Could Gore Finance His Own Bid?
Washington Whispers: "If you're wondering why, despite his denials, Al Gore remains the most talked about nonpresidential candidate, it's this: His friends think he's done so well in the private world that he could bankroll the start of his own 2008 bid."
Said former campaign manager Donna Brazile: "If Al Gore wants to run, he will come with all the means necessary. Al Gore is someone who can pull it off at half time
Iraq War Deaths: Perceptions and Reality
A new AP/Ipsos poll asked Americans for their perceptions of how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians have died in the Iraq war.
The median number of American military deaths was estimated at 2,974. According to the CNN, the correct number is 3,154.
The media number of Iraqi deaths was estimated at 9,890. However, reported civilian deaths are estimated at between 56,000 and 62,000. One study late last year estimated the number of deaths at more than 655,000.
"Sure."
-- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by the AP, on whether his support for the Iraq War could be the downfall of his political career
Schwarzenegger Mulls Senate Bid
The Politico's Roger Simon recently interviewed California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and reports several interesting items:
He will not rule out running for future public office including U.S. senator or mayor of Los Angeles when his term as governor expires in January 2011.
He will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the Republican Convention in September 2008, even though he thinks Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are strong candidates and either could win the California primary.
His wife, Maria Shriver, will "absolutely not" run for governor of California or any other public office, quashing speculation that a Schwarzenegger dynasty was in the making.
Digg This! |
Hersh: U.S. Funds Being Secretly Funneled To Violent Al Qaeda-Linked Groups ?
New Yorker columnist Sy Hersh says the ?single most explosive? element of his latest article involves an effort by the Bush administration to stem the growth of Shiite influence in the Middle East (specifically the Iranian government and Hezbollah in Lebanon) by funding violent Sunni groups.
Hersh says the U.S. has been ?pumping money, a great deal of money, without congressional authority, without any congressional oversight? for covert operations in the Middle East where it wants to ?stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence.? Hersh says these funds have ended up in the hands of ?three Sunni jihadist groups? who are ?connected to al Qaeda? but ?want to take on Hezbollah.?
Hersh summed up his scoop in stark terms: ?We are simply in a situation where this president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11.? Watch it:
Shaq: On being selected an NBA All-Star starter after playing just 10 games ? ?I?m like President Bush. You may not like me, you may not respect me, but you voted me in.?
Levin: Last Congress Didn?t Investigate Walter Reed Because ?They Did Not Want To Embarrass? Bush
On NBC?s Meet the Press today, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) argued that the Senate Armed Services Committee did not conduct oversight of the treatment at military facilities in recent years because ?they did not want to embarrass the President.? As the new chairman of the committee, Levin said he will be visiting Walter Reed this week and holding a hearing on March 6.
Levin decried the deplorable conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. ?Where we need a surge is not in Iraq. We need a surge of concern for our troops, for the veterans, for the injured, for the wounded, for the families of those who have lost loved ones. That?s the surge of concern and that?s the surge that we need,? Levin said.
Kristol: Bush ?Could Easily Build Political Support? For Iran Attack ?At The Beginning Of 2008′
Today on Fox New Sunday, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol said the Bush administration was doing a ?decent job at threatening Iran,? but said he ?would like a little more? rhetoric like Vice President Cheney?s recent claim that military strikes are still on the table.
Kristol added that while ?you can?t just suddenly use force,? the question is, ?can the President build a predicate if he feels he has to use force.? Kristol was confident: ?I think if things have stabilized in Iraq, then you could easily build political support for being much tougher on Iran at the beginning of 2008.?
President Carter Rips Cheney Over Iraq: ?His Batting Average Is Abysmally Low? ?
Last week, Vice President Cheney attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) for supporting Iraq redeployment. He charged that their plan would ?validate the al Qaeda strategy.?
Today, former President Jimmy Carter rejected Cheney?s charges, stating that calls for a change of policy in Iraq are ?not playing into the hands of al Qaeda or the people who are causing violence and destruction over there.? He added, ?If you go back and see what Vice President Cheney has said for the last three or four years concerning Iraq, his batting average is abysmally low. He hasn?t been right on hardly anything.?
UN: Administration intel on Iran unreliable. ?[M]ost U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran,? diplomats tell the LA Times. ?The officials said the CIA and other Western spy services had provided sensitive information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at least since 2002, when Iran?s long-secret nuclear program was exposed. But none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons
Generals will quit over Iran attack. The Sunday Times reports that up to five Pentagon generals and admirals ?are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack [on Iran]. ?There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,? a source with close ties to British intelligence said.?
Bush bikes through White House bomb drill. ?Dozens of high-level officials joined in a White House drill [today] to see how the government would respond if several cities were attacked simultaneously with bombs similar to those used against U.S. troops in Iraq. ? President Bush went on a bike ride [this] morning and did not take part in the test.?
John McCain: ?What?s wrong with sucking up to everybody?
Cheney in 1991: ?For the U.S. to get involved militarily in determining the outcome of the struggle over who?s going to govern in Iraq strikes me as a classic definition of a quagmire.? Cheney today: ?I stand by what I said in ?91
Media correct false report on Powell. This morning, news outlets reported that former Secretary of State Powell told an audience at Purdue University yesterday that he ?supported President Bush?s decision to send more U.S. troops to Iraq.? But ThinkProgress followed up with Powell?s office and confirmed that these reports were wrong. Powell has never indicated support for escalation.
Bachmann Retracts Her Embarassing Iran/Iraq Conspiracy Theory ?
In a recent interview, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) claimed that she knows of a secret plan by Iran to partition Iraq and turn half of the country into a ?terrorist safe haven zone? called the ?Iraq State of Islam.? Bachmann, who famously refused to let go of President Bush at the State of the Union, claimed there is ?already an agreement made,? but she ?did not say how she knew about this plan, nor with whom Iran has made this deal.?
Iraq Veteran Shot In The Head Describes ?Systemic? Neglect At Military Hospitals ?
Yesterday, for the first time, the Army criticized the Washington Post for its investigation into the gross neglect of wounded U.S. veterans at Walter Reed?s outpatient facilities. Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, chief of the Army Medical Command, called the Post?s reporting ?one-sided? and questioned whether it was ?an accurate representation.?
Moreover, he claimed the Army had already ?fixed all of those problems? discussed in the article. (Reporter Dana Milbank noted, ?Kiley might have had a stronger case if men wearing Tyvek hazmat suits and gas masks hadn?t walked through the lobby?or if he hadn?t acknowledged, moments later, that the entire building would have to be closed for a complete renovation.?)
But last night on the PBS Newshour, Lt. Brady Van Engelen ? a former Walter Reed outpatient who has personal experience with the hospital?s failed bureaucracy ? confirmed the Post?s reporting, and said the problems with America?s military health care system go well beyond Walter Reed. Watch it:
Engelen was shot in the head in Baghdad in April 2004, and had a large piece of his skull replaced with a titanium plate. Days after his surgery, he actually had to hail a cab to take him to the outpatient facility, because he didn?t feel well enough to walk there. ?This stuff happens all across the country,? Van Engelen said. ?I?ve spoken to soldiers that have told me just as much. It?s systemic. It?s not just moldy beds, walls, and hospital beds, you know, and the poor TV reception or anything else. It?s just the mentality, you know. The system just needs an overhaul.?
Later on the show, Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), chairman of the Veterans Committee, said ?the White House and [Kiley] are in denial about this whole thing.?
Cheney: ?There Does Not Appear To Be A Consensus? That Global Warming Is ?Caused By Man?
In its latest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded it was ?very likely? ? or more than 90 percent probable ? that human activities led by burning fossil fuels explained most of the warming in the past 50 years.
Continuing the Bush administration?s long resistance to the science of global warming, Vice President Dick Cheney said today a consensus is lacking on whether global warming is caused by human activity.
?Iraq may be facing a deadly civil war, but the Iraqi government is initiating major, costly repairs to its diplomatic building in Washington and expanding its real estate holdings here.? The Iraqi government recently purchased a $5.8 million mansion complete with ?heated floors?and spacious bathrooms, one with a Jacuzzi.?
Schieffer Slams White House On Iraq: Bush ?Even More Isolated,? Coalition ?Coming Apart? ?
Last night on CBS, chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer was sharply critical of the Bush administration?s attempt to spin Britain?s Iraq drawdown as a sign that conditions are improving.
?If that?s the claim, it?s going to be a very hard sell to a country and a public that has already turned against this war,? Schieffer said. In fact, the UK?s decision to redeploy troops is ?going to make the president even more isolated,? he said, adding, ?Whether you?re for the war or against the war, Katie, what this underlines tonight is that the coalition that the president put together to fight this war is now coming apart.?
Drawing parallels to the Vietnam era, Schieffer said Tony Blair?s decision reminded him of ?when things were going badly, and the crusty old senator from Vermont, George Aiken, said there?s only one way out here, that?s to declare victory and just leave. That?s what we?re seeing
Don Imus Reports Administration Won?t Allow Him To Tour Entire Walter Reed Facilities ?
This morning on his radio show, Don Imus continued to call attention to the deplorable conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Imus has highlighted the issue every day this week. On yesterday?s show, he revealed, ?I haven?t heard from anybody [in the administration] about whether I can come down there and take a little tour.?
This morning, Imus updated his audience, reporting that administration officials called him and said he could take a limited guided tour of the facilities. Imus explained, ?They will cherry pick some places for me to go look at, but they don?t want me just going down there looking at the entire facility. I?m not interested in having that.?
When Fox attacks. Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films, the creators of Outfoxed, have launched a new site ? FoxAttacks.com ? to ?give you the information and tools you need to hit Fox where it hurts.?
Washington Whispers: "If you're wondering why, despite his denials, Al Gore remains the most talked about nonpresidential candidate, it's this: His friends think he's done so well in the private world that he could bankroll the start of his own 2008 bid."
Said former campaign manager Donna Brazile: "If Al Gore wants to run, he will come with all the means necessary. Al Gore is someone who can pull it off at half time
Iraq War Deaths: Perceptions and Reality
A new AP/Ipsos poll asked Americans for their perceptions of how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians have died in the Iraq war.
The median number of American military deaths was estimated at 2,974. According to the CNN, the correct number is 3,154.
The media number of Iraqi deaths was estimated at 9,890. However, reported civilian deaths are estimated at between 56,000 and 62,000. One study late last year estimated the number of deaths at more than 655,000.
"Sure."
-- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), quoted by the AP, on whether his support for the Iraq War could be the downfall of his political career
Schwarzenegger Mulls Senate Bid
The Politico's Roger Simon recently interviewed California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and reports several interesting items:
He will not rule out running for future public office including U.S. senator or mayor of Los Angeles when his term as governor expires in January 2011.
He will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the Republican Convention in September 2008, even though he thinks Rudy Giuliani and John McCain are strong candidates and either could win the California primary.
His wife, Maria Shriver, will "absolutely not" run for governor of California or any other public office, quashing speculation that a Schwarzenegger dynasty was in the making.
Digg This! |
Hersh: U.S. Funds Being Secretly Funneled To Violent Al Qaeda-Linked Groups ?
New Yorker columnist Sy Hersh says the ?single most explosive? element of his latest article involves an effort by the Bush administration to stem the growth of Shiite influence in the Middle East (specifically the Iranian government and Hezbollah in Lebanon) by funding violent Sunni groups.
Hersh says the U.S. has been ?pumping money, a great deal of money, without congressional authority, without any congressional oversight? for covert operations in the Middle East where it wants to ?stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence.? Hersh says these funds have ended up in the hands of ?three Sunni jihadist groups? who are ?connected to al Qaeda? but ?want to take on Hezbollah.?
Hersh summed up his scoop in stark terms: ?We are simply in a situation where this president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11.? Watch it:
Shaq: On being selected an NBA All-Star starter after playing just 10 games ? ?I?m like President Bush. You may not like me, you may not respect me, but you voted me in.?
Levin: Last Congress Didn?t Investigate Walter Reed Because ?They Did Not Want To Embarrass? Bush
On NBC?s Meet the Press today, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) argued that the Senate Armed Services Committee did not conduct oversight of the treatment at military facilities in recent years because ?they did not want to embarrass the President.? As the new chairman of the committee, Levin said he will be visiting Walter Reed this week and holding a hearing on March 6.
Levin decried the deplorable conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. ?Where we need a surge is not in Iraq. We need a surge of concern for our troops, for the veterans, for the injured, for the wounded, for the families of those who have lost loved ones. That?s the surge of concern and that?s the surge that we need,? Levin said.
Kristol: Bush ?Could Easily Build Political Support? For Iran Attack ?At The Beginning Of 2008′
Today on Fox New Sunday, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol said the Bush administration was doing a ?decent job at threatening Iran,? but said he ?would like a little more? rhetoric like Vice President Cheney?s recent claim that military strikes are still on the table.
Kristol added that while ?you can?t just suddenly use force,? the question is, ?can the President build a predicate if he feels he has to use force.? Kristol was confident: ?I think if things have stabilized in Iraq, then you could easily build political support for being much tougher on Iran at the beginning of 2008.?
President Carter Rips Cheney Over Iraq: ?His Batting Average Is Abysmally Low? ?
Last week, Vice President Cheney attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) for supporting Iraq redeployment. He charged that their plan would ?validate the al Qaeda strategy.?
Today, former President Jimmy Carter rejected Cheney?s charges, stating that calls for a change of policy in Iraq are ?not playing into the hands of al Qaeda or the people who are causing violence and destruction over there.? He added, ?If you go back and see what Vice President Cheney has said for the last three or four years concerning Iraq, his batting average is abysmally low. He hasn?t been right on hardly anything.?
UN: Administration intel on Iran unreliable. ?[M]ost U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran,? diplomats tell the LA Times. ?The officials said the CIA and other Western spy services had provided sensitive information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at least since 2002, when Iran?s long-secret nuclear program was exposed. But none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons
Generals will quit over Iran attack. The Sunday Times reports that up to five Pentagon generals and admirals ?are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack [on Iran]. ?There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,? a source with close ties to British intelligence said.?
Bush bikes through White House bomb drill. ?Dozens of high-level officials joined in a White House drill [today] to see how the government would respond if several cities were attacked simultaneously with bombs similar to those used against U.S. troops in Iraq. ? President Bush went on a bike ride [this] morning and did not take part in the test.?
John McCain: ?What?s wrong with sucking up to everybody?
Cheney in 1991: ?For the U.S. to get involved militarily in determining the outcome of the struggle over who?s going to govern in Iraq strikes me as a classic definition of a quagmire.? Cheney today: ?I stand by what I said in ?91
Media correct false report on Powell. This morning, news outlets reported that former Secretary of State Powell told an audience at Purdue University yesterday that he ?supported President Bush?s decision to send more U.S. troops to Iraq.? But ThinkProgress followed up with Powell?s office and confirmed that these reports were wrong. Powell has never indicated support for escalation.
Bachmann Retracts Her Embarassing Iran/Iraq Conspiracy Theory ?
In a recent interview, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) claimed that she knows of a secret plan by Iran to partition Iraq and turn half of the country into a ?terrorist safe haven zone? called the ?Iraq State of Islam.? Bachmann, who famously refused to let go of President Bush at the State of the Union, claimed there is ?already an agreement made,? but she ?did not say how she knew about this plan, nor with whom Iran has made this deal.?
Iraq Veteran Shot In The Head Describes ?Systemic? Neglect At Military Hospitals ?
Yesterday, for the first time, the Army criticized the Washington Post for its investigation into the gross neglect of wounded U.S. veterans at Walter Reed?s outpatient facilities. Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, chief of the Army Medical Command, called the Post?s reporting ?one-sided? and questioned whether it was ?an accurate representation.?
Moreover, he claimed the Army had already ?fixed all of those problems? discussed in the article. (Reporter Dana Milbank noted, ?Kiley might have had a stronger case if men wearing Tyvek hazmat suits and gas masks hadn?t walked through the lobby?or if he hadn?t acknowledged, moments later, that the entire building would have to be closed for a complete renovation.?)
But last night on the PBS Newshour, Lt. Brady Van Engelen ? a former Walter Reed outpatient who has personal experience with the hospital?s failed bureaucracy ? confirmed the Post?s reporting, and said the problems with America?s military health care system go well beyond Walter Reed. Watch it:
Engelen was shot in the head in Baghdad in April 2004, and had a large piece of his skull replaced with a titanium plate. Days after his surgery, he actually had to hail a cab to take him to the outpatient facility, because he didn?t feel well enough to walk there. ?This stuff happens all across the country,? Van Engelen said. ?I?ve spoken to soldiers that have told me just as much. It?s systemic. It?s not just moldy beds, walls, and hospital beds, you know, and the poor TV reception or anything else. It?s just the mentality, you know. The system just needs an overhaul.?
Later on the show, Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), chairman of the Veterans Committee, said ?the White House and [Kiley] are in denial about this whole thing.?
Cheney: ?There Does Not Appear To Be A Consensus? That Global Warming Is ?Caused By Man?
In its latest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded it was ?very likely? ? or more than 90 percent probable ? that human activities led by burning fossil fuels explained most of the warming in the past 50 years.
Continuing the Bush administration?s long resistance to the science of global warming, Vice President Dick Cheney said today a consensus is lacking on whether global warming is caused by human activity.
?Iraq may be facing a deadly civil war, but the Iraqi government is initiating major, costly repairs to its diplomatic building in Washington and expanding its real estate holdings here.? The Iraqi government recently purchased a $5.8 million mansion complete with ?heated floors?and spacious bathrooms, one with a Jacuzzi.?
Schieffer Slams White House On Iraq: Bush ?Even More Isolated,? Coalition ?Coming Apart? ?
Last night on CBS, chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer was sharply critical of the Bush administration?s attempt to spin Britain?s Iraq drawdown as a sign that conditions are improving.
?If that?s the claim, it?s going to be a very hard sell to a country and a public that has already turned against this war,? Schieffer said. In fact, the UK?s decision to redeploy troops is ?going to make the president even more isolated,? he said, adding, ?Whether you?re for the war or against the war, Katie, what this underlines tonight is that the coalition that the president put together to fight this war is now coming apart.?
Drawing parallels to the Vietnam era, Schieffer said Tony Blair?s decision reminded him of ?when things were going badly, and the crusty old senator from Vermont, George Aiken, said there?s only one way out here, that?s to declare victory and just leave. That?s what we?re seeing
Don Imus Reports Administration Won?t Allow Him To Tour Entire Walter Reed Facilities ?
This morning on his radio show, Don Imus continued to call attention to the deplorable conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Imus has highlighted the issue every day this week. On yesterday?s show, he revealed, ?I haven?t heard from anybody [in the administration] about whether I can come down there and take a little tour.?
This morning, Imus updated his audience, reporting that administration officials called him and said he could take a limited guided tour of the facilities. Imus explained, ?They will cherry pick some places for me to go look at, but they don?t want me just going down there looking at the entire facility. I?m not interested in having that.?
When Fox attacks. Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films, the creators of Outfoxed, have launched a new site ? FoxAttacks.com ? to ?give you the information and tools you need to hit Fox where it hurts.?
