OK. See if you can follow me here: The United States is concerned that Saddam Hussein could launch a first strike against the troops in the region -- or Israel -- once Bush signals that war is imminent, so the United States may have to strike first. But officials are concerned that if America strikes first, it will appear the United States has started a war.
Did I wake up in some weird alternate universe or something? After months of massing troops, threatening Iraq, bullying the United Nations, admitting that Saddam has not attacked the United States nor was it involved in Sept. 11, 2001, now officials are worried they might look like they're starting a war?
I thought Iraq was part of President Bush's doctrine of "preëmptive self-defense," which sounds an awful lot like "best defense is a good offense." Which means, by definition, that starting a war is kind of the whole point.
Most likely, this is some bonehead official talking smack to an ABC reporter. But it does highlight the problems facing the United States: namely, that this is a war of choice, not necessity. And that if it's prosecuted without the aegis of the United Nations Security Council, it will be an aggressive war, which is highly illegal under the U.N. charter.
The irony of all this is that if the United States doesn't have a resolution, Iraq would be perfectly justified in attacking first, both under the logic of the Bush Doctrine and Article 51 of the the U.N. charter, which states, "Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security." (George over at Warblogging has a nice take on this.)
This is just getting twistier by the moment. And now that war is looming ever closer, America is twisting Iraq's legitimate right to self-defense to justify a first strike. I love America, I really do, but this is going beyond all reasonable standards for how a democratic country founded on some of humanity's best ideals is supposed to act. To say the rhetoric coming from Washington is Orwellian is now to understate the case rather than blow it up into hyperbole. There seems to be no attempt to hide the propaganda, indicating a supreme contempt for the discerning facilities of the American people and other peoples of the world.
Meanwhile, Bush, Blair and Aznar are meeting in the Azores (say that three times fast) to work out some last minute diplomacy. This is interesting since it means Bush will have to get off the phone and actually spend some face time with his buddies. But wouldn't it be better to have some face-time with countries like Freedom (neé France) and Russia who don't support him? Back in 1990, U.S. Secretary of State James Baker was ubiquitous and the coalition was a big success. When was the last time Colin Powell went out of the country? Bush? I know it's not a good time to fly, but still...
By not inviting representatives from France, etc., this loos like a war council aimed at getting a successful UNSC vote instead of a summit looking for common ground and a compromise out of the diplomatic marshlands. But this is just more down-the-rabbit-hole insanity, with U.S. foreign policy used to make possible a war on Iraq. Clausewitz once said, "War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means." But as I said once before, this war is no longer a tool for state policy, but instead state policy has become a tool for war.
No Love Boat
In other news, the marriage between the media and the military is looking as rocky as Rick Rockwell and Darva Conger's from Fox's "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?" At least on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The "embedded" journalists on the Lincoln are monitored, minded and accompanied by escorts everywhere they go. Once, when mistakenly wandering into a meeting, two cameramen were confronted by armed guards.
Now, I know there are restrictions in war time; journalists need to understand that. And most of the time friction between reporters and the military is caused by misunderstandings rather than hostility. But I was pretty sure the Pentagon's new policy for embedding journalists with the troops was a propaganda ploy, and if the events on the Abraham Lincoln are indicative of how the press will be treated, I'm not confident this war will as aggressively covered as people think it will be.
Who thought this war was going to be “aggressively covered” to start with? Why would the U.S. media suddenly start doing anything aggressively when all they’ve done since 9/11 is push pseudo-patriotism and prop up Bush’s poll numbers by protecting him from any questions or criticisms?
If you think the media is going to “cover” this war, instead of just selling this war with more pro-Bush propaganda, you will be sadly disappointed.
That’s one of the reasons that your trip is important. Even if your reports won’t make it into the mainstream Bush-loving media, at least you will hopefully be allowed to report the truth back to those who seek it out.
Not only is the press not free in Iraq, journalists must attempt to gather facts from wary — and some would say terrorized — Iraqis who are highly reluctant to criticize Saddam’s regime. (Insulting the president is punishable by death.) Here’s a brief introduction to the Fourth Estate in Iraq along with links to reports chronicling the country’s dismal record regarding press freedom.
An Overview
“As far as the Arab world, Iraq has one of the most restricted medias, if not the most restricted,” says Joel Campagna, Middle East program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York City. Indeed, in a region where most countries in recent years have lessened the state’s grip on media, Iraq’s government continues to wield extraordinary control over the press. “We haven’t noticed any change in press freedoms in Iraq,” says Campagna. “They’ve remained consistently poor. The [Iraqi] government has given no indication that it will allow legitimate dissent or criticism.”
Reporters Without Borders, a French organization that monitors press freedom worldwide, says that Iraq is one of the 10 countries that it considers most hostile to journalists and independent media. The group says that Saddam Hussein is a “predator of press freedom” and reports that the “Iraqi regime uses every means to control the press and silence dissenting voices.” It is, in fact, spelled out in Iraqi law that journalists in Iraq must not make “any declaration or suggestion that might benefit an enemy at the expense of the country.”
Uday Hussein, Saddam’s oldest son, controls about a dozen newspapers in the country as well as Iraq’s most influential television and radio stations. Further, the Iraqi Ministry of Information appoints all of the country’s journalists, who must be members of the ruling Ba’ath Party and of the Journalists’ Union, which is chaired by Uday. In a move ridiculed by some Western analysts, Uday was elected Journalist of the Century by the union in April 2000.
Foreign journalists who cover Iraq are faced with a variety of obstacles, from government censorship to limits on visa stays, says Campagna. In “Air War: How Saddam Manipulates the U.S. Media,” Franklin Foer, an associate editor of The New Republic, described the process of applying for an Iraqi visa as “labyrinthine”:
First you send the Iraqi consulate in Washington, D.C., a copy of your curriculum vitae and passport. If the Iraqis decide that you are eligible to apply, you fill out a form provided by the consulate that asks about your religion and relationship to the American government. During moments of crisis, such as the current one, four separate committees in Baghdad review the application. (The New Republic, Oct. 28, 2002)
Foer says that visas are, in fact, the Ministry of Information’s most salient tool for controlling the movements of foreign journalists in Iraq. Another tool is the ministry’s provision of “minders,” state-sanctioned individuals who shadow a visiting journalist’s every move and arrange interviews on the journalist’s behalf. Anthony Cordesman, an expert on national security issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an analyst for ABC News, has reported that the Ministry of Information “maintains a long list of seemingly private Iraqis who are fluent in foreign languages.” Those Iraqis are allowed to give “private” interviews, Cordesman says, and though they may appear to be somewhat critical of the regime, they’ve been handpicked to serve as mouthpieces for state propaganda.
Nevertheless, in October 2002, there were accounts by seasoned Western journalists that the Iraqi public was becoming bold, almost brazen, in its openness. After Saddam granted general amnesty to the great majority of Iraqi political prisoners, foreign correspondents wrote of the seemingly spontaneous protests that erupted outside government buildings. In The New York Times, John F. Burns called the events a “potentially seismic trend,” while Anthony Shadid of The Boston Globe labeled it “an extraordinary show of dissent in one of the world’s most tightly guarded capitals.”
What happened next was old-style Iraqi politics, however. Western news reports surfaced that CNN had been expelled, allegedly for its coverage of the protests. Eason Jordan, a news executive at CNN, released a statement saying that the action was “draconian.” Then, Uday Hussein, in a surprise gesture, used one of his newspapers to chastise the ministry for overreacting. The ministry soon backpedaled, and the CNN reporters indicated that some of the pressures on them had been relieved.
Now Western analysts are left to ponder the long-term effects of the protests and the attendant media coverage. CPJ coordinator Campagna is guarded in his assessment.
“I can comment from the perspective of the media. And yes, we did see that the networks were able to report on the protests, and there was a lot of coverage in the U.S. press,” says Campagna, which he admits is a new development. “How that translates politically and whether this is going to continue to embolden Iraqis to speak out, we just don’t know.”
-From FRONTLINE/WORLD-“Truth and Lies in Baghdad”
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq/
About the Azores summit. I live in Portugal and everyone’s outraged by it being held on Portuguse soil. I don’t like to plug myself, but I wrote about it today. This meeting was planned March 11, not yesterday as is being reported.
http://www.brendastardom.com/arch.asp?ArchID=136
well. what the f**k do you think you’re covering? a baseball game? it’s a war ship and you can’t go whining if cameramen are not allowed “wander into meetings”.
why don’t you cover the war in baghdad? see how free you are to do whatever you want.
jerk.
I’m the jerk? Hm.
Bush Lies-Who will tell tCLARENCE SWINNEY INTRODUCTION TO LIST OF BUSH & STAFF LIES
DEFINE A LIE AS—AN INTENT TO DECEIVE—KEY WORD IS INTENT
For example, when Bill Clinton promised a Middle Class Tax Cut he did not lie for he intended to give one.
Yet he was castigated, unmercifully, by Republicans as having lied.
Some of my list can be so interpreted. It will be up to each individual to make the decision.
Bush definitely lied when he said he got a Patient’s Bill Of Rights passed in Texas. It was an intent to deceive.
When he said his 2001 Tax Cut went primarily to the lower income tax payers he lied. He knew the bottom 60% got15%. That is no majority Buster.
You make the decision. Bill Clinton was falsely accused of lying when he was not intending to deceive his
readers or listeners.
The All Time Liar is Mush Dimbaugh. He said FAIR listened to 4,000 hours of his transcripts and found 45 little errors. A Joke. When the audit by Fair is extrapolated it comes to 10,400 LIES. I assure you that given 4,000 hours of his junk I could easily find 10,000 to 20,000 LIES. Intents to Deceive.
I have many details but attempt to be as brief as possible for I assume that most of readers of this list will have
knowledge of each item.
Details of any item can be received by writing Clarence Swinney at P.O. Box 3411
Burlington NC-27215—Please quote me and help spread this information
FAIR & BALANCED—YOU DECIDE————————————————————————-
———————————-BUSH & STAFF LIES——-
I passed a Patients Bill Of Rights as Governor
Trifecta
Compassionate Conservative
Action Administration
Al Gore lied on Internet
Al Gore lied on Love Canal
Al Gore lied on Love Story
Al Gore lied on Farm Work
Open Administration
I will protect the environment
I will retain regulations on CO2
Dad and I will be first two Environmental presidents
I will increase funding for libraries
I will Leave No Child behind—just the funding
I will be the Education President
I will restore Honor-Dignity-Integrity to the White House
I will continue to balance the budget
I will put Social Security in a Lock Box
I will increase the Pell Grant Maximum Award
My Tax Cuts will not create deficits even in a recession
I will fully fund LIHEAP—low income energy program
I will listen to sound science and “local” officials before deciding on Yucca Mountain
I will make higher education more accessible by helping students with costs.
My administration will have transparency
I am the type of person who will not change his mind once he makes it up.
This bozo best not read my long list of Waffles soon to be posted.
I have been to WAR
I will provide 20 Billion for World Trade center
I gave the citizens a Tax Refund. Loan not a refund. Democrats program.
Iran and North Korea have been allies against us.
Hear me once and hear me clear. Promises made are promises kept.
My Waffle list takes care of this very childish remark.
Saddam kicked inspectors out of Iraq. He ordered USA Spies to leave but stated over and over that others could stay.
I knew nothing about a possible attack. One of all time shameful lies. Eight months later Oh! I knew plenty.
We warned the FAA, Airlines and Pilots. Pilots interviewed said they were never warned.
Ashcroft—We captured a terrorist who was planning to plant dirty bombs.
Air Force I was under attack
I saw the first plane hit before I went into the classroom.
I will fully fund Low Income Housing Assistance
I will provide affordable prescription benefits for ”all” seniors
I will pay down a record amount of the federal debt. Up is down to this BOY.
The largest percentage increase in my budget is for education
Education will be my number one priority—after millionaires
I do not take cues from anyone. Except Karl, Karen and Dick. Is this boy mature or ?
Finding to Congress to slaughter Afghans. Lied by omission. No mention of removal of Taliban
I will not Nation Build
I do not need a Resolution from the UN. Too much yelling so better get one
Palm Beach County was a Pat Buchanan stronghold.
Clinton people did an estimated $200,000 damage to White House
Clinton people robbed Air Force I
Middle East slaughter is Clinton fault for working too hard for peace
North Korea restarting Nuke Program Clinton fault— check for duplication
We have the strongest Military in history. Bubba, you performed miracles. You campaigned on it
being so weak.
I will be strict on federal spending. Except for millionaires in weapons manufacturing
Alabama Duty—I was there on a temporary assignment and fulfilled my weekends. Phantom boy.
Dan Bartlett—Bush spokesman—He pulled his drills in Alabama. Since he wasn’t flying he was
doing odds and ends under different supervisors whose names he cannot recall.
They can’t remember him either Danny boy.
I was no longer flying F-102 jets because they were being replaced by a different fighter..
Aide—He did not take a physical because his physician was in Houston and he was in Alabama.
Try again. Personal physician cannot give the examination.
Try 22 months Boy.
Cheney lied on Halliburton transactions with Iraq.
Immediately upon taking office I will transfer the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem..
I will Jawbone Opec to open the wells. Go get em Rambo.
I will have a humble foreign policy. I would dread seeing an arrogant one.
I will have a bipartisan administration. What would his partisan one look like
Sharon is a Man of Peace. Did you read history Boy.
I looked into Putin’s soul. Put this boy into x-ray business.
Paul O’Neill—I sold no Alcoa stock when I was CEO. Try 627,547 shares
Iraq has a fleet of unmanned planes which could be targeted at the United States.
This boy snorting again ? Let us see. It will take 2,000 refuelings to get here.
We have proof Al Queda has been involved with Iraq. Show it.
Elliott Abrams is a convicted liar. Right at home with this crowd.
John Poindexter is a convicted liar. He just cannot remember.
Karl Rove lied on Salvation Army deal.
I will put an end to permanent campaigning. I will do only six days each week.
I will not use polls. Just weekly.
Senator Baucus does not like free trade. He is an isolationist and protectionist.
The president did not try to intervene in the GE-Honeywell deal in England.
Well, maybe a little bit.
Mitch Daniels—biggie on Clinton night deposits. These guys born with evilness?
We will move on from Clinton. Except for Marc Rich.
U.S. air strikes in Iraq have been routine. Pentagon disagrees.
Majority of my tax cuts goes to lower income. Boy, 15% to lower 60% ain’t majority.
I am matching a trillion tax cut with a trillion cut in spending.
Harken Energy sale of sock—records show a deliberate lie
Dropping top rate from 39.6% to 33% will serve as a stimulus to 9.4 million
small business owners. Sho! Less than 5% pay top rate, Boy.
Oh! I forgot you have a Business Degree form Harvard.
Next stop was Concord NC. “I want to avoid some of the so called school choice issues
such as school vouchers for it would prompt an extended debate in congress”.
Experts say you are wrong boy.
Cheney:: ”You never save ammunition to use before an election.” Rove and Card said Oh Yes we do.
He was inspired by reading the masters. Well, Not exactly read them. We told him.
I read the EPA report. Ari :“He did not”. When Ari contradicts you it is trouble.
Sorry dear, you must have been looking at old records. Federal government no longer maintains
such records.
We did not support the Venezuelan coup
Nunn-Lugar
Anwar—only 2,000 acres will be disturbed
Presidential records—hiding them will make them more accessible. These guys real?
Ashcroft-We are able to respond to bio-terrorism attacks. Call 911.
Military—Help is on the way. .Sic em boys.
My daughter did not wear kahki’s to meet the Queen. Just a kahki jacket.
We have definite proof Osama Bin Laden was responsible for 9-11. If it is like Toby Blair’s ridiculous 35 page proof forget it.
I was never arrested.
We have an agreement, which will be the largest disposal of nuclear war heads in history.
Not if you use 2,200 you are putting into storage. Storing is not disposing boy
101.I believe in being held accountable. When we attacked Afghan why did you say “I’m not in charge the Pentagon is running the war”
Voluntary ain’t regulations boy.
My number one priority is Osama Bin Laden- dead or alive. Aw! What the heck he is irrelevant.
You coal miners will get help from me.
I got affirmative action rules in Texas. O=Nothing boy.
Admiral Quidly spokesman for Central Command in Afghan : We hit our targets miles away from homes.” Not according to eyewitnesses who saw friends homes take direct hits, Red Cross building, Vets hospital, wedding party, etc. Sorry Admiral. Ever hear of Admiral Poindexter? He train you?
108.Johnny Mike Spann was a hero and first patient of Afghan slaughter. No he was not. He was dead.
Ashcroft—550 prisoners—“It is against the law to release their names”. Three days later assistant attorney general Chertoff said “there is no specific law barring disclosure of names”.
Gonzales—Mary Francs Berry said he lied to her over seating a commissioner on her commission.
Mitch Daniels-Economic slow down is due to war on terror and not tax cut. When he made statement anti-terror was small part of spending.
Justice Department—Lied on number of arrests and convictions for terrorism. They loaded the report with garden variety crimes with no connection to terrorism.
113.Justice said man disrupting a flight was a “domestic terrorist”. The judge laughed at the charge and called
it “ridiculous”. He said it was an obvious case of a man being very upset at his treatment by airlines.
IAEA—Harpers Review—1-14-03—claimed the group had issued a report which did not exist. This boy brain scorched?
We will not become the police of the world. OK! Just judge, jury and executioner.
Gale Norton—“Governor Davis had a hand in approving offshore drilling”. Governor Davis called him a “Liar”.
117.Cheney said Tax Cut stimulated savings and investments. Proof. These boys are deep in voodoo jungle
118.AL Q is operating in Kashmir section of Pakistan. Strong denial by Pakistan so waffled away saying well we thought they were there. We had a gut feeling.
119.We should not execute anyone who is mentally retarded. Trying to save himself just in case. Executed two with IQ under 70. His ball park.
120.Cheney—In order to meet our future electrical needs we need to build one plant per week. A cutback.
I got the first major energy policy in history. Ever see Jimmy Carter mad. He was. Very much.
The sleepovers in the Texas State House were family. Oh! They gave 2.1 million to your campaign?
I have been off alcohol since I met Billy Graham. That video all
over the internet showing you stoned at a wedding reception in 1992 was magic? 124. Mitch Daniels—The 2003 budget was built on very conservative and cautious assumptions.
Mitch Daniels-The 2003 budget was built on very conservative and cautious assumptions
OMB—appropriations of domestic programs are, or will be, the cause of long term budget problems.
OMB-deficits will drop significantly between 2002 and 2003
OMB-in it’s mid-year review it claimed the Senate domestic budget plan would reduce the president’s defense request for the 2003 budget The Senate plan included the presidents full request and OMB knew it. Why lie? These boys take the cake.
Padilla—Ashcroft had to reverse his claim of capturing a terrorist who was planning bio-chemical attack on us. These guys lie just to lie? They are making Reagan’s people look honest.
Bush claimed Al Q was planning to attack U.S. nuclear plants. No proof yet. Just spreading fear
Photo-op in Arizona during wildfires. ”We will help”. Still waiting.
131.Wolfowitz—We found a terrorist cell in Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville leaders said prove it.
Sorry guys just my gut feeling
132.Photo-op in Oregon at training center. “I will help”. A week later his budget came out cutting such training programs by 45 million.
Harken Energy—-records show blatant lies
I will veto bio-terrorism bill it is too expensive. Signed it. I mean what I say.
Told state officials it was illegal to place limits on coverage of emergency services for the poor.
Then, put out a new policy allowing HMO’s to do just that.
136.Said his application to a Prep School was not rejected. It was. He admitted it later.
Said his 2001 Tax Cut was originally designed as a stimulus. In 1999 during Clinton zoom?
Dan Bartlett—“Since he was not flying there was no need for him to take physical”. He was grounded because he refused to take a physical. Quite plain on his record. Snort snort.
Campaign official—There was no special deal for him to get into the National Guard. Sho!
Most small business owners pay income tax at the 39.6% rate. Boy, 5% Is not most.
Al Q and Iraq are in cahoots
Lie to democratic caucus
Discovery of cannisters is proof Iraq is not cooperating with the inspectors
I am a Uniter not a Divider. Sho! Got the world united against us.
Ken Lay—First met him in 1994. Very stupid lie.
Ken Lay supported my opponent. Yuk! You are sick to make such blatant misstatements
Am Iraqi agent met with Al Q Mohamed Atta in Prague. Phantom meeting.
Condi Rice—“No one ever dreamed of such a thing as a plane being used as a bomb”
Ari—there will be no social security for young people. Well! I must have been wrong.
“I visited the Space Center in Houston while Governor”. No you did not . Why does this BOY say such things?
The recession began before I took office.
152.“You can’t say one thing and do another”. “My tax cut will not cause deficits even in a recession.”
Colin Powell before UN: “The tape clearly establishes a connection between Osama Bin Laden and Hussein, beyond all question.” The tape when played in it’s entirety told a very different story. I respect(ed) Colin and wonder why he would spout such an untruth.
Colin showed a photo which he alleged was a plant producing chemical weapons. Baloney. Old buildings. Small bakery. Thirty reporters went to the site and said “Bunk”. It was on European TV but did you see it on American TV?
Ari said the evidence by the UN inspectors of a missile site which could travel beyond UN limitations was a breach. Iraq said it varied in distance according to payload. Russian authority said it was reported to the UN. The extra distance was minimal. It could go 120 miles which will just about make it a Serious Security Risk for America?
Newsday-2-23-03-Bush and Ari lied whey they said the Blue Chip Forecast showed the economy would grow at 3.3% this year if Bush tax cut is passed. Randall Moore editor of Blue Chip denied the claim. Why do these BOYS keep making such false claims? White House personnel became almost hysterical in trying to spin it.
“I support After-School Programs”. In 10-2-03 letter he sent to After School Alliance. Cut the funding by 40% per E.J. Dionne in Washington Post on 3-7-03. Rep. George Miller said “Not unexpected. It was a Clinton Program. There is obviously a search-and-destroy mission against anything that was Clinton”. Nice Christian group?
Reuters-3-7-03-The U.S. and British lied about their proof Iraq imported Uranium. The IAEA concluded it was a false charge. Psychos?
2-28-03-Speech on Homelnd Secuirty-“I proposed 3.5B for first Responders. He proposed an increase of 1B not 3.5B as he claimed He vetoed 400 Million passed by Congress for First Responders and in 2002 he actually froze money for them.
Colin: ”They are hiding banned arms in mobile laboratories”. Outlook India. Com 3-6-03 “Hans Blix stated” No evidence of such activities has been found. He said his inspectors had followed U.S. leads and got nothing”.
January 3, 2003—“My Jobs Program(for rich) will create 2.1 million jobs and the tax cut shave been front loaded to have as much effect in the first year as possible. January 8th-White House document released ahowed that job creation will be about 190,000 in 2003. NY Times Edmund L. Andrews 1-9-03.
Ameri-Corps—Wash. Post Dana Milbank-2-27-03-“During SOUA Bush made it a central part of his “Compassionate Conservative” program and called for it to grow to 75,000 from 50,000. Instead, It is possible enrollment will be 26,000 this year. In December of 2002 Bush said it was “expanding mightily”. The funding will be 64 million short in 2003.”
Salmon Fish Story-Seattle Post Intelligence 1-16-03-Bush said “the salmon runs can be restored without building dams. The man and fish can coexist. Bush is still holding up 4 million to help them coexist.
Paul Krugman-NY Times-2-25-03-Presdient Vincente Fox of Mexico felt betrayed by his good buddy Bushlite. Old Bushie (promises made-promises kept) promised to give amnesty to all illegal immigrants from Mexico. Next time Vicente watch who you trust. Be sure they are solid Christians! Remember this is White House overflowing with Dignity and Integrity. Plus convicted criminals.
Wash. Post 2-26-03-“I have not made up my mind on war (slaughtering ). John Bolton, Undersecretary of State said “We are going ahead UN or no UN. It is already final? I am a leader? I am in charge? I will make the decision?
Ari said “We know they have it (WMD). A list of 25 sites were quietly provided.” Hans Blix challenged Bush and Powell to put up or shut up” . The info they provided has been junk junk junk said UN Inspectors.
Ari “Bush is willing to be patient”. The very next day Bush said “time is running out”. Who is in charge? Do these boys speak to each other?
am willing to offer them food and energy assistance if they stop their nuke-uler program.” I say what I mean. When my mind is made up it stays made up. Do we have a scorched brain here?
In fact, the group hates Saddam and Al Queda.
2-3-03 White House Fact Sheet-“The budget would be in double digit deficit if there had never been a tax cut in 2001. The budget returned to deficit because of War, Recession and emergencies associated with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11”. Whoever wrote the Fact Sheet did not look at Historical tables volume of White house budget. Page 5 read: An economic slowdown began in 2001 and was exacerbated by the terrorists attack of September 11. The “deterioration” in the performance of the economy came together “with income tax relief” provided to help offset the economic slowdown and additional spending in response to the terrorist attacks produced a drop in the surplus to 127.1 billion and a return to deficits in 2002.
Bush said only North Korea was to blame for crisis. Colin Powell gave “great credit” to Clinton for freezing NK plutonium enrichment program in the 1994 Framework Then. Wash Post reported a senior Bush administration official suggested the nuclear crisis was the predictable result of a flawed 1994 agreement signed by Clinton with Pyongyang that “frontloaded all the benefits and left the difficult things to the end for the next president (Clinton). Honor,Dignity and Integrity. It got lost somehow.
A great source of Bush lies is Sam Parry article of 11-4-02 in www.consortiumnews.com headed “Bush’s Life of Deception”.
The Education as number one priority has slipped through the cracks. The 2004 Budget of Bush eliminated 45 educational programs. A total of 1.6 Billion. Major ones are Comprehensive School Reform(235 million). Rural Education (162.5 million). Smaller Learning Communities (142.2millon). Perkins Loans (100 million). Regional Educational Laboratories(67.5 million). Leveraging Educational Asst. Partnerships(67 million). Preparing teachers to use technology (62.5 million). Community Service of expelled students (50million). Parental Asst. Info. Centers (40 million). Physical Education Programs (50 million). Community Technology Centers(32.5 millon). Fund for the Improvement of Education was cut by( 361 million). Source is Report by House Budget Committee (Democratic Caucus-John Spratt Jr.) 2-4-03—this c- student a loose in land of learning!
NY Times-3-10-03—Elizsabeth Rumiller-“Antiwar Clerics wonder if Bush hears their call”. Cardinal Pio Laghi a peace emissary sent by the Pope John Paul II to meet with Bush said “he was told he could not talk to reporters in the White House driveway where microphones are routinely set up for visitors to the Oval Office. Ari Fleischer said it was not true. Cardinal Laghi held a press conference anyway. Will you believe emissary from Pope or Ari? Ha!
174.Harper’s magazine-Weekly Review-3-4-03—Bush administration officials hinted Russia might have a hard time collecting it’s Iraqi debts if it fails to support Bush Slaughterama. Other security council members were being told they would pay a “heavy price” if no support for slaughterama. Ari denied it (of course).
Like Father like son “I will do (or say) anything to win”. GHW Bush in 1992.
Bush said during the debate “Our water in Texas is cleaner now”. The Sierra Club said “The discharge of industrial toxic pollution into surface waters in Texas increased from 23.2 million pounds in 1995 to 25.2 million pounds in 1998 the last year of available data (Bush hiding it?)
Bush said: “I do not need polling to tell me what to think”. NBC News 10-6-00 reported Bush spent over one million on polling during his campaign. It was widely reported that during first two years in the White House over one million per year was spent on polling as much as Clinton spent over first two years.
“Who cares what you think”. He must have meant it for all Americans.
Reporter-Writer Sam Parry writes “Bush’s growing record of lies, both big and small, suggest something perhaps more troubling. His personal history of Heavy Drinking, Drug use, Carousing, disappearances from military duty, repeated business failures and political hypocrisies-combined with his ability to avoid ever paying a significant price for his deceptions-my have given him a sense of his own infallibility”.
Paul Krugman-NY Times-(on wmnf-fm-tampa 2-26-03)-The Bush administration’s level of irresponsibility and dishonesty is unprecedented”. Amen!
Washington Post Editorial on Bush Tax Cut: ”Mr. Bush must know how phony his “averages” are. Anytime a salesman has to resort to such deceptive tactics, the customer ought to be wary about what is being sold”.
Dennis Hans writes:”I review below 23 “techniques of deception” of Bush and his foreign-policy team.”
Colin before UN: “My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.” Powell presented now discredited presentations of bogus tales based on discredited defectors , tortured captives, photos and tape recordings that proved little or nothing. Wild speculation. A “fine British dossier built on plagiarized essays with 12 year old “revelations” and so on.”
Powell makes strong claims about Iraq’s retention and development of non-conventional weapons. Instead of providing proof Powell produced photos of al-Taji ammunition storage facility. Powell claimed they are a ”signature item” for chemical bunkers. A picture of a truck and a shed by themselves reveal nothing about the content of the adjacent bunker. Swinney note: Reporters visited the site only a couple days later and found a small bakery and dilapidated buildings.
Powell used tapes of conversations. The State Department’s transcript of the actual conversation makes it evident that Powell had embellished the quote to make it appear much more incriminating. Intent to deceive is LYING.
Bush claimed the location of Samoud 2 Missiles was “Tip of Iceberg”. He has produced nothing to back up such a claim. If ha has information he is required to notify the inspectors under UN Resolution. Liar plus criminal?
182 Powell stated there were labs in remote Kurdistan. No proof.
www.accuracy.org has several examples of deception.
He has yet to produce anything but rhetoric.
Bush made inference eight times to a tie between Iraq and Al Qaeda in his news conference. By citing 9/11 he tried to alchemize American anger at Al Qaeda into support for smashing Saddam. No proof of Saddam-Al Qaeda connection.
Bush said location of Samoud2 Missiles was “Tip of Iceberg”. No proof of any iceberg. If he has proof he is in violation of UN Resolution by withholding information from inspectors.
Noted Journalist Sy Hearst-“There is no real standard of integrity because the White House doesn’t have any”
Paul Krugman-NY Times-America’s leadership has lost touch with reality. The eagerness to believe that an Iraq nuclear program does exist has led to a series of embarrassing debacles capped by the forged Niger papers. It is clear that deposing Saddam has become an obsession.”
———————-BUSH SLAUGHTERAMA COMING SOON ———-
Dennis Hans information can be seen at www. Liberal Slant.com—www.scoop.com—www.takebackthemedia.com or HANS D@popmail.firn.edu
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he people?
I am not a journalist but I follow the news business closely.
I don’t think the media anchors and reports are pro-Bush. I believe that they are mostly liberal, disconnected, talking heads.
Here is a recent example of an media anchor who is certainly not jingoistic.
CNN’s Aaron Brown vs. Winston Churchill
on Pre-Emptive Action
Exchange between Aaron Brown and Winston Churchill, the grandson of the former British Prime Minister, on the March 11 NewsNight:
The Second World War began on the pretense that Polish troops had attacked Germany. If the claim is made here, I will not be surprised.
Christopher: Have you heard anything about the concerns of Turks that Bush is going to ignore their Parliament and launch an attack from their country in defiance of their neutrality? I talked to two friends from Turkey last night and they told me that the news revealed that massive amounts of equipment and ammunition had been moved to the bases prior to the vote. Now that the $30 billion has been refused, it isn’t being moved out again.
The Third World War has already started…back on 9/11/01.