Month: November 2005

Pew Poll: Bush’s Approval Rating Circling the Toilet

Buck Banks

“I am not a crook, neither”: The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Nov. 3-6 among 1,201 Americans, found that a year into their respective second terms, George Bush’s job approval is only nine points higher than Richard Nixon’s approval mark in early November 1973. Bush’s approval ratings have fallen to another new low, amid a growing focus on alleged ethical lapses in his administration.

  • Just 36% say Bush has lived up to his campaign pledge to restore integrity to the White House
  • 79% of Americans say the recent indictment of I. Lewis Libby is a matter of importance to the nation — greater than the 65% who said that in 1998 about charges that former President Clinton lied under oath about his sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky
  • 42% of Americans think that Libby is guilty of the charges brought against him
  • 43% of Americans think that U.S. and British leaders were mostly lying when they claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, up from 31% in February 2004
  • Bush’s Supreme Court nominee – Judge Samuel Alito Jr. – has received favorable initial reviews from the public, with nearly two-to-one (40%-23%) saying the Senate should confirm Alito to the court
  • Asked to name the first current news story that comes to mind, Americans most frequently cite the war and troop deaths in Iraq (19%), recent hurricanes and their aftermath (14%), and the Libby case (11%); only 5% mention Bush’s appointments to the Supreme Court

Evidence Mounting That U.S. Used Chemical Weapons in Fallujah

Buck Banks

Saddam did it first: Evidence from a number of international sources is mounting that U.S. troops used chemical weapons in Fallujah during some of the hardest combat of the Iraq War. Please recall that, besides the dangerous imaginary yellowcake uranium he didn’t buy from Niger, Saddam also mustard-gassed Kurdish villages in the 1988 — part of our rationale for Operation Who’s Your Daddy and apparently for using weapons banned by interational treaty.

The Independent of London provides an overview of many of the reports that chemical weapons were used in Fallujah on both insurgents and civilians, though the alleged chemical assaults were not reported by any Western media. A documentary by Italian state television network RAI called “Fallujah: the Hidden Massacre” was released recently and documents, through video and interviews with former U.S. soldiers, how the United States used white phosphorus during the fighting in Fallujah.

The allegations focus on white phosphorus, which apparently melts the skin while leaving clothing intact.

A biologist in Fallujah, Mohamad Tareq, interviewed for the film, says: “A rain of fire fell on the city, the people struck by this multi-coloured substance started to burn, we found people dead with strange wounds, the bodies burned but the clothes intact.”

The documentary also gives evidence that a new, better napalm, called Mark 77, was also used in Fallujah — a direct violation of United Nations weapons conventions.

Not surprisingly, the Bush administration has fervently denied any and all allegations related to the use of chemical warfare, and, if its past behavior is any indication, is likely to continue to do so in the face of mounting evidence.

More on Bush’s Eminent Domain $14 Mil Windfall: He Allegedly Used Influence as Gov to Illegally Increase Stadium’s Value – and Left Local Residents with $7.5 Mil Debt

Jon Ponder

Criminal behavior: Last week we reported that when he was an owner of the Texas Rangers George W. Bush used eminent domain to seize private property in Arlington, Texas, in order to build a baseball stadium. Less than ten years later, when he was governor of Texas, Bush sold his interest in the Rangers and profited over $14 million.

This exactly the sort of gambit used by former Illinois governor Otto Kerner, who was convicted of tax fraud as a result. Why was Gov. Kerner prosecuted but not Gov. Bush? Well, for one thing, Gov. Kerner was a Democrat.

Since then, we have learned that there is much more to this story. First, it appears that Mr. Bush evaded paying sufficient taxes on the sale. Second – and, more signficantly – he appears to have illegally used political influence as governor of Texas to increase the value of his share – actions that mirror the activities of an Illinois governor who was convicted of income tax fraud for influencing public policy that benefited his holdings in a race track .

Finally, the Rangers ultimately refused to pay the court-ordered $7.5 million settlement to the family whose land Bush seized, leaving the taxpayers of Arlington to cover the debt.

The allegations that Bush evaded paying sufficient taxes on the sale of the Rangers and that he broke the law by using his political influence to increase the value of the stadium property come from the excellent Make Them Accountable news site:

[…]

Chertoff: DHS Will Be the Next DHL

Buck Banks

Now here’s a good idea: Two weeks after Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida, where thousands of homes and businesses are still without power, heaps of debris remain on the streets and traffic lights are still inoperable in many areas, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is plotting to reinvent the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Chertoff said he plans to restructure FEMA to operate like a 21st century distribution company with the ability to track and locate supplies.

“We want to be able to do what UPS and DHL does,” Chertoff said in an address to the International Association of Fire Chiefs on Nov. 4. Experts from inside and outside the government are working with FEMA to build an “effective distribution of supplies and people” during an emergency, Chertoff added.

The retooling began last summer, before hurricanes ravaged the Gulf Coast, when Chertoff said he would remove FEMA from underneath layers of bureaucracy and have its director (remember Michael “Brownie” Brown?) report directly to him. Chertoff also took away the agency’s preparedness responsibilities to focus solely on responding to catastrophic events.

That last move has been a controversial one, with some lawmakers calling for FEMA to remain a stand-alone agency responsible for both disaster preparedness and response. But Chertoff is loathe to disconnect FEMA from the vaunted War on Terrorism that is DHS’s mission. After all, I’m sure you’ve seen the memo supplied by an Italian secret agent that al Qaeda has been releasing carbon dioxide emissions in order to increase global warming and thereby kick our collective butts with killer hurricanes — really!

So here we are, with one of the largest federal agencies with something like 20,000 employees, looking to become the DHL of disaster response. That sounds like a great business model, don’t it?

Sounds good, but given Chertoff’s checkered management track record, his staff stuffed with political cronies and the tendency of government agencies to behave like, well government agencies, perhaps Chertoff should just go ahead and add another “S” to “UPS.” My prediction is his retooling of DHS will more likely produce a bloated, lumbering, money-losing agency like the United States Postal Service.

Excuse me, I have to go track that bag of ice I was expecting nine days ago while the power was out. Last I checked, it was on a truck in Maryland somewhere.

Bird Flu: WHO’s Recommendations for Travelers

Buck Banks

The World Health Organization has issued a set of recommendations relating to travelers coming from and going to countries experiencing outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. These recommendations are in line with Phase 3 in the WHO six-phase scale of pandemic alert: human infections with a novel influenza virus subtype are occurring, but at this time, the virus does not spread efficiently or in a sustainable way among humans. These recommendations may change according to change in the epidemiological situation and related risk assessments.

WHO does not recommend any restrictions on travel to any areas affected by H5N1 avian influenza or to areas experiencing outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in birds, including countries which have reported associated cases of human infection.

At this time, WHO does not recommend screening of travelers coming from H5N1 affected areas. Local authorities may, however, usefully provide information to travelers on risks, risk avoidance, symptoms, and when and where to report should these symptoms develop.

Advice to Travelers
WHO advises travelers to avoid contact with high-risk environments in affected countries. Travelers to areas affected by avian influenza in birds are not considered to be at elevated risk of infection unless direct and unprotected exposure to infected birds (including feathers, feces and undercooked meat and egg products) occurs.

WHO continues to recommend that travelers to affected areas should avoid contact with live animal markets and poultry farms and any free-ranging or caged poultry. Large amounts of the virus are known to be excreted in the droppings from infected birds. Populations in affected countries are advised to avoid contact with dead migratory birds or wild birds showing signs of disease.

Direct contact with infected poultry, or surfaces and objects contaminated by their droppings, is considered the main route of human infection. Exposure risk is considered highest during slaughter, de-feathering, butchering and preparation of poultry for cooking. There is no evidence that properly cooked poultry or poultry products can be a source of infection.

Travelers should contact their local health providers or national health authorities for supplementary information.

Torture Scooter

Jon Ponder

This makes sense:

Here’s an idea, and I can’t believe I’m the first to come up with this modest proposal, but why doesn’t the U.S. government just go ahead and torture Lewis “Scooter” Libby? And not just for that ridiculous name.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has laid five charges against Libby related to the investigation into how an undercover CIA operative’s identity was leaked to the press. One can only imagine how long it’s going to take for Fitzgerald to lay out the evidence, to put witnesses on the stand, to build a case against Libby, and find out whether he lied to cover up for his actions or those of others at the White House.

New Intel Doc Proves That Bush Knew Saddam-al Qaeda Link Was False from the Start

Jon Ponder

Smoking gun? A newly declassified report indicates that President Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfled and others were informed very early on – February 2002 – that there was likely no connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Nonetheless, Bush and his senior officials cited the claim repeatedly as they made their case for war in Iraq one year later.

This latest revelation means that at the time Bush justified the commencement of war against Iraq consistent with what was required under Public Law 107-243, he certified things not in evidence.

The New York Times broke the story:

A high Qaeda official in American custody was identified as a likely fabricator months before the Bush administration began to use his statements as the foundation for its claims that Iraq trained Al Qaeda members to use biological and chemical weapons, according to newly declassified portions of a Defense Intelligence Agency document.

The document, an intelligence report from February 2002, said it was probable that the prisoner, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, “was intentionally misleading the debriefers” in making claims about Iraqi support for Al Qaeda’s work with illicit weapons.

The text from Bush’s official certifying his causus belli to Congress:

March 18, 2003

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

(2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

This could be very significant. Here’s how The Left Coaster lays it out:

This latest revelation means that at the time Bush justified the commencement of war against Iraq consistent with what was required under Public Law 107-243, he certified things not in evidence, and made claims to Congress (Saddam’s active operation of a WMD program and Saddam’s assistance to Al Qaeda) that he, Cheney, and Rummy already knew were false.

He lied to Congress to start the war. And now 53% of the American public says that if it is clear that Bush lied, they would support Congress considering impeachment proceedings against the president.

That may be why the Democrats just now made their stand this week. They have new evidence that Bush lied to Congress, and that the March 18, 2003 determination was faulty, and that Bush knew it was based on fabricators, faked documents, and doctored intelligence.

Poll: Redistricting, Power Grab Props Failing, Others Marginal

Jon Ponder

Results of SurveyUSA (SUSA) Election Poll:

Prop 73 — Parental Notification

Proposition 73 requires that physicians notify the parent of a pregnant minor at least 48 hours before performing an abortion. If the special election were today, and you were standing in the voting booth right now, would you vote Yes on Proposition 73? Or would you vote No?

Yes 51 (55)
No 47 (44)

Prop 74 — Micromanaging Teachers

Proposition 74 extends the probationary period for new teachers from 2 years to 5 years, and makes it easier to dismiss teachers with unsatisfactory performance evaluations. If the special election were today, would you vote Yes on Proposition 74? Or would you vote No?

Yes 48 (49)
No 51 (50)

Prop 75 — Union Dues

Proposition 75 prohibits public employee unions from using union dues for political purposes without the written consent of union members. If the special election were today, would you vote Yes on Proposition 75? Or would you vote no?

Yes 45 (50)
No 54 (49)

Prop 76 — Arnold’s Power Grab

Proposition 76 limits growth in state spending so that it does not exceed recent growth in state revenues. The Governor would be granted new authority to reduce state spending, [including school funding,] during certain fiscal situations. If the special election were today, would you vote Yes on Proposition 76? Or would you vote no?

Yes 39 (49)
No 59 (49)

Prop 77 — Redistricting

Proposition 77 changes the way California draws boundaries for Congressional and legislative districts. District boundaries would be drawn by a panel of retired judges and approved by voters in a s, Potatewide election. If the special election were today, would you vote Yes on 77? Or would you vote no?

Yes 41 (42)
No 56 (56)

Bushspeak: We Don’t Torture. Now, Anyone Got a Cattle Prod We Can Borrow?

Trish

Here’s how to tell if an “interrogation technique” rises to the level of torture. It’s so simple you’ll kick yourself once you hear it (which is good because then we won’t have to kick you ourselves – not that we would):

If WE do it, it’s not torture. If anyone else does it, it is. Clear? AP:

Over White House opposition, the Senate has passed legislation banning torture. With Vice President Dick Cheney as the point man, the administration is seeking an exemption for the CIA. It was recently reported that the spy agency maintains a network of prisons in eastern Europe and Asia, where it holds terrorist suspects.

The European Union is investigating the reports, which have not been confirmed by the White House…

“Our country is at war and our government has the obligation to protect the American people,” Bush said. “Any activity we conduct is within the law. We do not torture.”

See? Any activity WE conduct is within the law. “We” pay real close attention to the law, as you kids all know. After all, if anyone violated the absolute letter (as opposed to the intent) of the law in exposing CIA agents (who do NOT torture, BTW), “we” would can their asses. But we don’t leak and we don’t torture. Other folks do that. That’s how you know. Got it?