conversation with Miers about the idea of firing all chief prosecutors and did not think it was wise.
Administration officials say they are braced for a new round of criticism today from lawmakers who may feel they were misled by testimony in recent weeks from Gonzales, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty and William Moschella, principal associate deputy attorney general. Several Democrats, including Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, in recent days have asked for Gonzales' resignation.
Although Gonzales rejected Miers' suggestion to fire all 93 prosecutors, her proposal led his aide Sampson to send an e-mail to Miers in March 2005 ranking all 93 U.S. attorneys.
Strong performers "exhibited loyalty" to the administration; low performers were "weak U.S. attorneys who have been ineffectual managers and prosecutors, chafed against Administration initiatives, etc."; a third group merited no opinion.
Only three of those eventually fired were given low rankings: Margaret Chiara in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Bud Cummins in Little Rock, Ark.; and Carol Lam in San Diego. Two were given strong evaluations: David Iglesias in Albuquerque, N.M., who has alleged political interference from GOP lawmakers, and Kevin Ryan in San Francisco, whose firing has generated few complaints because of widespread management and morale problems in his office.
Ten months later, in January 2006, Sampson sent to the White House the first list of seven potential candidates for dismissal, including four who ultimately were dismissed at year's end: Chiara, Cummins, Lam and Ryan.
In September, Sampson produced another list of potential candidates for dismissal, telling the White House that Cummins was "in the process of being pushed out" and providing the names of eight others who "we should consider pushing out." Five of the candidates on that list were fired in December; three others were spared.
Iglesias, the New Mexico prosecutor, was not on the list in September. Justice officials said Sampson added Iglesias in October, based in part on complaints from Sen. Pete Domenici and other New Mexico Republicans that he was not prosecuting enough voter-fraud cases.
Sampson also strongly urged bypassing Congress in naming replacements, using a little-known power slipped into the renewal of the USA Patriot Act in March 2006 that allows the attorney general to name interim replacements without Senate confirmation.
One e-mail from Miers' deputy, William Kelley, on the day of the Dec. 7 firings said Domenici's chief of staff "is happy as a clam" about Iglesias.
Sampson wrote in an e-mail a week later: "Domenici is going to send over names [of possible replacements] tomorrow (not even waiting for Iglesias's body to cool)."
Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
President George W. Bush meets with former justices of the Texas Supreme Court Monday, Oct. 17, 2005, in the Oval Office of the White House. From left are: Former Associate Justice Eugene Cook; former Associate Justice Raul Gonzalez; Texas Attorney General and former Associate Justice Greg Abbott, seated; former Texas Chief Justice John Hill; former Associate Justice James Baker; the President, and former Associate Justice Craig Enoch. White House photo by Eric Draper
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The Loyalty of The New York Times cannot be understated
The New York Times has been with this country nearly as long as the US Constitution. If they could trace their roots back that far I won't be surprised.
The degree of loyalty The New York Times has to the US Constitution is incredibly important to this democracy. Vital. Absolutely and this is proof positive. They have my loyalty as well. This country, based in the truth, is important to me. Without the committment of institutions of 'the truth' we are all lost.
The Libby Verdict is a reminder to that fact. It is grossly inadequate in it's punishment for such a High Crime and Misdemeanor. The impeachment of the Vice President should begin as soon as possible. You know the politics has to be set aside to realize there is a higher value to be satisfied. That value was set down a long time ago. I think it is important for the majority Democratic Senate and House to realize where they are in the history of this nation. The Executive Branch is not a popularity contest as The Republicans would like to believe it is. A popularity contest whereby when won gives the occupant the right to wheeled power over this nation and the world that leads to illegal wars based in lies.
Mr. Cheney's office sanctioned lies to the press to cover up the fact there was no justification for the invasion into Iraq. That has to be punished.
The CIA did it's job. It did it's job under George Tenent. In my opinion, it hasn't performed to that standard since and along with impeachment of the Vice President needs to be assessed the effectiveness of the agencies under this Executive Branch that protects this country.
There is something that happened when Ambassador Wilson wrote the Op-Ed. A reaction happened. That reaction came directly from Vice President Cheney whom kept a copy of the Op-Ed under the glass top on his desk. The reaction from Mr. Cheney was not to correct the course of the falsehoods put forward in the State of the Union Address as pointed to by Ambassador Wilson in his Op-Ed. Mr. Cheney sought to punish agents of the CIA by outing one of the most valuable of it's undercover members, Ms. Valeri .
Intimidation.
Intimidation would be the response by Mr. Cheney. The people surrounding him then carried out the plot against our Constitution, hence the security of our nation. As a result, the war we needed to fight in Afghanistan was abandoned for a billionairs dream come true. We are not more secure today as a nation, if anything we are compromised at the highest levels our government.
The lies by the Bush Administration regarding the yellowcake in Niger cannot be allowed to be overlooked. Evidently, lying is an acceptable and rewarded methodology with this Executive Branch. The lies of the Bush White House never ended. This is only one time when this Executive Branch deceived the American people. The sequelae of the methodology of the Bush White House has lead to incredibly detrimental results for the USA.
Mr. Libby will cry for awhile that he was unjustifiably convicted. He will cry all the more when his very short sentence needs to be remedied in prision. But, the fact of the matter is Mr. Libby should no longer live in denial of the truth surrounding his circumstances. He was not loyal to the US Constitution, he was loyal to a liar and a treasonist in his capacity as Assistant to the Vice President.
Mr. Libby needs to reflect on the fact he compromised the very security of the nation he claims allegience. Mr. Libby and people like him are very dangerous. They seek to place their own ideas before the laws of the US Constitution as if they are provided the opportunity to do exactly that by simply the power of the office they hold. It is Mr. Libby and his false idea of citizenship and patriotism that is more dangerous to the USA than any terrorist.
Without loyalty to the Constitution this government is lost.
Mr. Libby stepped outside that loyalty. He and people like him, such as Mr. Cheney, are very dangerous as they misused the powers of this government to protect it's citizens in a path that today provides little reassurance the acts of September 11, 2001 by the terrorist Osama bin Laden will never be repeated. Mr. Cheney's personal aspirations took the nation's assets on a treasure hunt.
Today, the production of yellowcake by Niger has not changed. It is the same as it always has been. It is controlled and well monitored by the Niger government. The conviction of Lewis Libby has to be a form of apology to the Niger government as well. Never will the Niger government hear an apology for the false allogations by Vice President Cheney.
The issue of journalism comes to the forefront of this occurrence in American history. Journalism is the fourth branch of government guaranteed to the people of this nation by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. We have to look to the profession for it's preception of the power of government in balancing the freedoms of this nation. There is no doubt the testimony of journalists convicted Mr. Libby. To that end, it was justified by Mr. Fitzgerald to insult the autonomy of the profession. The country is better today for it. At the same time, there is a huge insult to the profession. To that end we need to examine the brevity of the committment of this profession to the people of this country to find a way to allow vital testimony while instilling guarantees to it's demands in protecting sources.
If this is any consolation to the profession of journalism, it would seem to me the profession has been used and abused by the Bush Administration at all levels. It is minimally a crime of credibility which is also important to the press. But, this Executive Branch is criminal. It just is. What this episode of Freedom of the Press has proven is that crimes occur to the very profession we have entrusted dearly in this democracy.
There is a Shield Law the profession of journalism believes will protect it and it's dependancy on confidentiality of sources. The Shield Law has been adopted by some states. I would advocate the passage of same by all states and when a more benevolent and truthful Executive Branch is elected into office it should be federalized.
I accept the Shield Law in it's entity as a means of protecting a vitally important freedom of this democracy. The only thing I ask, as an American, is for the profession to consider it's importance in testifying when the integrity of the US Constitution will be laid waste by powerful people adverse to the well being of the people of this nation. To trust a completely free and autonomous press requires the profession to impose high ethical standards. The ethics have to include the demands of transparency when required to protect the Constitution that guarantees it's freedoms as well. It should be a very nice feedback loop whereby the US Constitution protects the press while the press protects the US Constitution in it's entirety and the nation of people dependant on it.
The most aggrieved of all this outside an entire nation of people, is Judith Miller and The New York Times. To that end, with careers and reputation on the line I would encourage both to file suit against minimally Mr. Libby. It is grossly unfortunate the relationship existing between Ms. Miller and the New York Times fell into failure, but, in the same instance the Iraq War is a portion of USA power that never should have occurred.
We are great nation. The conviction of Lewis Libby is proof and I thank Mr. Fitzgerald in upholding the dearest of values important to the document handed down to us well over two hundred years ago. I can't believe, still today, the will of revolutionaries from so long ago, is still being dealt by men of integrity such as Mr. Fitzgerald. A job well done, admired and envied.
The conclusion of this conviction is obvious. The Executive Branch lied to the country, affronted the integrity of the US Constitution while undermining the security of this nation. This issue is not closed !
The degree of loyalty The New York Times has to the US Constitution is incredibly important to this democracy. Vital. Absolutely and this is proof positive. They have my loyalty as well. This country, based in the truth, is important to me. Without the committment of institutions of 'the truth' we are all lost.
The Libby Verdict is a reminder to that fact. It is grossly inadequate in it's punishment for such a High Crime and Misdemeanor. The impeachment of the Vice President should begin as soon as possible. You know the politics has to be set aside to realize there is a higher value to be satisfied. That value was set down a long time ago. I think it is important for the majority Democratic Senate and House to realize where they are in the history of this nation. The Executive Branch is not a popularity contest as The Republicans would like to believe it is. A popularity contest whereby when won gives the occupant the right to wheeled power over this nation and the world that leads to illegal wars based in lies.
Mr. Cheney's office sanctioned lies to the press to cover up the fact there was no justification for the invasion into Iraq. That has to be punished.
The CIA did it's job. It did it's job under George Tenent. In my opinion, it hasn't performed to that standard since and along with impeachment of the Vice President needs to be assessed the effectiveness of the agencies under this Executive Branch that protects this country.
There is something that happened when Ambassador Wilson wrote the Op-Ed. A reaction happened. That reaction came directly from Vice President Cheney whom kept a copy of the Op-Ed under the glass top on his desk. The reaction from Mr. Cheney was not to correct the course of the falsehoods put forward in the State of the Union Address as pointed to by Ambassador Wilson in his Op-Ed. Mr. Cheney sought to punish agents of the CIA by outing one of the most valuable of it's undercover members, Ms. Valeri .
Intimidation.
Intimidation would be the response by Mr. Cheney. The people surrounding him then carried out the plot against our Constitution, hence the security of our nation. As a result, the war we needed to fight in Afghanistan was abandoned for a billionairs dream come true. We are not more secure today as a nation, if anything we are compromised at the highest levels our government.
The lies by the Bush Administration regarding the yellowcake in Niger cannot be allowed to be overlooked. Evidently, lying is an acceptable and rewarded methodology with this Executive Branch. The lies of the Bush White House never ended. This is only one time when this Executive Branch deceived the American people. The sequelae of the methodology of the Bush White House has lead to incredibly detrimental results for the USA.
Mr. Libby will cry for awhile that he was unjustifiably convicted. He will cry all the more when his very short sentence needs to be remedied in prision. But, the fact of the matter is Mr. Libby should no longer live in denial of the truth surrounding his circumstances. He was not loyal to the US Constitution, he was loyal to a liar and a treasonist in his capacity as Assistant to the Vice President.
Mr. Libby needs to reflect on the fact he compromised the very security of the nation he claims allegience. Mr. Libby and people like him are very dangerous. They seek to place their own ideas before the laws of the US Constitution as if they are provided the opportunity to do exactly that by simply the power of the office they hold. It is Mr. Libby and his false idea of citizenship and patriotism that is more dangerous to the USA than any terrorist.
Without loyalty to the Constitution this government is lost.
Mr. Libby stepped outside that loyalty. He and people like him, such as Mr. Cheney, are very dangerous as they misused the powers of this government to protect it's citizens in a path that today provides little reassurance the acts of September 11, 2001 by the terrorist Osama bin Laden will never be repeated. Mr. Cheney's personal aspirations took the nation's assets on a treasure hunt.
Today, the production of yellowcake by Niger has not changed. It is the same as it always has been. It is controlled and well monitored by the Niger government. The conviction of Lewis Libby has to be a form of apology to the Niger government as well. Never will the Niger government hear an apology for the false allogations by Vice President Cheney.
The issue of journalism comes to the forefront of this occurrence in American history. Journalism is the fourth branch of government guaranteed to the people of this nation by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. We have to look to the profession for it's preception of the power of government in balancing the freedoms of this nation. There is no doubt the testimony of journalists convicted Mr. Libby. To that end, it was justified by Mr. Fitzgerald to insult the autonomy of the profession. The country is better today for it. At the same time, there is a huge insult to the profession. To that end we need to examine the brevity of the committment of this profession to the people of this country to find a way to allow vital testimony while instilling guarantees to it's demands in protecting sources.
If this is any consolation to the profession of journalism, it would seem to me the profession has been used and abused by the Bush Administration at all levels. It is minimally a crime of credibility which is also important to the press. But, this Executive Branch is criminal. It just is. What this episode of Freedom of the Press has proven is that crimes occur to the very profession we have entrusted dearly in this democracy.
There is a Shield Law the profession of journalism believes will protect it and it's dependancy on confidentiality of sources. The Shield Law has been adopted by some states. I would advocate the passage of same by all states and when a more benevolent and truthful Executive Branch is elected into office it should be federalized.
I accept the Shield Law in it's entity as a means of protecting a vitally important freedom of this democracy. The only thing I ask, as an American, is for the profession to consider it's importance in testifying when the integrity of the US Constitution will be laid waste by powerful people adverse to the well being of the people of this nation. To trust a completely free and autonomous press requires the profession to impose high ethical standards. The ethics have to include the demands of transparency when required to protect the Constitution that guarantees it's freedoms as well. It should be a very nice feedback loop whereby the US Constitution protects the press while the press protects the US Constitution in it's entirety and the nation of people dependant on it.
The most aggrieved of all this outside an entire nation of people, is Judith Miller and The New York Times. To that end, with careers and reputation on the line I would encourage both to file suit against minimally Mr. Libby. It is grossly unfortunate the relationship existing between Ms. Miller and the New York Times fell into failure, but, in the same instance the Iraq War is a portion of USA power that never should have occurred.
We are great nation. The conviction of Lewis Libby is proof and I thank Mr. Fitzgerald in upholding the dearest of values important to the document handed down to us well over two hundred years ago. I can't believe, still today, the will of revolutionaries from so long ago, is still being dealt by men of integrity such as Mr. Fitzgerald. A job well done, admired and envied.
The conclusion of this conviction is obvious. The Executive Branch lied to the country, affronted the integrity of the US Constitution while undermining the security of this nation. This issue is not closed !
The Loyalists
The Libby Verdict (click on)
There will be a great deal written and said in coming days about the frustrations of the Scooter Libby verdict — that it did not tell us whether someone deliberately blew Valerie Plame Wilson’s cover or erase serious concerns about the prosecutor’s abuse of the First Amendment. Let’s focus first on what the verdict does say.
One of the most senior officials in the White House, Lewis Libby, the chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, was caught lying to the F.B.I. He appears to have been trying to cover up a smear campaign that was orchestrated by his boss against the first person to unmask one of the many untruths that President Bush used to justify invading Iraq. He was charged with those crimes, defended by the best lawyers he could get, tried in an open courtroom and convicted of serious felonies. Mr. Libby walked freely out of the court, had his say in public and will be allowed to appeal.
It was another reminder of how precious the American judicial system is, at a time when it is under serious attack from the same administration Mr. Libby served. That administration is systematically denying the right of counsel, the right to evidence and even the right to be tried to scores of prisoners who may have committed no crimes at all.
And although we still do not know the answer to the original mystery, the case provided a look at the methodical way that Mr. Cheney, Mr. Libby, Karl Rove and others in the Bush inner circle set out to discredit Ms. Wilson’s husband, Joseph Wilson IV. Mr. Wilson, a career diplomat, was sent by the State Department in 2002 to check out a British intelligence report that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from the government of Niger for a secret nuclear weapons program. In his 2003 State of the Union address, Mr. Bush said: “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”
In July 2003, Mr. Wilson wrote in an Op-Ed article in The Times that what he had found did not support that claim. The specter of a nuclear-armed Iraq was central to Mr. Bush’s case for rushing to war. So, the trial testimony showed, Mr. Cheney orchestrated an assault on Mr. Wilson’s credibility with the help of Mr. Libby and others. They whispered to journalists that Mr. Wilson’s wife worked at the C.I.A. and that nepotism was the reason he had been chosen for the trip.
That is what we know from the Libby trial, and it is some of the clearest evidence yet that this administration did not get duped by faulty intelligence; at the very least, it cherry-picked and hyped intelligence to justify the war. What Mr. Wilson found, and subsequent investigations confirmed, was that there was one trip in 1999 — not “recently,” but four years before Mr. Bush’s statement — by an Iraqi official to Niger and that during that trip, uranium was never discussed.
What we still do not know is whether a government official used Ms. Wilson’s name despite knowing that she worked undercover. That is a serious offense, which could have put her and all those who had worked with her in danger. We also do not understand why the federal prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, chose to wage war with the news media in assembling his case, going so far as to jail a Times reporter, Judith Miller, for refusing to reveal the name of a confidential source.
The potential damage from that decision remains of real concern. But it was still a breath of fresh air to see someone in this administration, which specializes in secrecy, prevarication and evading blame, finally called to account.
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