Comments:

Flat Nested Threaded Embedded

Oldest First Newest First

Author	Thread:
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, July 01, 2005 8:33 AM 75 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq in June; Water Cut Off in Baghdad: Mayor Alaa Mahmoud al-Timimi's threat to resign over the dismal state of the capital's infrastructure was an indication of the daily misery that Baghdad's 6.45 million people still endure more than two years after the U.S.-led invasion. They are wracked not only by unrelenting bombings and kidnappings, but by serious shortages in water, electricity and fuel. "It's useless for any official to stay in office without the means to accomplish his job," al-Timimi told reporters Thursday. ... At least 1,743 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,341 died as a result of hostile action. Of those, 75 were killed in June, one of the deadlier months. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,378 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 792 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Friday, July 01, 2005 8:35 AM "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, our allies and against us." —Dick Cheney, August 26, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, July 01, 2005 8:36 AM We're a country based on fabulous values. —George W. Bush, Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 31, 2002
Been There	With Liberty and Justice for All Posted: Friday, July 01, 2005 9:36 AM Two Supreme Court Decisions last week reduced the liberty and justice enjoyed by all Americans. In Kelo vs. City of New London, the court sided with city planners and developers against citizens wishing to maintain their neighborhoods: Court takes liberties with 'public use' The framers of our Constitution gave us the Fifth Amendment to protect us from government property confiscation. The amendment reads in part: "Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." Which one of those 12 words is difficult to understand? The framers recognized there might be a need for government to acquire private property to build a road, bridge, dam or fort. That is a clear public use that requires just compensation, but is taking one person's private property to make it available for another's private use a public purpose? Hardly! Let's see how Justice Souter likes it when his ruling is used against him: Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home. Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land. The other sad decision was the Court's refusal to intervene in the impending jailing of reporters--accused of no crime themselves--for refusing to expose sources to whom they had promised confidentiality: Media lax as feds go on free press attack. Why in the world is New York Times reporter Judith Miller headed to jail next week while my Sun-Times colleague Robert Novak is not? Why is a reporter who has written not one single word about a CIA operative about to be sent to the federal slammer while another reporter, the one who actually broke the story, isn't in similar trouble? A free press is always bothersome and irritating. It is also essential for a nation with a democratic government. A free press cannot function effectively if it cannot protect sources willing to tell the truth about activities that corrupt officials conceal from the public. That protection is breaking down. Been There
look2it	With Liberty and Justice for All Posted: Friday, July 01, 2005 11:01 PM So the women's seat on the supreme court is empty. When the blacks' seat was vacant we got Clarence Thomas. Bet Bush is looking for a woman judge of the same stripe. Maybe without the sexual problems though, wouldn't look good for a woman. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Saturday, July 02, 2005 8:37 AM Iraq UN Envoy Says US Marines Murdered His Cousin: Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie said Marines killed his first cousin's son, Mohammed al-Sumaidaie, an engineering student, during a June 25 raid of his home in Al-Shaikh Hadid, near a U.S. military base at Haditha Dam. "All indications point to a killing of an unarmed innocent civilian -- a cold-blooded murder," said Sumaidaie, a Sunni and ally of the United States, on Friday. "The Marines were smiling at each other as they were leaving." Suicide Bomber Kills 20 in Baghdad: The bomber wore a belt packed with explosives and blew himself up outside the recruiting center in west Baghdad's Yarmouk neighborhood, killing 20, said police Col. Adnan Abdul Rahman, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Most of the victims were recruits, he said. The attack pushed the death toll to more than 1,400 people killed since Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced his Shiite-led government on April 28. Banned Novel by Saddam Hussein a Hot Seller: "A lot of people still like him, and he still commands popularity," said Suleiman al-Horani, owner of the tiny Horani Kiosk in downtown Amman. Within hours of the ban on the book, Mr. Horani says, he sold 50 bootleg copies. "His popularity is increasing because of the success the resistance is now having in Iraq." The continued turbulence in Iraq has served to justify his tight grip over the country during his 30-year rule, experts here contend. American missteps, prison scandals and growing corruption have added to his support. "People are comparing the old regime and the new, and the sense is that things have simply gotten much worse," said Muhammad Abu Hdeib, a member of Jordan's Parliament and chairman of its Arab and international affairs committee. "All this has made people see American propaganda as a flat-out lie." We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,379 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 793 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Saturday, July 02, 2005 8:40 AM Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities used for the production of biological weapons. —George W. Bush, September 12, 2002
Been There	The Supremes Posted: Saturday, July 02, 2005 8:42 AM Look2It, With Ruth Bader Ginsburg still on the court, Bush probably thinks women have enough representation. The new appointment will be important, though, especially if Bush follows through on appointing a justice in the mold of Clarence Thomas: Clarence Thomas' America. Stare decisis is one of the most well established principles in the law. Simply put, it means that courts will not overturn established precedent without an extraordinary reason to do so. It is also a doctrine not held sacred by all nine Justices. In Justice Antonin Scalia's words, Justice Thomas "doesn't believe in stare decisis, period." Because Justice Thomas does not feel bound by precedent, his opinions often call for substantial shifts in the law. These next two weeks, ACSBlog will explore several of these cases, explaining the history behind Thomas' disfavored doctrines, and suggesting how America would be different should Thomas' vision ever become law. We hope these pieces will be helpful in understanding the man President Bush calls a "model" Supreme Court Justice. The process of confirming a new justice now will be fascinating to observe. If the process stalls, O'Connor may still be on the court when it reconvenes in October. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Saturday, July 02, 2005 8:43 AM I want to thank the President and the CEO of Constellation Energy, Mayo Shattuck. That's a pretty cool first name, isn't it, Mayo? Pass the Mayo. —George W. Bush, Lusby, Maryland, Jun. 22, 2005
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Sunday, July 03, 2005 5:21 AM The entire world knows beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein holds weapons of mass destruction in large quantities. —Dick Cheney, September 23, 2002
Been There	The Supremes Posted: Sunday, July 03, 2005 5:26 AM It will not be enough for Bush to nominate a conservative to the Supreme Court, he'll need to decide what kind of conservative he wants: So What's the 'Right' Pick? According to legal scholars and Supreme Court historians, at least five different types of judicial conservatism are represented on the current Supreme Court and on President Bush's short list. One thing for sure, the conservatives don't want Bush's Hispanic Attorney General on the court: Conservative Groups Rally Against Gonzales as Justice. Late last week, a delegation of conservative lawyers led by C. Boyden Gray and former Attorney General Edwin Meese III met with the White House chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., to warn that appointing Mr. Gonzales would splinter conservative support. And this is just the beginning. It's an interesting time. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, July 03, 2005 5:27 AM They act out of hatred; we don't seek revenge, we seek justice out of love. —George W. Bush, Oklahoma City, Aug. 29, 2002
Norway	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, July 04, 2005 7:40 AM An interesting blog from a woman in Bagdad.   http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/   Posted March 23, 2005.....  recalling the begining.......   Two years ago this week. What followed was almost a month of heavy bombing. That chaotic night became the intro to endless chaotic days and long, sleepless nights. You get to a point during extended air-raids where you lose track of the days. You lose track of time. The week stops being Friday, Saturday, Sunday, etc. The days stop being about hours. You begin to measure time with the number of bombs that fell, the number of minutes the terror lasted and the number of times you wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of gunfire and explosions. We try to put it out of our heads, but it comes back anyway. We sit around sometimes, when there’s no electricity, or when we’re gathered for lunch or dinner and someone will say, “Remember two years ago when…” Remember when they bombed Mansur, a residential area… When they started burning the cars in the streets with Apaches… When they hit the airport with that bomb that lit up half of the city… When the American tanks started rolling into Baghdad…?   Remember when the fear was still fresh- and the terror was relatively new- and it was possible to be shocked and awed in Iraq?
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 9:46 AM Bahrain's Top Diplomat Shot in Baghdad: Bahrain's top envoy to Iraq was wounded Tuesday in the second attack against an Arab diplomat here in a week. A major Sunni Arab group called on Sunnis to take part in future elections, action that could diminish the insurgency. Elsewhere, gunmen ambushed a minibus taking seven Baghdad airport employees to work Tuesday, killing four women and wounding three men, police and hospital official said. A roadside bomb targeted a U.S. security convoy Tuesday near the Iranian Embassy, causing no U.S. casualties but injuring one Iraqi, officials said. Navy Seals Killed in Afghanistan; U.S. Forces Kill 17 Civilians: American forces have recovered the bodies of two members of a four-man Navy Seal reconnaissance team that was reported missing last week after coming under hostile fire in a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, a senior Defense Department official said Monday. ... Yet in a blow to the local community, as many as 17 people, women and children among them, were reported killed in a American airstrike on a compound in continuing fighting in Kunar Province on Friday. The United States military conceded in a statement that civilians had been killed in the airstrike and said that it deeply regretted the loss of innocent lives, but that it had been aiming at a known militant base. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,382 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 796 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 9:48 AM Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. —George W. Bush, October 7, 2002
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 9:52 AM Taking their cues (and orders) from the current White House, our State Department propaganda machine is working overtime to flood the country with lies intended to conceal the misdeeds of the current administration. For example, look at this official State Department Press release issued on June 27, 2005: Geldof, Bono praise Bush before Group of Eight Summit in Scotland. Bono, lead singer of the Irish band U2 and longtime activist for aid to Africa, echoed Geldof’s praise for President Bush as he told an American television interviewer June 26,    "[Bush] has already doubled and tripled aid to Africa  .… I think he has done an incredible job, his administration, on AIDS.  250,000 Africans are on anti-viral drugs; they literally owe their lives to America." As for an overall legacy, Bono said of Bush: "If he, though, in his second term, is as bold in his commitments to Africa as he was in the first term, he indeed deserves a place in history in turning the fate of that continent around." The reality, as you would expect, is quite different: State Department Doctors Bono's Quote. Here’s the full quote: Question: Which of the G8 leaders do you think remains the toughest nut to crack? Bono: The most important and toughest nut is still President Bush. He feels he’s already doubled and tripled aid to Africa, which he started from far too low a place. He can stand there and say he paid at the office already. He shouldn’t because he’ll be left out of the history books. But it’s hard for him because of the expense of the war and the debts. I hope KeweenawNow readers and posters spent some time thinking about the direction of our nation as we celebrated our independence yesterday. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with a group of true American patriots, and every one of us resolved to increase our efforts to defeat the America-hating, "me generation" clique that has taken over our federal government. Karl Rove and his ilk truly believe that the South American model of society is superior to the principles upon which our country was founded and built, and they've been very effective so far at disguising their views to gain support from the people they intend to victimize. We owe it to our founding fathers and to those who laid down their lives for our freedom to wrest our nation back from the cadre of liars and thieves who now govern us. We owe our children and grandchildren a nation just as honorable and free as the one our parents and grandparents left us. Let's all use the inspiration we got yesterday as motivation to cast off the chains and darkness that are slowly but surely destroying America and all that our nation stands for. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 9:53 AM I believe part of a hopeful society is one in which somebody owns something. —George W. Bush, Tempe, Arizona, Oct. 13, 2004
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 9:28 AM Iraqis Make Progress on Constitution; Another U.S. Soldier Killed: Gunmen ambushed the senior Bahraini and Pakistani diplomats in separate attacks as they drove through the capital on Tuesday, spurring Pakistan to announce the withdrawal of its ambassador from Iraq. Even as insurgents tried to undermine the new government by striking at Muslim envoys, Iraqi politicians made some progress on writing a new constitution, in an effort to give Iraq political legitimacy. In a meeting, Shiite and Kurdish politicians accepted 15 Sunni Arabs who had been chosen to increase Sunni representation on a constitutional committee. ... At least 10 Iraqis and one American soldier died in other guerrilla attacks on Tuesday. American Filmmaker In Imprisoned in Iraq: Like a lot of aspiring filmmakers in Los Angeles, Cyrus Kar was obsessed with his project, a documentary about an ancient Persian king who championed tolerance and human rights even as he built an empire that stretched across the Near East. But Mr. Kar, 44, a naturalized American born in Iran, followed his dream where few others might have gone. In mid-May, he traveled to Iraq with an Iranian cameraman to film archaeological sites around Babylon. After a taxi they were in was stopped in Baghdad, the two men were arrested by Iraqi security forces, who found what they suspected might be bomb parts in the vehicle. Since then, Mr. Kar has been held in what his relatives and their lawyers describe as a frightening netherworld of American military detention in Iraq - charged with no crime but nonetheless unable to gain his freedom or even tell his family where he is being held. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,383 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 797 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 9:30 AM I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that. —Donald Rumsfeld, November 14, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 9:31 AM We also need to conserve more, and conservation comes as a result of new technologies. —George W. Bush, Washington D.C., Apr. 25, 2001
look2it	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, July 07, 2005 1:02 AM Sure, if the natives had had more technology, they wouldn't have been so wasteful with the environment. What a dope! G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, July 07, 2005 9:02 AM Taliban Vow to Kill Missing U.S. Commando: Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said the guerrillas did not need to provide evidence that they were holding the man. "We don't need to do this because very soon we plan to execute him and then release his video to the world," he said from an undisclosed location. "There is no way the soldier is going to be released. He will be executed." Kidnappers Threaten to Kill Egyptian Diplomat in Baghdad: The group that says it kidnapped Egypt's top diplomat in Iraq declared in a chilling Internet posting on Wednesday that a religious court had condemned him to die. The diplomat, Ihab al-Sharif, has been handed over to fighters to carry out the sentence, said the message, which was posted on a militants' Web site. One Killed, Three Wounded in Mass Protest in Tikrit: Police battled 1,000 demonstrators who took over the police headquarters in ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit on Wednesday, a Reuters television camera operator said. A local government spokesman said one policeman was killed and three demonstrators injured in the clash, which took place after the former head of the local council was shot dead by gunmen on Wednesday evening at a farm east of the town. Three Killed, 46 Injured in Mortar Strikes in Mosul: Heavy mortar strikes targeting the local government headquarters in Iraq's northern city of Mosul hit nearby shops, killing at least three people and wounding 46 people, hospital officials said on Thursday. Iraq Signs Military Pact with Iran: Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi signed a pact in Tehran agreeing to accept Iranian military training and other cooperation with the country Iraq fought for a decade under ousted leader Saddam Hussein. Responding to the suggestion that the thaw in ties with Iran would anger Washington, Dulaimi said: "Nobody can dictate to Iraq its relations with other countries." We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,384 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 798 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Thursday, July 07, 2005 9:03 AM If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world. —Ari Fleischer, December 2, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, July 07, 2005 9:03 AM I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend. —George W. Bush, Washington D.C., Jun. 29, 2005
Been There	His Master's Voice Posted: Thursday, July 07, 2005 9:19 AM Drug-addled talkshow host Rush Limbaugh lost another court battle yesterday: Florida Prosecutors Receive Limbaugh's Medical Records. A Florida judge released some medical records of the conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh to prosecutors on Wednesday, allowing them to move forward in a long-stalled investigation into whether Mr. Limbaugh illegally bought painkillers. Asked about the court's action as he emerged from a dark alley in a seedy neighborhood, Limbaugh told a reporter, "I made this president, and if he doesn't fix this I'll break him."   Been There
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Thursday, July 07, 2005 9:45 AM New York Times reporter Judith Miller has gone to jail to protect the name of the Bush administration official who put Valerie Plame's life in danger in retaliation for her husband's telling truths Bush wanted suppressed. Political analyst Lawrence O'Donnell says he knows the name of the criminal, and it is the man everyone suspects: All eyes on Turd Blossom. "I know I'm going to get pulled into the grand jury for saying this," O'Donnell said, seemingly unfazed by the federal prosecutor's unusual intent to force journalists to reveal their sources. "But the source for Matt Cooper was Karl Rove, and that will be revealed in this document dump that Time magazine is going to do with the grand jury." My sources tell me that the White House plans to stall the proceedings until Bush's successor is elected. Then, before he leaves office, Bush will pardon Karl Rove. I hope Bush and Rove cannot control the situation that tightly. Been There
look2it	The March of Oppression Posted: Friday, July 08, 2005 12:20 AM Terrible news from London today, and Bush's fault. Should have kept after the terrorists instead of going into Iraq like an idiot. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, July 08, 2005 9:35 AM Look2It, Yes, the 50 killed and 700 wounded in London yesterday was the worst attack there since World War II. By taking the pressure off bin Laden and Al Qaeda when we had them on the run, Bush sent the worst possible message to our enemies: just hold on awhile and you will get away with your crimes. Now our forces are bogged down in Iraq to "protect us" from imaginary weapons of mass destruction while those who attacked us on September 11, 2001 continue to kill with impunity. Bin Laden and his terrorists are evil, all right, but they are also clever. When bin Laden intervened in the last days of our presidential campaign to ensure the election of Bush, he knew exactly what he was doing. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,385 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 799 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Friday, July 08, 2005 9:37 AM We know for a fact that there are weapons of mass destruction there. —Ari Fleischer, January 9, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, July 08, 2005 9:38 AM Their resolve is as strong as my resolve. —George W. Bush, Gleneagles, Scotland, July 7, 2005
Been There	800 Days Posted: Saturday, July 09, 2005 8:51 AM Exactly 800 days ago, President Bush donned a flight suit to make a dramatic landing on the carrier Abraham Lincoln, which was safely home in San Diego. As he walked from the plane, TV cameras kept open waters in the background to conceal the shortness of his unnecessary flight. Standing before a huge "Mission Accomplished" banner, Bush then spoke as if his fantasies were reality. That was then. This is now: U.S. Launches New Offensive in Western Iraq. Operation Scimitar started Thursday with targeted raids in the village of Zaidan, 20 miles southeast of Fallujah. So far, 22 suspected insurgents had been detained. Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, was a major insurgent bastion until U.S. forces overran the city in November. The military said it did not announce the offensive earlier because commanders did not want to tip off insurgents that a major operation had begun. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,386 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 800 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Saturday, July 09, 2005 8:52 AM Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., January 28, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Saturday, July 09, 2005 8:54 AM She's referring to the fact that my Attorney General, longtime friend, a guy who was my -- close when I was the governor of Texas, came up to Washington with me as part of the movement of Texans south to north during the government. —George W. Bush, Lyngby, Denmark, July 6, 2005
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Saturday, July 09, 2005 11:21 AM The Bush administration's War on Truth is taking its toll: Newspaper Withholding Two Articles After Jailing. The editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer said last night that the newspaper, acting on the advice of its lawyers, was withholding publication of two major investigative articles... The editor, Doug Clifton, said lawyers for The Plain Dealer had concluded that the newspaper, Ohio's largest daily, would probably be found culpable if the authorities were to investigate the leaks and that reporters might be forced to identify confidential sources to a grand jury or go to jail. "Basically, we have come by material leaked to us that would be problematical for the person who leaked it," Mr. Clifton said in a telephone interview. "The material was under seal or something along those lines." In an earlier interview with the trade journal Editor & Publisher, which published an article on its Web site late yesterday, Mr. Clifton said that lawyers for The Plain Dealer and its owner, Newhouse Newspapers, had strongly recommended against publication of the articles. "They've said, This is a super, super high-risk endeavor and you would, you know, you'd lose," Mr. Clifton told Editor & Publisher. "The reporters say, 'Well, we're willing to go to jail,' and I'm willing to go to jail if it gets laid on me, but the newspaper isn't willing to go to jail." If the suppressed stories document Ohio election fraud that stole the election again for George W. Bush, revealing the truth would indeed be very dangerous for those with the courage to speak up. The reporters and editors who know what's going on are willing to take the risk. The corporations who control the purse strings will not allow it. It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong. -- Voltaire Been There
look2it	The March of Oppression Posted: Sunday, July 10, 2005 12:28 AM I'm pretty sure those crooks stole the last election too. They're not honest about anything else, so why would they stop short of election fraud? G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Sunday, July 10, 2005 8:54 AM At Least 23 Are Killed in Suicide Bombings in Iraq The attacks pushed the death count to over 1,500 people killed from violence since April 28, when Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced his Shiite- and Kurd-dominated government in a country under attack from an insurgency led by Iraq's Sunni Arab minority. 10 Afghan Soldiers Beheaded by Militants The victims served on a 25-member patrol in southern Helmand province that was attacked late Saturday by militants driving four pickup trucks, said provincial Gov. Sher Mohammed Aghunzada. The remaining 15 soldiers escaped. "The Taliban cut the heads off all the soldiers who were killed," he said. Aghunzada said the dead soldiers' bodies had been recovered. The news comes a day after a purported Taliban spokesman, Mullah Latif Hakimi, claimed that the rebels had beheaded a U.S. Navy SEAL commando missing since June 28 in mountains in eastern Kunar province, also near the border with Pakistan. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,387 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 801 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Sunday, July 10, 2005 8:55 AM Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent. —George W. Bush, January 28, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, July 10, 2005 8:56 AM I spent some time recently with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and had an opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to the people of London, people who lost lives. —George W. Bush, Auchterarder, Scotland, July 7, 2005
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Sunday, July 10, 2005 9:06 AM Look2It, Like many people, Frank Rich has concluded that George W. Bush is even worse than Richard Nixon was: We're Not in Watergate Anymore. Again following the Watergate template, the Bush administration at first tried to bury the whole Wilson affair by investigating itself. Even when The Washington Post reported two months after Mr. Wilson's Op-Ed that "two top White House officials" had called at least six reporters, not just Mr. Novak, to destroy Mr. Wilson and his wife, the inquiry was kept safely within the John Ashcroft Justice Department, with the attorney general, according to a Times report, being briefed regularly on details of the investigation. If that rings a Watergate bell now, that's because on Thursday you may have read the obituary of L. Patrick Gray, Mark Felt's F.B.I. boss, who, in a similarly cozy conflict of interest, kept the Nixon White House abreast of the supposedly independent Watergate inquiry in its early going. Political pressure didn't force Mr. Ashcroft to relinquish control of the Wilson investigation to a special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, until Dec. 30, 2003, more than five months after Mr. Novak's column ran. Now 18 more months have passed, and no one knows what crime Mr. Fitzgerald is investigating. Is it the tricky-to-prosecute outing of Mr. Wilson's wife, the story Judy Miller never even wrote about? Or has Mr. Fitzgerald moved on to perjury and obstruction of justice possibly committed by those who tried to hide their roles in that outing? If so, it would mean the Bush administration was too arrogant to heed the most basic lesson of Watergate: the cover-up is worse than the crime. Worse than Nixon? Hard to say for sure while the dirt is still being swept under the rug, but we're definitely in the same ballpark. Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, July 11, 2005 7:40 AM 9 Iraqi Soldiers Killed North of Baghdad: Insurgents killed nine Iraqi soldiers in a town north of Baghdad Monday, seven of them in an armed assault on a checkpoint and two others in a car bombing a short time later, an Iraqi official said. The attacks came a day after a surge in violence -- including suicide bombings and ambushes -- killed nearly 60 people across the country, shattering a relative lull during the previous week. Missing Commando Found Dead in Afghanistan: The body of a U.S. Navy SEAL commando who was the last of a group of four that went missing in Afghanistan last month has been found and it appears he was killed in action, the U.S. military said on Monday. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,388 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 802 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Monday, July 11, 2005 7:41 AM We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more.   —Colin Powell, February 5, 2003
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Monday, July 11, 2005 7:47 AM The "senior White House official" who punished former Ambassador Joseph Wilson for telling the truth by putting Mrs. Wilson's life in danger has been identified. As all realists knew, it was Bush's Brain, Karl Rove: Bush aide Rove was Time reporter's source. Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, confirmed that Rove talked to Time magazine about former ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, CIA agent Valerie Plame. Luskin said Rove recently gave Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper permission to testify about the conversation to a grand jury investigating the leak in 2003, according to Newsweek. A U.S. federal judge ordered Cooper, along with New York Times reporter Judith Miller, to testify and reveal their confidential sources. Karl Rove has a long history of taking unethical and illegal actions against anyone who uses the truth to expose the "me generation" grasping and lies of his employers. Will his crime in this case bring him down?   Don't hold your breath; his protector lives in the White House. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, July 11, 2005 7:48 AM When you ride hard on a mountain bike, sometimes you fall. Otherwise you're not riding hard. —George W. Bush, Auchterarder, Scotland, July 7, 2005
nm420	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, July 11, 2005 10:39 AM Wow, that's probably the deepest statement I've ever heard attributed to that man. Almost zen-like in its quality.
look2it	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, July 11, 2005 11:56 PM nm420, I'd agree except that Dubya was just explaining why he fell off his bike again and was all skinned up (the bike was broken, he had to get back to his suite by car). What do you suppose the Cleveland paper is afraid to publish? Election stuff? I betcha! G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 8:11 AM 2 More U.S. Marines Killed in Iraq: Also today, the United States military announced that two marines died Sunday in western Iraq. Land Mine Kills U.S. Soldier South of Baghdad: A car bomb exploded Tuesday in the ethnically tense northern oil city of Kirkuk, killing at least three people and wounding 15, police said. An American soldier died of injuries suffered in a land mine explosion south of the capital, the U.S. command said. ... At least 1,756 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,389 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 803 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 8:12 AM Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons. —George W. Bush, February 8, 2003
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 8:19 AM The White House, which had repeatedly denied that Karl Rove had anything to do with the Valerie Plame leak, while proclaiming that Bush would fire anyone who did, suddenly clammed up about the matter yesterday: At White House, a Day of Silence on Rove's Role in C.I.A. Leak. Nearly two years after stating that any administration official found to have been involved in leaking the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer would be fired, and assuring that Karl Rove and other senior aides to President Bush had nothing to do with the disclosure, the White House refused on Monday to answer any questions about new evidence of Mr. Rove's role in the matter. ... Mr. McClellan repeatedly declined to say whether he stood behind his previous statements that Mr. Rove had played no role in the matter, saying he could not comment while a criminal investigation was under way. He brushed aside questions about whether the president would follow through on his pledge, repeated just over a year ago, to fire anyone in his administration found to have played a role in disclosing the officer's identity. And he declined to say when Mr. Bush learned that Mr. Rove had mentioned the C.I.A. officer in his conversation with the Time reporter. In past meetings with the press, Bush and McClellan have had no qualms about commenting on this case even though it was already under criminal investigation: Past White House Briefings on C.I.A. Leak Case. Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, at a briefing Sept. 16, 2003. Q. Two things. On the Robert Novak-Joseph Wilson situation, Novak reported earlier this year, quoting anonymous government sources telling him that Wilson's wife was a C.I.A. operative. Now, this is apparently a federal offense to blow the cover of a C.I.A. operative.Wilson now believes that the person who did this was Karl Rove. He's quoted from a speech last month as saying, "At the end of the day, it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove marched out of the White House in handcuffs." Did Karl Rove tell … A. I haven't heard that. That's just totally ridiculous. But we've already addressed this issue. Q. But did Karl Rove … A. If I could find out who anonymous people were - I just said it's totally ridiculous. Q. But did Karl Rove do it?' A. I said it's totally ridiculous. Scott McClellan at a briefing Sept. 29, 2003. Q. All right, let me just follow up. You said this morning, quote, "The president knows that Karl Rove wasn't involved." How does he know that? A. Well, I've made it very clear that it was a ridiculous suggestion in the first place... And I said it is simply not true. So - I mean, it's public knowledge I've said that it's not true. Q. Well, how … A. And I have spoken with Karl Rove. I'm not going to get into conversations that the president has with advisers or staff, or anything of that nature. That's not my practice. Q. But the president has a factual basis for knowing that Karl Rove … A. Well, I said it publicly. I said that - and so, I've made it very clear. Q. I'm not asking what you said, I'm asking if the president has a factual basis for saying - for your statement that he knows Karl Rove … A. He's aware of what I said, that there is simply no truth to that suggestion. And I have - I have spoken with Karl about it.… President Bush on June 10, 2004, at news conference after G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Ga. Q. Given recent developments in the C.I.A. leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, suggestion that it might difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name? And ... A. That's up … Q. And do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so? And … A. Yes. Q. And finally … A. And that's up to the U.S. attorney - to find the facts. Asked about the Rove situation as he left for an extended summer vacation in Maine, Bush said simply, "All those comments were made before the last election. The Democrats would have made a big deal out of it, so we had no choice." Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 8:22 AM The relations with, uhh -- Europe are important relations, and they've, uhh -- because, we do share values. And, they're universal values, they're not American values or, you know -- European values, they're universal values. And those values -- uhh -- being universal, ought to be applied everywhere. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2005
look2it	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 12:04 AM Kind of surprises me that it's only now that some people are starting to see what liars the Bush gang really is. Most don't pay much attention until something really rotten happens, sorry to say. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 6:51 AM Baghdad Car Bomb Kills G.I., at Least 7 Kids: A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle Wednesday near a U.S. vehicle in eastern Baghdad, killing one American soldier and at least seven Iraqi children, the U.S. military said. Two American soldiers and "multiple Iraqi civilians" were wounded in the late morning attack, a statement from Task Force Baghdad said. 10 Sunnis Suffocate in Iraqi Police Custody: Iraq's widely feared police commandos were struggling on Tuesday to explain how at least 10 Sunni Arab men and youths, one only 17, suffocated after a commando unit seized them from a hospital emergency ward and locked them in a police van in summer temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. As relatives collected the bodies from Baghdad's main morgue and drove them to a village near Abu Ghraib for burial, Interior Minister Bayan Jabr was meeting with two police generals who run the commando units, preparing for a government statement that Mr. Jabr's office said would be made Wednesday. The fact that one man survived to tell what happened surprised the Iraqi commandos. Mr. Saleh, the survivor quoted by the Muslim Clerics' Association. "Diya Saleh told us, 'The Interior Ministry commandos who arrested us at Noor Hospital put us in a van, and then took us out and tortured us,'" the officer said. "We called for doctors to look after the men still breathing, and then a pathologist came and looked at the bodies. He said that they had been tortured, with injuries caused by electric shocks." Before dawn on Monday, the police officer said, four other police commandos arrived in a black Daewoo sedan, three of them wearing the commandos' black uniforms and a fourth in civilian clothes. The officer said that when the commandos demanded to know where Mr. Saleh was, the men assigned to the hospital police unit assumed they had come to kill him, to eliminate him as a witness. "So we called the officers at Mahmoun," the officer said, naming a local police station, "and asked them to help us. When they heard that, the commandos disappeared." We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,390 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 804 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 6:53 AM Iraq has also provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training. —George W. Bush, February 8, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 6:54 AM One of the reasons why I've come to this center is to encourage care givers and sons and daughters and community and faith-based groups to help seniors understand, one, what's available in the new program, and, two, to encourage seniors to fill out the simple, four-page form so that they can take advantage of this good deal. —George W. Bush, Maple Grove, Minnesota, Jun. 17, 2005
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 7:27 AM Look2It, Bush promised to fire anyone who leaked the name of Mr. Wilson's wife. Now, though, Karl Rove, the White House, the Republican National Comittee, and the drug-addled talkshow hosts working for George Bush all say that Karl Rove shouldn't be fired because Rove only identified the agent as "Ambassador Wilson's wife," without mentioning her first name: It All Depends on What Your Definition of 'Naming' Is. Mr. Bush was asked in June 2004 whether he would fire anyone who leaked Ms. Wilson's name. Without hesitation, he said "yes." But if Ms. Wilson was discussed - but not named - current and former White House officials say Mr. Bush may not feel he is violating his pledge by keeping the political engineer who, as deputy chief of staff, is now formulating much of the domestic policy agenda of Mr. Bush's second term. Mrs. Wilson's fellow CIA agents, though, cannot forgive the White House for endangering a colleague to punish her husband, a solidly patriotic American throughout his life, simply for telling the truth. Nor should they. Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, July 14, 2005 7:14 AM Data Shows Faster-Rising Death Toll Among Iraqi Civilians: Iraqi civilians and police officers died at a rate of more than 800 a month between August and May, according to figures released in June by the Interior Ministry. In response to questions from The New York Times, the ministry said that 8,175 Iraqis were killed by insurgents in the 10 months that ended May 31. The ministry did not give detailed figures for the months before August 2004, nor did it provide a breakdown of the figures, which do not include either Iraqi soldiers or civilians killed during American military operations. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,391 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 805 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Thursday, July 14, 2005 7:15 AM There is no question they will welcome as liberators the United States. —Dick Cheney, March 16, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, July 14, 2005 7:16 AM As we work to keep the peace we've also got to work to make America a better place for all of us. I mean every single citizen. That means we've got to have an education system that is next to none. —George W. Bush, Denver, Colorado, Sep. 27, 2002
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Thursday, July 14, 2005 3:19 PM Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's office has begun to leak information concerning Bob Novak's role in helping Karl Rove threaten the life of CIA agent Valerie Plame. With the corporate media operating in their customary gutless-wonder mode, free-lance reporter Murray Waas used the Internet to post what he's uncovered: Exclusive: Novak co-operated with prosecutors. Federal investigators have been skeptical of Novak's assertions that he referred to Plame as a CIA "operative" due to his own error, instead of having been explicitly told that was the case by his sources, according to attorneys familiar with the criminal probe.   That skepticism has been one of several reasons that the special prosecutor has pressed so hard for the testimony of Time magazine's Cooper and New York Times reporter Judith Miller.   ...   Also of interest to investigators have been a series of telephone contacts between Novak and Rove, and other White House officials, in the days just after press reports first disclosed the existence of a federal criminal investigation as to who leaked Plame's identity. Investigators have been concerned that Novak and his sources might have conceived or co-ordinated a cover story to disguise the nature of their conversations. That concern was a reason-- although only one of many-- that led prosecutors to press for the testimony of Cooper and Miller, sources said.   Lending credence to those suspicions was that a U.S. government official questioned by investigators said Novak specifically asked him whether Plame had some covert status with the CIA. Soon the whole sordid story will be exposed. Stay tuned!   Been There
look2it	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Friday, July 15, 2005 12:15 AM On a day this nice after a long, long swim, the jerks in the White House seem too far away to affect us very much. Too bad we have to come back to reality and remember the truth! G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:33 AM 8 Months After U.S.-Led Siege, Insurgents Rise Again in Falluja: Somewhere in the bowels of Falluja, the former guerrilla stronghold 35 miles west of Baghdad, where four American contractors were killed in an ambush, and the bodies of two were hanged from a bridge, in March 2004, insurgents are building suicide car bombs again. At least four have exploded in recent weeks, one of them killing six American troops, including four women. Two of five police forts being erected have been firebombed. Three members of the nascent, 21-seat city council have suddenly quit and another member has stopped attending meetings, presumably because they have been threatened. Just as disturbing, even Falluja residents who favored purging the streets of insurgents last November are beginning to chafe under the occupation. "Some preferred the city quiet, purified of the gunmen and any militant aspect," said Abdul Jabbar Kadhim al-Alwani, 40, the owner of an automotive repair shop, expressing a widely held sentiment. "But after the unfairness and injustice with which the city's residents have been treated by the American and Iraqi forces, they now prefer the resistance, just so they won't be humiliated." We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,392 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 806 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:34 AM The Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.   —George W. Bush, March 17, 2003
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:37 AM Columnist Paul Krugman thinks Karl Rove is a genius: Karl Rove's America. What Mr. Rove understood, long before the rest of us, is that we're not living in the America of the past, where even partisans sometimes changed their views when faced with the facts. Instead, we're living in a country in which there is no longer such a thing as nonpolitical truth. In particular, there are now few, if any, limits to what conservative politicians can get away with: the faithful will follow the twists and turns of the party line with a loyalty that would have pleased the Comintern. Those of us who detest liars and thieves, whether Nazis or Communists, Democrats or Republicans, feel a great sadness about the escalating downhill slide of American politics. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:38 AM I was impressed every day by how hard and how skillful our team was. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Nov. 3, 2004
look2it	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Friday, July 15, 2005 11:54 PM People thought Hitler was a genius too, a crook is a crook no matter how smart people think he is. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2005 7:01 AM 3 British Soldiers, 2 U.S. Marines Killed in Iraq: Three British soldiers died early Saturday in "hostile action" in southern Iraq, according to British military officials. The soldiers died from injuries in Amara, located in Maysan province, according to spokesmen for the British Ministry of Defence and the British military. Two other soldiers suffered minor injuries and were being treated at a nearby base. On Friday, insurgents in Baghdad launched seven car bomb attacks throughout the Iraqi capital, killing at least 26 Iraqis, authorities in Iraq said. Officials also announced two U.S. Marines had been killed on Thursday. The U.S. military in Baghdad said 15 civilians and five Iraqi soldiers died in three suicide bomb attacks. The blasts wounded 17 civilians and six soldiers, the military said in a statement. 11 American Soldiers Charged With Abuse: The U.S. command on Saturday announced charges against 11 U.S. soldiers for assaulting detainees but provided few details of what happened other than to say the soldiers served in the Baghdad area but are now off duty pending the investigation. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,393 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 807 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2005 7:02 AM Well, there is no question that we have evidence and information that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical particularly. All this will be made clear in the course of the operation, for whatever duration it takes. —Ari Fleischer, March 21, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2005 7:03 AM I didn't join the International Criminal Court because I don't want to put our troops in the hands of prosecutors from other nations. —George W. Bush, Niceville, Fla., Aug. 10, 2004
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Sunday, July 17, 2005 9:01 AM Amid Heavy Bombings, Another U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq: An American soldier was killed and two others wounded by a roadside bomb on Saturday afternoon in Kirkuk Province, the military reported early Sunday without issuing further details about the incident. Iraq Fuel Truck Bomb Devastates Town, Kills 98: Stricken townspeople swept away the wreckage of a fuel truck bomb that killed 98 people south of Baghdad as three more suicide car bombers struck the Iraqi capital on Sunday in a relentless new campaign. The overnight attack which devastated the highway town of Musayyib was the deadliest since the new Iraqi government took power in April and the highest death toll from a single car bomb since 125 people were killed in February in Hilla, also south of Baghdad. Saturday's bombing prompted denunciations of the authorities in parliament and calls for local militia to take up arms. Some 15 suicide bombers have struck within just over 48 hours in the capital and along the highway heading south in what al Qaeda's Iraq wing has declared is a new campaign to seize control of Baghdad. Plan Called for Covert Aid to U.S. Collaborators in Iraq Vote: In the months before the Iraqi elections in January, President Bush approved a plan to provide covert support to certain Iraqi candidates and political parties, but rescinded the proposal because of Congressional opposition, current and former government officials said Saturday. In a statement issued in response to questions about a report in the next issue of The New Yorker, Frederick Jones, the spokesman for the National Security Council, said that "in the final analysis, the president determined and the United States government adopted a policy that we would not try - and did not try - to influence the outcome of the Iraqi election by covertly helping individual candidates for office." The statement appeared to leave open the question of whether any covert help was provided to parties favored by Washington, an issue about which the White House declined to elaborate. Long Civil War Looms in Iraq: "We want to vote, and we want [Sunni] representatives in Baghdad," said Hamid Farhan Abdullah of the Mohamda tribe. Mr. Weston began to smile. Then the sheik continued. "We are the majority in Iraq," he said. "We are 60 percent of the country. We will vote and we will win." ... After centuries of governing the region - first as proxies for the Ottoman Turks, then under the British Empire and Saddam Hussein - many Sunni Arabs have been unable to accept either the demographic facts on the ground (they make up only 20 percent of Iraq's 28 million people) or the new political order (their minority status consigns them to rule by the majority Shiites in a democratic state). In addition, for many Sunni Arabs, the debate over who should wield authority is drawn not within the frame of the modern nation of Iraq, but on the much broader canvas of the Islamic world, in which Sunnis make up 80 to 90 percent of the total Muslim population. So their sense of entitlement is not surprising. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,394 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 808 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Sunday, July 17, 2005 9:03 AM There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them. —Gen. Tommy Franks, March 22, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, July 17, 2005 9:04 AM But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., December 21, 2001 (Only slightly marred by the events of September 11, 2001.)
Been There	Holy Writ Posted: Sunday, July 17, 2005 9:07 AM An interesting new discovery has been reported by Israel: Biblical parchments found in desert. Two miniature manuscripts, dating back to the last Jewish revolt against Roman rule in Judea, around CE 135, have been discovered near the Dead Sea, Israel's Antiquities Department has announced. The parchments, only a few centimetres long, are said to contain extracts in Hebrew from the Biblical book of Leviticus.   They were found in a cave near the Ein Gedi oasis in the Judean desert that extends across Israel and the West Bank. As always, it will be interesting to learn how these manuscripts compare with the versions we read today. Been There
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Sunday, July 17, 2005 9:41 AM Newsweek online has an interesting 5-page piece on Bush's Brain: Rove at War. In the World According to Karl Rove, you take the offensive, and stay there. You create a narrative that glosses over complex, mitigating facts to divide the world into friends and enemies, light and darkness, good and bad, Bush versus Saddam. You are loyal to a fault to your friends, merciless to your enemies. You keep your candidate's public rhetoric sunny and uplifting, finding others to do the attacking. You study the details, and learn more about your foes than they know about themselves. You use the jujitsu of media flow to flip the energy of your enemies against them. The Boss never discusses political mechanics in public. But in fact everything is political—and everyone is fair game. It's interesting to watch Karl crumble under the pressure of his own tactics. On a Bush trip to North Carolina, Rove clowned in his manic way with reporters—behavior of the kind he tends to display when he feels under pressure. We're now seeing the fable of the frat-boy and the geek play out before us on the national stage. Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, July 18, 2005 9:43 AM Iraqis Stunned by the Violence of a Bombing: The surge of suicide attacks torturing the capital has seemingly confounded Iraqi and American forces, which have focused their Baghdad security efforts on stopping the bombers. Attacks are often undetectable until the last seconds before detonation, especially in the case of moving car bombs, and nearby civilians can slow the reaction of security forces. Additionally, no obvious pattern has appeared in the recent string of attacks except that, like the scores of others that have made suicide bombs a prominent feature of this war, they have often singled out Shiites in large numbers or Iraqi and international security forces. The National Assembly called for three minutes of silence nationwide on Wednesday to commemorate the Musayyib victims, as well as those in a suicide attack last Wednesday in Baghdad that killed more than two dozen people, mostly children. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,395 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 809 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Monday, July 18, 2005 9:44 AM We know where the weapons of mass destruction are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.   —Donald Rumsfeld, March 30, 2003
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Monday, July 18, 2005 9:48 AM The FBI is back to its old tricks. Under the guise of fighting terrorism, it is amassing files on thoroughly mainstream organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Greenpeace that have never condoned violence: Large Volume of F.B.I. Files Alarms U.S. Activist Groups. "I'm still somewhat shocked by the size of the file on us," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the A.C.L.U. "Why would the F.B.I. collect almost 1,200 pages on a civil rights organization engaged in lawful activity? What justification could there be, other than political surveillance of lawful First Amendment activities?" Protest groups charge that F.B.I. counterterrorism officials have used their expanded powers since the Sept. 11 attacks to blur the line between legitimate civil disobedience and violent or terrorist activity in what they liken to F.B.I. political surveillance of the 1960's. Every Republican who values personal integrity has joined the rest of us in speaking out against Karl Rove's unethical actions against former ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. Right at the top of that list is former president George Herbert Walker Bush: Karl Rove is a Disgrace to the White House. "Was Plame 'fair game,' as Karl Rove told Chris Matthews? George H.W. Bush didn't think so. Even after Wilson embarrassed the president publicly, Bush Sr. wrote Wilson--whom he had appointed to various ambassadorial posts--to congratulate him for his service and sympathize with him over the outing of his wife. The old man was head of the CIA in the 1970s and knows the consequences of blowing the identities of covert operatives. "But does his son? A real leader wouldn't hide behind Clintonian legalisms like 'I don't want to prejudge.' Even if the disclosure was unintentional and no law was broken, Rove's confirmed conduct--talking casually to two reporters without security clearances about a CIA operative--was dangerous and wrong. As GOP congressman turned talk-show host Joe Scarborough puts it, if someone in his old congressional office did what Rove unquestionably did, that someone would have been promptly fired, just as the president promised in this case. "Scarborough, no longer obligated to toe the pathetic Republican Party line, says it's totally irrelevant if Joe Wilson is a preening partisan who misled investigators about the role his wife played in recommending his Niger trip. The frantic efforts of the GOP attack machine to change the subject to Wilson shows how scared Republicans are that the master of their universe will be held accountable for Rove's destructive carelessness." Yes, we'll see how long the younger president Bush holds out against the forces of decency and personal integrity. According to those around him, he can resist those particular forces for a long, long time. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, July 18, 2005 9:49 AM And that thing greater than ourselves is freedom. And that thing greater than ourselves is a country based upon fabulous values. —George W. Bush, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April 15, 2002
look2it	The March of Oppression Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 12:32 AM Guess the ACLU and Greenpeace people are easier to spy on than the terrorists. Saw that the terrorist Eric Rudolph was laughing today because the Bush people didn't get the death penalty for him even though a police officer was one of those he killed. What a sorry crew.  G'night.
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 9:52 AM Look2It, You've heard the old saw, "One person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter." To many of the Bushies, Eric Rudolph was a freedom fighter, so he was safe from the death penalty. The Bush government's behavior toward Rudolph was in the same vein as Arab governments paying the families of suicide bombers (a.k.a. "martyrs") bonuses after their deaths. There are many examples of this sort of hypocrisy: Dictators who endorse Bush's policies are "great leaders." Those who don't are "the axis of evil." Our government's lies are "public relations." Other governments' lies are "slick propaganda." Our government's torture of prisoners is a "useful tool." Our enemies' torture of prisoners is evidence of their utter depravity. Weapons of mass destruction are "essential to our security." Weapons of mass destruction (even imaginary ones) are verboten for others. The Republicans will gain votes by sparing the life of Eric Rudolph, as they calculated. Arab governments gained support by helping the families of Arab "freedom fighters," as they calculated. Every coin has two sides. Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 9:55 AM 24 Killed in String of Attacks; Another U.S. Marine Dead in Iraq: The latest bloodshed occurred in a series of small-scale ambushes and shootings. The deadliest attack on Monday was in the western Baghdad district of Khadra, where eight policemen died in a gun battle with insurgents, the police said. It was unclear whether the insurgents suffered casualties. There were other attacks in Baghdad, Taji, Samarra and Mosul as well. The military said an American marine died in what was termed a non-hostile incident on Sunday at a base in Ramadi. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,396 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 810 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Trust Us Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 9:56 AM I felt like we would find weapons of mass destruction. —George W. Bush, January 14, 2005
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 9:58 AM Everybody in Crawford says hello, starting with Laura. She is doing a fabulous day. I tell people it's because she's from Midland, Texas. —George W. Bush, Dallas, Texas, Mar. 29, 2002
Been There	When Their Lips Are Moving Posted: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 10:01 AM Yesterday Bush back-pedaled furiously on his earlier pledge to fire the leakers who endangered the life of CIA agent Valerie Plame. What a surprise! "Come on," he snapped to a reporter, "you all knew I didn't mean it. Get real jobs." Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 8:57 AM 2 Sunnis at Work on Constitution Are Shot Dead in Car in Baghdad; Another U.S. Soldier Dead: Two Sunni Arabs involved in drafting Iraq's constitution were assassinated Tuesday afternoon on a busy street in central Baghdad, delivering a setback to the country's fledgling democratic process. The two men, Mejbil al-Sheik Isa and Damin al-Obeidi, were in a car that was taking them from a meeting of committee members when they were attacked, the officials said. A bodyguard, Aziz Ebrahim, was also killed. Mr. Isa was among the 15 Sunni Arabs recently appointed as committee members, and Mr. Obeidi was one of 10 newly appointed Sunni consultants. The expansion of the committee was part of an effort by the Shiite and Kurd-dominated National Assembly, under pressure from the Bush administration, to draw more Sunni Arabs into the charter-writing process, both to help cement the country's nascent democracy and to undermine the insurgency by making the process more inclusive. ... The American command announced Tuesday that an American solider had died in a noncombat-related incident at Camp Arifjan, an American base south of Kuwait City. While the United States maintains a permanent troop presence in Kuwait, the military also uses the country as a staging point for units moving in and out of Iraq. Iraqi Constitution to Curb Women's Rights: One of the critical passages is in Article 14 of the chapter, a sweeping measure that would require court cases dealing with matters like marriage, divorce and inheritance to be judged according to the law practiced by the family's sect or religion. Under that measure, Shiite women in Iraq, no matter what their age, generally could not marry without their families' permission. Under some interpretations of Shariah, men could attain a divorce simply by stating their intention three times in their wives' presence. Article 14 would replace a body of Iraqi law that has for decades been considered one of the most progressive in the Middle East in protecting the rights of women, giving them the freedom to choose a husband and requiring divorce cases to be decided by a judge. If adopted, the shift away from the more secular and egalitarian provisions of the interim constitution would be a major victory for Shiite clerics and religious politicians, who chafed at the Americans' insistence that Islam be designated in the interim constitution as just "a source" of legislation. Several writers of the new constitution say they intend, at the very least, to designate Islam as "a main source" of legislation. An Iraqi View of the U.S. Occupation: Demands by the American people to end the occupation - an essential component to ending the occupation politically - will be found lacking since many Americans assume the US presence is warranted due to the actions of an elected Iraqi body, in spite of the lack of true representation in this regard.    Lastly, since the Iraqi government has accepted the American presence as morally and legally sound, it can be assumed by the resistance that the Americans will remain for some time in spite of the wishes of the Iraqi people. The only alternative that remains for those opposed to the occupation, therefore, is an armed one. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,397 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 811 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 8:59 AM I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. —Ken Adelman, February 13, 2002
Been There	The Supremes Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 9:03 AM My first impression of Bush's nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court was relief--it could have been a lot worse. Unless the Bush gang is hiding things that no one else yet knows, Roberts should be confirmed easily.   The hearings will be interesting, though, as they always are for a supreme court justice. And there might be some surprises. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 9:05 AM We've got a fabulous military, a lot of young men and women who are taking a risk on behalf of freedom. —George W. Bush, Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 14, 2002
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:08 AM Sunnis Boycott Panel Drafting Charter for Iraq: Several of the Sunni Arabs pulling out of the committee said they would not return until the Iraqi government, dominated by Shiite Arabs and Kurds, provided adequate security. They accused the government of failing to adequately protect their colleagues, Mejbil Issa and Dhamin Hussein al-Obeidi, who were gunned down Tuesday afternoon by unknown assailants while driving through downtown Baghdad. Insurgent groups had threatened to kill Sunni Arabs working on the constitution, hoping to prevent broad Sunni support for the political process. "We have suspended our presence in the constitutional committee meetings for reasons regarding our own security and because of the negligence we are suffering," said Fakhri al-Qaisi, whose political group counts among its members several of the Sunni constitution writers, including those who were killed. "We think that we are being kept away from the constitution writing process," he said. "I think we were brought in just to complete the picture, but they are not serious about engaging us in the process." Using language that is likely to fuel sectarian tensions, Mr. Qaisi and other Sunni leaders implied in interviews that Shiites or Kurds might have killed the two politicians because of the men's opposition on critical constitutional issues like broad autonomy for the country's provinces or regions. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,398 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 812 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:10 AM Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, our allies and against us. —Dick Cheney, August 26, 2002
Been There	The Supremes Posted: Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:14 AM Bush's nominee for the vacancy on the Supreme Court, John Roberts, looks like an intelligent, thoughtful, and reasonable man: Court Nominee's Life Is Rooted in Faith and Respect for Law. I do not have an all-encompassing approach to constitutional interpretation; the appropriate approach depends to some degree on the specific provision at issue," Judge Roberts wrote in response to a written question during his 2003 confirmation to the federal appeals court in Washington. "Some provisions of the Constitution provide considerable guidance on how they should be construed; others are less precise. "I would not hew to a particular 'school' of interpretation," he added, "but would follow the approach or approaches that seemed most suited in the particular case to correctly discerning the meaning of the provision at issue." Assuming Roberts has not given the Bush administration any secret assurances about how he would vote on key issues such as Roe v. Wade, it looks to me that the Democrats should be pleased to support him, considering the possible alternatives. If he is appointed, extremist Republicans will be expressing their "disappointment" with Roberts a few years down the road. Mark my words. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:16 AM I'm extremely proud of our First Lady. She's doing a fabulous job. —George W. Bush, Denver, Colorado, Aug. 14, 2001
Been There	1400 Days Posted: Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:23 AM From now until Tuesday, I will be traveling in areas inaccessible to the Internet, so I won't be posting. That means I won't be available on Saturday to commemorate the 1400 days since president Bush made his solemn pledge to bring Osama bin Laden to justice "dead or alive." Here is a transcript of his remarks to Pentagon employees on September 17, 2001: I want justice. Q:    Do you want bin Laden dead?   THE PRESIDENT:  I want justice.  There's an old poster out west, as I recall, that said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Q:    Are you saying you want him dead or alive, sir?  Can I interpret --   THE PRESIDENT:  I just remember, all I'm doing is remembering when I was a kid I remember that they used to put out there in the old west, a wanted poster.  It said:  "Wanted, Dead or Alive."  All I want and America wants him brought to justice.  That's what we want. If Bush had followed up on his pledge, we would be much safer today. Instead, he dropped the ball on bin Laden, thereby telling terrorists that we'd shift our focus and get involved somewhere else if they just held out long enough. The result of Bush's failure is--and will continue to be--an increase in terrorism around the world. Been There
Been There	Freedom of Speech Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:49 AM It's good to be back, and it's worthwhile to be reminded from time to time just how valuable our right to free speech--including posting on the Internet--really is. Let's hope we can pass that right, undiminished, on to our children and grandchildren.   Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:54 AM Crumbling Iraq: Is the Country Heading for Civil War? From the outside, it seems like chaotic violence. But it's worse than that. In Iraq, Sunni Muslim suicide commandos are launching bloodbaths among the Shiites, gradually edging the country toward civil war. Instead of becoming a democratic beacon for the entire region, Iraq is on the verge of disintegrating. Probably the best chance to quell the emerging civil war is to partition Iraq into Kurdish, Shia, and Sunni segments, a solution gaining support among many Iraqis. The Kurdish representatives in Iraq's government managed to insert strong provisions into Iraq's interim constitution to guarantee the autonomy the region gained in 1991. Under Article 61, a two-thirds majority in only 3 of Iraq's 18 provinces would be sufficient to reject a final constitution. But this clause, originally included as a concession to the Kurdish provinces of Arbil, Suleimaniya and Dahuk, is now being used as a political weapon in predominantly Shiite southern Iraq and in the Sunni triangle. "We want to do away with the centralist system that ties the entire country to the capital," says Bakr al-Yassin, chairman of the governing council in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Using Iraqi Kurdistan as his model, Yassin wants to establish a southern Iraqi autonomous region that would consist of the provinces of Basra, Dhi Qar and Maysan -- an area that includes most of Iraq's oil reserves. His most important ally is Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi, the Pentagon's former protégé, whose family hails from Nasiriyah. Both Yassin and Chalabi are considered secular Shiites. The principal beneficiaries of their plan for an autonomous region, however, would be the religious Shiite parties and their militias, which already control southern Iraq and maintain excellent relations with neighboring, Shiite-dominated Iran. Until now, the leaders of these parties have vehemently supported a uniform, centralized state extending "from the Turkish to the Kuwaiti border." But they are beginning to soften on their position. Both Grand Ayatollah Sistani and his younger rival, Muqtada al-Sadr, have declared that it should be up to the people to decide whether the south should become autonomous. Iraq seeks electricity from neighbours: Before the US-led invasion, Baghdad's 6.5 million residents had almost continuous electricity.   Today, they get about 10, usually broken into two-hour chunks. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,403 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 817 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:55 AM From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August. —Andrew Card, September 7, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:57 AM The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's spending time investigating it. —George W. Bush, White House, July 18, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 9:31 AM Veteran of Iraq, Running in Ohio, Is Harsh on Bush: In the Second Congressional District of Ohio, which Republicans have controlled for the last two decades, the quickest route to political oblivion could be the one chosen by Paul L. Hackett: calling President Bush a "chicken hawk" for not serving in Vietnam and harshly criticizing the decision to invade Iraq. But Mr. Hackett, the Democratic candidate in the Aug. 2 special Congressional election, is not an ordinary politician. Until four months ago, he was serving in the Marines, commanding a civil affairs unit in Iraq. If Mr. Hackett is elected, he will become the first member of Congress to have served in the Iraq war. That alone has helped Mr. Hackett, a 43-year-old lawyer, unexpectedly turn this potential walkover into a sharply contested race. ... Mr. Bush has also emerged as an issue. Ms. Schmidt contends people in the district, which voted 64 percent for Mr. Bush last year, adore the president. Her only difference with the administration, she said, is on Mr. Bush's proposal to create private accounts in Social Security, which she says could be risky. Mr. Hackett has been bluntly dismissive of Mr. Bush, saying the United States should have focused on capturing Osama bin Laden instead of invading Iraq so quickly. In a public forum, he called Mr. Bush the biggest threat facing the United States, a remark that has infuriated voters, Republicans say. So Mr. Hackett doesn't let the dictates of political correctness stop him from telling the unvarnished truth--my kind of person! As does everyone who tells the unpleasant truth, though, Mr. Hackett expects to face retaliation from the Bush administration. Asked about Mr. Hackett's candidacy, vice president Cheney snorted, "We have a team looking into his whole family. And he might want to think twice about going back to Iraq." 4 U.S. Soldiers Blown Up on Sunday: A statement by the U.S. command said the soldiers from Task Force Baghdad died Sunday night when their vehicle ran over a roadside bomb in the southwest of the city. The statement gave no further details. However, Jim Driscoll, a spokesman for the Georgia National Guard, said the victims were assigned to the 48th Infantry Brigade. They were the Georgia Guard unit's first combat casualties since World War II. Another U.S. Soldier Blown Up on Monday: Army Spc. Adam J. Harting, 21, Portage, Ind.; killed Monday when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Samarra, Iraq; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 42nd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. ... As of Tuesday, July 26, 2005, at least 1,782 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. ... Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,643 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,404 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 818 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 9:33 AM Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities used for the production of biological weapons. —George W. Bush, September 12, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 9:35 AM I'm really proud of my appointment of Gale Norton to the Secretary of the Interior. She is doing a fabulous job. —George W. Bush, Denver, Colorado, Aug. 14, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2005 9:23 AM Another U.S. Soldier Blown Up in Iraq: As constitutional negotiations continued, the American military said that one soldier was killed and five were wounded on Wednesday when a bomb exploded during a combat patrol in Salahuddin Province, which includes Tikrit, the city north of Baghdad that formed Mr. Hussein's power base. In Baghdad, where the Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld appeared on an unannounced visit on Wednesday, a suicide car bomb exploded at a checkpoint around noon, killing one policeman and wounding three others, an Interior Ministry official said. At least one mortar shell fell on a public parking garage in central Baghdad about 3 p.m., the official said, killing 3 civilians, wounding 37 others and damaging two dozen cars. At about the same time that the mortar struck, a drive-by shooting killed three employees in the Trade Ministry. The employees were identified through their ministry identification cards, the Interior Ministry official said. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,405 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 819 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2005 9:25 AM The entire world knows beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein holds weapons of mass destruction in large quantities. —Dick Cheney, September 23, 2002
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2005 9:30 AM A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan spoke out forcefully yesterday against the Bush administration's efforts to subvert our nation's founding principles: Ressam judge decries U.S. tactics. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour sentenced Ahmed Ressam to a 22-year prison term yesterday for attempting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on the millennium's eve, and used the occasion to unleash a broadside against secret tribunals and other war on terrorism tactics that abandon "the ideals that set our nation apart." "The tragedy of Sept. 11 shook our sense of security and made us realize that we, too, are vulnerable to acts of terrorism," said Coughenour in a voice edged with emotion. "Unfortunately, some believe that this threat renders our Constitution obsolete. ... If that view is allowed to prevail, the terrorists will have won." ... Coughenour said he hoped the sentencing conveyed a dual message. First, he said that the United States has the resolve to deal with terrorism, and people who engage in it should be prepared to sacrifice a major portion of their life in confinement. Second, Coughenour said that Ressam's sentencing should demonstrate to the world that the U.S. legal system can try terrorists. Coughenour devoted most of his remarks to this point, noting that Ressam received a vigorous defense, and that his guilt was determined "in the sunlight of a public trial. There were no secret proceedings, no indefinite detention, no denial of counsel." Coughenour's comments amounted to a rebuke of President Bush's terrorism policies. After 9/11, the Bush administration initially proposed secret military trials for some foreign terrorists. And, it has sent hundreds of terrorism suspects captured in Afghanistan to indefinite detention at Guantánamo Bay. The struggle for our nation's future does not pit conservatives against liberals (Coughenour is a conservative judge). Those opposing the Bush administration's march to oppression includes everyone who truly believes in our American system of government, no matter what their other political views may be. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, July 28, 2005 9:32 AM It's an honor to receive this award from such a fabulous organization as Little League Baseball and, on behalf of the presidency, thank you for what you do. —George W. Bush, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Aug. 26, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, July 29, 2005 9:18 AM 2 More U.S. Soldiers Blown Up in Iraq: The American military said two soldiers died and a third was injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Baghdad on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, a roadside bomb exploded next to a train carrying fuel in southern Baghdad, setting the area ablaze and killing at least one Iraqi guard and wounding at least four other people, an Interior Ministry official said. Civic groups and Shiite leaders held separate meetings in Baghdad hotels to discuss the future constitution. The civic groups released results of an unscientific survey showing that more than 60 percent of respondents wanted strong autonomous powers for regions or provinces and 35 percent supported Islam as "the main source" of legislation in Iraq, two major issues in the drafting of the constitution. Nearly a fifth said they did not want Islam to play any role in the law, and 29 percent said they wanted Islam and other religions to be the basis for legislation. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,406 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to get Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 820 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Friday, July 29, 2005 9:20 AM Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. —George W. Bush, October 7, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, July 29, 2005 9:21 AM I also am so pleased and thrilled to be with my friend, the Governor, who is doing a fabulous job for the people of New York. —George W. Bush, New York, New York, Nov. 11, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2005 6:45 AM Suicide Bomber Attacks Army Recruits in Northern Iraq; 3 More U.S. Soldiers Killed: A suicide bomber wearing a vest laden with explosives blew himself up outside an army recruitment center in a remote northern village on the Syrian border on Friday, an official with the Iraqi Interior Ministry said. The official said the attack killed 26 people and wounded at least 30... ... One Army soldier died in a vehicle accident in Baghdad and two marines died when insurgents attacked their patrol in Cykla, 120 miles west of the capital. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,407 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 821 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2005 6:46 AM I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that. —Donald Rumsfeld, November 14, 2002
Been There	Thugs, Slugs, and Leaky Plugs Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2005 6:49 AM Now that John R. Bolton has been caught lying about his record, Bush feels he might need to make a recess appointment to install him as our representative to the United Nations: Bolton Not Truthful, 36 Senators Charge in Opposing Appointment. The State Department has admitted that, as Mr. Biden charged, Mr. Bolton had been interviewed in a previous inquiry into one particular intelligence failure on Iraq, the finding that Iraq had tried to buy raw uranium from Niger for a nuclear arms program. That finding turned out to be based on forged documents. Administration officials appeared shaken by the disclosure, and some worried openly that it might hurt Mr. Bolton's chances of a recess appointment, a tactic that a president is permitted use once Congress is in recess in August. The appointment would expire at the end of next year, however. Questioned about Bolton as he left for another vacation, Bush had this to say, "He's just the man to represent my administration. If bearing false witness was a sin, God would have said so in the Ten Commandments." Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2005 6:51 AM No, the country -- this country is a fabulous country. They thought they hurt us, the evil ones. They have made us stronger, more real, and a better land. —George W. Bush, Orlando, Florida, Dec. 4, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2005 12:55 PM The carnage caused by Bush's blunders in Iraq continued yesterday: 5 U.S. Soldiers Are Killed by Roadside Bombs in Iraq. Five U.S. soldiers were killed by roadside bombs in two separate incidents in Baghdad on Saturday, the U.S. military said Sunday. Car Bomb South of Baghdad Kills 7, Wounds 12 - Police: The attack occurred about 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad near the town of Haswa, the police department in nearby Hilla said. The explosives-packed vehicle had been left by the side of the road, near the checkpoint, and was detonated remotely. All of those killed were civilians, the police said. Three of the wounded were policemen. Iraqi police and army checkpoints are frequently targeted by insurgents, who see Iraqi security forces as allied to U.S.-led forces and dismiss them as collaborators. We all evaluate facts in the light of their context and the principles we deem important. From my perspective, the following facts underscore some important truths: 1,408 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 822 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	The Case for War Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2005 12:56 PM If he declares he has none, then we will know that Saddam Hussein is once again misleading the world. —Ari Fleischer, December 2, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, July 31, 2005 12:57 PM I recognize I'm not exactly Bernadette Peters -- but she did a fabulous job last night to fill this hall. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Feb. 25, 2002