Dumb or dishonest? Either way, Gonzo's gotta go

Kirk Caraway
July 29, 2007



I have a 4-year-old daughter who has an amazing gift for telling fanciful tales, making them up on the fly to fit any situation.

I'm thinking of loaning her storytelling services to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, since it's clear she tells much better stories than he does.

I'm not sure I can recall anything so irritatingly painful to watch as Gonzales' testimony before Congress last week.

A lot of attention is being paid to Gonzales' account of his 2004 nighttime hospital visit to see then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. Oh, he wasn't there to talk about the Terrorist Surveillance Program with an incapacitated Ashcroft, he was there to talk about another secret program he can't talk about, because it's classified. But of course he didn't talk about any classified material in an insecure hospital room in front of Ashcroft's wife. He would tell us more, but it's classified.

Too bad his account is being disputed by nearly everyone involved, including FBI Director Robert Mueller and then-acting AG James Comey. But what may be the final nail in his coffin is a document from the Director of National Intelligence at the time, John Negroponte, that disputes there was some other surveillance program under discussion.

In other words, if Gonzales really believes he was talking about a different secret program, then Ashcroft wasn't the only person in the room who was heavily medicated.

And while this part of Gonzales' testimony is the most legally troubling, I found another part even more disturbing.

Questioned by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) about the firing of U.S. Attorneys, Gonzales could not answer the basic questions of how many attorneys had been fired, or what they were fired for.

This scandal over the firing of these attorneys has been raging for months, has been the subject of several congressional hearings, has led to the resignations of six people, and even has Republicans calling for Gonzales to go.

You would think that given all that, Gonzales would have been prepared to answer such simple questions. His dodgy replies made him look like a complete imbecile in front of the entire country.

His testimony leaves only two possible conclusions. Either he is the most incompetent attorney to ever hold a government job, or he is hiding something so shocking and dangerous that he's willing to purposely destroy his reputation and even risk perjury charges to keep it secret.

My bet's on the latter.

If Gonzales were this incompetent, I can't see how even his good friend George W. Bush could stand by him. Not only is Bush resisting bipartisan pressure to fire Gonzales, he's giving him a strong vote of confidence, well beyond "Heckuva job, Brownie" status.

You've heard of honor among thieves. It works for liars, too.

At every turn, Bush and his associates are at war with the truth. The president's every utterance on the war in Iraq has to be sifted to remove the falsehoods. He gives Scooter Libby a get-out-of-jail-free card for his lies. Vice President Dick Cheney can't seem to pass up an open microphone without making up claims out of thin air. And the Attorney General, the person who is in charge of the department that prosecutes people for dishonesty, has become so outrageously dishonest that it's a wonder he hasn't been struck by lightening yet.

What Bush, Gonzales & Co. are learning now is the lesson of the boy who cried wolf, that after having been caught lying so many times, no one believes what they say, not even a sizable chunk of their own party. Whatever statements they make - even on important matters of war and national security - are open to increasing skepticism because they continue to abuse the truth, over and over.

That means at a very basic level, they have lost the ability to govern, to carry out policies, and to do the work of the people. We no longer have a viable president, vice president or attorney general. They are dead weight, an anchor on the ship of state that prevents moving forward and repairing the damage they have wrought. If they truly believed in the oath of office they took, they would lock themselves up in prison for the good of the country.

But since they are incapable of holding anyone accountable for their actions, they will continue along their merry, destructive way until Congress grows a backbone and impeaches the lot of them.

Help Give The IMPEACHMENT Movement Visibility

WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION WE CAN HAVE AN IMPEACHMENT BREAKOUT

The mainstream corporate media would like to pretend that there is
nothing going on, but a 15th member of the House just signed on to
Kucinich's H.Res. 333 to impeach Dick Cheney first. 95,000 people
have already voted in the National Cheney Impeachment Poll, and no
matter how many times Pelosi protests that impeachment is off the
table, we can drive it like a truck right through the front picture
window. And this is how we are going to do it.

We have already shipped 6,000 "IMPEACH CHENEY?" caps and we want
EVERYONE who has voted in the Cheney impeachment poll to have one, so
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President Cheney be Impeached," which is the question our democracy
must answer.

In reacting to testimony of Alberto Gonzales yesterday under oath,
Time magazine was moved to write the headline "Gonzales Digs a Deeper
Hole". It would appear the game plan is to try to lie their way
through the next 18 months, to run out the clock until they can all
pardon themselves on the way out the door. But the one revelation
that DID come out of the Senate hearing was that Vice President
Cheney, on top of everything else, had been given unprecedented
authority to intervene in justice department probes.

Just this last Friday the Cheney White House REFUSED to give a member
of Congress access to the classified portions of two of these recent
presidential directives. They won't even let our representatives SEE
the complete terms of SECRET unconstitutional orders they are rushing
to put in place. So what will it take to get Congress to debate these
things, and actually confront a White House that is now issuing royal
decrees at a record pace in the form of sweeping executive orders
that presume to have legislative weight?

The last question we CAN answer. What it will take for Congress to
act is for us to get out there, and make the impeachment movement
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ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO DENNIS KUCINICH IF YOU CAN

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New blow to Bush's legal chief | NEWS.com.au

New blow to Bush's legal chief | NEWS.com.au

By Stephen Collinson in Washington

July 27, 2007 10:42am

Article from: Agence France-Presse

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US DEMOCRATS have demanded a perjury probe against embattled US Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales, as the Senate whipped up a new legal row by subpoenaing White House political guru Karl Rove.

The double-pronged assault came as a senator investigating a scandal over fired federal prosecutors today said President George W. Bush was guilty of Nixon-style obstruction, prompting an angry White House counter-attack.

Mr Gonzales, one of Bush's closest aides, faced new demands for his resignation, and took another blow as the director of the FBI contradicted an element of his testimony during a tense senate committee hearing this week.

The Senate Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas against Mr Rove and Scott Jennings, deputy White House political director, to compel testimony in a row over prosecutors who Bush critics say were fired for political reasons.

A group of Democratic senators meanwhile asked Solicitor-General Paul Clement to open a perjury probe into Mr Gonzales's testimony during his Senate grilling on Tuesday.

"The attorney-general took an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.

"Instead, he tells the half-truth, the partial truth and everything but the truth - and he does it not once, not twice, but over and over and over again."

At the centre of the latest storm is a March 2004 meeting between White House aides and members of congress and a visit to the bedside of the then-seriously ill attorney-general John Ashcroft, while Mr Gonzales was a White House official.

Mr Gonzales maintains the meeting addressed "intelligence activities" that were under legal dispute and has denied it focused on warrantless wiretaps.

But FBI Director Robert Mueller appeared to contradict that, in testimony before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee today, saying it was a discussion on an NSA (National Security Agency) program "that has been much discussed," referring to the wiretap operations.

The Rove subpoena landed a day after the House Judiciary Committee issued contempt of congress citations against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and ex-legal counsel Harriet Miers, after they ignored subpoenas arising from the prosecutors row.

Mr Bush barred their testimony by invoking executive privilege, a doctrine allowing him to keep documents and testimony secret if he deems it necessary to the functioning of the presidency, but Democrats say that smacks of a cover-up.

The White House accused Democrats in congress of using the row to score political points.

"Every day this congress gets a little more out of control - a new call for a special prosecutor, a new investigation launched, a new subpoena issued, an unprecedented contempt vote, and an old score somehow settled," said deputy press secretary Tony Fratto.

The White House has made various offers for officials to speak to the committee, but not under oath, but Democrats say they don't trust them to tell the truth about the firing of the nine prosecutors.

"It is obvious that the reasons given for the firings of these prosecutors were contrived as part of a cover-up and that the stonewalling by the White House is part and parcel of that same effort," said Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy.

"Not since the darkest days of the Nixon administration have we seen efforts to corrupt federal law enforcement for partisan political gain and such efforts to avoid accountability," he said, referring to Richard Nixon, the president who stepped down over the Watergate scandal in 1974.

But the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Arlen Specter, who concurred with the subpoenas to Mr Rove and Mr Jennings, said that the call for a special prosecutor to examine Mr Gonzales was going too far.

"I think that Senator Schumer has made a practice of politicising this matter," Senator Specter told reporters.

"Senator Schumer's not interested in looking at the record, he's interested in throwing down the gauntlet and making a story in tomorrow's newspapers."

Impeachment is Up to the People

What do you think it will take to remove Bush & Cheney from office?
I'm polling again. Hello to all those new on the list. We read & value your comments. Write me!

July 23, Marching to Impeach Bush & Cheney, war criminals.

Full page ad in The Progressive

Impeachment Talk Still Spreading: Michael Moore to Chris Matthews:
Impeach Them, and Put Them on Trial for War Crimes ... Watch Video

*******

Do You Want to See the Bush Regime Impeached & Driven Out? Do You want to See the War End?
Declare It Now!
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Dear World Can't Wait Supporter,

Ray McGovern, retired CIA analyst turned peace activist, delivered a letter to Rep. John Conyers yesterday, as part of the delegation with Cindy Sheehan and Rev. Lennox Yearwood demanding that impeachment start.

He wrote, “We each have our favored crime for which President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached. Many of us have several.

But the real challenge is to look AHEAD. What are Bush/Cheney likely to do in the coming months if the impeachment process does NOT begin?” read more

300 people marched from Arlington Cemetery to Conyers office, while 50 people gathered at his Detroit office. Conyers told the delegation that impeachment is not going to happen because the Democrats don’t have 218 votes needed for it, and more importantly, the way to end the Bush regime is by electing Democrats in 08.

Many standing for hours in the hall outside hoped that progress towards impeachment would be announced. Cindy and Rev. Yearwood were visibly angered as they left the meeting. About 30 people squeezed into Conyer’s office lobby and began chanting for impeachment. They were quickly arrested, along with 16 others in the hallway, and taken away for disorderly conduct. More than a few people have mentioned the irony of Conyers’ a champion of Rosa Parks, having people arrested for sitting in over a cause – impeachment – he promoted two years ago.

In the Town Hall Meetings to Impeach Bush & Cheney for War Crimes, we’ve had a variety of speakers, some arguing that impeachment is part of the Constitution, a perfect remedy for the crisis gripping the government, and therefore people should not view it as a disruptive problem, but rather part of the “cure”. I’ve argued that even to get impeachment, much less removal from office of Bush and Cheney, will take an unprecedented movement from below, causing enough upheaval to force the “deciders” to respond.

“People that steal elections and believe they’re on a mission from God won’t go without a fight… This will not be easy. If we speak the truth, they will try to silence us. If we act, they will try to stop us”. These parts of our Call were in my head yesterday as we confronted those realities. The vast reservoir of people angry and outraged at the what the Bush regime has done is what is, still, waiting to be formed into a political force that can’t be denied.

That need is what’s behind our call for people to Declare It Now! Wear Orange. As we launch “ Orange Fridays” this week, it should be with a renewed knowledge that, as Cindy Sheehan said yesterday, “It’s up to the people”.
Sincerely, Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime

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Sheehan, 45 other protesters arrested - Los Angeles Times

Sheehan, 45 other protesters arrested - Los Angeles Times

Sheehan, 45 other protesters arrested

From Times Wire Reports

July 24, 2007

Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan and 45 fellow protesters were arrested at the Capitol for disorderly conduct in demanding the impeachment of President Bush.

Sheehan was taken into custody in Rep. John Conyers Jr.'s office, where she had spent an hour imploring him to launch impeachment proceedings against Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Conyers (D-Mich.) is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, where any impeachment effort would have to begin. Sheehan said Conyers told her there weren't enough votes for impeachment to move forward.

Bloomberg.com: Opinion

Bloomberg.com: Opinion

President Bush Tells Congress, Because I Said So: Ann Woolner

By Ann Woolner

George W. Bush, president of the United States

July 24 (Bloomberg) -- The beauty of the White House's latest claim about executive privilege is its simplicity. All President George W. Bush has to do is utter those two words and his underlings can ignore congressional subpoenas without fear of jail.

Why? Because the president says so. Who decides whether the claim is constitutional or bogus? He does. Who can challenge it? Nobody.

No check. No balance. No way to bring in a judge. See? Simple.

Of course, it's not so popular with Congress.

To ``block that claim from being litigated is an outrageous position,'' says Stanley Brand, former general counsel to a Democratic-controlled House when Ronald Reagan fought Congress over executive privilege.

In recent months, the White House and Congress have been shoving each other about, arguing over who gets to order whom around. At last week's close, the administration had escalated from pushing to delivering a sharp slap on the face.

The Justice Department proclaimed that the law that makes everyone else vulnerable to criminal prosecution for defying a congressional subpoena doesn't apply when the president chants the magic words over his aides.

``We believe the contempt of Congress statute was not intended to apply and could not constitutionally be applied to an executive-branch official who asserts the president's claim of executive privilege,'' reads a 1984 Justice Department memo that the department began re-circulating to reporters last week.

A Flimsy Basis

Under this theory, it doesn't matter how flimsy the basis for the executive privilege claim, as no one outside the White House can attempt to shake it. It's okay for Bush to extend it to cover advisers, ex-advisers and advisers to advisers. His lawyers say he can spread his magic dust over them all.

For everybody not working for the president who may be tempted to withhold from Congress testimony or documents, either chamber can vote to hold them in contempt of Congress.

When that happens, the matter goes ``to the appropriate United States attorney, whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action,'' the law says.

Note the words ``duty'' and ``shall.''

Lawmakers tend to think it a good idea to enforce their subpoenas with the threat of prosecution. Anyone convicted of contempt of Congress could spend up to a year behind bars.

Presidents, on the other hand, don't usually like it when their staff is hauled over to Capitol Hill under threat of jail to chat about matters they would rather keep secret, for whatever reason.

Reagan Administration

So 23 years ago, lawyers at Reagan's Justice Department opined that the law governing the prosecution of congressional nose-thumbers doesn't apply to administration employees when the president invokes the privilege.

``The president, through a United States attorney, need not, indeed, may not, prosecute criminally a subordinate for asserting on his behalf a claim of executive privilege,'' the Office of Legal Counsel at Justice wrote.

That is a tough statement. It's one thing to offer executive privilege as a defense when charged with contempt. In that case a judge would decide whether the privilege was rightly invoked and whether it trumps Congress's need for information.

But the memo is saying that the case shouldn't get created in the first place. The adviser shouldn't be charged, which makes it impossible for a court to rule.

The Justice Department opinion says that neither Congress nor the courts can ``require or implement the prosecution of such an individual.''

New Life

The 1984 memo got new life in the administration of Bill Clinton, who invoked privilege on matters personal as well as presidential. A judge ruled against him when he tried to keep his sex life and his lies hidden from a prosecutor.

Still, the question of whether Congress can force the prosecution of a presidential aide obeying a president's claim of privilege is up in the air.

And no court has said the White House can stop a prosecutor from prosecuting someone accused of being in contempt of Congress.

The Justice Department ``is not simply the mouthpiece for the president,'' Brand points out. ``It's the sovereign's lawyer as well.''

We are a long way from testing this in real life.

But if the House insists on a contempt citation, and if the White House insists it is immune, Congress's options are limited.

It could file a lawsuit, which would take too long to resolve to do anyone any good. And it may not be possible to frame the case in a way that would lead to an eventual ruling on the merits, anyway.

`Inherent Contempt' Power

There is an option the president can't take away from lawmakers. Congress has ``inherent contempt'' powers, which means that it can order the arrest of whomever it finds in contempt, bring them to Capitol Hill for trial and jail them if they are convicted.

This hasn't been done for 70 years, as it's a nasty process. That is why Congress wrote into law a different route: prosecution through the Justice Department.

But if the White House takes away that option, maybe Congress will use the only means it has left.

(Ann Woolner is a Bloomberg news columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Ann Woolner in Atlanta at awoolner@bloomberg.net .

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

Bush Should Be Censured by U.S. Congress on Iraq, Senator Says

By Justin Blum

July 22 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic Senator Russell Feingold is reviving his effort to have the U.S. Congress censure President George W. Bush, a move that his party's leader in the Senate doesn't support.

Feingold, of Wisconsin, said today he is preparing two resolutions to censure Bush and other administration officials over their handing of the Iraq war and domestic eavesdropping.

``We need to do something serious in terms of accountability,'' Feingold said on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' program. ``This administration has assaulted the Constitution.''

Censure would amount to a formal criticism of the administration and wouldn't force any policy chances. Feingold, a frequent critic of the administration and the Iraq war, last year failed to win support for a censure of Bush's wiretapping program that allows the government to monitor telephone calls and e-mail from within the U.S. to suspected terrorists overseas without a court order.

An administration spokesman dismissed Feingold's effort.

``We realize that Senator Feingold does not care much for the president's policies, but we would welcome the opportunity to work with him and anyone else in the Senate majority on important legislation'' on subjects such as military funding, energy, health care and taxes, White House spokesman Trey Bohn said an e-mailed response.

Harry Reid, the Senate's Democratic majority leader, said on CBS's ``Face the Nation'' that lawmakers have more pressing priorities than censuring Bush.

Public View

Bush's approval ratings show the public already regards him as ``the worst president we've ever had,'' Reid, of Nevada, said. ``I don't think we need a censure resolution in the Senate to prove that.''

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, said Democrats, including Feingold, are wasting time.

``The fundamental problem that the Democrats have is they aren't passing any legislation,'' McConnell said on ``Late Edition'' on CNN. ``They aren't doing anything to make the country better.''

Feingold's first censure resolution would criticize Bush for ``overstating the case'' that Saddam Hussein, the former dictator who was hanged by the new Iraqi government, had weapons of mass destruction, according to a statement on the senator's Web site.

The measure also would criticize Bush for ``falsely implying'' a relationship between Hussein and the terrorist group al-Qaeda and of having ``links'' to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the statement said. It would also say Bush failed ``to plan for civil conflict and humanitarian problems that the intelligence community predicted,'' the statement said.

The second censure resolution would condemn the administration for ``misconduct'' that includes allowing the National Security Agency to conduct the wiretapping program and ``refusing to recognize legitimate congressional oversight'' of the firing of U.S. attorneys, Feingold's statement said.

While Bush has argued that the surveillance program is legal, he agreed in January to let a secret federal court oversee the spying.

To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Blum in Washington at jblum4@bloomberg.net .

"Loyal Bushie" Judge Dismisses Valerie Plame's Lawsuit

"Loyal Bushie" Judge Dismisses Valerie Plame's Lawsuit Valerie Plame risked her life to stop terrorists from getting WMD's and murdering innocent Americans. But when her husband Joe Wilson dared to tell the truth about Bush's pre-war lies, Karl Rove declared her "fair game" and conspired with Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby to expose her identity, destroy her career, and endanger the lives of everyone she worked with to protect us. Valerie Plame sued Cheney, Libby, and Rove. But of course the case went before a "loyal Bushie" judge named John D. Bates, who made his "bones" with the Bushies as a Whitewater prosecutor under Ken Starr. Bush appointed Bates as a Federal judge in 2001, and a year later he dismissed the GAO lawsuit demanding Cheney's Energy Task Force documents. In 2006, Chief Justice John Roberts put Bates on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to turn a blind eye to Bush's illegal wiretapping of millions of Americans. Today Bates dismissed Plame's lawsuit by claiming the conspiracy against Wilson was "unsavory" but "within the scope of [their] duties." http://www.democrats.com/loyal-bushie-judge-dismisses-plame-lawsuit What Cheney, Libby, and Rove did wasn't unsavory - by shutting down a crucial anti-terrorist network, endangering the lives of everyone involved, and undermining the security of the United States, they committed treason. Valerie Plame will never get justice - and our nation will never be safe - by relying on the Bush-controlled Federal courts. It is way past time for Congress to Impeach Dick Cheney. Tell your Representatives to support H.Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Cheney: http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/73 Tell the House Judiciary Committee and Speaker Pelosi to hold hearings on H.Res. 333: http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary Lots more here: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/cheney _______________ Cindy Sheehan's March from Texas to Arrive in D.C. on July 23 Cindy Sheehan is leading a march/drive from Crawford, Texas, to New York City. Participants in this Journey for Humanity share the goals of ending the occupation of Iraq, impeaching Cheney and Bush, restoring New Orleans, and funding human needs at home and in Iraq and Afghanistan. The march has already made big news in several states. Watch this video of a heated discussion between Cindy and an Alabama chickenhawk. Here's Cindy's route - show up if you can! July 20 Charlottesville VA rally at 6 p.m. at Downtown Mall July 21 Richmond VA July 22 Arlington VA July 23 Washington D.C. 10 a.m. at Arlington Cemetery, march to U.S. Capitol July 24 Philadelphia PA July 25 Allentown PA July 26 New York NY July 27 United Nations Action July 29 Gathering of Hearts Fest, location to be announced http://www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org _______________ The Orange Revolution Begins July 23 On July 23, 2002, the head of British intelligence reported that Bush and Cheney were intent on invading Iraq and planned to "fix the intelligence and facts around the policy". Five years later a million people have died in Iraq as a direct result of these lies with no end in sight. Torture has been institutionalized, habeas corpus eviscerated, and illegal spying made routine. New Orleans lies devastated along with the Constitution and the rule of law. And Bush and Cheney are making a mockery of the Democrats' feeble gestures towards accountability. Enough is enough, and this July 23rd we will launch a new phase in the movement for peace and justice. We call it the Orange Revolution because starting that day wearing orange will signify that you want Congress to START IMPEACHMENT and STOP THE WAR. The majority of Americans, who want to see Bush and Cheney impeached and want an immediate end to this war, are made effectively invisible by a complicit media. Wearing orange will be our signal to each other, and to the world, about where we stand. Anything orange will do: a t-shirt, a wristband, your shoelaces. Get creative and send us your ideas. Here are a some great items you can wear designed specifically for the Orange Revolution: http://www.democrats.com/orangerevolution The Orange Revolution will be launched with acts of civil disobedience in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere to show Congress that we are serious. In Washington, D.C. on July 23, Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Ann Wright, Debra Sweet, Dave Lindorff, David Swanson, Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin, Kevin Zeese, Tina Richards, and others will march from Arlington National Cemetery to the office of Congressman John Conyers. They will sit in Conyers' office reciting the U.S. Constitution until they are either arrested or he agrees to start impeachment. You can also come and choose not to risk arrest. Meet at 10 a.m. outside the Arlington National Cemetery Metro stop: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/sit Similiar actions will take place the same day in the offices of Rep. Howard Berman in California and Rep. Pete Visclosky in Indiana, and at Rep. Conyers' district offices in Detroit. If you are willing to go to jail for justice, you are encouraged to come to Washington to participate in the civil disobedience, or to stage a sit-in at your congress member's district office, either on the 23rd or another day. Using our new tool, you can pledge to take part only if 20 others do the same: http://www.democrats.com/sit If you cannot join in on the 23rd, please wear orange in solidarity, and please phone Congressman Conyers' office that day asking him to please move forward on impeachment: (202) 225-5126. ##### Forward this message to everyone you know! To subscribe, create a free Democrats.com account here: http://www.democrats.com/user/register To unsubscribe from Democrats.com Activist Alerts, click here: http://archive.democrats.com/unsub.cfm?email=dottye789@earthlink.net&fieldname=L16 To unsubscribe from all Democrats.com email lists, click here: http://archive.democrats.com/unsub.cfm?email=dottye789@earthlink.net&fieldname=L1

Plame Lawsuit Dismissed in CIA Leak Case - Forbes.com

Plame Lawsuit Dismissed in CIA Leak Case - Forbes.com

Plame Lawsuit Dismissed in CIA Leak Case
By MATT APUZZO 07.19.07, 5:43 PM ET WASHINGTON -

Former CIA operative Valerie Plame lost a lawsuit Thursday that demanded money from Bush administration officials whom she blamed for leaking her agency identity.

Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to disclose her identity in 2003. Plame said that violated her privacy rights and was illegal retribution for her husband's criticism of the administration.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds and said he would not express an opinion on the constitutional arguments.

Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Plame's lawyers said from the beginning the suit would be a difficult case to make. Public officials normally are immune from such suits filed in connection with their jobs.

Plame's identity was revealed in a syndicated newspaper column in 2003, shortly after Wilson began criticizing the administration's march to war in Iraq.

Armitage and Rove were the sources for that article, which touched off a lengthy leak investigation. Nobody was charged with leaking but Libby was convicted of lying and obstruction the investigation. Bush commuted Libby's 2 1/2-year prison term before the former aide served any time.

"This just dragged on the character assassination that had gone on for years," said Alex Bourelly, one of Libby's lawyers. "To have the case dismissed is a big relief."

Plame and Wilson pledged to appeal.

"This case is not just about what top government officials did to Valerie and me." Wilson said in a statement. "We brought this suit because we strongly believe that politicizing intelligence ultimately serves only to undermine the security of our nation."

Though Bates said the case raised "important questions relating to the propriety of actions undertaken by our highest government officials," he said there was no legal basis for the suit.

Lawyers have said courts traditionally are reluctant to wade into these types of cases, particularly when Congress has established other resolutions.

In this case, Bates said, Congress passed the Privacy Act to cover many of Plame's claims. Courts have held that the Privacy Act cannot be used to hold government officials personally liable for damages in court.

Bates also sided with administration officials who said they were acting within their job duties. Plame had argued that what they did was illegal and outside the scope of their government jobs.

"The alleged means by which defendants chose to rebut Mr. Wilson's comments and attack his credibility may have been highly unsavory," Bates wrote.

"But there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration's handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants' duties as high-level Executive Branch officials," Bates said.

Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, said Rove was pleased to have the case behind him.

"The risk of being liable for personal damages is not something anybody takes lightly," Luskin said.

Cheney Pushing Bush to Attack Iran

July 27: National Launch of Orange Fridays. View plans across the country and post your own. Impeach Bush & Cheney shirts "Drive Out the Bush Regime" Orange bandanas Make a Bold Stand: Declare Yourself Video Prof. Dennis Loo, co-editor of Impeach the President, on the Declare Yourself campaign Declare Yourself Organizing Kits Buyers Guyide for orange materials in bulk Dear World Can't Wait Supporter, The following made Headlines in the Guardian UK on Monday July 16, but not in the US: Cheney pushes Bush to act on Iran "The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned. The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo." As I travel around the country, people I’ve spoken with have been at turns unaware of the Bush regime’s open plans to attack Iran, with some sure that it would not happen because of Bush’s difficulties in Iraq. Bush is telling us his plans; he is unconcerned with the public’s opinions, with the votes of Congress. I think he’s telling us what he will do if he’s not removed from office, and that direction rebuked. This fall, developments in Iraq and preparations for war on Iran are likely to come to a head. Making Declare Yourself! Wear Orange go viral before then, together with the sharp and intensifying developments of the Bush program, can give rise to the situation where people make a stand against what’s intolerable, and began to see themselves as an independent political force. Sincerely, Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime World Can't Wait info@worldcantwait.org 866-973-4463 305 W. Broadway #185 New York, NY 10013 Local chapters Donate now To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.worldcantwait.net/ and use the form in the top right of the page.




First Read : GOP loves to hate Michael Moore

First Read : GOP loves to hate Michael Moore

rom NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
Want to stir up GOP voters? Just say the names Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or John Edwards. But lately, Republican presidential candidates have turned to someone who isn't even a politician (past or present) to fire up their supporters: filmmaker Michael Moore. Just today, the Giuliani campaign sent out a research document comparing Hillary Clinton's statements on health care with Michael Moore's -- in his new documentary, "Sicko." The headline on the document: "Bad Medicine: It's enough to make you Sicko." And it includes this quote from Giuliani (via last night's Sean Hannity Show): “[M]ichael Moore and Hillary Clinton want to make our [health care] system like the systems nobody goes to ...”

Earlier this week, Huckabee said, per the AP: "Frankly, Michael Moore is an example of why the health care system costs so much in this country. He clearly is one of the reasons that we have a very expensive system. I know that from my own personal experience." Ouch.

And, of course, there's that YouTube of Fred Thompson calling out Moore. "Mental institution, Michael," he says. "It might be something you ought to think about."

Bush & Cheney Must Go - on the airwaves

Sunday July 15 TOMORROW! Join in making plans now. Town Meetings for Impeachment: San Francisco Public Library 2:00 – 4:30 pm with Dennis Bernstein of KPFA Pacifica radio; Sunsara Taylor of WCW & writer for Revolution; Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Hip Hop Caucus who is fighting charges from the Air Force that his conduct is “not consistent with the interests of national security” for opposing the war. Faith Community Church, Greensboro NC3:00 - 6:00 pm Linda Barnes, Grassroots Impeachment Movement, and Scott Trent, World Can’t Wait. ******* Watch Steven Rohde, past President of the ACU of southern CA, at the Thursday July 12 Town Meeting in Los Angeles. AST NIGHT: The first serious hour long discussion on a network of why Cheney & Bush should be impeached. John Nichols, who has spoken at several of our town meetings, and Bruce Fein, once of the Reagan administration, and now advocating impeaching Bush & Cheney, made the case on Bill Moyers Journal. Watch and read and forward this very substantive discussion! Dear World Can't Wait Supporter, The world can’t wait, but the people of the world ARE waiting for us to separate ourselves from the crimes of the Bush regime, and to prevent them from being repeated. Once you know you can’t not know, and you can’t not act. World Can’t Wait is out to change the way the country thinks about what’s wrong and what is possible, and give them ways to act. Here are some of our plans to spread the Declare Yourself campaign in the next 6 weeks: Ads on key internet sites (Daily Koz, Crooks & Liars, Alternet, Raw Story, Smirking Chimp, Talking Points Memo & MySpace) Tens of thousands of Orange Bandanas saying “Drive Out the Bush Regime” for distribution at large rock concerts Banner ads in USA TODAY to reach millions of readers in the middle of the country, designed so that people can cut them out for instant posters. There is nothing – but money – stopping us from putting ads on MTV or The Daily Show, from printing one million postcards, or sending youth organizers to campuses as schools open. Look at it this way: ten billion dollars is being spent every month to destroy and control Iraq. Over a billion dollars will be spent by candidates for president who aren’t even addressing the questions of how to change a situation where most people in the world think the US, and George Bush, is the biggest threat to the future. I’ll be writing you much more about how these plans shape up. But right now, How much will you give to drive out these war criminals? ******* Readers of this list helped bring 40 youth to the Bay Area from Fresno, L.A., NYC, the University of Connecticut, Seattle, Atlanta, and Chicago for the Mission of a Generation Youth Conference. Along with World Can’t Wait, there are people with the Green Party and Iraq Veterans Against the War, meeting in the Veterans Building, as guests of Veterans for Peace, through Monday. 12 of the youth attending met WCW at the Coachella Music Festival in April. An organizer writes, “We had a really energetic Orange Friday march from the conference to the New College in the Mission district, where we formed the live radio audience for KPFA Flashpoints. Listen here to the conversation between Sureya Sayadi, an Iraqi Kurd active against “honor killings” of women in the Middle East, Sunsara Taylor from World Can’t Wait, and us. People on the street really dug the orange bandanas. We are really into the Declare Yourself campaign, working on it as part of a way to make resistance visible, creating a situation on campuses where people can find others who want to remove this regime. Many people have brought up the Scooter Libby case being commuted and how that is opening up peoples’ eyes and finalizing the deal that this president needs to be impeached. Most people attending got active because of or since the October 5 2006 Drive out the Bush regime rallies”. Sincerely, Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime World Can't Wait info@worldcantwait.org 866-973-4463 305 W. Broadway #185 New York, NY 10013 Local chapters Donate now




Kentucky.com | 07/11/2007 | Former surgeon general says administration politicized his office

Kentucky.com | 07/11/2007 | Former surgeon general says administration politicized his office

Former surgeon general says administration politicized his office

Today's topic: Medical policy

By Janet Patton

JPATTON1@HERALD-LEADER.COM

Related Content

REPORTS QUASHED

Former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona testified that the Bush administration quashed reports on a number of important issues, including:
Mental Health Preparedness: "I was brought in by one of the sister agencies that had a political appointee. He complained to the White House and (Health and Human Services) and I was admonished that the issue had to be framed politically. 'You don't write anything unless we approve it.'"
Global Health Report: Carmona said he wanted to talk about everything from genocide to greenhouse gases to emerging infections. The administration "wanted statements about all the wonderful things the U.S. did."
Emergency Preparedness: White House domestic policy officials told him to stop talking about it. “‘This might scare the people,’” he said he was told. He was told the Department of Homeland Security would handle the issue.

WASHINGTON --

The Bush administration attempted to politicize the nation's health policy to an unprecedented degree and when former Surgeon General Richard Carmona refused, he was repeatedly muzzled and marginalized, according to testimony yesterday.

Carmona, along with former surgeons general C. Everett Koop and David Satcher, told the House Oversight committee that Bush's efforts went well beyond political friction experienced between "the nation's doctor" and previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic.

"We have never seen it as partisan, as malicious, as vindictive, as hostile as you have it today," Carmona said he was told by his predecessors.

The hearing comes two days before a Senate committee is to take up Bush's nominee for a replacement, Dr. James W. Holsinger, a cardiologist and former chancellor of the UK Medical Center. Holsinger could not be reached for comment.

Holsinger's nomination already is controversial because of past alleged anti-gay writings for his church, and, this week, because of his support for stem-cell research.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said at the outset of the hearing that it would not address Holsinger's credentials, but would focus on the politicization of the office, which Waxman said is "in crisis."

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement: "As we consider the president's nominee for surgeon general this week, we owe it to the American people to be sure that he will base his policies on sound science and best medical practices, and not the politics and ideology that have put our health care at risk." Kennedy chairs the Senate committee that will vote on Holsinger later this week.

Carmona, along with Koop and Satcher, called for making the surgeon general's office more scientifically independent and less subject to political whims. "Our citizens should be outraged that three surgeon generals were marginalized and had to fight to get the best information to them," Carmona said.

"If we don't stop it, how bad will it be for the next guy?" Carmona said.

The hearing raised serious questions about what Holsinger would face if he is confirmed -- and what he would be expected to do.

Carmona said that senior administration officials and political appointees vetted and censored his speeches, would not let him speak freely with reporters, attempted to insert political phrases and candidates' names into his speeches, and told him to follow administration policy instead of science.

At one point, he said, he was told: "You don't get it. You don't write anything unless we approve it."

Health and Human Service officials denied Carmona's allegations, issuing a blanket statement saying: "While we appreciate and respect Dr. Carmona's service as surgeon general, we disagree with his statements today. It has always been this administration's position that public health policy should be rooted in sound science."

Carmona said he was also told to mention President Bush's name and to work in particular political names and phrases. Two of his speech writers eventually quit.

Waxman asked whether staff members from Karl Rove's Office of Political Affairs had presented political briefings for the surgeon general's office.

Rove deputy J. Scott Jennings, a former political director for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, ran a PowerPoint presentation for appointees in other agencies on Republican strategies, Lurita Doan, chief of the General Services Administration, has said.

"There were communications from (Rove's) office and his staff during my tenure, and at times staff from those offices were giving briefings," Carmona said.

Says input blocked

Carmona said that from the beginning Bush officials blocked reports or Carmona's input on everything from emergency preparedness to mental health.

On stem-cell research, an early Bush administration issue, Carmona offered to bring his scientific expertise to the debate but was told to stay away. "I was blocked at every turn, told to stand down, that the decision had already been made. It was removed from my speeches," Carmona said.

On a controversial contraceptive known as Plan B, Carmona said he was told "there is already a policy in place, that they only wanted to 'preach' abstinence, which I felt was scientifically incorrect."

Secondhand smoke

Carmona finally managed last summer to release a report on the dangers of secondhand smoke. A month later, he quit the office a few days ahead of the expiration of his four-year term. Carmona told the committee that the report had been delayed for years as scientists battled political appointees who wanted to water down the science.

He said the administration also tried to prevent him from testifying as surgeon general in the Justice Department's controversial suit against cigarette makers. Sharon Eubanks, the lead attorney in the trial, has alleged Justice officials weakened her case deliberately.

Carmona said today that White House and Justice officials tried to convince him he shouldn't testify, meanwhile telling Eubanks that "I was incompetent and would lose the case for her." Eubanks, who quit the Justice Department while the case with cigarette makers was being settled, attended yesterday's hearing.

The politics reportedly got ugly over the Special Olympics. Last July, Carmona was invited to be keynote speaker at the Special Olympics national symposium in Iowa. The administration forbade him to go. Carmona would not name the officials, saying only that they were "high political appointees and officials in the department."

"I was specifically told by a senior official, 'Why would you help those people? Don't you know they're with another party?'" Carmona said. The Special Olympics were founded by the Democratic Kennedy family. His travel budget for the trip was not approved, so Carmona said he took vacation time and went on his own.

TPMmuckraker July 8, 2007 11:33 AM

TPMmuckraker July 8, 2007 11:33 AM

White House to Congress: Nanny Nanny Boo Boo
By Paul Kiel - July 8, 2007, 11:33 AM

There are a number of deadlines for congressional subpoenas for White House documents and/or testimony approaching over the next couple weeks -- two, for instance, this week regarding the U.S. attorneys investigation. It seems that we'll soon learn how many different ways the White House can say, "no."

From The Washington Post:

The White House has decided to defy Congress's latest demand for information regarding the dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys, sources familiar with the decision said yesterday. Such an action would escalate the constitutional struggle and propel it closer to a court showdown.

Senate and House committees have directed President Bush to provide by tomorrow a detailed justification of his executive privilege claims and a full accounting of the documents he is withholding. But White House counsel Fred F. Fielding plans to tell lawmakers that he has already provided the legal basis for the claims and will not provide a log of the documents, the sources said.

The standoff suggests that neither side is prepared to budge in the fight over documents and testimony in the widening U.S. attorney investigation. Officials in both camps said no serious negotiations are taking place to resolve the dispute. Fielding plans to follow up his letter by further asserting executive privilege later this week, the sources said, directing former White House aides Harriet E. Miers and Sara M. Taylor not to testify in response to congressional subpoenas.

You can see last week's request from the committees for that log here. "A serious assertion of privilege," the chairmen wrote, "would include an effort to demonstrate to the Committees which documents, and which parts of those documents, are covered by any privilege that may apply." According to the Post's sources, "White House officials viewed the request as a backdoor attempt to get sensitive information about deliberations."

A president transformed | Guardian daily comment | Guardian Unlimited

A president transformed | Guardian daily comment | Guardian Unlimited

Terry Jones
Saturday July 7, 2007
The Guardian

It has been a truly moving experience to witness the concern and compassion the president of the United States can show towards a convicted felon. Particularly someone accused of such grave offences as Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff. On March 6 2007 Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice, making false statements to the FBI, and twice committing perjury before a grand jury. According to the charge sheet, Libby "did knowingly and corruptly endeavour to influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice by misleading and deceiving the grand jury". So it wasn't a case of absent-mindedness, then.

Comment A president transformed It is so moving to see how a willing executioner can soften into a man of compassion - for cronies Terry Jones Saturday July 7, 2007 The Guardian It has been a truly moving experience to witness the concern and compassion the president of the United States can show towards a convicted felon. Particularly someone accused of such grave offences as Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff. On March 6 2007 Libby was convicted of obstruction of justice, making false statements to the FBI, and twice committing perjury before a grand jury. According to the charge sheet, Libby "did knowingly and corruptly endeavour to influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice by misleading and deceiving the grand jury". So it wasn't a case of absent-mindedness, then. Article continues That is why George Bush's act of mercy is so inspiring, especially when one considers that compassion is not something generally associated with him. When he was governor of Texas, for instance, there were quite a number of convicted felons towards whom he didn't show much compassion at all. In fact he insisted they receive the full penalty of the law, which in their case was somewhat more severe than in Libby's. They were executed. When Bush became governor in 1995, the average number of executions in the state was 7.6 a year. During his time in office, he managed to put down a further 24 humans a year, bringing the annual number of executions up to 31.6; it is heartwarming to see how his attitude to convicted criminals has softened. The president said the sentence imposed on Libby was "excessive", and that he had suffered enough punishment without it. "The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is for ever damaged," said Bush. "His wife and young children have also suffered immensely." Now this will be good news for critics of the current system of justice. For some time, defense lawyers have been complaining that sentences are too harsh, that defendants' positive contributions to society are ignored, and that collateral damage caused to defendants' families is disregarded. Only last month the US attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, announced that the justice department would push for legislation to make federal sentences even tougher and less flexible. How delighted the critics of such harsh attitudes must be to see that the president has now come around to their way of thinking. Mind you, Bush's softening of heart can only have happened in very recent days. A couple of weeks ago, in an eerily similar case, Victor Rita was, like Libby, convicted of perjury, making false statements to federal agents, and obstruction of justice. Like Scooter, Rita has an unblemished record of public service - 25 years in the armed forces with 35 commendations, awards and medals - and yet he was handed a 33-month jail sentence without even a message of condolence from the president. In another recent case, the justice department tried to have Jamie Olis put away for more than 24 years for accounting fraud. In the end he got six years inside. But then I suppose fiddling the accounts isn't on a par with trying to obstruct an investigation into a breach of national security. So I thoroughly approve of the president's change of heart towards convicted criminals, and hope it will continue until his term of office expires - and that in the future we shall witness increasing moderation in the justice department's insatiable urge to punish, imprison and execute. And I sincerely hope that the commutation of Libby's prison sentence will usher in a new era of clemency, compassion and human forgiveness, under a president who otherwise has so much blood on his hands. · Terry Jones is a film director, actor and Python Terry-jones.net

The Damning Evidence Against Dick Cheney

The time has come to hold Dick Cheney accountable for his crimes against the people of the United States and the world - and the Constitution of the United States.

We have formed a brand new partnership with many great progressive groups and Brave New Films, the creators of powerful documentaries like Iraq for Sale, OutFoxed, Wal-Mart, and Uncovered - the War on Iraq.

And we have just released a powerful short video showing Cheney's most bald-faced lies about Iraq and Iran.

Please watch the video, sign the petition, and pass it along to your friends.

The time for accountability is now - not after Cheney leaves office. Thanks to your efforts, 14 Democrats already support H.Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment for Dick Cheney. With a little more effort, we'll get enough Democrats on board to start impeachment hearings in the House Judiciary Committee. And when the American people see the evidence in our video with their own eyes, they will join us in demanding accountability for Dick Cheney.

Together, we can impeach Dick Cheney.

Bob Fertik

Dear activists, colleagues and friends, Impeach. That's right, we said the "I" word. And you should be saying it too -- to your family, your friends, your neighbors, your pets and the hearty 26% of Americans who somehow still believe the Bush/Cheney team more worthy of sitting in the Oval Office than an undisclosed location stripped of all authority to further damage the country we love. 1. Watch the video 2. Sign the petition You'll want to say it even more after watching our video with the evidence for impeachment right there: http://impeachcheney.org/ Dick Cheney has been a malevolent force on the checks and balances of American government for over six years. He has subverted government processes to lead us into this tragedy in Iraq, and is now seeking to do the same with Iran. Two countries, mind you, that he did business with while CEO of Halliburton. We are at an important moment in American history. For if we don't take action in light of the High Crimes and Misdemeanors committed by one Richard Cheney, we might as well throw the "I" word away. Because there will never be a time when it is more justified. Please sign our petition: http://impeachcheney.org/petition.php 14 representatives already support H. Res 333, the Articles of Impeachment against Dick Cheney. Your signatures will be used to get other House members to to sign on. We are working with a substantial and growing coalition led by Democrats.com and AfterDowningStreet.org. Let's make this travesty a turning point in our history. Please join us in restoring democratic principles to our government by IMPEACHING DICK CHENEY. Sincerely, Robert, Cliff, Paris, Jim G and the entire Brave New Films team