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March 29, 2004 |
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++Did you see this! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25177-2004Mar25.html Look in the middle of the article- Condi ASKED to to have her Airplane comment REVISED. Talk about revisionist history-this needs to be a HEADLINE. Of all the nerve today, where they are accusing Clarke of REVISING HISTORY and PERJURING HIMSELF when frigging Condi won't say anything under oath AND WANTS TO REVISE HER STATEMENT. NO WAY she should be able to do anything except PUBLICLY AND UNDER OATH!!!! A BuzzFlash Reader ++Should this Nation Feel Secure under Dr. Condoleezza Rice ? Hello BuzzFlash and all BuzzFlash readers, So Dr. Condoleezza Rice refuses to testify under oath, in public, in front of the independent September 11 commission. Now, Dr. Rice volunteers to return to the commission to testify, in private, without being under oath, to refute sworn, public testimony of Richard Clarke, who was, according to Administration sources, "out of the loop". Whoa, time out for a minute here . . . . She won't testify publicly, under oath, claiming that it would set a precedent that NS Advisors don't testify under such circumstances, despite prior instances of sworn, public testimony - Zbigniew Brzezinski in 1980 and Sandy Berger in 1997. What is the precedent the White House doesn't want to set . . . that only NS Advisors from REPUBLICAN administrations shouldn't have to provide sworn, public testimony? This also despite appearances on far more news outlets that I can keep track of (not to mention a written editorial) in an effort to refute the compelling testimony of Richard Clarke. This is the same Richard Clarke who, incidentally, testified under oath, in public, in front of the same independent September 11 commission that Condi is ducking. Dr. Rice is our National Security Advisor, but she cannot publicly refute the public testimony of someone who was supposedly "out of the loop". And this is the person GeeDubya has in charge of our National Security?!?!! If Dr. Rice can't publicly defend herself against someone who was "out of the loop", how can we expect her to defend the citizens of the United States of America? Suddenly, I'm feeling less and less secure. Warmest Regards, GK, a Fervently Loyal, Devoted and Proud Liberal BuzzFlash Reader ++Bad Joke Hi Buzzflash GWB's joke(that's not a joke) about not finding the WMD sounds like he could have used this type of non-humorous way of looking for the votes that belonged to President Gore. The loss of lives, who cares? Certainly not GWB! The loss of our right to have our votes counted, who cares? No sir, not GWB! This person and his motley crew care not about life, or limb, or rights, as long as they belong to some one else. Preferably people other than the wealthy. Angie, loyal Buzzflash reader and supporter. ++Inspiration
A BuzzFlash Reader ++Bush's Joke Please do not let this travesty die! To dishonor the death of those who believed his lies about WMD should never be forgotten. Every Democrat should write a letter to the Editor condemning this tasteless skit about "searching for WMD's". It makes me sick.....if my son had died or had been wounded in Iraq, I would be beside myself with fury. Dorothy
Schreyer ++Kerry Ad Idea . . . A great idea for a Kerry Campaign ad... Maybe we can do a split screen with American flag draped coffins coming back from Iraq while Bush crawls around looking for WMD - this after 20 seconds of Bush and his henchmen with their bold "There can be no doubt Saddam has WMD....." statements. Regards, Cecil Gabriel ++Frist releases classified information (?) Frist wants to declassify Clarke's testimony--then he directly quotes from it! Isn't that releasing classified information? http://www.spadehammer.blogspot.com/2004... SH ++Krauthammer In the post dispatch today....is an article by the above....it is headed: NATIONAL SECURITY.... CLINTON WAS THE REAL PROBLEM!!!! No, I did not read it....I know Krauthammer Folks they will never,ever stop trying to make a cartoon character out of everyone in the democratic party ....and I simply cannot read it after watching the Democratic Unity Dinner last night. It absolutely revived me! Shirley.......St.Louis ++911 Commission Good report. Sure you are aware of it but the BIG LIE they are pushing is that Clinton's anti terror policy ('rollback') was maintained intact until after 9/11 when they (Condi) came up with the 'elimination' strategy. Implication is that Clinton was responsible. We need to strongly assert the differences esp at the DOJ & FBI where it was de-prioritized and Ashcroft went hunting for whores in New Orleans, hoping no doubt to bag a few democratic politicians in cat house phone logs. And at DOD, Don 'Rasputin' Rumsfeld was busy with his star wars obsession, Iraq, and a more mobile force. Jim McConnell ++GOP "Declassifies" Clarke Testimony Dear Buzz, Let me lend my voice to the choir in THANKING YOU for the wonderful work you do. I find it mighty smelly that the GOP, led in the charge by Frist (although early reports are saying that Hastert was behind this idea) are seeking to declassify Clarke's testimony. WHAT ARE THEY SO AFRAID OF? When did the truth become something to fear? Those bastards are spinning so hard and fast that they make the Tasmanian Devil look like he's on quaaludes. I think that this may very well backfire on them, as polling, according to CNN last night, shows that 9 of 10 Americans are aware of the 9/11 Commission and Clarke's explosive testimony. You can only spin so fast, so far, before the whole core of your being begins to unravel. Hopefully, our fellow Americans are starting to see the dawn's early light as it shines on the Bush administration. Vicki Stein ++Looks like the contest is still open......LOL
Lp ++FOX Cries Wolf Buzz, Bob Woodward in his Bush book reported that Post-9/11Roger Ailes of FoxNews sought to advise his buddies at the White House .. So it has not been a shock that nearly every day since War on Iraq began the FauxNewsChannel has breathlessly reported WMD "findings" .. or Al-Queda links to Saddam. But to see how low CNN has sunk really sends home how the corporate media seeks to manufacture consent ( to borrow a phrase from Noam Chomsky ). Aaron Brown last night may have put it best, "It' fair to say that nothing significant has emerged .." Aaron was talking about the 9/11 hearings, maybe Mr Brown slept through the Richard Clarke testimony .. So perhaps he meant to say that "It's fair to say that nothing significant has emerged from CNN in years." What can we do about this? Well with the AARP selling out to the GOP and NPR's shabby treatment of Terry Gross and Bob Edwards .. I will be taking the money saved from no longer contributing to them to: 1) Free Speech TV ( channel 9415 on the DishNetwork ) which carries DemocracyNow w/Amy Goodman 2) Buzzflash. Buzzer ++Condi quitting? Democracy Now today said that C. Rice announced, via, I think, the Wall St Journal, that she will be leaving her job at the end of the year...hmmmm, interesting! http://www.democracynow.org Just thought that would make an interesting ending to your excellent hypocrite of the week essay!! Thanks for keeping me laughing in these scary times, Kacie ++Lies, Damned Lies and GWB March 25, 2004 in Nashua, NH "Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America, to attack us, I would have used every resource, every asset, every power of this government to protect the American people," Bush said to loud applause from an audience of about 300 people. http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/8282930.htm
As Buzz has aptly pointed out, they just needed to stop the hijackings! This presents a real danger to the White House which would explain the circling of the wagons by Fox News, Clear Channel and Sinclair Broadcasting by smearing Richard Clarke with WH provided spin. If you are not familiar with Sinclair, they put out “The Point”by Mark Hyman from {newscentral.tv}. They’ve taken over several local TV stations and broadcast their right-wing BS from Baltimore to make us yokels think it is local news (the Clear Channel model). We desperately need a return to the Fairness Doctrine or else progressive voices (truthful) will be lost. Turk Meister ++Condi and other Misnomers Why do we not all know by now that Condi Rice is Bush's token, african american, pretty woman with a great body (she also plays a great piano) she cannot articulate a thing,..and she has no one grilling her. Every time I have heard her speak on anything....if anyone asks her a hard question, she gets that smartass look on her face, like "Who do you think you are...I am Condoleeza Rice, Important Person"! Bush brought her along, just for decoration and to please everyone in the republican party who thought he should have tokens....even Colin Powell is not a token...he is nuttier than a fruitcake now...never, ever says anything with sense and has a very strange look out of his eyes, and from what I read, he pops Ambien like everyone else at the white house!!!! And mostly, when will we all learn to call it exactly what it is...a major Bait and Switch?! I am now listening to Bob Graham, who said that he visited an air base in Fla. in Feb. of 2002, and the leader of that base, called him into his office and shut the door. He said, "Bob, they are pulling all our military out of Afghanistan and preparing to send them to Iraq....we cannot do that!" Well, they did.....and now we know exactly why Bush wanted to get the presidency so much....and what a true Bait and Switch is.....and we let them get away with it because they, like Clinton said, made a cartoon out of the Democratic Party in 2000! Shirley.............St.Louis PS: We just cannot let that happen again!!!!!!! We must work like never before!!! ++The Condi Defense Good catch, as usual. So this is Bush's defense? Quit picking on the single black female who's about to leave? Might Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Tx/Houston, be interested in responding? Especially to Novak et al.? Lee, an ex-judge who exudes competence & gravitas w/out bullshit, would squash Novak like a bug. A BuzzFlash Reader ++Rice's Executive Privilege Claims Are Phoney -- Privilege Already Abandoned By Rice and White House Dear Buzz, The White House is gambling that public debate over its claim of Executive Privilege will distract public attention from its refusal to cooperate with the 9/11 commission. The simple fact is that that these claims of Executive Privilege are spurious. The ability to claim privilege of any type, Attorney-Client, Spousal, or Executive, has long been subject to the rule that intentional disclosure of selected information within the scope of privilege constitutes a complete and absolute waiver of the privilege. The waiver extends to all information that might have otherwise been protected by the privilege. In essence, Rice and the Bush have already resolved the issue of whether Executive Privilege protects the confidentiality of communications between the National Security Adviser and the President. Rice has intentionally and repeatedly revealed portions of those same communications in written newspaper articles, talk shows and news interviews. Rice and the White House have treated these communications as non-confidential. They can not rely on Executive Privilege to protect “confidentiality”of non-confidential communications. The Executive Privilege claim is just another example of the ‘say one thing and do another’pattern characteristic of the Bush White House. Steve Bodenheimer ++What is Condi Afraid Of? Dear Buzzflash, Condi Rice the National INsecurity Advisor really should step down. It is not acceptable that she can only meet the 9/11 commission in private, and not testify under oath. It is a disgrace that the Bush administration always act like they are above the law. If Sandy Berger and others could waive their privileges, why not Ms. Rice? I wonder what she is so afraid of, and what the Bushies are hiding. It looks like the Shrub is once again hiding behind Condi's skirts, the coward that he is. I cannot believe that a (p)resident has consented to meeting the 9/11 panel for only an hour. I guess fund raising is at the moment the top priority for him. I watched President Clinton last night, and once again was highly impressed with his ability to inspire us, and his speech was as usual fantastic. He is a real genius. He was exactly right when he mentioned that our opponents (GOP smear machine) were very good in what they do, and that all they are capable of doing is distorting and bringing down our candidates. I hope John Kerry will make use of Pres. Clinton's brilliance to win this November. It was great seeing the Democrats all unite and ready to win the white house. Good Luck to all of them. A Buzzflash Reader Really appreciate your letters. Am so glad to see other VETS writing you. On Nov. 4,2003 you printed an article called 'Liberal Thinking' written by young person. I still have a copy - it is an idea that I've tried to get posted but none of the papers accepted it. PLEASE Sharon Hardaway -- send that letter to the Kerry camp - I would like to see more people educating the press that Conservatives are 'narrow-minded' and Liberals 'Open Minded' - They can look it up in Websters. As to Zell Miller I hope the Republicans 'pay' him....Lieberman has been courting the Republicans and I fully expect him to change his party affiliation. What can be done to create a law that says once you are elected by one party, you cannot change your affiliation until you either resign or your term is up. Love the letters - it bolsters my spirits whenever I'm in the mood that 'the devils can't be beaten'. Rita from Columbia,Md. ++Why do Americans think hiding guns in the stove is a good idea? http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2469676 I wonder sometimes..........this is the 4th or 5th report I've seen in the past year where a gun hidden in a stove has discharged & injured/killed someone. Is this what the NRA teaches - hide your guns in the stove? I just can't imagine anyone hiding a dun in the stove, let alone a LOADED one!! What are these people thinking? Linda Not sure if you heard about this... Was surprised to see a local Twin Cities tv station (KARE11) interview a man named Thomas Maertens of Mankato, MN. He sat on the NSC as director of nuclear nonproliferation under Clinton and Bush. He is now retired. During his short tv interview he stated flatly that the Iraq war was undertaken purely as a device to assure Bush's reelection. To have someone with Martin's credentials state the obvious so plainly and openly was breathtaking in its honesty and courage. He was also interviewed on NPR this afternoon. Thanks for all your great work - you are now the Guardian of our freedom, having assumed the responsibility of the press to inform the electorate that was defaulted on by the corporate media when they redefined news as a "product", prostituted themselves to the axis of weasels and turned journalists into corporate spokesmodels. A BuzzFlash Reader ++White House Smears Richard Clarke But No Bob Novak Source Revealed Buzz, Isn't it interesting that The White House and Republican Congress have NO PROBLEM in releasing CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS in order to make Richard Clarke " look bad", after Clarke showed how Bush, Cheney, and Rice were asleep at the wheel before 9/11. And yet, we are still waiting for The White House to reveal the "classified" name of the person(s) who told Bob Novak that former CIA Agent Valerie Plame " was fair game", and put her life at risk along with the people she spoke to overseas. It works both ways Bush!! Tom Wieliczka ++Who Will Be Blamed Now, let me preface this by saying, I'm no rocket scientist... But I've been hearing that the likelihood of another terrorist attack on our home soil is not a question of if, but when. And I'm sitting here wondering... Who will there be to blame this time if, God forbid, that comes to pass? A Buzzflash Reader ++Colin on Newshour Hey -- Wish I had taped tonight's NewsHour (I'll check for a transcript). If someone there is able to tape it (I'm in the central zone and it only airs one time on my PBS station), pay attention to when he's asked if Clarke is correct that while others pushed immediately after 9-11 for an attack on Iraq, Powell argued against such an attack? His response is carefully worded and brings to mind "cover your own ass." He's confirming what Clarke wrote. One wonders if Powell feels that it's finally all about to hit the fan and if that happens wants to be sure he's covered. -- Jake ++Clarke, bush, and perjury Dear Buzzflash, The Hounds of Bush* are going to bite themselves in the butt in their attempt to discredit Clarke. First if they succeed in declassifying Clarke's testimony - what's to stop Clarke from requesting declassification of other related testimony? If Clarke ends up being charged with perjury - then he's entitled to a defense and that defense could well include testimony from other bush* officials. If Clarke "spun" his testimony in July 2002, how much else was spun by other bushies during those hearings? Secondly, Clarke's testimony in July 2002, as he stated this past week, was presented to emphasize the positive and downplay the negative... yep - the spin machine was rotating at top speed... The spot light will be on much spin the bushies have put on what they did or did not do prior and after September 11. It will also raise questions as to how much spin has been used on other issues -- such as Iraq WMDs. The bushies are hanging all of this on the fact Clarke testified under oath -- this will be the key argument for the Hounds of Bush*, and they will have to spin their own arguments to explain the difference between spin and lies. It also raised the question about Condi's refusal to appear under oath. Is she hiding because if she testifies under oath that previous testimony/statements will be called into question because the "spin" won't match? To my knowledge, the charge of perjury can only be leveled if you had testified under oath. But, what about making appearances in an official capacity? When bush* gave his State of the Union Address charging that Iraq had WMDs - he was appearing as pResident and bound by the Oath of Office -- can he be charged with perjury? When Cheney crawled out of his undisclosed location and gave a speech or media appearance which said that Iraq was a threat because of WMDs -- can he be charged with perjury? The Hounds of Bush will say no -- oath of office is different from an oath taken in court or in hearings to tell the truth. So what does this mean? This means that you can't believe anything anyone says unless they are bound by a specific oath. That all we were told in speeches, commercials, press conferences are to be taken with a few pounds of salt -- so how are we to believe anything coming out of the government? How are we to differ from "spin" and lies? How will we know the real truth when we see it? Campaign commercials now require a specific statement by a candidate that says he/she endorses the content. Will we have to go a step further and require government officials/candidates to publicly take an oath to tell the truth before they make any sort of appearance in an official capacity? Just my opinion - but in loosing the Hounds of Bush* on Clarke in an attempt to discredit him, bush* is discrediting himself and his whole administration and leaves us all wondering what can we believe and are we able to trust anything said by bush* or his administration? D. Hippauf ++Ask Senator Frist to Swear to his knowledge on cost of Medicare This independent voter thinks that if If Senator Frist wants to declassify Richard Clarke's 2002 sworn testimony to Congress on national security, so be it. But Senator Frist should also be asked to testify under oath, along with House Majority Leader Tom Delay, as to their knowledge and what they knew and when about the estimated costs of Medicare before the vote was taken on the new Medicare bill, which they represented to their fellow elected officials as only costing $395 billion over ten years - even though Richard Foster, apolitical Chief Actuary of Medicare, had submitted them to the White House and the two house of Congress long before the votes to pass it, with his various estimates ranging from $500 to $600 billion for the same period. Who has told the bigger lie folks? Let's get all this laundry washed (under oath) in public, and before the November election. More heat and light makes for better government and a more informed electorate. Sincerely, Peter W.
Greenough ++Proof the 'We didn't Know Planes were a Weapon' is a LIE This is an excellent catch by the folks over at Buzzflash. There are many examples of planes being used as weapons. If you want to believe that Condi was oblivious to this, then you also have to believe that she never talked to her counter-parts at the CIA or any intelligence operatives. They certainly had first hand knowledge because some terrorist tried to slam a plane into the CIA headquarters back in the mid-90's (remember that one). Besides, ever since hearing that statement (lie) from Rice over a year ago, something has bothered me even more ... If the National Security Advisor for George W Bush has never heard of a plane used as a weapon, or .. "no one ever thought of that" ... Ok, George's father fought in WWII as a pilot in the Pacific against Japan, and if National Security Advisor Rice thinks its such a new and unheard of idea ... Why doesn't she ask WWII pilot poppy Bush what the word Kamikaze means?? In any case, there are a lot of examples listed on the link of planes being used as weapons. Not only is Rice lying, this shows her contempt for anyone who wants the truth. Is there any surprise that Condoleezza Rice refuses to testify under oath to the 911 commission. Best! Kelley Kramer ===================================================== Plans to Crash Airplanes Into Buildings that Bush and Condi Claim They Knew Nothing About: They Lie http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/04/03/edi04021.html ++HUGE STORY!!!!!! Scalia recusal case info Hi there, I found this article on the New Yorker that indicates that the case that "Justice" Scalia should be recused from (the energy task force case) might be about a lot, lot more than domestic energy policy. The article says that a memo dated February 3, 2001 (6 months before 9/11) indicates that the task force might have been into a lot more than domestic policy - like "the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields." Here is an excerpt:
Here is the article: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040216fa_fact A BuzzFlash Reader ++Not a prediction, but March 26 CNN Inside Politics: Robert Novak said that latest poll shows Kerry leading in OH and FL and if election held today, Kerry would win with 307 electoral votes. Not a prediction for November, but.... Extraordinary coming from Novak. A Reader ++While they're declassifying... Dear Buzzflash people, 1) Thanks.....you are a breath of fresh air!! 2) Would you please request that, while the Republicans are in a mood to declassify material on Clarke that they also declassify Cheney's meeting on energy policy with Ken Lay............. D. Ely ++Careful what they wish for Hey Buzz: Bill Frist better pipe down about de-classifying Clarke's 2002 testimony. I trust Bob Graham when he says he doesn't recall any statements that contradict Clarke's 9/11 testimony, but even so, I feel like Clarke is such a patriot that he's willing to accept blame if it's due (heck, he already has with the 9/11 families, the good man). But if the Republicans insist on de-classification, they better realize they are opening a Pandora's box for themselves. If Frist wants to make a big ol' issue out of lying to Congress, he might want to consider the consequences and then get in line behind Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice, Rumsfeld, etc., etc. for the impending inquisition (um, what exactly did he say about the Medicare bill?). Careful what they wish for. A BuzzFlash Reader ++hellllooooooo, irony alert Hey Buzz: At the end of the AP story, "GOP Seeks to Show Clarke Discrepencies" (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news...), which is currently headlining my Yahoo! start page, there's this gem: "White House spokesman Scott McClellan, meanwhile, continued the administration's criticism of Clarke, telling reporters, 'With every new assertion he makes, every revision of his past comments, he only further undermines his credibility.'" Do the Bushies not see the irony here????? You might think those so-called Christians in the White House would be familiar with Jesus' advisory that unless you are without sin you might not want to cast that first stone. A Buzzflash Reader ++Under oath The Repugs are making noise about going after Clarke for perjury, because both in 2002 and now he testified under oath. That's just the point, that Clarke was willing to testify under oath. On the other hand, while Condi has plenty to say to the media, she has yet to say one single word under oath. Gee, I wonder why? If she has anything to say to contradict and refute Clarke, let her say it under oath, or shut the hell up. Joann Olbrich ++90's Attacks Preventable, Fresh Attacks Inevitable! One of the most odious charges from the White House yesterday was that Clarke was personally responsible for all previous al Qaeda attacks against America. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice –who oversaw the worst national security failure in American history and yet refuses to testify publicly about it –said, "what's very interesting is that, of course, Dick Clarke was the counterterrorism czar in 1998 when the embassies were bombed. He was the counterterrorism czar in 2000 when the Cole was bombed. He was the counterterrorism czar for a period of the '90s when al Qaeda was strengthening and when the plots that ended up in September 11 were being hatched." Vice President Cheney echoed the very same criticism on Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Rice and Cheney conveniently ignored the President's own "buck stops here" declaration and desire for a "culture of personal responsibility": Both refused to mention that they were Clarke's bosses in the lead up to 9/11, and that they ignored Clarke's repeated efforts to get the Administration to take terrorism more seriously. They also failed to elucidate why, if Clarke's record was so terrible, they called him an "outstanding public servant" and decided to keep him on board at the White House. http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18201 FBI Director Robert Mueller called suicide bombings "inevitable." Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge characterized it as "not a question of if, but when." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said terrorists will "inevitably" acquire weapons of mass destruction and "will not hesitate to use them." http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0523/p01s01-uspo.html You’ll never see or hear this on Pravda (Fox News, Clear Channel, Sinclair Broadcasting)! Turk Meister ++Frist and Hastert Talk about "open mouth, insert foot," Bill Frist and Dennis Hastert have done it now! Yes, let's look at Dick Clarke's testimony of 2002. What do you want to bet they won't do it? That would prove once and for all that they ARE the most crooked, lying thugs we have ever had in the oval office. I trust Bob Graham when he says the Democrats have re-read Clarke's testimony and there are no discrepancies. Frist and Hastert are just using this as a red herrings to take some heat off dumbya. Write to congress to ask that they please, please do open the records without any redaction this time and let's see just who is credible and who is not. Dare them! Sandy in Florida ps good job for moveon.org and true majority also ++9/11 survivors wait the truth Dear Buzzflash: Are all readers familiar with tomflocco.com? This investigative reporter has certainly done his homework far more diligently than any of the members of the "independent" 9/11 investigative panel members. I heard lawyer Stephen Berg who represents widow, Ellen Mariani interviewed and he seems a reasonable man. John Buchanan, another reporter, is also being silenced by the mainstream media. The evidence for a major plot, somewhat akin to the forsaken, Northwoods, where our government planned to take the lives of its citizens to provoke us into an attack on Cuba back in the early '60s seems possible. Such a frightening mess to find ourselves in. A Reader ++cc of my e-mail to Ed Bradley at 60 Minutes Hi Buzz, As always, thanks again for all that you do. Here is a copy of an e-mail I just sent to Ed Bradley via comment form at CNN website, and below it, a letter along the same lines but sans link that I just sent to the Oregonian. If the Oregonian prints it, it will likely run on Monday. Already several similar letters today. BTW if the Oregonian's letters page is any indication (they publish a weekly summary of the number of letters received, topic, and rough position on the topic), Bush has slightly more chance of winning our 7 electoral votes fair and square than Jared from Subway does. We have the highest unemployment rate in the nation, as well as huge numbers of environmentalists and sportspeople. Our Republicans tend to be independent/libertarian types, not tycoons or religious nuts. Yesterday I saw my first Bush/Cheney bumper sticker, though Dean, Kucinich and general Peace Now or A Village In Texas Is Missing Its Idiot stickers have been around for months. I don't just drive in Portland either, I've been out to the coast, up Mt. Hood and down to Eugene. Yet we keep hearing from the Bush camp that Oregon is surely an important " swing state" for them. Do they think wishing will make it so? Or are they planning a dirty trick and trying to set the stage now to make it look credible? Cheers, Ruthanne Williams * * * For Ed Bradley: I'm a regular viewer of 60 Minutes. Please ask Condoleeza Rice tomorrow why she's sitting in front of you instead of in front of the 9/11 commission, and why we should believe her instead of Mr. Clarke when Mr. Clarke has testified under oath and she has refused to. "We had a plan not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate it," Dr. Rice told reporters on Thursday. "We had a plan not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate it," White House spokesperson Scott McClellan also told reporters on Thursday. (Jon Stewart played both clips on Thursday night's Daily Show -- a link to this clip is http://www.comedycentral.com/mp/play...). Then on Friday, Republican strategist Charlie Black told CNN's Crossfire, " The president on his own said, I want a strategy, a comprehensive strategy not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate al-Qaeda." Please ask Dr. Rice why these people all seem to be reading from a single script, who is writing this script, and what this writer's agenda is. There has been a lot of hot air about loyalty lately. Please ask Dr. Rice to whom she has more loyalty: the Bush administration or the American people. We are counting on you, the press, to function for us, the citizenry, as Thomas Jefferson hoped you would when he said that he'd rather have newspapers without a government than government without newspapers. Thank you. Sincerely, Ruthanne Williams ***** It's the plan that's "sorry" To the Editor: "We had a plan not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate it," Condoleeza Rice told reporters on Thursday. "We had a plan not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate it," White House spokesperson Scott McClellan told another group. (Jon Stewart played both clips on Thursday night's Daily Show). On Friday, Republican strategist Charlie Black told CNN's Crossfire President Bush wanted "a comprehensive strategy not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate al-Qaeda." Some plan! The head of counterterrorism says he didn't know about it, no mention of it prior to September 2001 can be found, it didn't stop our president from taking a vacation for the whole month of August 2001, and it not only didn't prevent the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, it didn't even prepare us to scramble a military jet to intercept the plane headed for the Pentagon. And whoever's writing their lines hasn't even included, "We're sorry." Sincerely, Ruthanne Williams ++Another Frist first Dear Buzzflash, This morning I woke up to hear, on the radio, yet another character assassination of Richard Clarke. Mr. Clarke, who lost a close friend in the World Trade Center, was the first person to show compassion or to recognize the actual pain and loss suffered by the 9/11 families. This time Bill (I'm no Marcus Welby) Frist was complaining about the "arrogance" of Richard Clarke apologizing to the 9/11 families. I thought I heard him saying that Mr. Clarke had "no right" to apologize for the negligence of the administration (that culminated in the attacks of September 11th). My first thought was "if anyone knows about arrogance, Frist knows arrogance". Then, "the nerve of anyone from this rightwing bunch of thieves to call somebody arrogant". Frist failed to acknowledge what you and I already know: that there will never be an apology from this administration. Someone will have to actually feel sorry, or admit negligence, human error, or wrong doing. Don't hold your breath. Mr. Clarke, Mr. O'Neill, Mr. Foster, Ms. Chambers, Gen. Shinseki, Ambassador Wilson . . . the list just keeps getting longer, doesn't it? The arrogance of these people !! How dare they cross Bush & co !! Well, by the time we get to November, Rove will be out in the open leading the smears and sliming folks all over the place. There are days when I just can't stand this. And then there are days when I am completely blown out of the water by the audacity of these rightwing nuts. Leslie ++Bob Novak on Crossfire! Love your site! Don't know if anyone else caught it: Begala and Novak were hosts Thursday afternoon on CNN's Crossfire, Rahm Emmanuel and some nameless Republican were guests. Near the end of the "rapid fire" segment Novak did a quick shout-out at Emmanuel (paraphrasing) "Isn't true that the reason Richard Clark has a problem with Condoleezza Rice is that she's a black woman." Emmanuel did a double take, said "What?!", a furious Novak repeated the question, and Emmanuel gave him a "give me a break, Bob." No one else seems to have caught this obvious, and rather outrageous, attempt a race-baiting. Perhaps someone you know has this segment on tape? Haven't looked at CNN's transcript for the day -- if it's not there, it's been purged. Novak's a hack partisan. Maybe CNN could fire him over this... Laurel Fitch If the Republicans try to prosecute Mr. Clarke for telling the truth then we should as Americans, rise up and demand all of them be thrown out of office and George Bush, Cheney, Condi Rice, and Rumsfeld be tried for lying out Iraq. What has Clarke done but speak the truth. All the Republicans are doing is digging a deeper hole for them-selves come election time. The BuzzFlash Reader ++Ashcroft's decision to stop flying commercially Dear Editors: I think this is potentially one of the most damning facts about the Bush White House. Obviously, taking threats seriously for themselves while doing nothing to protect us is even worse than anything Clarke has charged. I was glad to read it on Buzzflash, but I wonder if anyone is pursuing any means of getting this more national attention. Thank you for your attention--and thank you for the terrific website. Mary L. Fulton ++don't have to be a member of mensa jesus christ! credibility? you have rice who refuses to testify in public under oath...........then you have a man who was more than happy to testify in public under oath! you don't have to be a member of mensa to figure this one out! another thing, the bush people have done the cost assessment......the down side of rice not testifying under oath is better than the down side of whatever awful thing she knows about bush. da Subject: Don'tcha know it's all about Bush Bush, Bush, Bush!!! Everything is about Bush. Bush's image is the end-all and the final argument in all conversations, conflicts and rhetorical exchanges. Bring up 9/11 and it's about Bush's 'steady leadership'. Not about it being a national tragedy, or the day that 'normal' ceased to have meaning, or the day thousands of innocent people died because our government is hated, or the day so many lost loved ones to the terrorist attacks. No, it 's only about Bush's image. It's so totally about Bush that even God specifically (and with foresight overruling and nullifying our votes) chose him for these times of terror so Bush could name himself the "war presdint". God, of course, evidently had no power to stop the terrorists themselves. Funny how the All Powerful God that Bush worships didn't have the foresight or the will to prevent the 'evil ones' from doing harm to the innocent. But still He stands proudly behind Bush's invasion of a country that was incapable of harming us and even allows the massive killing of innocent Iraqis. And Bush is so favored by God, that even his personal messenger, Jerry Falwell, assures us God has told him Bush can do no harm in His eyes. See how it's all about Bush? Then there's the 9/11 ad. Don't you know that day is the property of Bush and the Republicans? They own it. It's Bush's 'defining moment'. All arrows, all roads, all paths point and lead to Bush. Bush is The State (I don't use the French word 'l'etat' because Bush doesn't do anything French), Besides, if Bush doesn't like the sissy appeasing French, then God must not like them either. Mustn't tempt God's Wrath. Remember, it's all about Bush. And now it's the WMDs . What are they about? You guessed it! Bush. Just like when he hit the "Trifecta" with the 9/11 murders and thought it was so funny that he repeated it again and again to elicit 'good humored' laughter, he's now doing the same thing about the WMDs. It's OK to admit he can't find any as long as he pokes some light fun at himself? Well, since it's really only about Bush, then he can do whatever he wants. It's OK because he's showing us he has a sense of self-deprecating humor when he's wrong, see?. It 's OK, because everything, including the facts is about Bush. It doesn't matter if there are no WMDs. "What's the difference" he told Diane Sawyer, since it only matters if Bush himself says it matters. Everything, no matter how large or insignificant is about Bush, Bush, Bush! If it's true that the higher you are the harder you fall, his fall will leave a big hole in the ground. "But, since it's Bush's ego we're talking about it'll take a crater sized hole to bury it. Maybe history will name this the " Bush Era", just like the "McCarthy Era". Another aberration, another momentary moment of insanity in our otherwise evolving history. Judith Foster, ++Frist Admits Making Fraudulent Charges Against Clarke -- SOP for the GOP Buzz, Here’s one for the GOP Hall of Inspiration.
Records of this historic True Tale Of Republican Sleaze can be found here; http://slate.msn.com/id/2097884/ Steve Bodenheimer Ok, so let me get this straight.... According to a lot of Republicans, Clarke's humble apology to the people of American for the governments failure before 9-11 is theatrical, arrogant, and manipulative... ...but an obvious photo-op on a naval carrier in a flight suit behind a " Mission Accomplished" banner is not? And don't get me started on that fake turkey. Kevin Bolk ++Cat Killer Frist Dear Buzzflash: Instead of going after Richard Clarke the Republicans in the Senate should be going after their colleague, Dr. Bill "Cat Killer" Frist and his dubious family business. http://www.democrats.com/preview.cfm?term=Bill%20Frist Bill Frist is a bad joke on the American public. Any of the cats killed by Dr. Frist would be a better majority leader than he is. Dr. Frist's orchestrated vendetta against Richard Clarke should inspire us to redouble our efforts to replace those Senate Republicans who have become complicit in Bush's theft of Democracy. Dr. Frist, to put it in terms that even he can understand, is a monumental waste of protoplasm. Sincerely, Carolyn ++An Open Letter to Condoleezza Rice Hi again Buzz -- found Working Assets has a place to write Dr. Rice directly, so I reworked the two earlier e-mails to 60 Minutes and the Oregonian that I sent you earlier into one proper letter to her. This is a copy. Thanks again. ******************** Dear Dr. Rice: Why have you been sitting in front of TV morning shows instead of in front of the 9/11 commission, and why should we believe you instead of Mr. Clarke when Mr. Clarke has testified under oath and you have refused to? "We had a plan not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate it," you told reporters on Thursday. "We had a plan not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate it," Scott McClellan also told reporters on Thursday. (Jon Stewart played both clips on Thursday night's Daily Show.) Then on Friday, Republican strategist Charlie Black told CNN's Crossfire, "The president on his own said, I want a strategy, a comprehensive strategy not just to roll back al-Qaeda, but to eliminate al-Qaeda." Some plan! The head of counterterrorism says he didn't know about it, no mention of it prior to September 2001 can be found, it didn't stop our president from taking a vacation for the whole month of August 2001, and it not only didn't prevent the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, it didn't even prepare us to scramble a military jet to intercept the plane headed for the Pentagon. There has been a lot of hot air about loyalty lately. It is not too late to demonstrate to whom you have more loyalty: the Bush administration or the American people. It is possible that you have been led to believe that great harm will befall you if you say what you think, instead of reading from a prepared script, as seems to have been the case last week, unless Mr. McClellan and Mr. Black were just copycatting you. I can't speak to that. But I can say that my sixth-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Annesley Lewis, is revered today as a patriot and Founding Mother because of her choice to suffer three years of brutal imprisonment at the hands of the British rather than renouncing her husband, my sixth-great-grandfather, Francis Lewis, who had gotten on their wrong side by signing the Declaration of Independence, which act they considered treason. You too, Dr. Rice, have the chance today to be a patriot and a hero. Your truthful testimony before the 9/11 commission will upset a few apple carts and ruffle some feathers, but the American people will be eternally grateful to you for coming clean. Thank you. Sincerely, Ruthanne Williams ++One more hijacked airplane=missile precedent Buzz, regards your http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/04/03/edi04021.html Just want to add one more hijacked airplane=missile precedent to Condi Rice's claim of ignorance, the Fed Ex 1994 incident. * In 1994, a disgruntled Fed Ex employee invaded the cockpit of a DC-10 with plans to crash it into a company building in Memphis. That same year, a lone pilot crashed a small plane into a tree on the White House grounds, and an Air France flight was hijacked by members of the Armed Islamic Group with the intent to crash the plane into the Eiffel Tower. http://www.nypress.com/16/53/news&columns/feature.cfm Thanks for everything! Bob Maginnis ++Steady Leadership? If George W. Bush wants to campaign for the Presidency based on his leadership in the war on terror, he should do the following: 1. Name just one action he took prior to 9/11 to prepare himself, our defenses and the American people for a terrorist attack. 2. Name just one action taken or order given by him, as the Commander in Chief, to defend this nation while the attacks were taking place on 9/11. 9/11 was not a success. If Bush wants to brag about it, let’s have all the facts. Ron Schalow ++Right wing site says some Christians will not vote Bush http://michnews.com/artman/publish/article_3091.shtml Buzz, This is a right wing site at that URL. It is interesting, though, that they say many anti-Bush ultraconservative Christians will not support Bush. They will probably just stay home. A BuzzFlash Reader ++Bob Edwards asked Tom DeLay Bob Edwards asked DeLay what is the first thing he wants to do if Bush gets re-elected. He said "shut down NPR". Please, Buzz, encourage people to give to Richard Morrison who is running against DeLay www.richardmorrisonfordistrict22.com Delete DeLay A BuzzFlash Reader ++Bush-the Great Uniter You know, when the WTC towers fell the world united behind us and Bush in support. Now, all the nations of the world are uniting again because of Bush....to get him out of office. Mike Curtis ++Very interesting article I am not sure you have seen this article before. I find it very disturbing! Wolfowitz, Cheney, James Woolsey, Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, et al. are the only ones I know that are still suggesting there is a link between Iraq and 9/11. They believe there is this link because of the writings of Laurie Mylroie from the American Enterprise Institute. Richard Clarke noted that Wolfowitz had cited Laurie Mylroie immediately after 9/11 as to why we should go into Iraq. Laurie Mylroie also believes Saddam was involved in the first World Trade Center bombing, the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the crash of TWA flight 800 into Long Island Sound in 1996 , the USS Cole bombing, and the post-9/11 anthrax attacks. She also believes Saddam was involved in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.. In other words, she is a nutcase. So, the primary architects of this war have based their assumptions on the views of a nutcase. I am surprised that this hasn't gotten a bit more press... http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0312.bergen.html A BuzzFlash Reader It's a groundbreaking court decision that legal experts say will affect everyone: Police officers in Louisiana no longer need a search or arrest warrant to conduct a brief search of your home or business. Leaders in law enforcement say it will provide safety to officers, but others argue it's a privilege that could be abused. The decision was made by the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Two dissenting judges called it the "road to Hell." http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/news/2953483/detail.html Isn't it now ironic that the 5th Circuit Court was also where Bush appointed Charles Pickering during the Congressional recess to avoid the Democrat filibuster!! And you wonder why the Democrats tried to stop this man!! Well now we get to see the 5th Courts dirty work unfold and the "Road to Hell" continues... Oh here's a FOX NEWS article about Bush sneaking in Pickering to the 5th Circuit Court, for the doubtful Neo-Cons among us who see only truth in FOX!! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,108685,00.html Oh..the 5th Circuit Court with Pickering now in charge is after a woman's right to choose by wanting to reopen the Roe vs Wade case!! Here's a story on that: http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/19/roev.wade.ap.ap/ So once we turn into a full blown Police State, maybe then we can look back at those filibustering Democrats as the last stand freemen made against tyranny and oppression! Michael ++Clarke Quash The media giants are pulling out all the stops to erase the true story, all you hear now is the key word Clarke and lied. Its not key words but key word, they're never used apart. How the hell does newsweek get away with putting personal and political in the same grouping? Talking about a rethuglican mouthpiece. A BuzzFlash Reader |
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