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October 3, 2003 |
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Dear BuzzFlash, Hagel fingers Cheney as Leaker, through his flunky Libby! Rove pushed story as well! A BuzzFlash Reader * * *
Sent to: novakevans@aol.com If the leak was referred to Justice in July, why did it take 3 months for the Department of Justice to start an investigation this week? Doesn't this delay militate in favor of a disinterested party conducting the investigation? The request to preserve evidence is laughable at this late date. The entire reaction of the republican leadership, to try and portray the incident as a minor issue blown out of proportion for political reasons, is an attempt to obscure the insidiously evil political motive behind the smear campaign against Joe Wilson to begin with. This is politics as usual for the Bush cartel. http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0930-12.htm What about the report in the Washington Post on 9/29/03 that stated:
Novak has stated no facts whatsoever to support his allegation that the two top administration officials did not call six other journalists before calling him. He simply claims that this is not so. Well, how does he know this, unless he just a shill for the administration that buys everything he is told hook, line and sinker? Robert Novak is a republican "operative", posing as a journalist. He is most useful to the Republican party in this disguise. His credibility is zero, zilch. He is irrelevant to any objective consideration of the facts, and such a consideration will never take place absent an investigation by an independent prosecutor. Chris Subj: Right Wing Meltdown Dear BuzzFlash, Are we approaching heaven? Bennett the hypocrite gambler, Limbaugh the racist user of illegal drugs, Novak the arrogant traitor - and we all know who is in the White House. Are we at the beginning of the great right wing comeuppance? One can only hope. Lee D. Mockrin re: Puzzling Out the Logic of a Leak Today's Washington Post has a story titled "Puzzling Out the Logic of a Leak" (at: LINK). The reporter, Ann Gerhart, writes a story in which she posits that the Washington "experts" (whatever the hell that title means) can find no good reason that Rove/Bush would have for outing Ambassador Wilson's wife. Hmm . . . let's see if one comes to mind? RUINING HER CAREER? PUTTING HER AND HER FAMILY IN JEOPARDY FROM ARMS DEALERS SHE, AND THOSE SHE RECRUITED, HAVE FOUND AND REPORTED TO THE CIA? MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER OR HER FAMILY TO VACATION OR TAKE JOBS THAT REQUIRE VISITS OVERSEES? But what good does any of that do for Bush/Rove? IT MAKES IT EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT IN THE FUTURE ANYONE ELSE WHO WORKS IN, OR HAS A SPOUSE OR FAMILY MEMBER WORKING IN, THE BUSH ADMIN TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ANYTHING THE ADMIN FAVORS. Would you chance differing with a President if you knew your loved one might then get embarrassed? Lose their job? Get killed? I don't know how this article made it into your paper. Don't your editors read the news pages? Jack Ballinger Dear Buzz, This Limbaugh drug thing is too much. The gods are starting to smile on us. Doesn't it seem like the stars (the ones in the sky, not the celebrities) are suddenly lining up against the neocons? "Something's happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear", etc., etc. As mom always said "what goes around, comes around". Was she actually right?! Of course this will be dubbed a left wing conspiracy by the you-know-who's. Too bad Rush, they got you on tape. And no wonder he's gotten so skinny. What kind of diet did he claim he lost all that weight on again? This is Bill Bennett, except much worse. Keep on talking up those family values, neos. Barbara in NYC Subj: Rallying Cry "Prosecute Karl Rove under the Patriot Act" Written recently in BuzzFlash by James C. Moore. That should be the rallying cry. Sharon Nietsche DoJ decided to investigate WH on Friday. Thus giving White House Criminals a "long weekend" to destroy all evidence of treason by " 2 senior White House Officials." It wasn't just 24 hours. Ashcroft should be impeached, removed from office, tried, convicted of obstruction, treason and imprisoned in the cell next to Jose Padilla. Where do we go to get justice from a Department of Justice which is guilty of obstruction of justice? F&C Subj: the wealthiest administration in american history BuzzFlash: Why are we surprised? All the key components of the Bush Administration are millionaires and the least wealthiest of these millionaires is Condi Rice and even she has a a Chevron oil tanker carrying her name. This administration is not only tied into big oil, they are big oil, and we are still under the allusion that the invasion of Iraq was for wmd, removing a tyrant, and freeing the Iraq people. I referred to this military action as an invasion because that's exactly what it was. Check invasion in the dictionary and form your own conclusion. Why would the American people elect(????) an administration representing the top 2% and expect them to represent their best interest. We can't blame the media because the newspaper publishers, T.V. and radio owners all belong to that upper 2% tier and is doing exactly what they should be doing, representing their best interest. Why can't the American people of the other 98% do likewise?? If they did these wealthy icons wouldn't have a platform to stand and we would have a truly representative government by and for all the people. The challenge is on the American voters and the next you go to the polls try and see beyond race and recognize that its all about who controls the wealth irregardless of their skin color. Remember the only tool that the icons have in controlling the masses is to pit them against each other while they are stealing our country. You can help prevent this practice by using the common factor and voting for your best interest. James Epperson Subj: Plame Story Dear Buzz, The White House had two and a half months to destroy any records, e-mails, or documents regarding the treason of disclosing the CIA agent's identity. As soon as Novak published the story they were on alert, and surely they did not let the matter rest waiting for an investigation. A Loyal BuzzFlash Reader Subj: The Same Petard as Bill Bennett Dear BuzzFlash: Now that Rush Limbaugh has hoisted himself upon his on petard I can say absolutely and without reservation that there is a God. I saw him/her this morning in a BuzzFlash headline “Limbaugh accused of being drug addict. Forcing maid to supply him with drugs.” Doesn’t it seem like only yesterday that Rush was accusing Clinton of running drugs for Colombian drug Lords? Now we understand why, it was a diversionary tactic. Before we get caught up in the rapture of this “American justice”moment we must not forget that before the week is gone we will hear the cries of conspiracy and fraud from the Repugnantcon’s. Rush will not go softly but he will go and soon he will join Bill Bennett as just another example of Conservative hypocrisy. I wonder if they’ll say wee-wee-wee all the way home? Carolyn Ball Subj: A Bit of History, Past and Present, Gives Cause for A Special Prosecutor Dear BuzzFlash, As another BuzzFlash reader commented [LINK], "Bob Dylan, sagacious bard, noted that 'patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings'." It would be fair to say that one who has committed an act of treason under U.S. law would also be a "scoundrel." Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, it is a crime for government employees who have access to classified information to reveal the identity of a covert agent -- for any reason. Patriotism is not, and cannot, become an issue in this investigation. Why do I make this point? If White House operatives released the name of an undercover agent in order to smear a political opponent, it would be a crime of the highest order. We need a full and fair investigation without the appearance of a major conflict of interest. Remember that Mark Twain was among the most outspoken opponents of U.S. imperialism and the Philippine-American War. Quickly labeled a "traitor," he was deeply concerned by demands for "blind patriotism" embodied in such phrases as "my country, right or wrong." In notes for a book, "Glances at History" or "Outlines of History" (left unpublished in 1901) he wrote: I pray you to pause and consider. Against our traditions we are now entering upon an unjust and trivial war, a war against a helpless people, and for a base object--robbery. At first our citizens spoke out against this thing, by an impulse natural to their training. Today they have turned, and their voice is the other way. What caused the change? Merely a politician's trick--a high-sounding phrase, a blood-stirring phrase which turned their uncritical heads: Our Country, right or wrong! An empty phrase, a silly phrase. It was shouted by every newspaper, it was thundered from the pulpit, the Superintendent of Public Instruction placarded it in every schoolhouse in the land, the War Department inscribed it upon the flag. And every man who failed to shout it or who was silent, was proclaimed a traitor--none but those others were patriots. To be a patriot, one had to say, and keep on saying, "Our Country, right or wrong," and urge on the little war. Have you not perceived that that phrase is an insult to the nation? http://web.mit.edu/norvin/www/somethingelse/twain.html One hundred plus years have passed, but Twain's prose could have been written yesterday. This most recent allegation of treason occurred within the backdrop of our present war, and because the line between patriotism and treason have been blurred by the media, and both the legislative and executive branches of government, using weapons of propaganda and innuendo, we must implore our stewards of government to appoint a Special Prosecutor. In 1997, now Attorney General of the United States, John Ashcroft said that "A single allegation can be most worthy of a special prosecutor. If you're abusing government property, if you're abusing your status in office, it can be a single fact that makes the difference on that." With this statement as public record, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice must recuse themselves from this investigation and appoint a special prosecutor to find out what happened. And if Attorney General Ashcroft has shifted from his stated opinion, he must offer a just and legal treatise on his decisions and actions to Congress and the American people. Amanda "Loyalty to the country always, loyalty to the government when it deserves it." Mark Twain still rocks! Subj: Drug Users aide terrorists...remember? Dear Buzz, I remember not long after 9-11 the government came out with a commercial that warned if you were a drug user you were aiding terrorists. I think they aired this commercial during NFL football games. Considering this, shouldn't they throw the Patriot Act at Pigboy? What do you think? Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN) Subj: Novak Treason Buzz: I have been a democrat all of my life (a long time) but if my party ever pulled an act of treason such as this Novak thing I WOULD DROP THEM LIKE A HOT POTATO. This guy and the people who defend him are, in my opinion, enemies of this nation and the american people. Look, it will do no good to contact the white house, they are the problem. I believe that some action might happen if enough people contact the congress and really raise hell. Have you considered using your good offices and your media contacts to start a concerted effort to get to the limp dicks in congress? W.A.Pyles Subj: Limbaugh Still Playing to the Ditto-Spanks http://www.bet.com/articles/0,,c1gb7584-8409,00.html "All this has become the tempest that it is because I must have been right about something," Limbaugh said on his Wednesday radio broadcast. " If I wasn't right, there wouldn't be this cacophony of outrage that has sprung up in the sportswriter community. There's no racism here. There's no racist intent whatsoever." -- Rush to the National Association of Broadcasters, Thursday, October 2, 3003 [BuzzFlash Note: Rush's whole life is a lie, why should he start telling the truth now?] Subj: soiling his pants if schwarzenegger were a democrat the republicans and media would have the creep curled up in the fetal position whimpering and soiling his pants at this point with all his (bad behavior) rk Subj: David Kay's Remarkable Confession Dear BuzzFlash, Did anybody else catch what David Kay just said? He said Saddam Hussein clearly wanted to resume his WMD projects "at some future point in time." Since it was a live interview and not a prepared statement, I'm not going to correct his grammar. But if we take this to be the normal, wordy non-lie that comes from the administration and its minions, Kay has told us quite clearly: A) There are no WMDs in Iraq at this time (Not WERE none, in fairness. Another mighty thin line.) B) The weapons programs were in a state of suspension at the time the mugging of Iraq started. C) He doesn't expect to find any WMDs. D) We've been lied to again. He also told us that if he HAD found something we'd know it already. And that one was in plain English for a change. My guess is this is going to be spun in the same bizarre fashion as not finding them before the war -- that it proves the Iraqis are hiding them or took them out of the country. As an aside, is using this negative result, as well as the one in February, to prove guilt consistent with the Patriot Act? Just asking.... Do they think we're all idiots or are they just betting that the press can't figure it out? David Midkiff Subj: Deja vue in California Dear BuzzFlash, The parallels to Election 2000 are uncanny. The expectations on the guy were always very low. He's weak on specifics, but he's strong on "trust me." He is apparently going to get elected, not because of his executive abilities, but because he "didn't embarrass himself" in the debate. The voters will take this guy because he is "anything but Gray." There are so many ugly stories going around, but he says that's just the past, he was just a crazy youth and since then he has been reborn. And by his own statement, he admires dictators! http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/Politics/arnold031002_past.html All we need now is for the recall to be close enough to have to start counting the chads. A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: YO BuzzFlash! Check out the "Fresh Air" interview with Grover Norquist by Terry Gross; cannot figure out if she was wimping out or just giving him enough rope. Seriously this guy is genuine scary. He gave me the creeps with his simplistic arguments about how we will all be better off when the government is totally deprived of all power so that the corporations can run things for us! Philip A. Combs Subj: Ashcroft and White House leaker investigation; Joe Scarborough I hope all is well with you. If Attorney General Ashcroft did, in fact, allow the White House time to cover its tracks concerning the CIA/leak episode, there is a precedent you might find interesting: Attorney General Meese's investigation into Iran/Contra. According to "Landslide" by Doyle McManus and Jane Mayer, Meese used investigators with limited experience, and turned down offers of help from both the Director of the FBI and the chief of the Justice Department's criminal investigation division. Also, the way he questioned Robert McFarlane (former head of the NSC) and William Casey (CIA head) let them both know that George Schulz (Secretary of State) had made a note of the sale of arms to the Iranians when first told of it by McFarlane. So it appears Meese, as well as attempting to find out what they knew, was letting them know what he knew. Having read a few books on the Reagan years lately, I came away with the feeling that the destruction of documents by North, Poindexter, and Fawn Hall prohibits us all from know exactly what went on, and who knew what, and when. And it appears to me that the Bush administration knows this quite well. As for Joe Scarborough... I emailed him twice recently regarding the opening credits to his show. He is shown quite briefly in a flight suit, which would easily give viewers the impression he once served in the military (what I took to be the intended purpose for showing the photo). In the first email I asked if he was a veteran. And in the second I told him that to my knowledge he most certainly wasn't, and that he should remove the flight-suit shot from his opening. (Between emails I had read a brief bio of him, and found no mention of military service.) Well, my wife and I have had the displeasure of watching the opening to his show the last few nights, and the entire photomontage intro to his show is now gone. Perhaps you have written on this change and I missed it. All the best to you. Sincerely, Steven
D Martin Maybe john Ashcroft and Robert Mueller will do the good "christian" thing to Valerie Plame, Joseph Wilson and their children; put them into the Federal Witness Protection Program!! That should keep them out of harm's way and also out of the headlines!! Keep up the good work, you're really the only source of the truth. Ruth Gottlieb Subj: On National Security I know describing the Bush White House as "hypocritical" takes as much creativity as saying the sun is hot these days, but the current scandal over leaking a CIA operative's identity to the press has overcome shows just how beyond the pale hypocritical these people are. Max Boot's op-ed article today in the Los Angeles times today [LINK] tried to delegitimize the investigation as much as possible without sounding like he was trying to delegitimize it. Indeed, by saying the leak "may not even be illegal," let alone a felony or an act of treason, apologists for this administration are practicing consequence management. While no one can really argue that the leak was okay, those that unconditionally defend Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. are arguing that leaking the name is no big deal. Witness Bob Novak's back-pedaling yesterday, trying to say Ms Plame was really a covert agent -- she is an analyst. Yesterday's Washington Times writer Tony Blankly penned "Political opponents will play jujitsu with policy issues. In the instant case of the (presumably) leaked CIA agent's identity, the Democrats will keep up a constant hypocritical but effective defense of national security against a White House that (they will loudly assert) has jeopardized our security by revealing the secret agent lady." I'm sorry, Mr. Blankly--it wasn't Democrats who tried to play politics by trying to destroy a career CIA agent and career diplomat's lives for one of them pointing out the President lied to the nation. In other words, revealing a CIA identity is no big deal. It's not illegal, it's not immoral, and it doesn't undermined national security. Excuse me? This is the White House that hides EVERYTHING because of national security reasons. 9/11 study? Can't release it all due to national security reasons. Dick Cheney's energy task force? Can't release it, national security. Identity of the inmates at Guantanamo Bay? Identity or even number of people held by the Justice Department after 9/11? Can't say, it would harm national security. Question the Attorney General on civil rights? How dare you--bringing up phantoms of lost liberty endangers national security. Question the President on a war that has 2/3rds of our army tied up? You're harming national security and aiding and abetting the enemy. But releasing the name of a CIA operative? Puh-leeze! Would you Democrats quit playing politics? Steve Subj: Rush on Drugs seen on alt.fan.rush-limbaugh: Rush Limbaugh Show, December 16, 1994
Subj: FBI now investigating......Saudi groups So the Feebies are FINALLY investigating the Saudis? At a time when they're supposed to be focusing in Rove & Company? Is this all coincidental or what?
Pete Subj: Treason Dear Buzz- Aren't Bush and Rove going to be designated "persons of interest"? It seems appropriate since the leaks may have came from them. It looks like this investigation could take some time. I wonder if we will be able to make a connection to the length of the ongoing search for the disseminator of the anthrax. Maybe the "wilsongate" caper will be brought up in the same way - every now and then - just to try to make us think that they care. Lets keep it in mind. Suzanne in PA Subj: Karl Rove's security clearance? Not to put too fine a point on it, but why in the hell does this guy know the names of CIA operatives in the first place? I was under the distinct impression that Karl Rove is running GW's re-election campaign, not the actual government. I wasn't aware that political advisers fall into that top-secret-eyes-only category that oh, say, Slithering Dick Cheney might. Oh, that's right. It's the BUSH White House, so of course it makes perfect sense that some political hack would have access to classified material that impacts our national security. And I wonder why I have chronic headaches. These people are driving me nuts! Lynne Keeley Subj: CIA Scandal: Justice Department granted White House delay in order to preserve records - NPR deletes Totenberg report from transcript News Flash On October 2nd, Nina Totenberg reported on Morning Edition that the Justice Department granted a White House request to delay a directive to preserve its records as part of the CIA exposure scandal. Then, NPR deletes her report from its transcript of the show. Hear the audio of her report, and see the sanitized transcript. http://traprockpeace.org/npr_totenberg_oct_02_2003.html Why did the Justice Department delay its directive to not destroy phone and email records? Does this action support call for independent investigation? Why did NPR delete what was clearly the most interesting (as well as the most damaging) part of Nina Totenberg's interview on Morning Edition? Thanks to Robert E. Reynolds for transcribing the lost segment. Thanks to BuzzFlash.com for posting Reynolds' work. Traprock discovered the NPR deletion when it followed Reynolds' advice to purchase the transcript of the show, only to find that Totenberg's report on the cooperation between the White House and the Justice Department had been deleted from the transcript. Luckily, NPR had neglected to delete the report from the audio. You can hear the audio of the missing report at Traprock's site - http://traprockpeace.org/npr_totenberg_oct_02_2003.html Charles
Jenks Subj: David Kay Today's hypocrite is David Kay. Chosen to personally find them elusive WMD's the evil Iraq's had hidden from us he came up with zip, nada, NOTHING. But in the old Bush tradition he says there is plenty of evidence of intent. Well I have several chemicals found in any household and access to the internet, I guess I intend to build bombs. This report shows once again that there was nothing in Iraq worth a single American soldier's life, but they are still there dying. Michael Subj: So has the GOP dropped the Morality Kick? So, Mitt Romney, and others are supporting Arnold the Groper, Arnold the Naked? Has the GOP switched off the morality thing? Just asking. mv Buzz mailbag friends, You people are really bad! Keep it up! I laughed my head off at Wed's Rove/Rush zingers. Those two resemble pig-brothers separated at birth. Pray something unrecoverable about Ahrnaud materializes over the weekend. The thought of him as Gov makes me want to hurl my Rice-a-Roni! Suzanne Subj: we need a counter: Day 75: Traitors in the WH Hi BuzzFlash: All you great bloggers and collectors of links need to put counters on or near the top of your web pages for the White House treason scandal. Day 1 is July 14, when the Novak column came out. You need to say something like:
Jim O'Hara Subj: What's with the news coverage? Why don't we see much of Clark anymore on the news? We see Ahhnold all the time. I guess the California race is bigger news than the presidential race? No, Bush doesn't want anyone seeing Clark until he gets good and ready to fabricate his own little message about him. The rightwing is so scared of Clark, it is ridiculous. That is why I am supporting Clark. If he scares Bush that much, he is good for democracy. GO CLARK 04 A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: A suggestion Why not run a photo of Wesley Clark on the ground in Kosovo, running the military campaign, next to a photo of George Bush in his costume on the deck of the aircraft carrier? Nothing will make him look more ridiculous than that. David Dear BuzzFlash, California gave us the "Big Gipper", are they now going to give us "The Big Groper"??? Does California really need a governor who is a serial groper, a Hitler admirer, unqualified, and whose speeches are full of movie lines? Have you noticed that when these republicans are caught with their pants down, they blame the Democrats? For example Arnold blamed trash politics for the real stories of his groping coming out. Was he naive to think that his past will not be exposed when running for governor? As for that incompetent Bush administration, they tried to blame the Democrats for rightfully questioning the leaks from the white house. I fully expected them to (as usual) blame Pres. Clinton for the disgusting leaks too! A BuzzFlash Reader Subj: Why is "Treasongate" suddenly out of the headlines? To Whom It May Concern, I don't know what can be done about this, but all of a sudden, today, I don't see ANY front page news devoted to the most important story of the day: Treasongate. In the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, which was of NO relevance whatsoever to the nation, every juicy detail was offered to us every single day for months. Can there be a campaign to keep this extremely important story on the front pages of all the dailies? J. Perez Subj: Ironic Isn't it ironic how the bush administration has been claiming for the last 2-1/2 years that Iraq, and now Iran, have these horrible weapons of mass destruction, even though they could never produce any credible evidence as to their whereabouts, but we still had to go bomb the hell out of Iraq anyway and probably Iran too if the bush administration gets their way, and all along North Korea has been rubbing their horrible, nuclear weapons in our face with Powell saying there is no evidence yet that North Korea is processing these weapons? I guess there isn't enough oil in North Korea for the bush administration. Misery in Missouri Subj: Minnesota GOP jerk Communications director names blog after the plane that went down, carrying Sen. Wellstone. AP story: [LINK] The site has been taken down, but here is the Google 'cache': [LINK] Anonymous Hotmail address of the jerk who ran the site is included in the above. How tasteless! Have they no shame? Wait, stupid question. Gord Hey Buzz. And to think I never believed in "compassionate conservatism!" Why I can see it all over the place now that the some stars of the conservative movement have been caught with their hands in the, ahem!, slot machine and pill bottle. Why, the compassion flowing from FOX and talk radio for the latest two, er, "fallen," is nothing short of biblical." And I'm a sure that if and when we ever discover who in the White House outed the woman CIA agent, the compassion will again flow "liberally." JohnW Subj: GOP Family Values Dear BuzzFlash, The holier-than-thou GOP family values harpies are outdoing themselves: GOP hate-spewing blowhard "on loan from God" moralist exposed as an rampant racist and frenzied drug fanatic. Six off the record reporters assert that Rove was the blabber mouth orchestrating Treasongate. Third rate violent film making Hummer driving actor running for "environmental" Governor of the world's fifth largest economy is revealed to be filthy-mouthed misogynist sex maniac who posed in full frontal nudes, "loves" Nazi war criminal Kurt Waldeim, "admired" Hitler for his "rise to power," thinks "95% of the people need to be told what to do," and secretly met with Ken Lay who gamed Californians out of $60 billion but "can't remember what was discussed." K-Mart shoppers jackboots on sale now, aisle 5. The FBI is going through Bush's underwear drawer, as his own expert confirms no WMDs after six month multi-million dollar scour of Iraq. Gee, little Miss Beret could hardly top all of this. What did the exemplars of family values say then? Oh yes, "Its the lie about the sex." Suzanne |
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