usdemocrats.com political news weblog
SEPTEMBER 2007
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usdemocrats.com political news weblog
SEPTEMBER 2007
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At Marines’ Hearing,
Testament to Violence -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By PAUL von ZIELBAUER read at source> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/01/world/middleeast/01haditha.html?ref=middleeast CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Aug. 31 — A Marine sergeant offered gruesome testimony on Friday against a former squad leader charged with killing 17 Iraqi civilians in Haditha nearly two years ago, suggesting that the defendant, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, was predisposed to the violence, carried it out ruthlessly and sought to cover it up. Skip to next paragraph On Thursday, prosecutors dropped one charge against Sergeant Wuterich in the killing of an 18th victim, a man in the last of four homes that the sergeant and other squad members searched on Nov. 19, 2005, after a bomb hit the marines’ convoy. At Friday’s hearing, to determine whether the charges against Sergeant Wuterich should progress to a court-martial, Sergeant Dela Cruz testified that Sergeant Wuterich shot five unarmed men as they stood behind a car, some with their hands interlocked behind their heads in a surrender posture, in the moments after the bomb exploded. He also said Sergeant Wuterich fired more rounds into the bodies of all five men as they lay dead or dying near a car a short distance from the attack. Sergeant Wuterich has said he shot the five men, but only after they ran away, which he believed constituted a hostile act that allowed him to use deadly force. Sergeant Dela Cruz told prosecutors that a week before the Haditha episode, Sergeant Wuterich had reacted to an earlier roadside bombing by telling him and other marines in the unit, “If we ever get hit again, we should kill everybody in that area.” Sergeant Dela Cruz said that after killing the five men in Haditha, Sergeant Wuterich turned to him and said, “If anyone asks, say they were running away.” It is unclear how much weight the hearing’s presiding officer will give to the testimony of Sergeant Dela Cruz, whose credibility has been an issue in hearings for other marines charged in the Haditha killings. The presiding officer, Lt. Col. Paul J. Ware, will recommend to a Marine Corps general whether to try Sergeant Wuterich in a full court-martial. Sergeant Dela Cruz has admitted to lying to an Army colonel who initially investigated the Haditha episode, in which Marine riflemen killed 24 Iraqis, including at least 10 women and children, after a roadside bomb killed one of their comrades. In a sworn statement, he told the colonel that Iraqi Army soldiers traveling with his unit had killed the five men near the car, and that he had yelled at them to stop, to no avail. Sergeant Wuterich’s lawyers took pains
to point out that Sergeant Dela Cruz’s immunity deal protected
him from being charged in the Haditha episode, and they have
said he lied about Sergeant Wuterich’s actions to cover
up his own criminal behavior in Haditha. |
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Iraq benchmark report; Bush
surge a failure -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://alaskareport.com/news/z46620_iraq_report.htm Washington, DC - Iraq has met only 3 out of 18 goals (benchmarks) set by Congress, according to a draft leaked to The Washington Post by the military so the White House couldn't doctor it before its release.
The report, which the Post described as
"strikingly negative", is due to be delivered to Congress
on Tuesday, ahead of a pivotal report on Iraq by the U.S. military
commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and ambassador Ryan Crocker
due by September 15. |
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US, North Korea Begin Second
Day of Nuclear Talks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://voanews.com/english/2007-09-02-voa20.cfm Christopher Hill, left, arrives at the mission of N. Korea for bilateral meeting of the US and N. Korea in Geneva, 02 Sep 2007 Negotiators from the United States and
North Korea have begun a second day of talks about nuclear weapons
and efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.
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Iran: Uranium Centrifuge Goal
Reached -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iRqjZV1Meppj40hTs8IBOv4DdsQw TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president
claimed Sunday that his country is now running 3,000 centrifuges
to enrich uranium for its nuclear program — a long-sought
Iranian goal that could add momentum to efforts to impose new
U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic. |
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Second British general bashes
US strategy in Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gXO7gMad8VtexBBOj-nozQ05sChQ LONDON (AFP) — The British backlash
over the United States's handling of post-invasion Iraq grew
Sunday as another top military commander blasted what he called
Washington's "fatally flawed" policy. |
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Iraq official orders probe
of Karbala clashes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times Staff
Writer read at source> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/....ack=crosspr omo BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki
ordered an investigation today into fighting that killed more
than 50 people during a religious pilgrimage in Karbala last
week, following complaints by an influential cleric that the
local authorities' handling of the case has been biased. |
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Iran replaces Revolutionary
Guards chief -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hMSIvWd0v0frE5ZMXGqRzGjpokwA TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran has unexpectedly replaced the head of its Revolutionary Guards force, promoting an experienced war veteran to the top of the elite institution at a time of mounting tensions with the United States. General Mohammad Ali Jaafari, a commander
from the 1980-1988 war with Iraq and an expert in strategic warfare,
was appointed head of the Guards in a decree issued by supreme
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. |
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UN chief to jumpstart Darfur
peace process on Africa tour read at source> http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0TZLprHWbPohzPazCNDULAXmNsA UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN chief Ban
Ki-moon will seek to jumpstart the Darfur peace process during
a week-long tour of Sudan, Chad and Libya beginning Monday, ahead
of a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping operation in the strife-torn
Sudanese region. |
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Senate races become more complicated
for GOP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Washington Post TROY MABEN / AP read at source> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2003865042_gopsenate02.html Boise residents Cassandra White, left, and her mother, Kristy White, hold up signs at a news conference Saturday where Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, announced his plans to resign from the Senate. Kristy White's sign alludes to Craig's description of then-President Clinton during a January 1999 appearance on NBC-TV's "Meet the Press." Related Craig steps down to remove "distraction"
Alaska: Ted Stevens may retire, given his
legal troubles. Nebraska: If Chuck Hagel retires, as he's suggested he might, former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey could be a force. New Mexico: Speculation about Pete Domenici's possible role in the firing of a U.S. attorney and about his possible retirement make this seat a question mark. Virginia: John Warner's retirement gives Democrats an opening, if popular former Gov. Mark Warner decides to run. Republicans are likely to be sharply divided between Rep. Tom Davis, a moderate, and former Gov. Jim Gilmore, a conservative. Seattle Times staff |
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Snow's on way out; Rove's
gone -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chicago Tribune RON EDMONDS / AP read at source> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003863482_snow01.html Outgoing deputy chief of staff Karl Rove waves as he leaves the White House in Washington on Friday, his last day. White House press secretary Tony Snow announced his resignation date. Dana Perino will take Snow's place Sept. 14. WASHINGTON — White House press secretary
Tony Snow will leave this month to devote time to writing, speaking
and playing a more active public role in combating cancer, a
disease he has confronted for three roller-coaster years. |
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New Orleans economy: More
questions than answers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7017220 NEW ORLEANS -- In the nightmarish weeks
after Hurricane Katrina and subsequent flooding destroyed a large
chunk of New Orleans, many residents saw a silver lining: a chance
for the city to rebuild its economy, the way it wanted, largely
from scratch. |
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Family buries a second son
killed in Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times Staff
Writer read at source> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition....-pe-californ ia CLOVIS, Calif. -- Under a broad blue sky,
they laid to rest another son of this San Joaquin Valley town
Friday, another young man felled tragically in war. This death
seemed perhaps the cruelest of all, for this was his family's
second son to die in Iraq. |
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Chiefs: Troops tired -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By AP WASHINGTON - The Joint Chiefs of
Staff told President Bush yesterday that troops are wearing out
from long and repeated combat tours, and a US commander in Iraq
said Iraqis are bungling attempts to run their own military and
police forces. |
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Bush hears Joint Chiefs on
war -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Julian E. Barnes | Tribune Newspapers:
Los Angeles Times read at source> http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-bush1sep01,1,4915400.story WASHINGTON - President Bush went to the Pentagon's "Tank" on Friday to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and hear their concerns about the burdens placed on the military by the current troop level in Iraq. The meeting inside the Joint Chiefs' secure conference room was the latest part of a wide-ranging assessment of the situation in Iraq ahead of the White House's mid-September report on progress there and congressional testimony by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Baghdad. The Pentagon-based leaders of America's military branches have been at odds with commanders in Iraq, who are pushing to extend the current "surge" of U.S. troops until at least April and are said to oppose any substantial troop reduction throughout 2008.
Related links |
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Space Race Rekindled? Russia
Shoots for Moon, Mars -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3550741&page=1 The Russian space agency announced a plan
to send a man to the moon by 2025, to establish a permanent base
there a few years later, and possibly even send a man to Mars
by 2035, in an aggressive plan reminiscent of the 1960s space
race between the United States and the Soviet Union. |
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U.S. Teens Fall Short on Vaccine
Coverage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/....cout607807.html THURSDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Most
young U.S. children are getting their recommended vaccinations,
but rates for teens are lagging, especially for some newer vaccines,
U.S. health officials announced Thursday. |
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Medicare to Reveal Data About
Doctors -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Christopher Lee
read at source> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con....7083101898.html Consumers may soon have more information to help them select a doctor when they need an operation or other serious medical procedure. A recent federal court decision requires
the government to make public Medicare claims information about
individual doctors and the procedures they perform, a ruling
that could spur development of online reference tools that help
patients evaluate physicians based on the volume of procedures
they do. |
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Democrats vow to skip defiant
states -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, campaigning
in New Hampshire, is among the Democratic candidates who responded
to a call from party leaders in states authorized to vote first. read at source> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/....itics-national September 2, 2007 Their collective action was a blow to Florida and Michigan, two states likely to be important in the general election, which sought to enhance their clout in the nominating process as well. Related Stories Front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York followed Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina in pledging to abide by the calendar set by the Democratic National Committee last summer. The rules allow four states -- Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- to vote in January. The four "need to be first because in these states ideas count, not just money," Edwards said in a written statement. "This tried-and-true nominating system is the only way for voters to judge the field based on the quality of the candidate, not the depth of their war chest." Hours later, after Obama took the pledge,
Clinton's campaign chief issued a statement citing the four states'
"unique and special role in the nominating process"
and said that the New York senator, too, would "adhere to
the DNC-approved calendar." Their collective action was a blow to Florida and Michigan, two states likely to be important in the general election, which sought to enhance their clout in the nominating process as well. Related Stories Front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York followed Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina in pledging to abide by the calendar set by the Democratic National Committee last summer. The rules allow four states -- Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- to vote in January. The four "need to be first because in these states ideas count, not just money," Edwards said in a written statement. "This tried-and-true nominating system is the only way for voters to judge the field based on the quality of the candidate, not the depth of their war chest." Hours later, after Obama took the pledge, Clinton's campaign chief issued a statement citing the four states' "unique and special role in the nominating process" and said that the New York senator, too, would "adhere to the DNC-approved calendar." Jim Cole / AP Their collective action was a blow to Florida and Michigan, two states likely to be important in the general election, which sought to enhance their clout in the nominating process as well. Related Stories Front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York followed Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina in pledging to abide by the calendar set by the Democratic National Committee last summer. The rules allow four states -- Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- to vote in January. The four "need to be first because in these states ideas count, not just money," Edwards said in a written statement. "This tried-and-true nominating system is the only way for voters to judge the field based on the quality of the candidate, not the depth of their war chest." Hours later, after Obama took the pledge,
Clinton's campaign chief issued a statement citing the four states'
"unique and special role in the nominating process"
and said that the New York senator, too, would "adhere to
the DNC-approved calendar." |
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Gonzales's successor will
face daunting challenges -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070902/10justice.htm The resignation of embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was never a question of if but of when. So when Gonzales finally announced last week that he will leave the Justice Department, his departure offered a glimmer of hope that the beleaguered agency would at last have a chance to remake an image sullied by months of scandals.
Alberto Gonzales(Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty
Images) |
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Lawmaker home from Iraq visit
calls for end to war -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/01/dems.radio.ap/index.html WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's strategy in Iraq isn't working, a Democratic congresswoman said Saturday as she repeated calls to start withdrawing U.S. troops.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky addresses the "Take Back America" conference last year in Washington D.C. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, who visited
Iraq with a congressional delegation in August, delivered her
party's weekly radio address. |
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Edwards picks up 2 major union
endorsements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Steve Brusk read at source> http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/03/edwards.unions/index.html (CNN) -- Democratic White House hopeful
John Edwards, who has made a strong push for union support on
the campaign trail, picked up two major endorsements Monday,
making him the leading candidate for labor endorsements in the
presidential field. |
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Bush's Iraq journey preludes
to policy change? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/05/content_6664072.htm WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President
George W. Bush did a six-hour visit to Anbar Province, Iraq on
Monday, the president's third trip to the war-torn country since
the March 2003 invasion. |
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Audit finds limited progress
on Iraq peace, reconciliation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/....e1fd2c2&k=62117 WASHINGTON — A day after President
George W. Bush argued his troop surge in Iraq had achieved success
that might allow the withdrawal of American troops, an independent
audit released Tuesday reported violence continues unabated and
the Iraqi government has made little political progress toward
national reconciliation. |
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GOP has work cut out in Senate
after Craig's departure --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By JONATHAN WEISMAN and CHRIS CILLIZZA read at source> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5101920.html WASHINGTON — A Senate electoral playing
field that was already wide open for 2008 has become considerably
more perilous for Republicans with the retirement of Sen. John
Warner, R-Va., and the resignation of scandal-scarred Sen. Larry
Craig, R-Idaho. |
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Iraq Debate Heats Up Presidential
Campaign -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Decision2008/story?id=3541703&page=1 The political wrangling over Iraq reignites
this fall when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill after their August
recess. |
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Gonzales Steps Down, Leaving
a Trail of Questions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Project Vote Page 1 of 2 page(s) read at source> http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_....eps_down_2c.htm Alberto Gonzales announced his resignation as U.S. attorney general Monday. Effective Sept. 17, his departure follows numerous resignations in recent weeks, further fueling demands for more answers surrounding the politicization of the Justice Department and the quest for a "nonpolitical successor." "Alberto Gonzales was never the right
man for this job," said Senator Harry Reid, D-Nevada in
this New York Times report. "He lacked independence, he
lacked judgment and he lacked the spine to say 'no' to Karl Rove."
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Presidential candidates, come
talk to seniors -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 04. 2007 7:10AM read at source> http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar..../1029/OPINION03 New Hampshire voters who are 50 and older
have always been the group to connect with for winning the first-in-the-nation
primary. Yet today, more than halfway through the primary speech-making
days, seniors are still saying there is a void of detail about
the major domestic issues of health care and financial security.
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Presidential candidates back
stronger whistleblower protections -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Brittany R. Ballenstedt bballenstedt@govexec.com
read at source> http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0907/090407b1.htm Nine presidential candidates have pledged
support for pending legislation to enhance protections for federal
employees who expose weaknesses or fraud in government programs,
according to survey results released Monday by a whistleblower
support group. |
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Labor Day sees five presidential
candidates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=103962 Five presidential hopefuls -- four of them Democrats -- crisscrossed Iowa on Labor Day stumping for votes from union members and other likely voters in the caucuses just four months away. Most attention was focused on the separate
south-central Iowa visits of Bill and Hillary Clinton and John
Edwards. Edwards started the day marching in a Labor Day parade
in Des Moines then addressed the South Central Iowa Federation
of Labor and hyped support from the United Steelworkers and the
United Mine Workers of America. |
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Va. Senate: A Golden Opportunity
for Democrats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/20....cratic_opp.html Sen. John Warner's (R-Va.) decision not to seek a sixth term in 2008 places his seat in serious peril next November, with Democrats expected to clear the way for popular former Gov. Mark Warner and Republicans headed toward an ideological primary. "Everything has gone well," said Warner in the announcement at the University of Virginia. "My work and service to the state of Virginia as a senator will conclude on January 6, 2009." Sources familiar with Mark Warner's thinking say not to expect any formal announcement from the former governor about his political plans for a week or more. But from all indications, Warner is set to run for the seat. Warner is itching to get back into the fray following his shocking decision to take himself out of the presidential race in late 2006, and an open Senate seat may be too tempting to pass up. Two considerations complicate Warner's
decision. |
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Dodd leads Democrats on policy
for Cuba -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll..../709010312/1091 Chris Dodd has this right. |
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Get rid of all rigged machines
in Ohio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Paddy Shaffer Page 1 of 2 page(s) read at source> http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_paddy_sh_070905_new_fear_for_ohio___.htm New Fear For OHIO... Not Election Fraud, but Tic Tac Fruit. Group calls for meeting with Ohio Attorney General
and Ohio Secretary of State. Will the SOS desire for Foreign Trade Missions allow for needed elections work? By Paddy Shaffer Director, Artists Creating Justice Founder, The Ohio Election Justice Campaign September 4, 2007 Now here is a little ditty from the Thursday
August 30, 2007 Columbus Dispatch in an article by James Nash,
about Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and his investigation into
"Tic Tac Fruit". Yes you read that right, "Tic
Tac Fruit". Others are hoping that the theft of the 2004
election can take center stage in Ohio investigations. Tic Tac
Fruit is a gambling machine, like pinball, but you need some
skill and you can win money. There are concerns that the game
can be rigged, like a voting machine. |
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Congress better than public
thinks, say scholars -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/pol...._public_th.html As we keep reporting, polls shows Congress is held in fairly low esteem by the American people, with the latest Gallup Poll, as Mark Silva wrote earlier, showing Americans giving it an 18 percent approval rating. It could theoretically go lower, say if House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) were discovered running an illegal dog-fighting operation. But public approval of Congress is clearly close to bumping along the bottom. This may be a case of public unfairness,
at least according to an assessment titled "Is the Broken
Branch on the Mend? An Early Report on the 110th Congress"
by scholars at the progressive Brookings Institution: Sarah Binder,
Thomas Mann and Molly Reynolds. |
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Massachusetts Democrats Launch
Anti-Romney Site -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/09/massachusetts_democrats_launch_1.html I lived in Massachusetts when Mitt Romney was governor. And it's pretty fair to say that the Gov and the state's Democratic Party didn't get along all that well, especially after Romney decided to campaign for the GOP presidential nomination and started to reverse some of his earlier, more liberal positions. Apparently, the Democrats have decided it's time for a little payback. As The Boston Globe reports, the state
party launched today "a first-of-its-kind website that it
says contains an unparalleled repository of information about
Mitt Romney's record that could be used against the former governor
in his White House run." |
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Democrats highlight GOP's
criminals -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 5, 2007 read at source> http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/200....-gops-bad-boys/ WASHINGTON (CNN) — Congressional Democrats took a swipe at their political rivals Wednesday in a new Web video that highlights the personal indiscretions of GOP lawmakers, as the theme song to “Cops” television show plays in the background. CNN obtained an early version of the video that runs a slide show of six prominent Republicans caught up in various scandals including Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, who pleaded guilty last month to a disorderly conduct charge for allegedly making sexual advances to an undercover police officer in a restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in June. It also features Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, who is linked to the D.C. Madam scandal. The other GOP officials in the video are no longer in office. – CNN Political Editor Mark Preston |
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SENATOR CLINTON WILL HELP
NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS RUN AGAINST BUSH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.politicsnj.com/senator-clinto....inst-bush-11428 Senator Hillary Clinton is scheduled to
speak at the 2007 New Jersey Democratic State Conference in Atlantic
City this Friday. A decade ago, this might have been good news
for the Garden State's Republicans. Then, President Bill Clinton
and the First Lady were easy targets for the GOP. Republican
leaders, office-holders, candidates and rank and file everywhere
attacked one or both Clintons for being unethical, for suffering
from personal and political hubris, and for failing to fulfill
key campaign promises. |
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Democrats Set Education Budget
Compromise -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/09/06/budget Congressional leaders — well, Democratic Congressional leaders, anyway — reached agreement Wednesday on compromise legislation that would increase the maximum Pell Grant to $5,400 by 2012 and finance that and other new spending by slashing federal payments to student loan providers. Both houses of Congress are expected to
vote on (and pass) the budget reconciliation legislation as soon
as Friday, which would mean that the only thing standing between
American students and a massive new infusion of federal financial
aid is a possible veto by President Bush. |
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Democrats Disregard Petraeus
Report Ahead Of Schedule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.libertypundit.com/2007/09/06/....ad-of-schedule/ I knew they were going to dismiss it, as if it were written by Bush himself. I just didn’t think they’d be doing it this early: Congressional Democrats are trying to undermine
U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus’ credibility before he
delivers a report on the Iraq war next week, saying the general
is a mouthpiece for President Bush and his findings can’t
be trusted. |
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Federal judge tosses Ga. voter
ID lawsuit; law will be enforced -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Associated Press - ATLANTA read at source> http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=97269 A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a challenge to Georgia's voter identification law, saying the statute does not impose a significant burden on the right to vote. Barring an appeal, U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy's decision removes the last obstacle to enforcing the voter ID law. Murphy praised the state's "exceptional efforts to contact voters who potentially lacked a valid form of Photo ID." "Plaintiffs are hard-pressed to show that voters in Georgia, in general, are not aware of the Photo ID requirement," Murphy wrote in a 159-page ruling. Also, because voters have the option to
vote absentee without photo identification, they are not barred
from participating in elections, Murphy pointed out. |
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Senate Panel Approves Voter
Intimidation Measure -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.cqpolitics.com/2007/09/senate_panel_approves_voter_in.html The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation Thursday that would create penalties for voter intimidation, after first rejecting Republican attempts to add language targeting voter fraud. Panel members approved by voice vote a substitute version of the bill (S 453) offered by Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., that stripped language allowing private parties to bring lawsuits to block deceptive voting practices. Without that language, the bill is now
more closely aligned with a companion measure (HR 1281) the House
passed in June. |
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Presidential Report Card on
Ending the Occupation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.democrats.com/presidential-re....upation-of-iraq George Bush and his Republican allies want to continue the U.S. occupation of Iraq for decades, despite the enormous cost in lives, tax dollars, and global terrorism - and despite the overwhelming opposition of the American people. In the Spring, the Democratic Congress was forced to surrender to George Bush on Iraq, thanks to the Bush Dogs who betrayed the Democratic Party and supported Bush. Now it's September and Bush wants another $200 billion to occupy Iraq for another year (and possibly bomb Iran too). There are eight Democrats who want to lead the party in the 2008 campaign. How many of them are willing to stand up right now and lead the party to end the occupation? To make the comparison simple and clear, I have created a Presidential Report Card on Ending the Occupation of Iraq. A: Oppose all additional funds for Iraq
and require Bush to use existing funds to remove all troops from
Iraq as soon as possible (Rep. Kucinich) Dennis Kucinich B: C: Chris Dodd Today Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd expressed his opposition to the reported Levin-Reed legislation: "Rather than picking up votes, by removing the deadline to get our troops out of Iraq you have lost this Democrat's vote. Despite the fact that this has been the bloodiest summer of the war and report after report says that there has been little to no political progress, the White House continues to argue that their strategy is working. It is clear that half measures are not going to stop this President or end this war. I cannot and will not support any measure that does not have a firm and enforceable deadline to complete the redeployment of combat troops from Iraq. Only then will Congress be able to send a clear message to the President that we are changing course in Iraq, and a message to the Iraqis that they need to get their political house in order. I urge my colleagues to join me and declare their opposition to this measure. Start withdrawal immediately John Edwards: It's time to stand up for the American people and against President Bush's failed, stubborn policy. Without a firm deadline, a small withdrawal of only some of the surge troops won't cut it—that's not a solution, it's an excuse. Congress must not send President Bush any funding bill without a timeline to end this war. No timeline, no funding. No excuses.
Hillary Clinton: Rather than continuing the escalation, we must begin the immediate redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq, in order to end this war as soon as possible. I continue to support legislative efforts requiring the Administration to begin to withdraw our troops and to complete the redeployment of combat troops in 2008, and I encourage the Congressional leadership to ensure that we will have an opportunity to vote for such legislation.
D: F: While I'm at it I will also grade some of the blogs I know best: A: B: Bob Fertik Big Tent Democrat Kos: the compromise is 1) we give you the
money, and 2) you give us the timetable. We can even compromise
on #2, working together to figure out just how long troops ought
to remain (from, say, six months to just before Bush leaves office),
depending on what military leaders on the ground say would be
the safest, most efficient way to get them out. |
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Rules Democrats Revolt On
Electronic Voting Bill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/0....in3240191.shtml Sep 6, 2007 (The Politico) House Democrats had a little-noticed hiccup this week over the issue of electronic voting. But the policy squable is more relevant for its political implications than for the legislation at hand. Democratic leaders ran into a speed bump within their own caucus this week over legislation requiring states and other municipalities to maintain printed records for paper-less electronic voting machines by 2008. The speed bump in this case was a pretty
big one: Democrats on the powerful Rules Committee, who aired
their opposition to the bill during an open committee hearing
Wednesday. |
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MoveOn.org May Target Democrats
Who Support Bush On Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/0....in3240150.shtml
Sep 6, 2007 (The Politico) MoveOn.org’s political action committee is close to declaring war on Democrats who support the administration’s policy in Iraq. The liberal group announced it is sponsoring
an online poll, surveying its members on whether they would support
primary challenges to Democrats who side with President Bush
on the Iraq war. |
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Time to Take a Stand (Democrats!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By PAUL KRUGMAN read at source> http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2007/09/time-to-take-stand-democrats.html Here’s what will definitely happen when Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress next week: he’ll assert that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq — as long as you don’t count Sunnis killed by Sunnis, Shiites killed by Shiites, Iraqis killed by car bombs and people shot in the front of the head. Here’s what I’m afraid will happen:
Democrats will look at Gen. Petraeus’s uniform and medals
and fall into their usual cringe. They won’t ask hard questions
out of fear that someone might accuse them of attacking the military.
After the testimony, they’ll desperately try to get Republicans
to agree to a resolution that politely asks President Bush to
maybe, possibly, withdraw some troops, if he feels like it. .
. |
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The Democrats on education -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Updated Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, at 10:24 AM ET read at source> http://www.slate.com/id/2173443/ On Sept. 12, Slate, Yahoo!, and the Huffington
Post will host the first-ever online-only presidential candidate
mashup. Armed with your questions, Charlie Rose is asking the
top Democratic presidential candidates about their views on health
care, Iraq, education, and other issues. Their video responses
will be coded and put at your disposal—empowering you to
create your own custom candidate forum. Want to hear every candidate's
position on the war? Hillary's positions on every issue? Obama's
view on health care? Our mashup will allow you to do all of the
above. |
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Unacceptable that the public
trust is broken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By GREGORY J. VOLPE read at source> http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B3/20070907/NEWS0301/70907044 ATLANTIC CITY -- While hoping to fete the
presidential candidacy of Top Democrats -- Gov. Jon S. Corzine, Senate President Richard J. Codey, Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., and state party chairman Joseph Cryan -- called for Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., D-Essex, who is also mayor of Orange, and Assemblyman Alfred Steele, D-Passaic, to resign from their state office. They resigned committee positions earlier in the day. "It is unacceptable that the public
trust is broken by anyone, Republicans or |
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Search Records Requests under
Patriot Act Ruled Unconstitutional -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/070907-162948 Yesterday controversial elements of the Patriot Act were ruled unconstitutional by federal district court judge Victor Marrero. The Patriot Act, passed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, broadly expanded the government's powers to conduct anti-terrorism investigations. In its original form the Patriot Act granted the FBI, among other things, the power to issue “national security letters” (NSLs) that would compel search engines, ISPs, phone companies, libraries and other public sources of information to turn over their customer records. Because the Patriot Act also permanently barred targets from disclosing to their customers that information had been requested, we have no idea how many of these requests have been made to search engines. We do know that thousands of NSLs have been issued in service to counter terrorism efforts. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled portions of the Patriot Act unconstitutional. Marrero said the non disclosure provisions for NSL recipients violated their First Amendment rights (freedom of speech). He also ruled that the process for issuing the letters undercuts the role of the courts, a violation of the principle of separation of powers under the Constitution. This is not the first challenge to the broad provisions of the Patriot Act. A previous ruling in 2004 resulted in revisions when the Patriot Act was renewed this year that give recipients of the letters a limited right to challenge in court the non disclosure gag orders. |
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The picture is still clear,
simple: Voters need ID -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/share....clear_sim. html The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgians possessed of common sense are scratching their heads today in utter amazement that it took so long for sanity to prevail on the requirement that potential voters establish their identities at the polls. The decision Thursday by U.S. District
Court Judge Harold Murphy of Rome brings “closure”
to one of the goofiest legal tantrums witnessed. In the voter
ID case, complaining organizations scoured the state, searching
high and low from the tidewaters of Glenn to the outskirts of
Chattanooga, for a single victim aggrieved by the requirement
to produce valid photo identification. A single victim. One.
One from among 5,079,588 registered voters in Georgia. They could
not. |
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Wall Street Journal writer
to discuss voter fraud -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provide....0907&ID=7438512 John Fund, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, will be the guest speaker at a lunch hosted by the Rio Grande Foundation and the New Mexico Alliance for Legal Reform. Fund is also a contributor to the Fox News Channel. He recently published a book about the U.S. election system, "Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Democracy." The event takes place September 27 at the
Albuquerque Museum. For more information, go to www.riograndefoundation.org. |
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Expecting a veto, Democrats
prepare for special session on health -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6830806?nclick_check=1 SACRAMENTO—Democrats plan to put their
health reform bill to a vote next week, setting the stage for
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto it and force lawmakers to
stay in town to work toward a deal. "We're having good conversations," Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, told The Associated Press after meeting with Schwarzenegger on Friday. "Health care is a very complex matter. We're doing the best we can to get an agreement." Democrats continued tweaking their bill
Friday evening in preparation for a vote as soon as Tuesday.
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Edwards Challenges Democrats
To Stop Defending A Broken System -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070908-broken-system/ At Carpenters union endorsement event, Edwards says Democrats must decide if they stand for change or the status quo because "you can't be for both" Manchester, New Hampshire – Senator John Edwards this morning formally accepted the endorsement of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and called on Democrats to be the party of change and reject money from Washington lobbyists. Edwards was joined by Carpenters President Douglas J. McCarron and a crowd of energized workers in Nashua, New Hampshire for the announcement. "Actually bringing change starts with
telling the truth," said Edwards. "And the truth is
the system in Washington is broken and anyone who wants to defend
it can't change it. Our system of government has been hijacked
for the benefit of corporate profits and the very wealthiest.
Washington is rigged against regular Americans, whose interests
and concerns don't stand a chance against the onslaught of lobbyists
and money that control the place." |
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Democrats Launch New Assault
on Petraeus Report -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://burkeanreflections.blogspot.com/2....assualt-on.html The Los Angeles Times reports the new tack of congressional Democrats to deligitimize the highly anticipated Petraeus Report:
Launching a new assault on the president's war strategy, congressional Democrats have begun to dismiss the Bush administration claims of military progress as unreliable spin ahead of Monday's testimony from the top U.S. commander in Iraq. In a shift from recent comments that the
military buildup appeared to be making some gains, Democrats
are now questioning the statistics being used to back up the
reports of progress. |
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Democrats Hold Upper Hand
in Ohio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/28153/democrats_hold_upper_hand_in_ohio (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Two Democratic
United States presidential hopefuls could defeat their Republican
rivals in Ohio, according to a poll by the Quinnipiac University
Polling Institute. At least 46 per cent of respondents in the
Buckeye State would back New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
in the 2008 election. |
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Eco-friendly homes should
get mortgage subsidies -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/09/2027970.htm The Democrats are urging the Federal Government to subsidise home loan repayments for people who increase their mortgage to make their homes eco-friendly. South Australian Senate candidate Ruth Russell says current incentives and rebates do not encourage enough people to install solar power and rainwater tanks. Ms Russell is calling for the Government and major banks to subsidise interest repayments for people who convert to sustainable energy. She says it currently costs about $30,000 to convert a house to solar power. "If people have to borrow that and put it on with interest rates, many just could not possibly afford it," she said. "But if they could have free interest
it could be a benefit letting it go through for them and it could
be a huge saving for South Australia." |
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Where the presidential candidates
line up on war in Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE read at source> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07252/815958-176.stm Iowa and New Hampshire are still a few months down the road, but the candidates for president are about to face off in an even earlier competition -- the Petraeus primary. The congressional deliberations over the report on the Iraq war due tomorrow from America's ground commander, Gen. David Petraeus, will intensify the focus on the debate on the war among White House hopefuls in a year in which it consistently polls as the top issue on voters' minds. Democratic and Republican candidates characterize the issue very differently. The Democrats all call the war a profound
mistake that has distracted the nation from the battle against
terrorism. The leading Republicans candidates support the decision
to go to war and, with some exceptions, they portray the conflict
as central to a broader effort against terrorism. |
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Voting - the bedrock of democracy.
How accurate? How costly? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://blog.nj.com/njv_judith_cambria/20....f_democrac.html Next year, at the primary election for national candidates, the voter faces two possibilities when he or she casts their vote. You may review a printed copy of your vote made on a touch-screen electronic machine. Or you may fill out a paper ballot that would then be read by a scanning machine that tallies the vote. In each case the voter would personally verify the accuracy of their vote by looking at a paper copy of their selections of candidates. In neither case would they keep the paper ballot. It would be retained at the polling place, providing a paper trail in case a recount was required.
This change is required because NJ's electronic touch-screen voting machines contain the potential for tampering. These machines provide no paper receipt of your vote that enables you, or any election official, to verify the accuracy of the recorded vote. The possibility of election fraud led NJ legislators to pass a law requiring all 10,000 NJ e-voting machines be retrofitted with printers that would provide a printed copy of each vote. The legislation requires the completion of the added printers by January 2008. The printers would would first be used in the February 5th primary election for national offices. However, a group of NJ voter rights activists has gone to court asking that e-voting machines be completely replaced with a system of paper ballots and new electronic scanning machines that would then read each individual ballot and tally the results. So, voters either will review a printed
copy of the vote they made on a touch screen electronic voting
machine or fill out a paper ballot that would be read by a scanning
machine. In each case the voter would personally verify the accuracy
of their vote and a hard copy would be created for recounts.
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Presidential candidates talk
about Iraq report -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/decisio....1e-a8fba25c1672 White House hopefuls were closely watching Monday's report on the Iraq war. No matter who wins the white house next november, Iraq will be a chief concern. So, Presidential hopefuls were listening closely to what General David Petraeus had to say to Congress. Republican Candidate Duncan Hunter played a prominent role in the hearing. He is the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee and supports the President. Hunter said, "The Democrats have said to George Bush for three years, listen to your generals. Now we have a general who says we're making great progress. They say, don't listen to this general." In Miami Sunday, Democratic candidates discussed homeland security in anticipation of General Petraeus' report and the upcoming anniversary of September eleventh. Senator Chris Dodd said, "We're more vulnerable, less safe, more insecure today because of the presence there because we've turned Iraq into an incubator for jihadists and terrorists." The first of its kind Presidential forum was conducted in English and Spanish.
Seven of the Democratic candidates reached out to the fast growing hispanic voting block who want to know how the next President will handle immigration. Governor Bill Richardson said, "If
you are going to build a 12-foot wall, you know what is going
to happen? A lot of 13-foot ladders. This is a terrible symbol
of America." |
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Democratic Presidential Candidates
Discuss Health -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/health2008dr.cfm?DR_ID=47393 Seven Democratic presidential candidates on Sunday during a debate that aired on Univision discussed health care and other issues, USA Today reports. During the debate, held on the campus of the University of Miami, Univision news anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas asked questions in Spanish, and the candidates received translations in English (Wolf/Marrero, USA Today, 9/10). Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) said that he has proposed a "comprehensive plan for universal health care so that all will have medical insurance." New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said his universal health insurance proposal would take one year to pass and two to three to implement. In addition, he said that "we need to have everyone accessible to the best (inaudible) plan that everyone here has," reduce the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 55, provide veterans with a "health card for all" and focus on preventive medicine. Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) said that he supports "medical care for those who are undocumented" immigrants and universal health insurance. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) said that "we're going to make it possible for all to have health care; not only 47 million who are uninsured, but those millions of people who are insured who don't ... receive treatment" because of the cost. Former Sen. Mike Gravel (Alaska) proposed a voucher system, under which U.S. residents "get a chance to choose from five insurance plans" that compete for members. Former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) said that federal lawmakers can no longer "negotiate with the drug companies and insurance companies, and their lobbyists" and must "face these people and change the system." Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) promoted a
bill (HR 676) he has proposed that would establish a not-for-profit,
single-payer health care system called Medicare for All. He added
that, "as long as we're stuck with this system where insurance
companies make $600 billion a year (inaudible), spending that
ought to go directly to health, we're not going to get the care
we need" (Debate transcript, CQ Transcriptions, 9/9). |
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Presidential Candidate Dennis
Kucinich Praises Court Ruling Against Patriot Act -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.associatedcontent.com/article....s_kucinich.html Democratic candidate for president and
member of Congress Dennis Kucinich has issued a statement calling
a recent court ruling that struck down key elements of the Patriot
Act: "A major victory for the U.S. constitution and the
civil liberties of Americans, and a stunning rebuke of the Bush
Administration's abuse of power and of the Congress that permitted
and reauthorized such abuses." |
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FACTBOX: Presidential candidates
on Petraeus testimony -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/i....oops_can_be_cut WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told Congress on Monday that America was meeting its military objectives there and troop levels could be reduced by next summer. Following is reaction by some of the candidates in the November 2008 presidential election: FORMER NEW YORK REPUBLICAN MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI: "Gen. Petraeus provided the first look at a strategy that is getting results and an Iraq that is making progress. This is only the beginning, which is why we need to continue to listen to the assessment of Gen. Petraeus and others on the ground so we can decide the best course of action going forward." CONNECTICUT DEMOCRATIC SEN. CHRIS DODD: "Independent report after independent report indicates that the whack-a-mole strategy has made this the bloodiest summer of the war ... Debating the merits of a tactic when the strategy that underlies it is failed is nothing more than a distraction from the work that needs to be done to bring this war to a close." FORMER NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC SEN. JOHN EDWARDS: "This would not be the withdrawal the American people voted for. It would instead be another excuse for the administration to buy time until President Bush is out of office and can pass Iraq on to the next president." ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC SEN. BARACK OBAMA: "Changing the definition of success to stay the course with the wrong policy is the wrong course for our troops and our national security. The time to end the surge and to start bringing our troops home is now -- not six months from now." NEW MEXICO DEMOCRATIC GOV. BILL RICHARDSON:
"The course General Petraeus has recommended we take --
more of the same -- is unacceptable, irresponsible, and dangerous.
... The Iraqis will not take the necessary steps toward political
reconciliation until we make it clear that we are leaving their
country for good." |
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Democratic presidential hopefuls
hold TV debate in Spanish -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gwLF-CrjIgLcd9iy0ezpo6FPlUwQ MIAMI (AFP) — In a dramatic sign of the fast-changing US society, the US Democratic presidential hopefuls late Sunday held a debate in Spanish that was broadcast on the main US Spanish-language television network. Seven presidential candidates were at the historic event, including the three front runners, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former South Carolina Senator John Edwards. Senator Joe Biden, who just returned from Iraq, was absent. Moderators from the Univision network asked
questions in Spanish and the candidates, wearing earpieces, heard
a translation in English. The answers were given in English and
translated into Spanish for viewers. |
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Democrats critical as envoys
to oppose Iraq shift -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0926519420070910 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. officials
will likely warn Congress on Monday against major changes in
policy in Iraq, but leading Democrats said that strategy has
failed and it's time to think about getting troops out. |
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Democrats Question General
Petraeus' Credibility, Integrity -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Pa....T20070910b.html (CNSNews.com) - Democrats are questioning the integrity of Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, hoping to discredit in advance anything he will tell Congress on Monday and Tuesday, when he delivers his progress report on Iraq. On Monday, Moveon.org ran an ad in the New York Times asking, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" The anti-war, anti-Bush group accused the general of "cooking the books for the White House" by giving an overly optimistic assessment of the situation on the ground. It describes Petraeus as a "military man constantly at war with the facts." Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she doesn't know what General Petraeus will say. "But I don't think he's an independent evaluator," Feinstein said, suggesting -- as other Democrats have done -- that he's taking his cue from the White House. Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NBC's Meet the Press that although there has been "some mild security progress" in Iraq, the "sectarian violence" continues in Baghdad and Anbar province. Amid reports that Gen. Petraeus will oppose a significant policy change in Iraq -- including a major, imminent troop pullout -- Biden said, "I really respect him, but I think he's dead flat wrong. "I will insist on a firm beginning to withdraw the troops, and I will insist on a target date to get American combat forces out," Biden said. Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador
to Iraq Ryan Crocker are scheduled to testify before four congressional
committees on Monday and Tuesday. |
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Surge a failure, Democrats
tell general -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ©AFP - Tim Sloan read at source> http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/070911180110.5ruj8ab5.html WASHINGTON (AFP) - Anti-war Senate Democrats bluntly told Iraq commander General David Petraeus Tuesday his troop surge strategy was an abject failure in its prime objective -- forging an Iraqi political settlement. Several Senate Republicans also expressed
unease with US war policy, as the general and US ambassador to
Baghdad Ryan Crocker endured a roasting on a second day of high-stakes
testimony to Congress. |
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US general's plan means 10
more years of war: Democrats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLlOEu91_VfGVnA_RLQLmGfxsVxQ WASHINGTON (AFP) — Democrats charged General David Petraeus's latest Iraq strategy was a blueprint for 10 more years of war, as they rejected "rosy" claims of battlefield progress and demanded a speedy US withdrawal. The Democratic counter-attack came as President
George W. Bush prepared to address Americans on future Iraq strategy
on Thursday, and war commander Petraeus endured a roasting in
Congress. |
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Presidential Candidates Take
Advantage of Senate Hearings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con....7091102169.html For four Democratic presidential candidates, yesterday's Iraq hearings offered a high-profile platform to challenge President Bush on Iraq. For the lone Senate Republican seeking the White House, the hearings were an opportunity to boost his struggling candidacy by embracing what the top two U.S. officials in Iraq said were signs of progress. The nearly 10 hours of testimony by Army
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq,
and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker before two Senate
committees featured a decided political edge that was missing
from their Monday appearances before a House committee. |
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Letter Carriers Union Set
to Endorse Presidential -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,175604.shtml WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) will announce its endorsement for the 2008 presidential election on Wednesday morning, September 12 in a briefing at 11 a.m. EDT at NALC Headquarters in Washington. NALC President William H. Young will be joined by the endorsed candidate at the event. The announcement will follow a formal endorsement vote by the union's 28- member Executive Council which is currently meeting in Washington and also comes after a nationwide postcard survey of all NALC members on their preference among candidates who responded to a questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to 8 Democratic and 10 Republican candidates. WHEN: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 at 11 a.m. EDT WHERE: Hutchings Hall (first floor) at
NALC Headquarters, 100 Indiana WHO: NALC President William H. Young and
the union's endorsed WHAT: News briefing to announce presidential endorsement. http://www.nalc.org/ National Association of Letter Carriers |
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Presidential candidates talk
about 9/11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/decisio....ac-27215f76f589 As the nation looked back six years ago to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, General Petraeus continued with his testimony on capitol hill. This time, he faced a tougher response from Senators also in their roles as Presidential Candidates. The general faced the Foreign Relations Panel chaired by Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden. Senator Biden said, "The American people will not support an infinite war whose sole remaining purpose is to prevent the situation in Iraq from becoming worse than it is today. It is time to turn the corner in my view, gentlemen. We should stop the surge and start bringing our troops home." Fellow candidate Barack Obama was also heavier on critical commentary than questions. Obama said, "This continues to be
a disastrous foreign policy mistake and we are now confronted
with the question how do we clean up the mess and make the best
out of the situation in which there are no good options. There
are bad options and worse options." |
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Why the Latino Community's
Political Clout Is Rising -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Roberto Lovato, New America Media. Posted September 11, 2007. read at source> http://www.alternet.org/story/62161/ Spanish-speaking Latino candidate Bill Richardson looked like he'd swallowed a big burrito when asked en Espanol, "Would you be willing to promote Spanish as the second official language of the United States?" His fellow Presidential candidates, all
of whom were thrown off by and joined him in dodging this and
other questions unprecedented in the annals of US political history,
also looked like nervous immigrants being interrogated by ICE
agents. To watch both the audacity of the questioning and the
role reversal it inspired was to watch the translation of power. |
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Student Leaders Meet Presidential
Candidate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sep 11, 2007 read at source> http://www.moore.edu/index.cfm/bnodeID/6....3c-ff97f7d0bc48 (Philadelphia, PA) – Moore College of Art & Design student leaders had an opportunity to witness history on Wednesday, September 5. A small group of students from the nation’s first and only visual arts college for women were invited to hear Presidential candidate, Senator, Hillary Clinton (D) New York. Clinton is the only woman in the field
of eight democratic and nine republican candidates running for
their party’s nomination for President of the US. She was
in Philadelphia on a campaign stop. |
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U.S. Physicians Question Presidential
Candidates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,176576.shtml SEATTLE, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- iMedExchange Facts and Messages
"The national discussion on healthcare
must include the caretakers of our system. This project helps
make that essential connection, one of many we intend to deliver
to the community." |
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Yahoo's Presidential 'Mashup
Debate' Won't Support -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/09/mashup_debate Yahoo's Democratic debate later this week has been billed as "the first-ever online-only presidential mashup." But on the eve of the debate, Yahoo has decided not to support citizen remixing of the footage -- reducing the once-bold experiment to little more than a fancy online version of an on-demand cable television offering. Mashups typically involve the combination of two disparate elements -- for example, metropolitan crime data and Google maps, or rapper Jay Z's The Black Album and the Beatles' The White Album -- to make new creations such as chicagocrime.org or Danger Mouse's The Grey Album. To that end, Yahoo said as recently as Friday that it would upload the raw footage from the online debate to its own web-based video editing service Jumpcut, to make it easy for the footage to be spliced and diced as citizen editors saw fit. "Users will be able to create their own mashups and post the footage onto their websites afterwards -- that's for the hardcore fans who want to engage with this video," spokesman Brian Nelson told Wired News. But on Monday, Nelson called back to say
the company had changed its mind. Instead the "mashup page"
will only lets citizens pick and choose which candidates they
want to hear from on particular issues, by pointing and clicking
on a web interface. |
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VOTE FRAUD: IT'S NOT JUST
THE MACHINES PART 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=37515 Because of Bill's concerns about the seriousness and the sobering times we are living in, his intentions will be mainly devoted ( as he has been ) to posting articles that will alert and inform the reading public about the issues that are not covered or not covered truthfully by the "National News Media." "In the time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell author's email author's web site view author's other articles Join this author's mailing list Your Name: E-mail Address: Bill Haymin © 2007 - NewsWithViews.com The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act has an impressive number of supporters in our worthless Congress - the same Congress which has allowed this to grow into a massive fraud game every election year. The same Congress Americans continue to "elect" over and over who never get the job done right, only more "fixes." H.R. 811, section 2(a)(1)(2)(A) calls for: "The voting system shall require the use of or produce an individual voter-verified paper ballot of the voter's vote that shall be created by or made available for inspection and verification by the voter before the voter's vote is cast and counted. For purposes of this clause, examples of such a ballot include a paper ballot marked by the voter for the purpose of being counted by hand or read by an optical scanner or other similar device, a paper ballot prepared by the voter to be mailed to an election official (whether from a domestic or overseas location), a paper ballot created through the use of a ballot marking device or system, or a paper ballot produced by a touch screen or other electronic voting machine, so long as in each case the voter is permitted to verify the ballot in a paper form in accordance with this subparagraph." NO, NO, NO. This is how we got in this mess - any machine can be compromised; you only need go to the index of vote fraud columns below to get the truth about these machines. Be sure to watch the short video below, Election Deception. The states of the Union do NOT have to use electronic machines and we the people MUST demand at our city council meetings (the Mayor attends these meetings) that all machines are forbidden. If machines are allowed to continue counting the votes with this smokescreen of a "paper trail," we won't fix the problem, the American people will simply be taken for a another ride in a different runaway vehicle. Absentee ballots are no guarantee your vote will count or even get counted. Congress must get rid of the disaster they passed called The Motor Voter law of 1993; see here. Ever since this free pass to voter registration fraud passed and was signed into law by Marxist Bill Clinton, the voting rolls have become so tainted, we have no idea who is getting legally elected. My Blind Loyalty booklet on my CD is full of factual data on illegals voting; sample of the numbers here. Do Americans remember when Bob Dornan allegedly lost his election to Loretta Sanchez who I am convinced is an illegal alien? Even the weak attempt at an investigation into Dornan's race produced voting rolls with names like A. Martinez, B. Martinez, C. Martinez - all with non verifiable addresses. Let me give you one prime example of tainted voting rolls: "Stephen Weir, Contra Costa County Clerk and head of the Elections Department has just issued the results of the department's 2- year "voter roll correction" program. This program has resulted in an astounding 21.8% reduction in registered voters in the county.... The purge is even more dramatic when you consider that during the same period 139,340 new registrations were added! "The elections department had come under intense criticism and scrutiny as a result of the very close Measure C school bond issue in November 1995 and the hotly contested State Senate race in November of 1996. Weir is hopeful that this major housecleaning of the voter rolls will instill more voter confidence and reduce the potential for voter fraud...." "Radio talk show hosts and media pundits like to chant over and over and over that people aren't voting because they are "disenfranchised" from politics or their "party isn't getting the message out" and other such tripe. The truth is that millions and millions of people now know that the ballot box has been compromised and refuse to participate in the fake steering wheel exercise. "The example above was particularly
interesting to me because in early April, 1998, I spoke to a
Republican women's organization at the country club in Danville,
California and Stephen Weir was in the audience. I am hopeful,
although I have no way of knowing, that my speech that day had
some impact on Mr. Weir and this voter roll purge that apparently
was in its infancy at that time. No one wins with vote fraud.
Everything starts on election day. I will never run for public
office again until the voter rolls in this state are purged,
until people are forced to prove their legal residency in this
country, until the machines are gone and paper hand marked ballots
are counted in front of anyone who wants to watch. I'd rather
wait a week to find out I lost fairly than be cheated again.
I don't need fast food elections. The final question is this:
How much longer can America survive with rigged elections? Remember
Stalin's words: "Voters decide nothing; those who count
the votes decide everything." |
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Ex-oil exec says he paid Alaska
lawmaker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RKJB2G0.htm The former head of an oil field services
company testified Wednesday that he paid a lawmaker nearly $8,000
to help keep him in office and advocate for the construction
of a natural gas pipeline tapping the state's vast North Slope
Reserves. |
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Feud brews over Katrina housing
funds -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RKJA4O1.htm A state agency wants to divert $600 million
from a Hurricane Katrina housing program to a port restoration
project, outraging advocacy groups who say the proposal shortchanges
thousands of people still homeless on the Gulf Coast. |
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Jobless claims rise by 4,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RKJ12O0.htm The number of laid off workers filing claims
for unemployment benefits rose last week in another worrisome
sign that the labor market is weakening. |
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Gov't didn't act after E.
coli outbreak -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RK7CC00.htm Government regulators never acted on calls
for stepped-up inspections of leafy greens after last year's
deadly E. coli spinach outbreak, leaving the safety of America's
salads to a patchwork of largely unenforceable rules and the
industry itself, an Associated Press investigation has found
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Ex-Army Corps contractor admits
bribery -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RK752G0.htm A former contractor for the Army Corps
of Engineers accused of giving confidential information to a
company seeking work on a levee reconstruction project pleaded
guilty Wednesday to bribery. |
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Feds disapprove new NY nuke
plant sirens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RK6VSO0.htm Federal inspectors said Wednesday that
the new emergency sirens around the Indian Point nuclear power
plant aren't loud enough and that the plant's owner is trying
to back away from its earlier assurances of quality. |
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New Jersey Gov: Don't drop
kids' health insurance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RK6EM00.htm New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Wednesday
threatened to take legal action against the Bush administration
over new federal rules he said would force the state to drop
health insurance coverage for 10,000 poor children. |
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Interpol wants cybercrime
combat centers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RK52I87.htm Interpol proposed on Wednesday the creation
of global and regional anti-crime centers to fight criminal activity
online and respond quickly to emergency cybercrime alerts. |
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The 9/11 Cover-Up -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://discovermagazine.com/2007/oct/the-9-11-cover-up This article is part of Discover's package on the health effects of 9/11 air pollution on the people in New York City.
In the aftermath of the first explosion, the air over Lower Manhattan transformed instantly. “The sky was glittering with glass,” says Nina L., a Tribeca resident who asked not to be further identified. She ran to her window and saw a shower of flaming jet fuel cascading from one of the towers. “This can’t be a good thing to have my windows open,” she immediately thought to herself. Nina closed her windows and shut her air conditioner flues. As a former jeweler, she’d worked around dangerous chemicals before and understood the hazards of toxic fumes. From her apartment seven blocks north of the World Trade Center, she sat transfixed until a second explosion jolted her into action. Nina tore up an old pillowcase, fashioned a makeshift bandanna over her face, packed her cats into cages, and trekked northward. “The whole neighborhood was blanketed in a gray snow,” she recalls. “Some people were walking by in moon suits.” Although Nina could not have known it at the time, she had just entered one of the most dangerous atmospheric conditions ever to occur on American soil, and she suffers the consequences. She had chronic bronchitis until 2003 and still has esophagitis and sinusitis. Many health professionals believe others like her won’t experience the harsher, suffocating symptoms for several more years. Up to 70 percent of first responders are
ill as a result of 9/11 contamination. If a similar rate of illness
holds true for those who lived and worked near the Twin Towers,
the number of seriously ill New Yorkers could climb to 300,000
in the near future. About 70,000 New Yorkers so far have listed
themselves with the World Trade Center Health Registry, a database
that tracks the health impact of the 9/11 attacks. The registry
has been criticized for excluding large numbers of those potentially
sickened outside a designated one-square-mile area. Despite the
insistent denials of city and federal officials, tens of thousands
of New Yorkers were unnecessarily exposed to a chemical brew
without even the most rudimentary precautions. Today New York
City is still mired in a fog of cover-ups and half-truths regarding
its environmental welfare. |
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Who Can Stop the War? We the
People -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.yesmagazine.org/default.asp?id=205 Here's what the American people are saying: 63 percent oppose President Bush's plan to send 20,000 additional US troops to Iraq, according to a recent CNN Poll.
Sixty-one percent of Americans want Congress to block the government from spending money to send more troops to Iraq. And a Newsweek Poll finds that 64 percent feel Congress has not been assertive enough in challenging the Bush administration. The American people are beginning to be
heard, but more is needed to stop the escalation in Iraq, and
even into Iran, and to bring the war to an end. |
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Listening to Iraqi Voices -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=1648 In August, a delegation of peace activists, including Code Pink and YES! board member Dal LaMagna, traveled to Jordan to hear from Iraqi leaders what they think it would take to end the violence. It turns out, the Iraqi leadership have some pretty clear ideas, and LaMagna wanted to present them to people back in the United States. From more than 16 hours of video footage taken during the discussion, he compiled an interactive presentation in which Iraqis speak for themselves about the keys to restoring peace. The meetings also led to the Iraq Reconciliation Plan. In November, LaMagna returned to Jordan, this time with Congressman Jim McDermott of Washington state, to meet with members of the Iraqi parliament and also ambassadors and leaders from other Middle East countries. YES! Magazine associate editor Lisa Farino
spoke with LaMagna about this strategy for bringing peace to
Iraq. This interview is the second in a three-part series (part
1 here) about practical strategies for creating peace in Iraq.
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Iraq's oil riches still languish -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/11/magazine....sion=2007091115 (Fortune) Vienna -- While officials from some of the world's biggest oil producers holed up in private meetings in Vienna Monday night, to decide whether to increase Opec's oil production, Iraq's Oil Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani retreated to his hotel suite, and watched television instead. Specifically, he tuned into the broadcast of Gen. Petraeus's testimony in Washington about the war. Alone among the 12 OPEC oil ministers meeting
in Vienna this week, Shahristani presides over an Iraqui oil
industry that is battling to operate under almost impossible
conditions. |
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China Urges Iran to Increase
Cooperation with IAEA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-09-13-voa15.cfm China has urged Iran to increase cooperation with the United Nations nuclear agency to resolve outstanding questions about Tehran's nuclear program.
Jiang Yu |
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When the Director of National
Intelligence lies to the Senate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/12864.html On Monday, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on recent changes to the FISA law, which the Bush administration has insisted were necessary to keep Americans safe. In defending the law, McConnell seems to have lied to the Senate. Badly. Joe Lieberman asked whether the new law,
passed shortly before the August recess, played a role in facilitating
the arrest of terrorist suspects in German last week. McConnell
was unequivocal: “Yes, sir, it did.” It wasn’t
an off-hand comment — McConnell went into some detail explaining
how and why the law provided potentially life-saving intelligence
in this specific example in Germany. When a noticeably-impressed
Lieberman restated the revelation — that the eavesdropping
ability allowed under the updated surveillance law helped foil
the purported plot in Germany — McConnell did not object. |
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As We See It: Bush plan on
Iraq troop reductions not enough -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive....ries/01edit.htm If, as President Bush told the nation last night, the United States is waiting for success in Iraq before any significant withdrawal of troops from that blood-soaked country, then it will probably be up to his successor in 14 months to make the call. What the president does plan to do — bring at least 21,500 troops back, as Gen. David Petraeus recommends — only takes the U.S. presence back to pre-surge levels last January. America would still have 130,000 troops
in Iraq, still fighting what looks to be a never-ending war aimed
at getting two sects of Muslims to come together. |
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Obama Uses LinkedIn To Plug
Into Entrepreneurs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/IBD-0001-19538586.htm Sep. 12, 2007 (Investor's Business Daily delivered by Newstex) -- The 2008 presidential candidates have tapped YouTube, MySpace and Facebook to get their messages out to Internet users. On Wednesday, business-oriented site Linked-In received its presidential race initiation. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a leading candidate
among Democrats, used a feature on LinkedIn called "Answers"
to ask the social networking site's 14 million members this question:
"How can the next president better help small business and
entrepreneurs thrive?" |
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Oregon Democrats Launch "Ask
Oregon" Campaign -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.blueoregon.com/2007/09/oregon-democrat.html In a press release, the Democratic Party of Oregon announced it is launching a new internet campaign making it easier for Oregon constituents to contact elected officials. Through its "Ask Oregon" campaign,
the DPO is using the latest in web technology to let Oregonians
ask elected leaders about current events. Oregonians can raise
questions to elected officials via email, blog post or video.
in the news Through its "Ask Oregon" campaign,
the DPO is using the latest in web technology to let Oregonians
ask elected leaders about current events. Oregonians can raise
questions to elected officials via email, blog post or video.
|
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Democrats counter electoral
vote initiative -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/br....ectoral_vo.html California Democratic Party chairman Art Torres on Thursday announced a "do-not-sign" campaign to counter a Republican-sponsored ballot initiative drive to award California's presidential electoral votes by congressional district rather than current statewide winner-take-all system. President Bush would have gotten 22 additional electoral votes for a comfortable re-election in 2004 had the system been in place, despite losing the state badly. In a conference call with reporters, Torres said local Democratic organizations will try to determine the locations of petition circulators and send volunteers there to "educate" voters about the "national conspiracy by the Republican Party." "Our intention is to make sure that we are there to rebut whatever is on that signature page so people will know what they are signing and hopefully decide not to sign," he said. The initiative was officially cleared for circulation last week after it was titled by Attorney General Jerry Brown's office as "Presidential electors. Political party nomination and election by congressional district." Initiative spokesman Kevin Eckery said
paid petition circulators have been hired to obtain the necessary
433,971 registered voter signatures in time to qualify for the
June 2008 ballot. |
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Democrats field questions
in online "mash-up" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent read at source> http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1344049720070913 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The 2008 Democratic White House contenders broke no new ground on issues like Iraq and health care during an online forum on Thursday, but the format did. In an event dubbed the first presidential "mash-up," the candidates answered questions in Web videos that were cut and posted online so users could directly compare some responses and skip others. The forum, sponsored by Yahoo Inc, the
Huffington Post and the Web magazine Slate, was held on Yahoo's
main news site. |
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Hillary Clinton's Unlikely
Support Among Anti-War Democrats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/9/13/195528/929 In The LA Times' analysis of their early state poll from earlier this week, they explored their findings that not only do Democrats at large in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina feel Hillary Clinton is the candidate most likely to end the war in Iraq, but those that "chose the Iraq war as the most important issue" do as well. Comparing just the top 3 candidates, when asked "Regardless of your choice for president, who do you think would be best at ending the war in Iraq," results are as follows: All Democrats:
Those that "chose the Iraq war as the most important issue": Candidate IA NH SC
Edwards's strong stance against the war is clearly paying dividends for him in Iowa among anti-war Democrats, but the fact that support for Clinton does not appreciably decline among those for whom Iraq is the most important issue (and in fact rises demonstrably in South Carolina) illustrates just how successful Clinton has been in portraying herself as an anti-war candidate despite having voted for the war AND refusing to apologize for it AND repeatedly saying she'll leave tens of thousands of troops in Iraq. These results should perhaps come as no
surprise, as they echo the findings of a national Pew poll from
August that showed that the support each candidate receives was
virtually identical among those that say the congressional leadership
is doing "the right amount" to push back against Bush
to end the war and those who say the leadership is "not
doing enough." In other words, voters see very little distinction
between the candidates on Iraq, despite the best efforts of Clinton's
rivals to make those distinctions clear. Edwards: "no timeline,
no funding!"; Richardson: "no residual troops!";
Obama: "I opposed this war from the beginning!" Yet
those that count the war as their top concern pick the hawk of
the bunch as their preferred candidate. It's enough to make Chris
Bowers want to bang his head against flat surfaces. |
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Was the U.S. Election Stolen? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.guelphtribune.ca/trib/news/news_879051.html A leading expert on irregularities in the 2004 United States presidential election will speak at the University of Guelph on Monday Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Stephen Freeman from the University of
Pennsylvania will give a lecture focused on evidence that American
democracy is being destroyed. He'll also discuss some issues
with a Canadian focus, said a news release, including Quebec's
experience with voting machines in 2005 and Canada's recent involvement
in legitimizing what he calls corrupt elections in Iraq, Haiti
and Mexico. |
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Gates Raises Prospect of More
Troop Cuts -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday September 15, 2007 12:31 AM
By ROBERT BURNS AP Military Writer read at source> http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6922853,00.html WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert
Gates raised the possibility Friday of cutting U.S. troop levels
in Iraq to 100,000 by the end of next year, well beyond the cuts
President Bush has approved. |
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China wants peaceful resolution
on Iran -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-09/15/content_6109519.htm China lauded an action plan reached by
Iran and the United Nations nuclear inspectors on Friday, saying
it hoped related parties could avoid confrontations in dealing
with the Iranian nuclear issue. |
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Greenspan Sees Political Pressure
on Fed as Inflation Quickens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Craig Torres read at source> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aNECAbN_ltkU&refer=home Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve
may have to double its benchmark interest rate to at least 10
percent by 2030 to stem inflation, sparking a political showdown
that could challenge its independence, former Chairman Alan Greenspan
said. |
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US military likely to be in
Iraq for years after drawdown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLM-nWAaOystmVapeK4I2hNlYq0Q WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US military will be tied down in Iraq with 100,000 troops at least through the presidency of George W. Bush, and a modest size residual force will be there for years to come. And that is a best-case scenario, as articulated by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday after Bush announced plans for more modest troop cuts by mid-July. "One of the sad aspects of war is there is no script," Gates told reporters. "That history hasn't been written yet. And the enemy has a vote." "I can tell you what my hope is. My hope is that the situation continues to develop, as it has, for the last several months, as we anticipate it will for the next several months, though the end of the year." If it does, he said, US force levels would
go down to about 100,000 troops, or from 20 combat brigades to
10, by the time a new president takes office in January 2009.
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General admits Iraq war mistakes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/09/14/pace.iraq/index.html If U.S. General Peter Pace knew now what
he knew then, he might have made some different decisions before
the start of the Iraq war in 2003, the outgoing chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters Friday. |
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U.S. Democratic presidential
candidates hold unprecedented Internet debate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2007-09-14 06:04:34 Print read at source> http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/14/content_6720069.htm WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- All eight U.S. Democratic presidential candidates held their first Internet-based debate Thursday. Co-sponsored by Internet search engine Yahoo, the Slate online magazine and the Huffington Post blog, the so-called "mashup" is widely regarded as an unprecedented event because viewers can choose video clips of the candidates to watch. For the first time, they can tailor the debate to their specific interests and line up clips of candidates so they can directly compare them on the same issue. The questions for the Democratic candidates were posed via satellite link-up by TV talk-show host and debate moderator Charlie Rose. The three topics of the debate -- Iraq, healthcare and education -- were chosen in an online poll on Yahoo in which more than 100,000 people voted. The online debate was aimed to engage web
users, particularly young people, who would not sit through a
90-minute traditional TV debate. |
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Presidential Candidates on
Health Care -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iCuWwRgWCiIEtApLVsrE6aXMnYwg Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton rejoins the health care debate in earnest Monday with a plan to expand coverage. Positions of other presidential candidates: DEMOCRATS: _Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: Expand health
insurance to cover all children and to make catastrophic care
available for all; look to states for ideas on moving toward
universal coverage. |
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Democrats Push a Tactic to
Shift Iraq Plan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and DAVID S. CLOUD read at source> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/washin....rld&oref=slogin WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 — Now that President
Bush and Gen. David H. Petraeus have charted their course for
the Iraq war, Democrats in the Senate say one of their proposals
aimed at shifting the president’s strategy is finally close
to winning enough Republican support for a real chance at being
approved. It would require that troops spend as much time at
home as on their most recent tours overseas before being redeployed. |
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Behind an Antiwar Ad, a Powerful
Liberal Group -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By MICHAEL LUO and JEFF ZELENY read at source> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/washington/15moveon.html?ref=business There is no mistaking the influence of
MoveOn.org, with its 3.2 million members and powerful fund-raising
apparatus, within the Democratic Party. |
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Official says US nuclear experts'
talks with North Korea positive -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/16/asia/AS-GEN-Koreas-Nuclear.php SEOUL, South Korea: Talks between North Korea and a U.S.-led team of experts were "businesslike" and "positive," an official said, raising hopes for a firm deal on how to disable the North's nuclear facilities at upcoming arms talks. South Korea's No. 2 nuclear negotiator, Lim Sung-nam, made the remark Saturday after he was briefed by the U.S. nuclear experts following their return from a five-day trip to North Korea. "The talks between the U.S. and the
North this time were conducted in a businesslike manner in a
very positive atmosphere," Lim told reporters. "Additional
consultations and a decision are expected at next week's six-party
talks." |
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Former Fed chair Greenspan
criticizes Bush in book -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News....how/2373200.cms WASHINGTON: Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in a memoir to be released on Monday criticized President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans for abandoning fiscal discipline and for putting politics ahead of sound economics. In his book, "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World," Greenspan said he was surprised Bush was unwilling to temper his campaign promises with fiscal reality once elected in 2000, as previous Republican administrations had done. "Little value was placed on rigorous
economic policy debate or the weighing of long-term consequences,"
he said. The book was made available by its publisher, The Penguin
Press. |
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Democrats plot new anti-war
assault -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agence France-Presse read at source> http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnew....rticle_id=88876 WASHINGTON -- Anti-war Democrats this week launch a new search for 60 Senate votes, the magic and so far elusive threshold needed to challenge President George W. Bush's strategy to prolong the Iraq war. Despite grabbing control of Congress last
November, Democrats have repeatedly failed in their attempts
to accept binding deadlines for the withdrawal of most combat
troops in the war-torn nation. |
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Gates hopes for troop level
cuts in Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AP, WASHINGTON AND BAGHDAD read at source> http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2007/09/16/2003379036 The US defense secretary said he hoped US troop levels in Iraq could be cut to 100,000 by the end of next year, well beyond the cuts US President George W. Bush has approved, while an al-Qaeda front group warned it would hunt down Sunni Arab tribal leaders who cooperate with the US and its Iraqi partners. Stressing that he was not expressing an administration plan but only his hopes, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said it was possible that conditions in Iraq would improve enough to merit much deeper troop cuts than currently are scheduled for next year. Asked at a news conference on Friday whether
he was suggesting that today's level of about 169,000 US troops
might be lowered to about 100,000 by the end of next year, Gates
replied: "That would be the math." |
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Democrats draw record crowd -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/election2008/2007/09/democrats-draw-.html "This my idea of a surge," Harkin said as he took the stage before a record crowd of 12,000. The previous record of 11,000 was set in
1996. Then they took seats on a grassy hillside
to watch the speeches, on an open air stage set in front of an
American flag and farm equipment. |
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In Iowa, Democrats voice ‘08
bravado -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Presidential contenders play to confident
yet cautious crowd Tom Curry/ MSNBC.com read at source> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20810780/ National affairs writer
INDIANOLA, Iowa - When six Democratic presidential
contenders exhorted a crowd of several thousand Iowa Democrats
Sunday, it didn’t take much to lift their buoyant mood.
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In Iowa, Democrats Eat Steak
and Look for Votes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By JEFF ZELENY read at source> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/17/us/politics/17steak.html?_r=1&oref=slogin INDIANOLA, Iowa, Sept. 16 — With a
blue “Hillary” sticker fastened to the left side of
her blouse, a white “Obama” sticker on the right and
an “Edwards” sign tucked beneath her arm, Patty Walsh
is the object of considerable attention from Democratic presidential
hopefuls. |
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Democrats in Senate returning
to immigration -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/....0,3112671.story WASHINGTON - Months after Congress failed to pass a broad immigration overhaul, lawmakers are quietly returning to the issue, discussing narrower measures dealing with illegal immigrants and low-skilled laborers. As early as this week, Senate Democrats
are to introduce an amendment that would give conditional legal
status to young illegal immigrants. |
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US Democrats Step Up Pressure
for Change of Iraq Policy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-09-17-voa65.cfm Democratic congressional leaders made new appeals Monday for minority Republicans to abandon President Bush's military strategy in Iraq. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, one of the president's harshest critics in the House of Representatives shed some more light on his party's legislative approach in coming weeks, as the Senate began consideration of defense legislation and expected Iraq-related amendments.
John Murtha, 17 Sep 2007 |
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Democrats Outline Tax Approach --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
read at source> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119015768028631704.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Eager to avoid being branded old-style tax-and-spend liberals, the Democratic presidential candidates are starting to roll out detailed proposals to cut taxes for millions of Americans. But unlike the across-the-board cuts being
floated in the Republican field, these are aimed only at lower-
and middle-income households, often crafted narrowly as credits
for specific expenses, like purchasing health insurance or buying
a home. |
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Democrats to Revisit Medicare
Provisions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119016642904131977.html?mod=googlenews_wsj WASHINGTON -- Cuts in Medicare payments to private health insurers won't be included in a children's health bill Democrats hope to send to President Bush next week, but a top senator is vowing to return to the issue later in the year. House Democrats, under heavy pressure to reach final agreement with the Senate and send a bill to Mr. Bush before Sept. 30, when the children's health program is due to expire, have agreed to drop Medicare-related provisions they approved in their chamber's version of the bill. But Sen. Max Baucus (D., Mont.), the chairman
of the Senate committee ... |
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Democrats lead way on health
insurance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/19/Opinion/Democrats_lead_way_on.shtml This should be the presidential election
that pushes health care to the top of the national agenda. The
number of uninsured Americans has risen to more than 47-million,
including more than 3.6-million Floridians. Those who do have
coverage often struggle to pay for it, as health care costs continue
to rise faster than inflation and income. The question should
not be whether there should be universal coverage but how to
get there. |
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Military Donors Surge for
Democrats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.docuticker.com/?p=16457 Assessed favorably this week by the war’s
lead general, the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq appears to
be causing a surge of another sort—and one that’s not
positive for President Bush or the Republican Party. Since the
start of the Iraq war in 2003, members of the U.S. military have
dramatically increased their political contributions to Democrats,
marching sharply away from the party they’ve long supported.
In the 2002 election cycle, the last full cycle before the war
began, Democrats received a mere 23 percent of military members’
contributions. So far this year, 40 percent of military money
has gone to Democrats for Congress and president, according to
the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Anti-war presidential
candidates Barack Obama and Ron Paul are the top recipients of
military money. |
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The Democrats Should Have
Walked Out -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=26254 Before a single Democrat condemns MoveOn's ad, they should insist that George W. Bush and the Republican Party repudiate the anti-military smears on war heroes that have been the hallmark of Mr. Bush's political career. ... .. - Paul Begala
A little good old political theater is what was in order today. Senate majority leader Harry Reid should have gathered Democrats together and when the Cornyn amendment came up they all should have walked out. Then on the Capitol steps Reid should have given a short speech on Republicans voting against the Webb amendment, which actually aided the troops, and that while soldiers are dying in battle he would not allow the Senate to be used for a political show. Not on his watch. End tape. But that was not to be. John Edwards didn't have the spine to stand up to the wingnut attacks, any more than he had the nerve to speak out against MoveOn.org himself. He sent his wife out to do it for him. Now Barack Obama, when the moment to prove leadership was ripe, walked out of the Senate chamber and ducked his responsibility to be counted. One congressman from California showed more spine than Edwards and Obama combined.
"I commend MoveOn for their ad and for speaking truth to power," said Stark. "Up is not down, the earth is not flat, and the surge is not working. General Petraeus betrayed his own reputation by standing with George Bush in opposition to the timely withdrawal of all of our brave men and women from Iraq. I thank MoveOn for their patriotic ad and call on Petraeus to help Bush end a war the President should have never started." - Pete Stark I've said it before, so it's time to quote someone else saying the same thing. Take it away Jane:
The only one who got this right was Hillary Clinton. She’s been on the receiving end of mock right wing outrage before, she knows how it works and she didn’t get played by the typical GOP charade that even THEY aren’t sincere about. Every word coming out of their mouths on the floor of the Senate this morning was pure santcimonious hypocrisy, dancing on the head of a pin as they tried to distinguish between this and the outrageous things it was perfectly okay to say about Abizaid or Kerry or Max Clelland. But thanks to the willingness of human Gumby dolls like Bill Richardson, Barack Obama and John Edwards who thought it best to bow down before the right wing when it gets its bluster on, the PR blitz nobody would have otherwise cared about kept gaining momentum until it reached this shocking abrogation of free speech with the help of 25 Democrats. I should actually qualify that — it wasn’t Edwards who bagged MoveOn, he had his wife do it. I suppose that’s better somehow. Maybe not as good as Barack “I never met a fight I couldn’t duck” Obama who was there to vote on the Boxer Amendment, but couldn’t be bothered to stick around and vote against Cornyn. But close. ... .. Bipartisan Warm and Fuzzy Condemnation of MoveOn
It's hard for the partisans, the people in their respective presidential campaign camps to take it, because I've not seen any evidence that any of them can handle the truth. They're blinded by their own political choices. But those of us without a dog in the primary fight can see it clearly. The truth is that when things get tough in these types of battles only certain people understand what the fight is really about. Believe it or not there is something bigger at stake than your own personal political fortunes. Like Clinton or hate her, there is one thing that is incontrovertible. She can smell a right-wing smear campaign a mile away and there is no way she's going to fall for it. The trap was laid a long time ago, but it had nothing to do with the MoveOn.org ad. It was about pimping a political campaign targeting Democrats, with Republicans reaching in to grab the hearts of Americans hoping to get them on board for one more fight for Mr. Bush. It was about reaching people's emotions with that tired old snapping towel that Democrats do not support the troops, look at this negative ad! See. See. That the Cornyn vote came on the heels of the Webb amendment going down was naked proof of the Republican hypocrisy. Still some Democrats fell for it, collapsing in tired, old fear of what Republicans might do to them come election time. Let's see how they handle it when no one is there to come to their aid, because believe it, they could be next. Even Harry Reid voted against the Cornyn amendment. Bush knew exactly how to play some of the Democrats, and he gathered his minions to get it done. This from a man who didn't have the time to serve his own Guard duty. He doesn't care about General Petraeus. This is a save his legacy campaign. But if there's one thing Republicans know how to do it's stick together. They may have to hold their nose to do it, but getting Democrats is always more important than each of their personal political agendas. Hillary Clinton gets it. Even in the middle of a brutal attack launched by Rudy Giuliani, which will only get worse because of her vote today, Clinton stood up, stood proudly and cast a vote against the Cornyn charade. No doubt she remembers well when Democrats wanted to flee from Bill Clinton during the Lewinski witch hunt. No one sanctioned what her husband did, least of all her. But Hillary knew what was at stake and what Republicans were really after, so she didn't flinch, gathered herself and the Democratic party and fought back against the right-wing who was after only one thing, same as they were today. Power. Never give in. Never give up. And above
all else know who is the real enemy. Clinton knows -- as sure
as she saved Bill Clinton's presidency -- that the enemy of Democrats
is not MoveOn.org. Today Clinton proved why she's the frontrunner.
She left the boys in the dust. |
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Rather: Government influencing
newsrooms --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RPK3I80.htm Dan Rather said Thursday that the undue influence of the government and large corporations over newsrooms spurred his decision to file a $70 million lawsuit against CBS and its former parent company. "Somebody, sometime has got to take
a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with
the level of big corporate and big government interference and
intimidation in news," he said on CNN's "Larry King
Live." |
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Commerce secretary wants more
free trade --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CORAL GABLES, Fla. read at source> http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8RPDF6G0.htm The United States should approve free trade deals with Colombia, Panama and Peru, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Thursday. The Bush administration currently has three,
separate free trade deals pending with the countries and another
with South Korea, but there is considerable opposition to the
deals with Colombia and South Korea. |
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Sarkozy: Toughen Iran sanctions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/09/20/france.iran/index.html PARIS, France (CNN) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that he will seek tougher U.N. sanctions on Iran for continuing to produce nuclear fuel, but backed away from his foreign minister's warning that Europe should prepare for war.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday that European nations "must prepare ourselves for the worst." Speaking in a joint interview with French television networks TF1 and France 2, Sarkozy said it is clear that Iran "is trying to equip itself with a nuclear bomb." But he said diplomatic pressure has spurred other countries to give up nuclear weapons programs before. "How can we convince them to renounce this project, like the international community convinced Libya and North Korea? By discussion, dialogue and sanctions," he said. Sarkozy said he will lobby for tougher
sanctions on Iran when he attends the U.N. General Assembly session
in New York next week. |
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Bush Accidentally Reveals
GOP Campaign Message for 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Democratic and Republican parties are complete organizational opposites, which makes it hard for Democrats to understand what Republicans are doing. The Democratic Party is a franchise operation - anyone can come along and run on the Democratic Party line, as long as they come up with their own financing. The Republican Party is a top-down corporation - to run for office, you have to get "hired" by the corporate bosses. They provide the funding, the staff, the ads, and the talking points - you just go out and repeat it ad nauseum. Of course neither party has chosen its 2008 presidential candidate yet. On the Democratic side, that means anything could happen. It also means the campaign plan will not be written until the candidate is chosen. But that's not true on the Republican side - they already have their plan written. And on Friday, a reporter managed to persuade George Bush into revealing one key element: the main campaign message and GOP points of attack. I added (numbers) to highlight them. read at source> http://www.democrats.com/bush-accidentally-reveals-gop-campaign-message-for-2008 |
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Dems focus on healthcare in
Iowa debate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/111871.html DAVENPORT, Iowa, Sept. 21 The Democratic presidential debate in Davenport, Iowa, was dominated by the healthcare issue. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., argued at the AARP-sponsored
debate that the plans forwarded by the Democratic candidates
are all similar, and the real concern is having the proper leader
to fight challenges from insurance companies and other opponents,
The Des Moines Register reported Friday. |
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Congress OKs bill giving new
power to FDA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch read at source> http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/co....D&dist=hplatest WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Congress has
approved a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration more
authority to police prescription drugs, with a unanimous vote
from the Senate Thursday following strong House approval earlier
in the week. |
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Agriculture Secretary Johanns
Resigns to Seek Senate Seat -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2007/2007-09-20-091.asp (ENS) - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has resigned the Cabinet post he has held since January 2005 to return to his home state of Nebraska, where he is plans to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Charles Conner will take over as acting secretary. Announcing the change today, President
George W. Bush said Johanns brought "focus and energy"
to the Department of Agriculture. "He was a champion of
renewable fuels. He expanded the Department's commitment to conservation.
He worked endlessly to open up foreign markets for American beef.
He provided timely assistance to farmers and ranchers devastated
by natural disasters," the president said. |
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Celebrities mark world peace
day at United Nations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKN2118204820070921 UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Conductor Daniel Barenboim, Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, Japanese-American violinist Midori Goto and Olympic equestrian Princess Haya of Jordan were named U.N. messengers of peace on Friday. They join actor Michael Douglas, conservationist
Jane Goodall, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and author Elie Wiesel as special
messengers of peace for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. |
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Jena rally moves race into
presidential race -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-uscamp0921,0,6673228.story WASHINGTON - With images of 1960s-style protests being aired from a Deep South town Thursday, the Jena 6 case involving black teenagers arrested for beating a white schoolmate has tossed a political hand grenade into the race for the White House. It is one that Democratic front-runners
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama -- whose party has traditionally
depended on a civil rights agenda more than Republicans -- have
been slow to pick up, analysts say. |
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US to start accepting 1,000
Iraqi refugees a month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21262364.htm WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The United
States expects to have taken in about 1,700 refugees from war-torn
Iraq by the end of this month and will resettle 1,000 Iraqis
a month beginning in mid-October, U.S. officials said on Friday.
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Bait and Switch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Republican noise machine is working hard at distracting America. They think that by attacking what we say, they can ignore the facts. And the mainstream media continues to follow along. Last week, the Wall Street Journal attacked DFA. And with all the clamor about Petraeus vs. "Betray-Us", every right-wing nut from Bill O'Reilly to FOX news to Rush Limbaugh is screaming that Democrats like you are traitors. They know that Bush's claims about Iraq don't hold water, so they're trying to change the debate. Don't fall for this bait and switch! America is clear on what Congress must do. No matter how many times the media comes after us, we will not relent in our campaign to Fund Withdrawal, Not the War. Don't let the truth get twisted. Your $15 contribution gives DFA the resources to get our message out and end this war: https://contribute.democracyforamerica.com/fundwithdrawal The Republican noise machine thinks it can turn the debate on Iraq into a game of he said-she said and ignore the facts. While they are playing at distraction, DFA members nationwide are taking real action. Last week from Sacramento, CA to Wichita,
KS to Dover, NH, DFA members organized "Tell the Truth"
rallies outside their local news stations to demand that |
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Precinct Organizing: Recruiting
Your Team -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Tuesday, more than 800 people came together for our free conference call training on the power of neighbor-to-neighbor organizing. It is not too late to join in and learn how to develop power for change in your neighborhood. Tonight, DFA Night School returns to teach how to recruit and build a committed team of activists in your neighborhood: Precinct Organizing: Recruiting Your Team RSVP Today: With 203,000 neighborhood precincts in
America, developing a strategy to win them all is no small feat.
And you don't have to do it alone. Our strategy builds a progressive
community in every neighborhood. Tuesday evening we'll reveal
the |
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Cooking The Books -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Petraeus read from the White House stay-the-course talking points during his report to Congress earlier this week. You and the rest of America already know how Congress should handle this report: Fund Withdrawal, Not the War! Call both of your Senators right now through the Senate switchboard operator and make sure they support your message: (202) - 244-3121 Please report after your calls: http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/CallReport Petraeus claimed a 75% reduction of violence since the surge started and used multiple cherry-picked statistics to spin the White House's case. How did they cook the books? For starters, they changed the definition of violence: The Los Angeles Times reports that people
killed in car bombings don't count.¹ After you call both of your Senators, please report your call: http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/CallReport Republicans can claim that funding withdrawal
hurts the troops, but America |
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bush along on denying healthcare
to children -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://majorityleader.house.gov/docUploads/RGovernorsSCHIP.pdf Republican Governors Abandon Bush Over
SCHIP; Some recent comments from Republican Governors
in support of SCHIP: |
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Pelosi: ‘President Should
Support Bipartisan SCHIP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://speaker.house.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0325 Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a press conference in her office in the Capitol this afternoon to respond to President Bush’s comments this morning on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Below are her opening remarks: “President Bush should support the
bipartisan SCHIP legislation for 10 million reasons –the
10 million children who will receive health care coverage should
this bill become law. |
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Majority Leader Hoyer's Statement
on the President -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after President Bush again threatened to veto bipartisan legislation to extend health insurance to children who have none: “On yet another issue – this time the extension of the children’s health insurance program – it seems that President Bush is obstinately determined to defy the will of the American people and to veto carefully crafted, responsible legislation that is supported by bipartisan majorities of the House and Senate and the state’s governors. “I am very hopeful that Congress will send this bipartisan legislation extending the children’s health insurance program to the President’s desk next week and I urge the President to reconsider his threatened veto. This legislation will continue to cover the 6 million children who currently participate in the program, and an additional 4 million eligible kids who today have none. The question before the President really comes down to this: Will you stand with American children who through no fault of their own are uninsured, or will you go back on your own campaign promise and deny them coverage? “I urge the President to work with
us to extend this critical health insurance program. It is long
past time that the President realize the American people spoke
loudly and clearly last November and want him to work with Congress
rather than issue inflexible edicts.” |
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Clyburn Responds to President
Bush on Children's Healthcare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, September 20, 2007 read at source> http://majoritywhip.house.gov/press/2007/09/20/bush_childrens_healthcare/ Washington, D.C. – House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn released the following statement today in response to President Bush’s press conference on legislation to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). “I was disappointed to hear the President
restate his threat to veto the children’s health care reauthorization
act, considering his campaign promise was to increase the enrollment
of children under the program. It’s time he join the 43
Republican and Democratic Governors, the 270 national organizations
and the hundreds of lawmakers in Congress to reauthorize and
strengthen SCHIP to provide health care coverage for 10 million
American children.” |
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Response to President Bush
on FISA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1982 WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today in response to comments made by President Bush at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade: “Congressional Democrats believe our number one responsibility is to keep the American people safe. To that end, we are working on a new and improved measure to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to give the intelligence community the tools it needs to closely monitor terrorists while protecting the basic rights of U.S. citizens as enshrined in our Constitution. “The President continues to act as
if the two are mutually exclusive goals, and is pushing Congress
to renew a seriously flawed bill. Democrats know we can protect
Americans from terrorism at the same time that we protect their
rights.” |
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House Democrats Discuss College
Cost Reduction Act -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1983 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I have worked with countless students struggling to afford their college education,” said Congressman Bishop, a former college administrator. “My desire to help them and their families was one of the main reasons I entered public service. This bill places the needs of students and their parents ahead of the profits of lenders and in so doing increases access and affordability for the millions of Americans who seek a college education.” “We should not underestimate the impact that the College Cost Reduction and Access Act will have on people’s lives, both the students who are taking on this additional debt now and their families who are helping their children pay for college,” said Congressman Altmire. “Congress is making a substantial investment in education in this country by providing students with more dollars to pay for their tuition in the form of loans and grants and by ensuring that the burden of debt doesn’t become overwhelming after they graduate.” “A college education is more than just a diploma – it represents the pathway to a better life and an important part of the American dream,” Congressman Murphy said. “This bill opens doors to educational opportunities that currently cost too much for too many students and families. But this legislation is about more than simply cutting costs – it’s about making a smart, sensible investment in our future, and casting my vote in favor of this legislation was a no-brainer.” “With daunting student loan debt, there is not enough incentive for new graduates to choose a life of public service,” said Rep. Sarbanes, a member of the Education and Labor Committee. “We are seeing a trend where the best and brightest choose to enter the workforce in a place where they can be assured debt relief assistance or a salary that allows them to repay loans quickly. Today, public service is not that place. This will make it easier for many graduates to pursue a career of service.” The College Cost Reduction Act is the largest
investment in higher education in 60 years, and will provide
billions of dollars in assistance to students and their families
at no new cost to taxpayers. As college costs have increased
by nearly 40% over the past five years, this legislation will
make a college education more affordable for millions of students
by cutting interest rates on subsidized student loans, providing
tuition assistance to students who commit to teaching in public
schools in high-poverty communities or needed subject areas,
and providing loan forgiveness for public service workers after
ten years of loan payments. |
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Statement on Passage of Terrorism
Risk Insurance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1981 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “This very important legislation strikes a critical balance between the responsibilities of private insurers and the federal government in the event of a catastrophic terrorist attack on our nation. “In fact, this legislation recognizes that our nation’s best interests are served when our federal government serves as a backstop for private insurers in the event of a terrorist attack. This legislation will help stabilize our economy if a national crisis does occur, will spur commercial development and will help prevent an industry-wide catastrophe in the event of a terrorist attack. “All of us recognize that our entire nation was the object of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and as a result the risk of terrorism should be dealt with at the national level not solely the private insurance markets. “Specifically, this bill authorizes TRIA for 15 years, covers both domestic and foreign terrorism, and includes acts of nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological terrorism. In addition, the bill adds group life insurance to the types of insurance for which terrorism coverage must be made available by insurers. “I am pleased that we were able to
pass this important legislation – which affects our national
security and ability to address a crisis – in a bipartisan
manner. Frankly, some of the arguments made against this bill
seem strained, and based upon an unwillingness to recognize the
role of the federal government if an act of terrorism occurs.” |
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Statement on Cloture Vote
in Senate on DC Voting Rights Bill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1978 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the Senate failed to reach cloture to move to consideration of the DC Voting Rights Bill: "I am disappointed, but not discouraged by today’s vote in the Senate. "I would like to thank all of those Senators who stood with the House of Representatives in supporting the right to representation for the citizens of Washington, DC. I would also like to thank Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Tom Davis for all of their hard work on this bill. "We will not give up. We will not stand by while our young men and women are fighting to ensure that the people of Baghdad can vote, while the people of DC remain disenfranchised. "Eleanor Holmes Norton represents Washington, DC very well and with energy, but she, or whoever represents Washington, should have a full vote if we are to be true to our democracy. "Those who argue this is unconstitutional because the vote can only be extended to citizens of the states should remember that everyone living in Washington, DC is in fact a successor of my home state of Maryland, which ceded land to create the District of Columbia. "Democracy has not been dissuaded
today – just delayed. This is the right thing to do." |
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Democrats’ Sweeping Lobbying
and Ethics Reform Becoming Law -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1975 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today in response to the Honest Leadership, Open Government Act of 2007, being signed into law by President Bush:
“This landmark legislation not only will usher in sweeping changes in the way that Washington does business, but it demonstrates that Democrats are keeping one of our key promises to the American people - to end the Republican culture of corruption.
“This law will increase transparency in campaign contributions to Members, put an end to the influence peddling K-Street Project, increase public disclosure of lobbyist activities and Member travel and financial records, and deny taxpayer-funded pension benefits to Members convicted of corruption.
“Notably, this bipartisan legislation has received praise from Congress’s toughest critics on ethics, including being lauded as ‘big-time fundamental reforms’ and the most sweeping reform since Watergate.
“Democrats understand that making
sure Washington serves the people’s interests and not the
special interests is not achieved with the enactment of one law,
and we will continue our efforts to ensure the people’s
trust in Congress and the integrity of our legislative process.” |
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Statement on the Administration's
Benchmark Assessment Report -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1973 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today regarding the Bush Administration’s Benchmark Assessment Report, in which the Administration claims the Iraqi government is making “satisfactory” progress toward meeting nine of 18 key benchmarks:
“It is no surprise that the Bush White House is trying to paint a far rosier picture of Iraqi progress on key benchmarks than is justified by the reality on the ground. In fact, just this month, the independent Government Accountability Office reported that the Iraqi government is failing to meet 15 of 18 benchmarks, and political reconciliation is virtually non-existent. Underscoring those findings, just yesterday, a key Sunni tribal leader who was cooperating with American forces was assassinated and negotiations on Iraq’s draft oil revenue sharing law reportedly fell apart.
“Day after day, the American people see and hear evidence that the President’s policy is failing – despite incessant cheerleading by Administration officials. It is no wonder that the Administration’s credibility is in tatters and the President largely looked to his top General to sell his stay-the-course strategy. But, in disconcerting testimony, even General Petraeus testified this week that he does not know if the sacrifice our nation is making in Iraq will make us safer, and Ambassador Crocker could not offer real assurances that we will achieve success in Iraq.
“President Bush, in his address last
night and this report today, offers no convincing reason to support
staying the course. Democrats will continue to fight for a strategic
redeployment of our troops, so that we can rebuild our strained
military and focus on fighting the terrorists who threaten our
security. We urge Congressional Republicans to join us in pursuing
a new strategy that will make our nation safer.” |
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Majority Leader Hoyer Responds
to President’s Speech -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1972 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight in response to the President’s speech:
“The only thing President Bush made clear tonight is that he is determined to keep up to 130,000 troops in Iraq until at least January 20, 2009 – the day he leaves office – and to potentially leave America mired in Iraq’s civil war for many more years to come.
“President Bush held out a limited troop withdrawal as a significant shift to a nation demanding a new direction. In fact, it is not a change in direction, an indication of a successful strategy, or a response to the American people. It is simply a bow to the reality that there are not enough troops to maintain the surge. And, it means America’s position in Iraq will be the same in July 2008 as it was in January 2007 – when the surge began.
“The President proposes to stay-the-course despite the fact that this week General Petraeus testified that he does not know if our sacrifices in Iraq are making the nation safer and Ambassador Crocker conceded that the ‘surge’ has resulted in limited to no political progress. In an effort to gain support for this misguided strategy, President Bush once again misleadingly linked the war in Iraq to 9/11 and the war against terrorists, even though Iraq had no role in 9/11 and General Petraeus testified this week that ethno-sectarian violence is the main enemy, not al-Qaeda.
“President Bush offered no convincing
reason tonight to support staying-the-course. Democrats will
continue to fight for a strategic redeployment of our troops,
so that we can rebuild our strained military and focus our nation’s
strength on fighting the terrorists around the world who threaten
our security. We ask Congressional Republicans to join us in
pursuing a new strategy that will make our nation safer.” |
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Statement on Iraq Meeting
at the White House -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1970 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON - House Majority Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today following the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Leadership meeting with President Bush and reports that he would remove 30,000 troops from Iraq next summer: "The President is clearly determined to stay-the-course in Iraq, and is not swayed by the readiness crisis in our Armed Forces, the potentially negative consequences for our nation's security, or the views of the American and Iraqi people. "The fact is that the military long ago made clear that due to the strain on our forces the 30,000 surge troops would need to be removed by the middle of next year. The President is simply bowing to reality, not responding to the American people or implementing a new strategy. This plan would simply leave us where we started when the surge began - 18 months later. Next summer would see America with 130,000 American troops policing a sectarian civil war and no guarantee that political reconciliation will have materialized. "Democrats will continue to push for
a real change in direction, a responsible redeployment of our
troops, and a refocus on the war on terror. We hope that Republicans
will join with us, instead of supporting the President's policy." |
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Statement on Petraeus and
Crocker Testimony -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://democraticleader.house.gov/in_the....sReleaseID=1968 WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today regarding the testimony given by General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees: "I appreciate the service and dedication to our country of both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. "However, the testimony they delivered today did not provide information that persuades me that the apparent decrease in violence, however much it may or may not be, has led to progress on the political front. It is widely agreed that political progress is the key to creating a stable Iraq. In addition, 70 percent of Iraqis believe that security has worsened since the surge began, which is a startling and important indicator. If the people we are in large part fighting for do not feel our strategy is making them safer, it is clearly time to re-evaluate. "I am also concerned that the General indicated that the surge could extend until next summer, despite the fact that the reality on the ground does not support such a decision. "I was disappointed that the testimony did not include more of a focus on creating a 'diplomatic surge' to engage the nations of the region and the world to help Iraq. I believe an intense diplomatic effort is a critical and missing component of helping Iraqis rebuild their country. "Finally, I agree with Chairman Skelton
and Chairman Lantos that our position in Iraq must be assessed
as part of our overall national security strategy. General Petraeus
testified that ethno-sectarian violence is the key problem in
Iraq, not al-Qaeda. Admiral Fallon, General Petraeus's superior,
also reportedly expressed concerns that Iraq is distracting from
important national security interests in the region. On the eve
of the sixth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks,
I believe it is clear that in the interest of our national security,
we must effect a strategic redeployment of our troops and refocus
our efforts on the war on terror." |
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Hillary Clinton holds a convincing
lead among Democratic presidential candidates -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/286022.html Clinton This wasn’t supposed to be a cakewalk. But as the fall campaign begins, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is showing signs that she’s on top of the Democratic field to stay. Up 2-to-1 in many national polls, Clinton
leads convincingly in the early primary states of New Hampshire
and South Carolina. In first-in-the-nation Iowa, still viewed
as a three-way contest between Clinton, Barack Obama and John
Edwards, the New York senator led by five points in the two latest
polls, supplanting Edwards, who led last winter and spring. |
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Edwards gives his plans for
school reform -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press read at source> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5155987.html Democratic presidential candidate John
Edwards rolled out a program for reforming primary education
in the United States on Friday, proposing to pay teachers up
to $15,000 more in high poverty areas and initiating universal
preschool. |
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Democrats Debate Health Care,
Senate Debates Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec07/sldebate_09-21.html As Democrats debated health care policy
Thursday night, the Senate hit a snag on the defense authorization
bill. Analysts Mark Shields and Rich Lowry discuss the week's
political news. |
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Numbers give Democrats edge
in 2008 Senate races -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Paul Steinhauser read at source> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/22/senate.2008/ WASHINGTON D.C. (CNN) -- It may not grab the headlines like the race for the White House, but the battle for the Senate is heating up.
Sens. John Warner of Virginia, left, and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska's retirements open up two key Senate races. Democrats took back both houses of Congress
last November, but they hold razor-thin majorities. In the Senate,
they hold a 51-49 margin. Their advantage in the House is a couple
of percentage points better, 233-202. |
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Democrats Back Clinton’s
Health Care Plan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://jasonmichael24.wordpress.com/2007....alth-care-plan/ Overwhelmingly Democrats are supporting
Hillary Clinton’s ability to reform the United States’
health care industry. According to a recent CBS poll, sixty-one
percent of those who plan to vote in a Democratic primary express
confidence in Clinton’s ability to make the right decisions
about health care. The majority of people see her previous failure
with health care reform as an asset rather than a liability.
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Democrats: Party of Detail
So Far in '08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i0hginvWtl4-XuQE911u_s0nusSQ WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson was discussing his health care plan recently when he paused to toss out a question and a request. "How will I pay for it? Ask me!" He was asked and quickly obliged with an answer. The Democrats who are running for president
are flush with policy proposals, position papers and fact sheets.
The leading Republican contenders, not so much. |
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U.S. Will Invite Syria to
Peace Conference -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By HELENE COOPER read at source> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/world/middleeast/24quartet.html?ref=middleeast UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 — The United
States will invite Syria to a regional Middle East peace conference
this fall, the Bush administration said Sunday, in an acknowledgment
that the road to peace between Arabs and Israelis cannot bypass
Damascus. |
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Study finds 89.6 million lacked
health insurance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jordy Yager, Los Angeles Times Staff
Writer read at source> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition....-news-a_section WASHINGTON -- -- More than one-third of
the people in the United States under the age of 65 had no health
insurance for some or all of 2006 and 2007, according to a study
released Thursday by Families USA, an advocacy group for the
uninsured. |
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Clinton: I won't fund Iraq
war without withdrawal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/23/clinton.iraq/ WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said Sunday she won't vote for any more money to support the four-year-old war in Iraq without a plan to start bringing U.S. troops home.
Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton greets people before speaking in Washington on September 17. "I've reached the conclusion that
the best way to support our troops is begin bringing them home,"
the New York senator and former first lady told CNN's "Late
Edition with Wolf Blitzer." |
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Majority Leader’s Statement
on the President’s Comments on the Budget --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement this morning concerning President Bush’s comments on the Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bills and federal spending:
“Given the record budget deficits and spiraling debt that were triggered by his policies over the last six and one-half years, President Bush simply has no credibility when it comes to the issue of fiscal responsibility.
“The fact is, the President and the then-Republican majorities in Congress increased federal spending at twice the rate of the Clinton Administration – leading former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to write in his new book that Washington Republicans had abandoned the principle of fiscal discipline. Thus, it’s no wonder the President is rightly defensive about his fiscal record, and clearly he is itching to veto appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2008 in a vain attempt to re-establish his bonafides with conservative groups.
“Today, however, Democrats in Congress are restoring fiscal discipline to our budget process. The spending levels in our appropriations bills are reasonable and responsible, helping us restore a balanced budget by 2012. In fact, Democrats are not now seeking to increase spending by unreasonable amounts; we are fighting to restore irresponsible cuts to key domestic programs that have been proposed by the President.
“The President needs to stop his political
posturing over FY08 appropriations. There is simply no reason
that we cannot sit down and negotiate reasonable compromises
on these bills.” |
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Democratic Presidential Candidates
Address Unions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.fox28.com/News/index.php?ID=25549 The three leading Democratic presidential candidates were doing their best to appeal to unions at a forum Tuesday in Chicago. Barack Obama and John Edwards addressed
crowds at the Change to Win labor conference. But Hillary Rodham
Clinton, who was also scheduled to appear, had to give her speech
by phone. Her plane was grounded in Arkansas. |
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What's new: White House says
Dems have turned radical on war -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/09/whats-new-15.html The Examiner -- White House says the presidential
campaign has turned Democrats radical: The newspaper continues
its series of excerpts from reporter Bill Sammon's new book.
"President Bush's chief of staff says White House officials
misjudged how much the presidential campaign would radicalize
the Democratic Party against the Iraq war. In an interview for
the new book, The Evangelical President, White House Chief of
Staff Josh Bolten said he and other administration officials
did not expect the Democratic presidential candidates to pull
their party so sharply to the left. 'A lot of us probably underestimated
the potency of presidential politics in all of this,' Bolten
told The Examiner in his West Wing office. 'The need of every
candidate to remain in good stead with the Democratic Party’s
left wing has pretty dramatically dragged not just the candidates,
but the whole party to the left.' Bolten said the phenomenon
has been accelerated by the fact that primary elections and caucuses
for the 2008 presidential cycle are scheduled earlier than ever
before, creating pressure on the candidates to pacify the party's
liberal base." |
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HOUSE FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 27 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.R. 3121 - Flood Insurance Reform and
Modernization Act of 2007 (Rep. Waters – Financial Services)
(Subject to a Rule)
H.R. 3567 - Small Business Investment Expansion
Act of 2007 (Rep. Altmire – Small Business) (Subject to
a Rule) |
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Bush 'lacks moral authority
to judge anyone' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 27 2007 at 01:03AM read at source> http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&....15441956C724733 New York - United States President George Bush lacks moral authority to judge other nations, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Wednesday, attacking the US leader as an arrogant liar. Perez Roque was responding to Bush's UN speech on Tuesday, when the US president called for "free speech, free assembly and ultimately free and competitive elections" in Cuba. "The long rule of a cruel dictator is nearing its end," said Bush, referring to ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro. "It was an embarrassing show,"
said Perez Roque. |
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GOP Says They'll Continue
Voter Suppression Tactic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted September 27, 2007. read at source> http://www.alternet.org/rights/63574/ The Republican Party plans to continue a legal tactic that targets the right to vote of likely Democrats -- often minorities. In 2004, Republicans used a Jim Crow-era tactic to target the voter registrations of a half-million likely Democratic voters -- often minorities -- for Election Day challenges in nine states, a national voting rights group has charged in a new report. "The intended effect of voter caging
operations is to suppress minority votes," Project Vote
said in its report, "Caging: A Fifty-Year History of Partisan
Challenges to Minority Voters. "Several court decisions
and occasional public comment by Republican officials lend support
to this conclusion." |
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A Presidential Candidate Dialogue
with John Edwards -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/cont....8dd408d52f2f817 The presidential campaign got another questionable new-media tweak with the first "dialogue" from MTV and MySpace featuring John Edwards at the University of New Hampshire on Thursday. The hour-long forum was streamed on MySpace and ChooseorLose.com, and also aired on MTV. Edwards was asked questions live by online viewers -- a twist on the pretaped variety offered by CNN and its collaboration with YouTube -- as well as instant audience polling on MySpace. The audience could choose among three positive options ("Good ideas," "Understands reality," or "Answered Question,") or three negative options ("Wrong Ideas," "Out of Touch," "Dodged Question"). The percentage clicking on each was displayed online and tallied on site by The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza. No wonder Edwards -- a liberal candidate visiting a liberal college in a liberal state -- scored well.
Of the audience voting in the non-scientifically conducted poll, 69% said that Edwards has "good ideas," when asked "What do you think about Senator Edwards' response(s) to ALL of the questions in this Presidential dialogue?" One percent said that he was "out of touch." Another 5% said that he has "the wrong ideas." Welcome to your Sally Field moment, Senator Edwards. They like you. They really like you. Leaving aside the marginal utility of such a real-time scoring system (only useful if all candidates are tracked in the same manner over several appearances), I found myself remembering fondly Bill Clinton's early appearances on MTV. I say fondly because those appearances were remarkable for demonstrating the power of connecting to the young voting demographic. But these days, it's as if we can't see beyond the youth demo. We can't help but connect to it in everything we do. And so every display of technological prowess -- and you're fooling yourself if you think this was anything other than a marketing gimmick -- shines with a veneer of pandering. How long until all the candidates are jockeying for increasingly esoteric techie firsts? Hillary first to podcast from a donkey! Obama first to Facebook from an iPhone! But here's the catch: This campaign season
and all the video that's been generated so far, it's all been
for show. It feels more like we're field-testing our technology
instead of our democracy. Nothing of this matters. Nothing except
November 2, 2008. |
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Iraq's Political Consequences -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/iraqs-political-conseque_b_65915.html Americans continue to see Iraq as the most important problem facing the United States. However, attitudes about Iraq are dramatically skewed by Party affiliation. A recent poll asked Americans for their views about the U.S. military effort in Iraq. 32 percent of the respondents identified as Democrats, 32 percent as Independents, and 27 percent as Republicans. Members of the President's Party were more likely to see signs of progress than were Democrats and Independents: 67 percent of Republicans felt the "U.S. is making progressing defeating the insurgents," while only 16 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Independents shared this sentiment. 59 percent of Republicans believed President Bush's troop surge is making things better in Iraq, but only 11 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of Independents shared this feeling. Thirteen months before the Presidential
election, the views of Republicans and Democrats are 180 degrees
apart. This divergence is reflected on four key issues that determine
U.S. Iraq policy. |
|
Democrats believe in diplomacy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2007/09/democrats-belie.html In the end, we know that Democrats believe
in diplomacy, some more directly and personally than others.
What is more interesting however is that Russert has given them
the chance to come out in strong support of Israel vis a vis
Iran, and so far only Obama and Richardson have annunciated that
it’s US policy to support Israel. Others—including
Clinton--ducked that point. People smarter than I will surely
tell you what that means in coming days and surely it's a tough
subject since the Israel/Syria thing is classified right now.
|
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Democrats Were Charged To
End A War, Not Start One -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Mike Gravel read at source> http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2007....by-mike-gravel/
Hillary Clinton was either misinformed or economical with the truth in Wednesday night’s debate when she responded to my challenge to her by saying the Senate’s resolution earlier in the day on Iran was designed to permit economic sanctions against individual members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. She and her staff should know the United Nations Security Council on March 24 already slapped economic sanctions on individual Guard Members. Like the Red Army in China, Iran allows Guard commanders to own and run private companies. Security Council Resolution 1747, which the United States voted for, froze financial assets held outside Iran on the seven military commanders, including General Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr and six other admirals and generals. I know of no law dictating the State Department must first designate individuals or groups as terrorists before sanctions can be imposed on them. Dozens of countries have been under U.S. unilateral sanctions that are not designated as terrorist. The U.S. first imposed sanctions on Iran in 1979 over the hostages, not terrorism. The only possible purpose of the Senate resolution asking the State Department to designate the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization is to set it up for military attack in George Bush’s war on terror. As Virginia senator Jim Webb valiantly said in the Senate, the United States has never before designated the military services of a sovereign state a terrorist group. Indeed, though there is international dispute over the definition of terrorism, there is little disagreement on the legal point that terrorists are non-state actors who target civilians, i.e., never members of a government. Governments can be guilty of war crimes, but not terrorism. And the resolution talks about attacks on American troops, not civilians. The hypocrisy of Hillary and the 75 other senators who called for more unilateral sanctions on Iran, was exposed Monday by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier who said, according to Spiegel Magazine, that American companies are violating existing U.S. sanctions by surreptitiously doing business with Iran through front companies in Dubai. Joe Lieberman wrote the resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq that was passed with Democratic support on October 11, 2002. Lieberman’s new resolution setting up a Bush-Cheney invasion of Iran passed by 76 to 22 with Democratic backing on September 26, 2007. These are two dates that will live in infamy in the 21st century. Led by Senator Clinton, it was another sad day for the Senate and for Senate Democrats, who were elected to the majority in November in order to end a war, not start a new one. Mike Gravel is a former US Senator from
Alaska and is currently running for the Democratic Nomination
for President. |
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HOUSE SCHEDULE MONDAY, OCTOBER
1, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The House will meet at 12:30 p.m. morning hour and at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until at least 6:30 p.m.
Suspensions (9 bills): 1) H.Con.Res. 185 - Commending the 1st
Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National
Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment
of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom
(Rep. Walz – Armed Services) 2) H.R. 2779 - To recognize the Navy UDT-SEAL
Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum
of Navy SEALS and their predecessors (Rep. Mahoney – Armed
Services) 3) H.Res. 691 - Commending the Wings Over
Houston Airshow for its great contribution to the appreciation,
understanding, and future of the United States Armed Forces,
the City of Houston, Texas, and Ellington Field (Rep. Lampson
– Armed Services) 4) H.Res. 640 – Honoring the sacrifices
and commitments of the men, women, and families of the United
States Transportation Command, and for other purposes (Rep. Costello
– Armed Services) 5) H.R. 2276 – To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at 203 North Main
Street in Vassar, Michigan, as the "Corporal Christopher
E. Esckelson Post Office Building" (Rep. Kildee – Oversight
and Government Reform) 6) H.R. 3325 - To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at 235 Mountain Road
in Suffield, Connecticut, as the "Corporal Stephen R. Bixler
Post Office" (Rep. Courtney – Oversight and Government
Reform) 7) H.R. 3382 - To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at 200 North William
Street in Goldsboro, North Carolina, as the "Philip A. Baddour,
Sr. Post Office" (Rep. Butterfield – Oversight and
Government Reform) 8) H.R. 3233 - To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at Highway 49 South
in Piney Woods, Mississippi, as the "Laurence C. and Grace
M. Jones Post Office Building" (Rep. Pickering – Oversight
and Government Reform) 9) H.R. 1124 - To extend the District of
Columbia College Access Act of 1999 (Rep. Davis (VA) – Oversight
and Government Reform)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2007 AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK On Tuesday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for morning hour and at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. On Friday, no votes are expected in the House.
Suspensions (14 bills): 1) S. 474 - A bill to award a congressional
gold medal to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. (Sen. Hutchison –
Financial Services) 2) H.Res. 657 - Expressing heartfelt sympathy
for the victims of the devastating thunderstorms that caused
severe flooding during August 2007 in the States of Illinois,
Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and for other purposes
(Rep. Walz – Transportation and Infrastructure) 3) H.R. 3068 - Federal Protective Service
Guard Contracting Reform Act of 2007 (Rep. Holmes Norton –
Transportation and Infrastructure) 4) S. 1612 – International Emergency
Economic Powers Enhancement Act (Sen. Dodd – Foreign Affairs) 5) H.R. 2003 - Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability
Act of 2007 (Rep. Payne – Foreign Affairs) 6) H.R. 2828 - To provide compensation
to relatives of United States citizens who were killed as a result
of the bombings of United States Embassies in East Africa on
August 7, 1998 (Rep. Jackson – Foreign Affairs) 7) H.R. 3432 - 200th Anniversary Commemoration
Commission of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Act of 2007 (Rep. Payne – Foreign Affairs) 8) H.Res. 635 – Recognizing the commencement
of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal,
and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the
world for their faith (Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson – Foreign
Affairs) 9) H.Res. 676 – Declaring that it
shall continue to be the policy of the United States, consistent
with the Taiwan Relations Act, to make available to Taiwan such
defense articles and services as may be necessary for Taiwan
to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen
– Foreign Affairs) 10) H.Con.Res. 203 – Condemning the
persecution of labor rights advocates in Iran (Rep. Kirk –
Foreign Affairs) 11) H.Res. 564 - Recognizing that violence
poses an increasingly serious threat to peace and stability in
Central America and supporting expanded cooperation between the
United States and the countries of Central America to combat
crime and violence (Rep. Engel – Foreign Affairs) 12) H.Con.Res. 200 – Condemning the
violent suppression of Buddhist Monks and other peaceful demonstrators
in Burma and calling for the immediate and unconditional release
of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi” (Rep. King (NY) – Foreign
Affairs) 13) H.R. 3571 – To amend the Congressional
Accountability Act of 1995 to permit individuals who have served
as employees of the Office of Compliance to serve as Executive
Director, Deputy Executive Director, or General Counsel of the
Office, and to permit individuals appointed to such positions
to serve one additional term (Rep. Brady – House Administration) 14) H.R. 3087 - To require the President,
in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of
Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military
leaders, to develop and transmit to Congress a comprehensive
strategy for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces in
Iraq (Rep. Tanner – Armed Services) H.R. 3246 - Regional Economic and Infrastructure
Development Act of 2007 (Rep. Oberstar – Transportation
and Infrastructure) (Subject to a Rule) H.R. 2740 – MEJA Expansion and Enforcement
Act of 2007 (Rep. Price (NC) – Judiciary) (Subject to a
Rule) H.R. 928 – Improving Government Accountability
Act (Rep. Cooper – Oversight and Government Reform) (Subject
to a Rule) H.R. 3648 - To amend the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 to exclude discharges of indebtedness on principal
residences from gross income (Rep. Rangel – Ways and Means)
(Subject to a Rule) |
|
MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE MAJORITY
LEADER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I addressed the National Press Club to discuss the differences between the Democratic-led Congress and President Bush on this year's appropriations bills; the stark comparison between Democrats and Republicans on fiscal responsibility; and the long-term fiscal challenges facing our nation. Majority Leader Hoyer addresses the National
Press Club today, The President's recent conversion to fiscal responsibility is made all the more disingenuous when reviewing his track record of the past six years. Upon coming into office, President Bush inherited a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion. As a result of his policies however, this projected surplus has turned into deficits as far as the eye can see. Spending has increased at a rate nearly twice that of the Clinton Administration, while revenues have grown much more slowly. Today, the national debt stands at $9 trillion, $3.3 trillion more than when Bush took office. Large amounts of money are paying interest on this debt, rather than being put toward schools, law enforcement, or building roads and bridges. When you look at the facts, it is clear that Democrats are the party of fiscal responsibility today. In one of our first acts in the Majority, we restored the pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budget rules that produced record surpluses under the Clinton Administration. We believe that it is immoral to force our children and our grandchildren to pay our bills. As a result, every bill we have passed this year adheres to PAYGO rules, and we passed a budget that will bring our nation's budget back to balance in 2012. On a final note, it is imperative that we get serious about our nation's long-term fiscal challenges. With millions of Baby Boomers set to retire, it is long past time to address the needs of Social Security and Medicare. In order to keep these two programs running successfully, we must put all options on the table. After President Bush's failure to lead on these issues, I hope to tackle them with the next occupant of the White House. As the new fiscal year begins on Monday, I hope the President will reconsider his threats to veto appropriations bills, as well as the Children's Health Insurance Program bill. I remain hopeful that we can sit down and come to an agreement on investing in America's priorities. Sincerely yours, STENY H. HOYER |
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Extremist Capitalism: The
Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life ' by
Robert B. Reich -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Terry Burnham, Special to The Times read at source> http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la....ome-middleright September 28, 2007 This spring, a Polish railway worker, Jan Grzebski, awoke from a 19-year coma. He was amazed to find himself in a democracy with a capitalist economy and high-quality consumer goods widely available. After reading "Supercapitalism" by Robert B. Reich, one suspects that had the author similarly awakened from a 19-year coma he would have looked past the positives and remarked in horror, "I see rich people . . . everywhere." In Reich's view, capitalism has triumphed
in the form of hyper-competitive markets, and the transformation
merits adding his new word, supercapitalism, to our lexicon.
This virulent strain of capitalism, he contends, produces better
products and higher stock market returns but comes at the cost
of inequality, uncertainty and a decline in democracy. This economic
pressure cooker squeezes companies toward ruthless penny-pinching,
decimates unions, degrades the environment and pushes government
further into the pockets of lobbyists. |
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U.S. general: Security contractors
use 'over-the-top' tactics in Iraq -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Mike Mount read at source> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/28/iraq.security/index.html WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Security contractors in Iraq use some over-the-top tactics and overreact at times, a top U.S. general in Iraq said Friday.
Members of a private security company prepare the way for a U.S. convoy in Baghdad, Iraq. Many in Iraq have witnessed security contractors operating in a questionable fashion, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief of staff for the Multi-National Corps in Iraq. "I can certainly say I've seen them
do some tactics that I thought were over the top. But that's
something we've got to keep working out," Anderson said
in a briefing to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Iraq. |
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FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY,
OCTOBER 1, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- House Meets At… Last Vote Predicted…
12:30 p.m.: Morning Hour 2:00 p.m.: Legislative Business
Unlimited “One Minutes” Per Side
Suspensions (9 bills): 1) H.Con.Res. 185 - Commending the 1st
Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National
Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment
of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom
(Rep. Walz – Armed Services) 2) H.R. 2779 - To recognize the Navy UDT-SEAL
Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum
of Navy SEALS and their predecessors (Rep. Mahoney – Armed
Services) 3) H.Res. 691 - Commending the Wings Over
Houston Airshow for its great contribution to the appreciation,
understanding, and future of the United States Armed Forces,
the City of Houston, Texas, and Ellington Field (Rep. Lampson
– Armed Services) 4) H.Res. 640 – Honoring the sacrifices
and commitments of the men, women, and families of the United
States Transportation Command, and for other purposes (Rep. Costello
– Armed Services) 5) H.R. 2276 – To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at 203 North Main
Street in Vassar, Michigan, as the "Corporal Christopher
E. Esckelson Post Office Building" (Rep. Kildee – Oversight
and Government Reform) 6) H.R. 3325 - To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at 235 Mountain Road
in Suffield, Connecticut, as the "Corporal Stephen R. Bixler
Post Office" (Rep. Courtney – Oversight and Government
Reform) 7) H.R. 3382 - To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at 200 North William
Street in Goldsboro, North Carolina, as the "Philip A. Baddour,
Sr. Post Office" (Rep. Butterfield – Oversight and
Government Reform) 8) H.R. 3233 - To designate the facility
of the United States Postal Service located at Highway 49 South
in Piney Woods, Mississippi, as the "Laurence C. and Grace
M. Jones Post Office Building" (Rep. Pickering – Oversight
and Government Reform) 9) H.R. 1124 - To extend the District of
Columbia College Access Act of 1999 (Rep. Davis (VA) – Oversight
and Government Reform) |
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Democrats Build Plan to Override
Health Bill Veto -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Democr....lth_Bill_Veto_2 Democrats and their allies mapped out a
strategy on Friday that they hoped would enable them to override
President Bush’s expected veto of a bipartisan bill providing
health insurance for 10 million children, most of them in low-income
families. |
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Democrats Plan to Override
Veto On Health Bill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://tothecenter.com/news.php?readmore=3200 On Friday, Congress Democrats met to map out a strategy to override President Bush's expected veto on a healthcare bill that will provide health insurance for over 10 million uninsured children. House and Senate Democrats sounded off on the bill. “It’s ironic that in the very same week that the president says he’s going to veto the bill because we can’t afford it, he is asking, what, for $45 billion more over and above his initial request for the war in Iraq, money that we know is being spent without accountability, without a plan for how we can leave Iraq," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, said, “This is all a matter of priorities: the cost of Iraq, $333 million a day; the cost of Schip, $19 million a day.” The bill, which passed in both the House
and Senate last week, would provide $60 billion for the program
over the next five years, up from the current $35 billion . This
past Wednesday, the administration said it was seeking $42 billion
more for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing
its total request to nearly $190 billion for the 2008 fiscal
year, which begins Monday, reports the New York Times. |
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House Democrats to Offer Resolution
Condemning Rush Limbaugh -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppa....g-rush-limbaugh The smear campaign against conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh will take a dramatic turn Monday if Greg Sargent of TPM Election Central is correct. According to a blog posting by Sargent
Friday evening, "Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) will be introducing
a resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday condemning
Rush Limbaugh for his ‘phony soldiers' remark." |
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Transcript: 2008 Political
Correspondents on 'FNS' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298661,00.html WASHINGTON — The following is a partial
transcript of the Sept. 30, 2007, edition of "FOX News Sunday
With Chris Wallace": |
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Democrats outpacing Republicans
in campaign fundraising -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- read at source> http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/203896.php With money the mother’s milk of politics, Republicans are heading into a major election cycle looking malnourished. Latest campaign filings indicate national Democrats are outpacing Republicans in the money race for next year’s congressional contests by a nearly 14-1 margin, an issue that could plague the GOP in three emerging political fights in Arizona. How big is the fundraising gap? |
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Gov wants free cancer care
for uninsured women -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 28, 2007 read at source> http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/578454,CST-NWS-health28.article Gov. Blagojevich on Thursday announced plans to provide free mammograms and breast cancer treatments to all uninsured women over age 40. The state also will offer free pelvic exams
and Pap tests to uninsured women over age 35, and pay for cervical
cancer treatments. |
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