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Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:42 AM More than two years after Bush attacked Iraq under false pretenses, the slaughter there continues: Politicians Work on Constitution While War Goes On. As the debate over the constitution continued, violence around Iraq continued. The American military said that five American soldiers were killed Saturday in two attacks in Baghdad. One American soldier was killed and two were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded under a Humvee that was passing through the restive neighborhood of Al Doura. Four Americans were killed when their Humvee struck a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad International Airport about 11 p.m. Saturday. In Haswa, south of Baghdad, seven people were killed and 12 were wounded Sunday when a car laden with explosives blew up near a crowd at a sheep market. Witnesses said three men had parked the car nearby and detonated the payload by remote control. Also Sunday, gunmen in Latifiya, a predominantly Sunni town south of Baghdad, opened fire on a convoy of the Iraqi National Congress, the party of Iraq's deputy prime minister Ahmad Chalabi. One Iraqi commando was killed and three others were wounded. An aide said Mr. Chalabi and other senior party officials were not in the convoy, Reuters reported. The motive of the attack was unclear. The inevitable outcome of Bush's Iraq debacle is starting to gel: Iran Uses Bush Attack to Cement Ties With Iraq. Regaining a semblance of stability here is a goal of both the Iraqi government and the Americans. But the country's elected leadership apparently believes that Iraq's long-term welfare will depend on building a strong relationship with Iran as well as on maintaining ties to the United States. As the Shiite Arab leaders who now hold sway in Baghdad see it, support from their co-religionists in Iran could be decisive in keeping Iraq from slipping further into chaos. That is clearly not the kind of stability Mr. Rumsfeld has in mind. The Shiite leaders, though, already draw support from Iran as well as the United States in the face of the deep Sunni Arab resentment that has fed the insurgency here. Their political parties have historically had much stronger ties to Iran than to the United States, which, as they vividly recall, did nothing while Saddam Hussein slaughtered up to 150,000 Shiites who rebelled after the 1991 gulf war. The Shiite parties also assume that the American enterprise here will probably end as centuries of foreign adventures in this part of the world have - with the imperial nation eventually withdrawing and leaving the region to sort out its own affairs. 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: 1,409 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 823 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: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:43 AM We know for a fact that there are weapons of mass destruction there. —Ari Fleischer, January 9, 2003
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:50 AM Despite our government's strong and continuous efforts to suppress the truth, people of conscience have revealed another case of strong-armed retaliation by the Bush administration. A CIA analyst who worked in the same division as Valerie Plame (the analyst Karl Rove set up for assassination after her husband told the truth) was fired for refusing to knuckle under to the demands of the administration to cook the books on the Iraq intelligence: Spy Fired for Refusing to Lie about Iraq. The officer, an employee at the agency for more than 20 years, including several years in a clandestine unit assigned to gather intelligence related to illicit weapons, was fired in 2004. In his lawsuit, he says his dismissal was punishment for his reports questioning the agency's assumptions on a series of weapons-related matters. Among other things, he charged that he had been the target of retaliation for his refusal to go along with the agency's intelligence conclusions. Michelle Neff, a C.I.A. spokeswoman, said the agency would not comment on the lawsuit. Under Bush's father and Clinton, the CIA was dead-on about Iraqi capabilities. However, when Bush the younger took office, immense pressure was put on analysts, through pliable managers, to falsify intelligence to support the new administration's political objectives. According to his suit, he was told that the agency already had detailed information about continuing Iraqi nuclear weapons efforts, and that his informant should focus on other countries. He said his reports about Iraq came just as the agency was fundamentally shifting its view of Iraq's nuclear ambitions. Throughout much of the 1990's, the C.I.A. and other United States intelligence agencies believed that Iraq had largely abandoned its nuclear weapons program. In December 2000, the intelligence agencies issued a classified assessment stating that Iraq did not appear to have taken significant steps toward the reconstitution of the program, according to the presidential commission report concerning illicit weapons. But that assessment changed in early 2001 - a critical period in the intelligence community's handling of the Iraqi nuclear issue, the commission concluded. Fortunately for our country, we still have people of conscience who refuse to knuckle under to the demands of our jack-booted "leaders" to suppress the truth. Some military prosecutors, too, refuse to go along with the debasing of America: Two Prosecutors Fought Fake Show Trials for Detainees. Among the striking statements in the prosecutors' messages was an assertion by one that the chief prosecutor had told his subordinates that the members of the military commission that would try the first four defendants would be "handpicked" to ensure that all would be convicted. The same officer, Capt. John Carr of the Air Force, also said in his message that he had been told that any exculpatory evidence - information that could help the detainees mount a defense in their cases - would probably exist only in the documents being withheld by the Central Intelligence Agency for security reasons. Captain Carr's e-mail message also said that some evidence that at least one of the four defendants had been brutalized had been lost and that other evidence on the same issue had been withheld. The March 15, 2004, message was addressed to Col. Frederick L. Borch, the chief prosecutor who was the object of much of Captain Carr's criticism. The second officer, Maj. Robert Preston, also of the Air Force, said in a March 11, 2004, message to another senior officer in the prosecutor's office that he could not in good conscience write a legal motion saying the proceedings would be "full and fair" when he knew they would not. Unlike John Bolton, Bush's choice for the U.N. (a "quintessential kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy"), those prosecutors insisted on fairness, confronting their so-called superiors with the reality of their bad commands and decisions. Those prosecutors are just the kind of people I like working for me. And I try my best to be that kind of person myself. It's a matter of character. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:54 AM Washington Post: Why do you think bin Laden has not been caught? President Bush: Because he's hiding.   -—George W. Bush, aboard Air Force One, Jan. 14, 2005
Been There	Ayatollahs of America Posted: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:58 AM Taking their cue from Islamic countries, right-wing Christian zealots are increasing their efforts to use government schools to cram blatantly false religious doctrines into classrooms attended by impressionable children: Conservative Protestant Bible Course Becomes a Test for Public Schools in Texas. Some of the claims made in the national council's curriculum are laughable, said Mark A. Chancey, professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who spent seven weeks studying the syllabus for the freedom network. Mr. Chancey said he found it "riddled with errors" of facts, dates, definitions and incorrect spellings. It cites supposed NASA findings to suggest that the earth stopped twice in its orbit, in support of the literal truth of the biblical text that the sun stood still in Joshua and II Kings. "When the type of urban legend that normally circulates by e-mail ends up in a textbook, that's a problem," Mr. Chancey said. Tracey Kiesling, the national council's national teacher trainer, said the course offered "scientific documentation" on the flood and cites as a scientific authority Carl Baugh, described by Mrs. Kiesling as "an internationally known creation scientist who founded the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Tex." Our soldiers are off dying in Iraq to save us from imaginary weapons of mass destruction while the real fight for our freedom is taking place back home. Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 6:23 AM Georgia National Guard Unit Loses 8 Troops: Just two months after the 48th Brigade arrived in Iraq, the pair of fatal bombings in the past week have already made the brigade's yearlong tour one of the deadliest deployments for U.S. citizen-soldiers in Iraq. Some families on the homefront reacted to the latest explosion with stunned disbelief. Brigade spouse Wendy Brown of Stockbridge said she first thought she was hearing a repeat of last week's news. "Reality sets in that war is not a business trip," said Brown, whose husband, Spc. Sean Brown, has been home on rest leave. U.S. and Iraq to Plan Military Transfer; Iraqis Push to Meet Constitution Deadline: As Iraqi leaders on Monday reaffirmed their decision to finish writing the country's constitution by the middle of the month, the American ambassador here publicly outlined the process for a gradual American troop withdrawal. And the insurgents, of course, are busy planning victory celebrations to coincide with the U.S. withdrawals.   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: 1,410 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 824 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, August 02, 2005 6:24 AM Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. —George W. Bush, State of the Union address, January 28, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 6:25 AM First thing that Medicare has done is it says that if you're -- when you join Medicare, you get preventative screenings. Put in Texas terms -- in order to solve something, you got to diagnose it. —George W. Bush, Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 2005
Norway	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 6:55 AM Subject: Protest John Bolton's recess appointment   Dear Friend,   Despite widespread opposition from Senators of both parties, as well as the American people, President Bush appointed John Bolton as UN Ambassador. By using the rarely utilized "recess appointment" while Congress is away over the month of August, the White House effectively thumbed its nose at the Senate, bypassing our Constitutional responsibility to "advise and consent" on such a nomination.   It's yet one more example -- as if we haven't seen enough already -- of the absolute arrogance of power displayed by this President and his Administration over and over again.   Enough is enough.   Join Senator Barbara Boxer and me to protest President Bush's foolish decision to recess appoint John Bolton -- email the White House today! http://ga4.org/campaign/johnbolton?rk=edzL0rp1oXrTW
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 9:35 AM 21 More U.S. Marines Slaughtered by Insurgents in Iraq: Fourteen marines were killed early today when their troop carrier struck a gigantic roadside bomb in the western town of Haditha, marking one of the single deadliest attacks on American troops since the invasion here in March 2003. An Iraqi civilian interpreter working with the marines was also killed in the blast. ... On Monday, guerrillas ambushed and killed a group of six marine snipers who were moving through the town on foot. The insurgent group, Ansar Al Sunna, claimed responsibility for that attack, and also claimed that it had beheaded one of the marines. ... Another marine was killed Monday in the nearby city of Hit when a suicide bomber drove his car into a military convoy and blew himself up. 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: 1,411 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 825 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, August 03, 2005 9:36 AM Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.   —George W. Bush, State of the Union address, January 28, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 9:39 AM You realize that if you're a two-working family -- spouses, both spouses work in the family, and one dies early, that eventually the sole surviving spouse can choose the benefits from his plan or her plan, which is ever higher, but not both. —George W. Bush, Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 2005
Been There	Thugs, Slugs, and Leaky Plugs Posted: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 9:49 AM Norway, Fortunately the world realizes that Bolton represents Bush only, not America. Republicans who care about our nation were dead-set against his appointment along with the rest of us. Bolton starts as a lame-duck appointment by a very lame-duck president. Been There
look2it	Thugs, Slugs, and Leaky Plugs Posted: Thursday, August 04, 2005 12:53 AM Norway, tx for the link. Whatta jerk. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, August 04, 2005 9:55 AM Another U.S. Marine Slaughtered by Insurgents in Iraq: Another marine was killed Wednesday in small-arms fire in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, the military said today. Our Enemies are College Educated and Financially Secure: [A]bout 75 percent of anti-Western terrorists come from middle-class or upper-middle-class homes. An amazing 65 percent have gone to college, and three-quarters have professional or semiprofessional jobs, particularly in engineering and science. Whether they have moved to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, England or France, these men are, far from being medieval, drawn from the ranks of the educated, the mobile and the multilingual. Forget the War? Many Can't: Specialist Fourth Class Hugo Luis Gonzalez knows that he will never be the same. He can barely see now. The sight in his right eye is completely gone, and he sees only faintly with the left. The damage from the head wound he suffered plays games with his moods, and there are glitches in the tape of his memory. "We got ambushed," he said softly. "I have to say I was very, very, very blessed that night. The angel of death put his cloud over my body. But I am alive." Specialist Gonzalez is one of many thousands of American troops who have suffered disabling wounds in Iraq. Their harrowing ordeals do not get much attention. For most Americans, these troops - many of them armless or legless, or paralyzed, or horribly burned - are out of sight and way out of mind. Jennifer Aniston's marital woes are viewed as a much more compelling story. The situation we face now--along with the rest of the world--illustrates the great harm that can be done when American voters fail to elect responsible leaders. 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: 1,412 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 826 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, August 04, 2005 9:57 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, August 04, 2005 9:59 AM Well, thank you all for coming out to say hello to me and my little brother. I sure hope you work hard to get him back in. He has done a fabulous job. —George W. Bush, St. Petersburg, Florida, Mar. 8, 2002
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 9:12 AM 3 More U.S. Soldiers Blown Up by Insurgents in Iraq: A roadside bomb late Wednesday killed three U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, the U.S. command said. A Marine was killed Wednesday by small arms fire in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province 70 miles west of Baghdad, the command added. At least 1,826 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started 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: 1,413 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 827 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, August 05, 2005 9:13 AM Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons. —George W. Bush, February 8, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 9:15 AM And that thing greater than ourselves is a country based upon fabulous values. —George W. Bush, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April 15, 2002
Been There	The Supremes Posted: Friday, August 05, 2005 9:19 AM July 21 I posted this about John Roberts: Bush's nominee for the vacancy on the Supreme Court, John Roberts, looks like an intelligent, thoughtful, and reasonable man... If he is appointed, the extremists will be expressing their "disappointment" with him a few years down the road. Mark my words. It didn't take anywhere near that long: Court Nominee Advised Group on Gay Rights. Judge John G. Roberts Jr., the Supreme Court nominee, gave advice to advocates for gay rights a decade ago, helping them win a landmark 1996 ruling protecting gay men and lesbians from state-sanctioned discrimination. The right-wing corporate media is up in arms. Drug-addled talkshow host Rush Limbaugh was popping pills yesterday like a popcorn-eater at a movie. Reports of his involvement echoed on conservative talk shows Thursday, generating outrage and disbelief. "There's no question this is going to upset people on the right," Rush Limbaugh told his radio listeners. "There's no question the people on the right are going to say: 'Wait a minute. Wait a minute! The guy is doing pro bono work and helping gay activists?' " My sources tell me that the White House leaked this information about Roberts to derail any potential opposition from democrats to his nomination. So Roberts will be confirmed all right, but I doubt very much that he'll be as bad a justice as the Bush people had hoped. Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Saturday, August 06, 2005 9:13 AM U.S. Military Pounds Insurgents in Iraq: U.S. Marines and Iraqi troops pounded insurgents with bombs and tank cannons during a major offensive along a stretch of the Euphrates River valley where 22 Marines were killed this week. About 800 U.S. Marines and 180 Iraqi soldiers on Friday moved into Haqlaniyah, one of a cluster of western towns in Anbar province around the Haditha Dam that is believed to be a stronghold of Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters. See the War on the Web, After an Ad for the Army: This week the Web site ifilm.com introduced a new "channel" called WarZone (www.ifilm.com/warzone) with film clips from World War II, Vietnam, Israel and Iraq. Looking at the selection of videos about Iraq, it's hard to say which are scarier: the clips themselves or the advertisements that run with them. Let's start with the clips. Click on one, and first you'll get an ad: as rain falls, a father speaks quietly to his son. "You've changed, man. ... On the train back there, you did two things you've never done before ... at least not at the same time. Shook my hand and looked me square in the eye. Where'd that come from?" The United States Army logo flashes on the screen. Then it's on to the clip you've chosen. From inside a car, you see a roadside bomb attack. The video, shot through the car's windshield, begins with a speedy drive down a Baghdad road. After several seconds, there's an orange explosion, then lots of yelling, gunfire and a shattered windshield. The written description explains that the victims of the ambush were members of a private British security firm. No one inside the car died, but one Iraqi outside did. 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: 1,414 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 828 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, August 06, 2005 9:15 AM Iraq provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training. —George W. Bush, February 8, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Saturday, August 06, 2005 9:16 AM By the time the baby boomers like me get completely retired, there will be about 75 million. In other words, a lot. —George W. Bush, Grapevine, Texas, Aug. 3, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Sunday, August 07, 2005 9:31 AM 2 More U.S. Soldiers Blown Up in Iraq: Three Iraqi soldiers and two Oil Ministry employees were killed in two separate drive-by shootings in Baghdad, as the U.S. military announced the deaths of two American soldiers in a roadside bombing in central Iraq. Mother Takes Protest to Bush's Ranch: The mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq led a protest march on President Bush's ranch here on Saturday, prompting the White House to send two senior officials to meet her after she was blocked by the authorities from approaching Mr. Bush's home. Too bad the troops in Iraq don't get to go on vacation whenever things get rough. 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: 1,415 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 829 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, August 07, 2005 9:33 AM There is no question but what they want to get rid of Saddam Hussein and they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come to do that. —Dick Cheney, March 16, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, August 07, 2005 9:34 AM They don't trust -- they don't appreciate women. If you don't agree to their narrow view of a religion you'll be whipped in the public square. That's their view, and they have tactics to help spread that view. In other words, they've got goals. —George W. Bush, Crawford, Texas, August 4, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, August 08, 2005 9:25 AM IRAQ: Focus on boys trapped in commercial sex trade: Following the conflict in 2003, there has been an increase in the number of commercial sex workers (CSWs) in the country, especially among teenagers, according to local officials. This increase is attributed to economic pressure faced by families countrywide and the presence of new prostitution rings that have sprung up since the invasion. With society in turmoil and a raft of other serious issues to address, child protection has not been uppermost in the priorities of the transitional government. The gangs use money or threats to get teenage boys to work for them, officials said. Of the Many Deaths in Iraq, One Mother's Loss Becomes a Problem for the President: As the mother of an Army specialist who was killed at age 24 in the Sadr City section of Baghdad on April 4, 2004, Ms. Sheehan's story is certainly compelling. She is also articulate, aggressive in delivering her message and has information that most White House reporters have not heard before: how Mr. Bush handles himself when he meets behind closed doors with the families of soldiers killed in Iraq. The White House has released few details of such sessions, which Mr. Bush holds regularly as he travels the country, but generally portrays them as emotional and an opportunity for the president to share the grief of the families. In Ms. Sheehan's telling, though, Mr. Bush did not know her son's name when she and her family met with him in June 2004 at Fort Lewis. Mr. Bush, she said, acted as if he were at a party and behaved disrespectfully toward her by referring to her as "Mom" throughout the meeting. By Ms. Sheehan's account, Mr. Bush said to her that he could not imagine losing a loved one like an aunt or uncle or cousin. Ms. Sheehan said she broke in and told Mr. Bush that Casey was her son, and that she thought he could imagine what it would be like since he has two daughters and that he should think about what it would be like sending them off to war. "I said, 'Trust me, you don't want to go there'," Ms. Sheehan said, recounting her exchange with the president. "He said, 'You're right, I don't.' I said, 'Well, thanks for putting me there.' " 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: 1,416 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 830 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: Monday, August 08, 2005 9:27 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, August 08, 2005 9:28 AM Ms. Mornin: That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I contribute. President Bush: You work three jobs? Ms. Mornin: Three jobs, yes. President Bush: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doin' that. Get any sleep? —George W. Bush, Omaha, Nebraska, February 4, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 10:04 AM Sandstorm in Iraq Interrupts Fighting: The storm affected American military operations across Iraq. "It's not only that you can't see, but the dust also gets in your engine and ends up really messing things up," said Chief Warrant Officer Barry Thomason, an Air Force liaison officer for the Third Brigade, 42nd Infantry Division at a base 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. "We can't see anything to fight anything, but it also shuts down the enemy," he said. A number of Baghdad residents said they thought the storm was the worst since the one that blanketed the country as the United States invaded in 2003. 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: 1,417 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 831 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, August 09, 2005 10:05 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	The March of Oppression Posted: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 10:07 AM Here is an American story better known in the Middle East than it is here: Innocent Translator Prepares for Life in Prison. "I still don't know what it is that I did that was even wrong, much less illegal," said Mr. Yousry, alternately indignant and mournful, in an interview in the Manhattan office of one of his lawyers, Mr. Stern. "I followed a process that was designed by the lawyers. They said this is what we're going to do, and I followed that. That's what lawyers do: They tell you what's right and what's wrong legally. "The fact that I now know that these lawyers were following a strategy that the government didn't like, that makes me a criminal?" he asked. What Mr. Yousry finds most confounding is that he was convicted of aiding Mr. Abdel Rahman's fundamentalist Islamic cause even though the prosecutors acknowledged that he was nonviolent, did not support the sheik's politics and was not a practicing Muslim. ... Mr. Yousry's wife of 24 years, Sarah, is a churchgoing evangelical Christian, also a naturalized citizen, originally from the Dominican Republic. In the years before his arrest, friends said, Mr. Yousry's primary concern was to cobble together enough translating and teaching jobs to pay for his daughter's tuition at Tennessee Temple University, a Baptist college in Chattanooga. Yes, we need to protect ourselves from real terrorists like Osama bin Laden, who is still at large and dangerous. But we need also to make a concerted effort to preserve our sense of justice and fair play, so even those in the Middle East can see we mean to do so. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 10:07 AM It's important for people to know that I'm the president of everybody. —George W. Bush, Air Force One, Jan. 14, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 11:45 AM Mayor of Baghdad Is Deposed; Insurgents Kill 6 More U.S. Soldiers: Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's mayor and installed a member of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia. In continuing violence, the United States military announced today that four American soldiers were killed on Tuesday and six others were wounded when insurgents attacked a patrol near Baiji in northern Iraq. Two Iraqi policemen and four civilians were killed in a suicide car bombing today in western Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said. ... In other violence on Tuesday, an American soldier was killed and two were wounded when a car bomb exploded as a patrol passed through a crowded square in central Baghdad, the military said. An official at the Interior Ministry said at least three civilians were killed and 54 wounded in the same blast. Mortars landed near a mosque in southern Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding four, the official said. At least nine security officials were killed in four separate shooting incidents around Baghdad on Tuesday. An American marine was killed by small-arms fire on Monday in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, the military said, and a soldier assigned to the marines was killed by small-arms fire near Habbaniya, also west of the capital. So far Bush's adventure in Iraq has unfolded exactly as everyone with a clear head had predicted before he attacked. If he had spoken the truth about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Bush could point to that to justify his decision. In fact, though, Bush sent many people to their deaths unjustly. And still there is no end in sight.   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: 1,418 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 832 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, August 10, 2005 11:47 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: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 11:47 AM I think I'm the first President ever to have stood up and said, bring all your ideas forward. —George W. Bush, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mar. 30, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2005 8:19 AM Ten Dead in New Iraq Violence: Insurgents killed at least 10 Iraqis Wednesday as politicians worked to agree on a draft constitution in time for Monday's deadline. Iraqi police say a car bomb in western Baghdad killed six people. North of the capital, insurgents attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint, killing four soldiers near Beiji. The U.S. military says a roadside bomb killed four American soldiers near that town late Tuesday. A fifth U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday by small arms fire near Habbaniyah. 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: 1,419 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 833 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, August 11, 2005 8:20 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2005 8:21 AM I guess if you want to try to find something to be pessimistic about, you can find it, no matter how hard you look, you know?" —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 15, 2004
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, August 12, 2005 10:10 AM Another U.S. Marine Blown Up in Iraq: The guerrilla war continued to roil the country on Wednesday, as Iraqi officials reported that at least seven people, including three Iraqi soldiers and an intelligence officer, had been killed. The American military said a marine died in a roadside bomb explosion in Ramadi on Wednesday, and an unmanned aerial drone crashed near the northern city of Mosul on Wednesday night. Iraqis Still Pay 6 Cents Per Gallon of Gasoline: Because its refining capacity is so low, Iraq is forced to import more than half of the 23 million liters of gasoline it consumes a day. The country pays 30 to 35 cents a liter for the imported gasoline and sells it for a cent and a half. There are about four liters in a gallon. Bush Tries to Resolve Mixed Signals on Iraq: Mr. Bush said, "Pulling the troops out now would send a terrible signal to the enemy." The fact is that no matter when U.S. troops leave--and they must leave someday--the insurgents will claim victory, and the Arab world will agree. That's just one of many reasons that this war was so stupid from the beginning. If George W. Bush had kept his wits and finished the job of taking Osama bin Laden out of circulation, that would have sent just the right message to the terrorists. A real leader would have done so. 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: 1,420 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 834 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, August 12, 2005 10:12 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: Friday, August 12, 2005 10:13 AM The comments by the number two man of al Qaeda make it clear that Iraq is a part of this war on terror, and we're at war. In other words, he's saying, leave. —George W. Bush, Crawford, Texas, August 4, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2005 11:10 AM As Bush's Vacation Continues, 6 More U.S. Soldiers Are Killed in Iraq: Six U.S. soldiers died in roadside bombings and a shooting, the military said Sunday, as lawmakers rushed to persuade Sunni Arabs to accept federalism provisions in the draft constitution that is due in one day. ... The U.S. military said three soldiers were killed and one other wounded in a roadside bombing late Friday near Tuz Khormato, 95 miles north of Baghdad. One soldier on a patrol was killed Sunday and three others wounded in a blast east of Rutbah, 250 miles west of Baghdad, the military said. In another roadside bombing, one soldier was killed Saturday and another wounded in western Baghdad. On Friday a U.S. commander said the number of roadside bomb attacks against American convoys in Iraq had doubled in the past year to about 30 per week. Dozens of bombings, usually detonated by remote control, target U.S. and Iraqi patrols each day. The military said in a brief statement from Baghdad that one soldier was found dead Friday of a gunshot wound. Shiia, Sunni, and Kurds Prepare for All-Out Civil War When U.S. Pulls Out: But in this third summer of war, the American project in Iraq has never seemed so wilted and sapped of life. It's not just the guerrillas, who are churning away at their relentless pace, attacking American forces about 65 times a day. It is most everything else, too. Baghdad seems a city transported from the Middle Ages: a scattering of high-walled fortresses, each protected by a group of armed men. The area between the forts is a lawless no man's land, menaced by bandits and brigands. With the daytime temperatures here hovering at around 115 degrees, the electricity in much of the city flows for only about four hours a day. ... An Abandoned Swing Set For much of last year, the soldiers of the First Cavalry Division oversaw a project to restore the river-front park on the east bank of the Tigris River. Under American eyes, the Iraqis planted sod, installed a sprinkler system and put up swing sets for the Iraqi children. It cost $1.5 million. The Tigris River Park was part of a vision of the unit's commander, Maj. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, to win the war by putting Iraqis to work. General Chiarelli left Iraq this year, and the American unit that took over had other priorities. The sod is mostly dead now, and the sidewalks are covered in broken glass. The sprinkler heads have been stolen. The northern half of the park is sealed off by barbed wire and blast walls; Iraqis are told stay back, lest they be shot by American snipers on the roof of a nearby hotel. The Elusive Consensus Zalmay Khalilzad, the new American ambassador here, has publicly prodded the Iraqis to finish the constitution by Aug. 15, the date they set for themselves. On several occasions, Mr. Khalilzad has described the Iraqi constitution as a national compact, a document symbolizing the consensus of the nation. And there's the rub. When the Americans smashed Saddam Hussein's regime two and half years ago, what lay revealed was a country with no agreement on the most basic questions of national identity. The Sunnis, a minority in charge here for five centuries, have not, for the most part, accepted that they will no longer control the country. The Shiites, the long-suppressed majority, want to set up a theocracy. The Kurds don't want to be part of Iraq at all. There is only so much that language can do to paper over such differences. Someone Tell the President the War Is Over: Political imperatives are rapidly bringing about the war's end. That's inevitable for a war of choice, not necessity, that was conceived in politics from the start. Iraq was a Bush administration idée fixe before there was a 9/11. Within hours of that horrible trauma, according to Richard Clarke's "Against All Enemies," Mr. Rumsfeld was proposing Iraq as a battlefield, not because the enemy that attacked America was there, but because it offered "better targets" than the shadowy terrorist redoubts of Afghanistan. It was easier to take out Saddam - and burnish Mr. Bush's credentials as a slam-dunk "war president," suitable for a "Top Gun" victory jig - than to shut down Al Qaeda and smoke out its leader "dead or alive." 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: 1,422 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 836 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2005 11:11 AM I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk. —Ken Adelman, February 13, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, August 14, 2005 11:13 AM I grieve for every death. It breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved one. I understand the anguish that some feel about the death that takes place. —George W. Bush, Crawford, Texas, August 11, 2005
look2it	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, August 15, 2005 12:10 AM Yes some do but not Bush. People are starting to catch on to him now but the election is past, all the pity. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:20 AM Early End to Vacation Would ‘Send Terrible Signal,’ President Says: President George W. Bush said today that he understands and respects the views of those who are calling for him to cut short his summer vacation, but warned that an immediate withdrawal from Crawford, Texas would “send a terrible signal to the enemy.” “The enemy would like nothing better than to see me cut short my vacation and get back to the White House,” Mr. Bush told reporters. “They hate my freedom.” Scores killed in Iraq attacks: At least 17 people have been killed and more than 30 wounded in several attacks in Iraq, including an explosion targeting the family of Iraqi Vice-President Adel Abd al-Mahdi. Two of al-Mahdi's guards were killed in a roadside bomb on Monday 120km north of Baghdad as they escorted the family of the Shia vice-president, an official source said. Deadline Missed, Iraq Constitution in Shambles: The Iraqi political process descended toward paralysis on Monday, when leaders failed to meet the deadline for completing the new constitution and voted to give themselves another week to resolve fundamental disagreements over the future and identity of this fractious land. Several of the leaders said the disagreements, revolving around Islam, oil and the distribution of political power, grew sharper and more numerous as the day dragged on. Some said they were pessimistic that such vast differences could be resolved at all, much less in seven days. "The differences are huge, and there is not enough determination from the political leaders to solve the problems," said Saleh Mutlak, a Sunni leader in the negotiations. "Almost 50 percent of the constitution is not finished yet." 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: 1,424 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 838 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:21 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 March of Oppression Posted: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:23 AM Bob Dole believes that the federal government should follow the lead of the vast majority of the states by better protecting reporters who gain access to inside information: The Underprivileged Press. Like many Americans, I am perplexed by the federal investigation into the alleged leak of classified information that exposed Valerie Plame Wilson, the wife of Joseph C. Wilson IV, a former ambassador, as a Central Intelligence Agency officer. So far the special prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, has achieved one notable result: putting a New York Times reporter, Judith Miller, in jail for refusing to break her promise of confidentiality to her sources in response to a grand jury subpoena. The incarceration of Ms. Miller is all the more baffling because she has never written a word about the C.I.A. flap.   If state rather than federal authorities were conducting this investigation, Ms. Miller most likely would not be in jail. Today 49 states and the District of Columbia recognize a "reporter's privilege," either by statute or through state judicial decisions, which allows journalists to report information and protect confidential sources without fear of imprisonment. I hope Bob Dole and the rest of us who care about our freedoms continue to press this issue. All the momentum seems to be on the other side these days. Been There
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:25 AM As to the constitution, one of the meetings we had this morning was with Zal, our ambassador in Baghdad. And he gave us a briefing as to the progress on the constitution. We have made it clear that we believe that constitution can be and should be agreed upon by August 15th. And so I'm operating on the assumption that it will be agreed upon by August the 15th. And Zal said that, you know, obviously there are some difficult issues -- federalism being one, role of religion. Hopefully the drafters of the constitution understand our strong belief that women ought to be treated equally in the Iraqi society. —George W. Bush, Crawford, Texas, August 11, 2005
look2it	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 2:43 AM So that's why Dubya is on vacation for 5 weeks, to send the terrorists a message. What a zero. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 12:34 PM As U.S. advisors try to force Iraqis to finish the new constitution by "suggesting language" to the negotiators, the carnage there continues: String of Car Bombings Kills at Least 43 in Iraqi Capital. At least 43 people were killed and 76 were wounded when a series of car bombs exploded at a crowded bus station in central Baghdad today, sending debris and body parts flying across the scene and horrified survivors fleeing on foot, police and hospital officials said. The assault, the deadliest in Iraq since mid-July, took place at the height of morning rush hour in what is the Iraqi equivalent of Manhattan's Port Authority Terminal. It appeared to be aimed at Shiite Arabs boarding buses and shared taxis to go to cities in the south. Hours later, the charred remains of those buses lay scattered across the site, and policemen inspecting them pulled out items such as a baby's milk bottle and tattered pieces of clothing. Back home, the stupidity of their initial assumptions about the war--apparent from the beginning to everyone with a functioning brain and a clear head--is finally beginning to dawn on the Bush administration: U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq. The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say. "What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground," said a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion. "We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning." Too bad reality did not enter their minds three years ago. Many lives would have been saved. 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: 1,425 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 839 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush made his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 12:37 PM From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products [like our coming attack on Iraq] in August. —Andrew Card, September 7, 2002
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 12:40 PM In other words, if you have somebody looking for work and you can't find an American, there ought to be a legal way -- not an illegal way -- a legal way for you to be able to employ that person. —George W. Bush, Grapevine, Texas, August 3, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, August 18, 2005 9:31 AM U.S. Death Toll in Iraq for August Surpasses 60: Four U.S. troops were killed in a roadside bomb blast north of Baghdad on Thursday, the U.S. military said in a statement. The soldiers, from a unit based in Tikrit, were killed in the town of Samarra, 100 km (62 miles) north of Baghdad, the statement said. Six cents buys you a gallon of gas – in Iraq: Motorists struggling with high gas prices in the United States and Europe may be surprised to learn that consumers in Iraq pay as little as 6 cents a gallon, according to the International Monetary Fund's first assessment of the Iraqi economy in 25 years. 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: 1,426 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 840 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Thursday, August 18, 2005 9:32 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: Thursday, August 18, 2005 9:34 AM I appreciate so very much the Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, for joining us here. He has been a steadfast friend. I really enjoy dealing with him on a personal basis. He's a plain-spoken fellow, with a good sense of humor. Probably won't go too good up here in Canada, but he'd be a great Texan. —George W. Bush, Detroit, Michigan, September 2, 2002
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, August 19, 2005 9:17 AM 4 U.S. Soldiers Killed by Roadside Bomb in Iraq: A roadside bomb killed four American soldiers on Thursday as the political stalemate over the country's draft constitution stretched into another day. The soldiers' vehicle was hit at 11:15 a.m. in the troubled northern Iraqi city of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, the American military said. Iraq's Interior Ministry reported that another American military convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad earlier but said no casualties had been reported. ... Reuters reported that American and Iraqi troops had killed three civilians in a raid on their house in the Amiriya district of western Baghdad, citing witnesses. The deaths of the three, identified as brothers, Khalil, Khalid and Jamal Hussein, outraged neighbors who said the men were innocent of any crime. The United States command said they had been killed when they returned fire during the raid on a suspected kidnapping cell. Charges of indiscriminate killing by American and Iraqi forces have eroded good will toward coalition forces. Earlier this week, an American helicopter opened fire on about 20 laborers as they slept on a rooftop at dawn. The military said the helicopter had returned fire against "terrorists" but acknowledged that there had been civilian casualties. 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: 1,427 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 841 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Friday, August 19, 2005 9:19 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, August 19, 2005 9:21 AM Most people in Arkansas know where Texas is, and all the people in Texas know where Arkansas is. —George W. Bush, Little Rock, Arkansas, March 1, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Saturday, August 20, 2005 6:31 AM 3 Sunni Election Workers Seized and Killed in Mosul: Three Sunni election workers were kidnapped while tacking up voting posters in the northern city of Mosul and then killed in front of a crowded mosque on Friday, the latest in a series of violent incidents exposing the rift that has opened up among Iraq's Sunnis over whether to take part in the coming elections. U.S. Ambassador Pressures Iraq to Become Islamic State: The tentative agreements on Islam were brokered by the American ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, according to a Kurdish negotiator who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the delicacy of the talks. The Kurdish leader said that in both cases, Mr. Khalilzad had sided with Shiite leaders in backing a more expansive role for Islam. That, the Kurd said, angered many of the secular-minded Iraqis who have been fighting for a stricter separation between Islam and the state. According to the Kurdish leader, the secular Iraqis had pushed for language that would have narrowed the circumstances under which legislation would be deemed to be in conflict with Islam. And, according to the Kurd, the secular Iraqis had wanted marriage and family disputes to be adjudicated by civil courts, not by clerics. "Your American ambassador is giving an Islamic character to the state," the Kurdish leader said. "You spent all this money and all this blood to bring an Islamic republic here." "We are very worried," he 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: 1,428 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 842 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Saturday, August 20, 2005 6:32 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: Saturday, August 20, 2005 6:33 AM Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., September 24, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, August 22, 2005 8:24 AM U.S. General Calls for Bigger Nation-Building Effort in Iraq: The officer, Maj. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, commander of the Army's First Cavalry Division, said that military missions must not shortchange reconstruction and democratization efforts, even while it is necessary to combat the insurgents. "A gun on every street corner, although visually appealing, provides only a short-term solution" and "does not equate to long-term security grounded in a democratic process," the essay says. "The cultural reality is that no matter what the outcome of a combat operation, for every insurgent put down, the potential exists to grow many more if cultural mitigation is not practiced," says the essay, which was co-written by Maj. Patrick R. Michaelis, an operations officer with one of the division's cavalry squadrons. "If there is nothing else done other than kill bad guys and train others to kill bad guys, the only thing accomplished is moving more people from the fence to the insurgent category," the essay says. "There remains no opportunity to grow the supporter base." As if this was a new discovery. The fools who insisted on invading Iraq ignored the advice of every straight-thinking person who pointed out the realities of military occupation.   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: 1,430 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 844 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Monday, August 22, 2005 8:25 AM I can't tell you today 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, August 22, 2005 8:26 AM And today, I'm informing the prime minister that we're lifting the travel ban on Turkey. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., January 17, 2002 Note: Of course there was no ban on travel to Turkey.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:22 AM Another U.S. Marine Slaughtered in Iraq as Consitution Remains in Limbo: The wrangling over the constitution came as violence persisted in Iraq. A U.S. Marine was killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle near the troubled city of Fallujah, the military said. The latest death brought to at least 65 the number of American troops killed in Iraq this month. At least 1,871 U.S. troops have died since the Iraq war started in 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, was devastated in November when the Marines retook it from guerrillas and has been the scene of increasingly frequent clashes. Bush Says More Soldiers Must Die to Protect Him from Admitting His Mistakes: President Bush hailed the sacrifice of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on Monday and vowed, in a rare reference to the number of American deaths, that the nation owed it to the more than 2,000 Americans killed in the two wars not to end their mission prematurely. ... It pains me to hear that more people should die because those people have died," said Ms. Zappala. "That makes no sense. We can honor them by having an intelligent, honest policy." Ms. Zappala's eldest son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, a National Guardsman, was killed in Baghdad in April 2004 while protecting the Iraq Survey Group, which was searching for large unconventional weapons. None were found. 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: 1,431 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 845 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:23 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: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:24 AM Put in Texas terms -- in order to solve something, you got to diagnose it. —George W. Bush, Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 2005
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:55 AM More U.S. Soldiers Slaughtered in Iraq as Consitution Remains in Limbo: A suicide bomber killed at least seven people in an attack on Tuesday, including an American soldier and an American contractor, when he rushed into a heavily guarded compound in Baquba where officials coordinate emergency response efforts in the region. ... West of Baghdad, the American military reported that two marines had been killed in separate bombings by insurgents using explosive devices. One marine was killed Sunday near Karmah, and another was killed Monday near Falluja, the Marines said. The Army also said a soldier had been killed during a rocket attack in south Baghdad on Monday. Gravestone Slogans Now Used to Promote War: Nadia and Robert McCaffrey, whose son Patrick was killed in Iraq in June 2004, said "Operation Iraqi Freedom" ended up on his government-supplied headstone in Oceanside, Calif., without family approval. "I was a little taken aback," Robert McCaffrey said, describing his reaction when he first saw the operation name on Patrick's tombstone. "They certainly didn't ask my wife; they didn't ask me." He said Patrick's widow told him she had not been asked either. "In one way, I feel it's taking advantage to a small degree," McCaffrey said. "Patrick did not want to be there, that is a definite fact." The owner of the company that has been making gravestones for Arlington and other national cemeteries for nearly two decades is uncomfortable, too. "It just seems a little brazen that that's put on stones," said Jeff Martell, owner of Granite Industries of Vermont. "It seems like it might be connected to politics." ... The Pentagon in the late 1980s began selecting operation names with themes that would help generate public support for conflicts. Gregory C. Sieminski, an Army officer writing in a 1995 Army War College publication, said the Pentagon decision to call the 1989 invasion of Panama "Operation Just Cause" initiated a trend of naming operations "with an eye toward shaping domestic and international perceptions about the activities they describe." 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: 1,432 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 846 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:58 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: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:59 AM Over 50 percent of our energy comes from overseas. Fortunately, a lot of it comes from Canada. —George W. Bush,  Ontario, California, January 5, 2002
Been There	Who Would Jesus Kill? Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 11:21 AM Many people who claim to Christians really care nothing for Jesus' teachings: Rev. Pat Robertson Wants the U.S. to Murder Hugo Chavez. Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition and a candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 1988, supported Bush's re-election last year and said he believed Bush is blessed by God. Robertson also told viewers of his "700 Club" television program that God had told him Bush would win re-election in a "blowout." Speaking on the same program Monday, Robertson said killing Chavez would be cheaper than starting a war to oust him. Getting rid of Chavez would stop Venezuela from becoming a "launching pad for communist influence and Muslim extremism," Robertson said. "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said. "We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator." And these are the kinds of "Christians" who support Bush.   Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:25 AM Bush Hints We're Stuck in Iraq Forever: Defending his administration's military stance for the third day in a row, he presented another tough, if implicit, rebuttal to war critics like Cindy Sheehan, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq who has generated a monthlong protest outside his Texas ranch. Mr. Bush said, "As long as I'm the president, we will stay, we will fight and we will win the war on terror." The president said withdrawing troops now - as Ms. Sheehan advocates - would "only embolden the terrorists and create a staging ground to launch more attacks against America and free nations." Of course the insurgents will claim victory whenever we withdraw, a fact that was apparent to all but the most dense among us before Bush attacked Iraq. That was one just reason why a real leader does not go off to war half-cocked. The question now is how many more will die before the inevitable happens.   If Bush had soldiered on and captured Osama bin Laden, the terrorists would have gotten a different--and much more effective--message from our nation. 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: 1,433 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 847 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:26 AM Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. —George W. Bush, State of the Union address, January 28, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:27 AM From its birth in the 1630s, the Guard protected the early colonists and helped win the War on Independence. —George W. Bush,  Las Vegas, Nevada, September 14, 2004
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Friday, August 26, 2005 9:03 AM Iraq Constitution Fails Again: Talks over the Iraqi constitution reached a breaking point on Thursday, with a parliamentary session to present the document being canceled and President Bush personally calling one of the country's most powerful Shiite leaders in an effort to broker a last-minute deal. And so the chickens are coming home to roost. 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: 1,434 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 848 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Friday, August 26, 2005 9:04 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, August 26, 2005 9:05 AM Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat. —George W. Bush,  Washington, D.C., Sept. 17, 2004
look2it	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Friday, August 26, 2005 11:06 PM Priceless. G'night.
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Saturday, August 27, 2005 9:01 AM Iraqis Spurn Bush Pleas to Compromise on Constitution: The decision to move forward was a heavy blow for the Bush administration, which had expended enormous energy and political capital to forge a constitution that included the Sunnis. On Thursday, in a last-ditch effort to get a deal, President Bush telephoned Abdul Aziz Hakim, a cleric and the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, to press him to offer a more palatable compromise to the Sunnis. The Sunni leaders complained bitterly that the Shiites and the Kurds had offered no real concessions on the two issues that still divided them: autonomy for the Shiite majority and an end to the campaign to root out former Baath Party members from government and society. The Sunni leaders said they would urge all Sunni Arabs to vote the constitution down when it went before Iraqi voters in a referendum scheduled for Oct. 15. Of course the Bush spinners will be out in force on the Sunday morning TV news shows to gloss over this failure and to say that they can still see the "light at the end of the tunnel" in Iraq. But everyone knows that's just crap. 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: 1,435 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 849 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Saturday, August 27, 2005 9:01 AM Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons.   —George W. Bush, February 8, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Saturday, August 27, 2005 9:02 AM The illiteracy level of our children are appalling. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., January 23, 2004
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Sunday, August 28, 2005 10:59 AM Constitution Sent to Parliament in Iraq Despite Sunni Objections: Iraqi negotiators finished the country's new constitution Sunday without the endorsement of Sunni Arabs who helped prepare it, dealing a blow to the Bush administration and setting the stage for a bitter campaign leading up to an October referendum. U.S. Afraid to Give Heavy Weapons to Iraq Military: Simply put, Iraq remains too fragile for any planner to know what shape the country will be in six months or a year from now - whether it will reach compromises and hold together or split apart in a civil war. And that presents a conundrum for American military planners. With those questions up in the air, they have to fear that any heavy arms distributed now could end up aimed at American forces or feeding a growing civil conflict. And the longer Iraq's army has to wait for sophisticated weapons, the longer American forces are likely to be needed in Iraq as a bulwark against chaos. Too bad nobody in the Bush administration can play chess. When planning an attack on another country, as when playing chess, it can be helpful to think a couple of moves ahead. 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: 1,436 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." Exactly 850 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Sunday, August 28, 2005 11:00 AM Iraq has provided Al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training.   —George W. Bush, February 8, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Sunday, August 28, 2005 11:01 AM It's very important for folks to understand that when there's more trade, there's more commerce. —George W. Bush, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Monday, August 29, 2005 10:47 AM Sectarian Violence in Iraq Increases after Failure to Agree on Constitution: A leader of Iraq's largest Sunni political group blamed Shiite-led security forces Monday for the deaths of 36 Sunnis found shot in the head and said such acts could have unforeseen consequences. Tarek al-Hashimi, secretary-general of the Iraqi Islamic Party, said the Sunnis were abducted by squads in police uniforms from Baghdad's northern neighborhood of Hurriyah. Their bodies were discovered in a dry riverbed south 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: 1,437 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 851 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Monday, August 29, 2005 10:48 AM There is no question but what they will welcome as liberators the United States when we come. —Dick Cheney, March 16, 2003
Been There	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Monday, August 29, 2005 10:49 AM There's no such thing as legacies. At least, there is a legacy, but I'll never see it. —George W. Bush, Washington D.C., January 31, 2001
Been There	The March of Oppression Posted: Monday, August 29, 2005 10:52 AM Another honest American who fought corruption in the Bush administration has suffered retaliation in return: Army Contract Official Critical of Halliburton Pact Is Demoted. Known as a stickler for the rules on competition, Ms. Greenhouse initially received stellar performance ratings, Mr. Kohn said. But her reviews became negative at roughly the time she began objecting to decisions she saw as improperly favoring Kellogg Brown & Root, he said. Questioned about the demotion as he emerged from an undisclosed location, Dick Cheney said, "Let that be a lesson to anyone else who wants to get smart-alecky with Halliburton's business." Been There
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:09 AM Bush's Blunders in Iraq Cost the Life of Another U.S. Soldier: A United States Army helicopter made a forced landing on Monday night under hostile fire in northern Iraq, and one soldier was killed and another wounded, The Associated Press reported, quoting an American military statement. The incident occurred in Tal Afar, an insurgent-ridden city 260 miles northwest of Baghdad. No further details were released. 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: 1,438 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 852 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:10 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	Presidential Thought for the Day Posted: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 10:11 AM I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for my predecessors as well. —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., January 29, 2001
Been There	The Iraq War Posted: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 11:06 AM Iraq War Costs More Per Month Than Vietnam: The U.S. war in Iraq now costs more per month than the average monthly cost of military operations in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, according to a report issued on Wednesday. The report, entitled "The Iraq Quagmire" from the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy in Focus, both liberal, anti-war organizations, put the cost of current operations in Iraq at $5.6 billion per month. This breaks down to almost $186 million a day. "By comparison, the average cost of U.S. operations in Vietnam over the eight-year war was $5.1 billion per month, adjusting for inflation," it 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: 1,439 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 853 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Uncle Sam Wants YOU Posted: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 11:08 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: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 11:09 AM They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program. —George W. Bush, St. Charles, Mo., November 2, 2000