:: Has the whole world gone mad or is it just me. ::

:: Friday, January 23, 2004 ::

Cheney Cites Leaked Intelligence on Iraq-Al Qaeda


In an interview this month, Vice President Dick Cheney touted a report and leaked classified document that the Administration itself has billed "inaccurate" as the basis for his Iraq-Al Qaeda claims.

When questioned about his assertion of a Saddam-Al Qaeda connection, Cheney said, "you ought to go look [at] an article that Stephen Hayes did in the Weekly Standard here a few weeks ago, that goes through and lays out in some detail, based on an assessment that was done by the Department of Defense and forwarded to the Senate Intelligence Committee some weeks ago. That's your best source of information." 1

But the article and document Cheney cites was discredited by the Administration as "inaccurate" two months ago, at the time it was published. The Administration also criticized the leak, saying, "Individuals who leak or purport to leak classified information are doing serious harm to national security; such activity is deplorable and may be illegal." 2

The Defense Department is not the only agency objecting to the accuracy of the claim. Cheney raised the connection again yesterday, saying, "There's overwhelming evidence there was a connection between al Qaeda and the Iraqi government. I am very confident that there was an established relationship there." 3But Secretary of State Colin Powell disputed the idea two weeks ago, when he admitted, "I have not seen smoking-gun, concrete evidence about the connection." 4

Today's Los Angeles Times reports that improved intelligence has revealed neither the Iraqis nor Al Qaeda trusted one another enough to establish a relationship. September 11th lead planner Khalid-Sheikh Muhammad, the highest ranking Al Qaeda official in custody, has revealed that Al Qaeda saw Iraq as a "corrupt, secular regime." 5Last week, the New York Times reported that documents indicated Saddam Hussein warned his followers to "be wary of joining forces with foreign Arab fighters entering Iraq." 6

Sources:
"Transcript of Interview with Vice President Dick Cheney ," Rocky Mountain News , 1/9/04.
"DOD STATEMENT ON NEWS REPORTS OF AL QAEDA AND IRAQ CONNECTIONS," DefenseLink , 11/15/03.
"Cheney Is Adamant on Iraq 'Evidence' ," Los Angeles Times , 1/23/04.
"Powell Admits No Hard Proof In Linking Iraq to Al Qaeda," New York Times , 1/9/04, p. A10.
"Cheney Is Adamant on Iraq 'Evidence' ," Los Angeles Times , 1/23/04.
"Hussein Warned Iraqis to Beware Outside Fighters, Document Says," New York Times , 01/14/04.




:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 4:50 PM [+] ::
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The Audacity of George W. Bush
"Dozens of weapons-of-mass-destruction-related program activities." Huh? Mr. Bush alerts the nation of David Kay's detection of numerous Baghdad Hilton whiskey-stained cocktail napkins with squiggles and drawings of "nukeyulur" bombs and Windex bottles filled with "poison stuff."
By Jeff Koopersmith

January 21, 2004 -- WASHINGTON (apj.us) -- The citizens of our grand nation should be insulted -- just plain offended -- by George W. Bush's pack of lies disguised as his State of the Union Address last night.

The speech was a pinnacle of disgrace and disingenuousness, prima facie evidence of his continuing near-criminal conduct since taking root in the Oval Office in 2001.

Moreover, it only served to confirm the need to expel him come November.

Take note that the fingerprints of Karen Hughes -- originally banished to Texas for good reason but now back like a bad penny -- were all over this speech, fingerprints that give the lie to the rumors that she is bright. Hughes made an unusual appearance last night on the PBS News Hour and, despite her high-cheekboned, a-little-too-healthy good looks, sounded more like a sixth grade teacher than the mood-maker she is touted to be.

Yet it was clear that she had the last word, trumping even Karl Rove, the president's trusted Propaganda Minister.

As a direct result, the speech stunk like a Texas cow pie.

Hughes must have come up with the expression ""weapons-of-mass-destruction-related program activities."

What the hell is that supposed to mean? The inanity of a statement alone is the ultimate in wood-worminess, the acme of abuse, maltreatment of the American people's trust and patience -- not to mention wholesale rape of the English language.

And these people who run our nation truly believe they can get away with this?

It boggles the mind -- the entire body, for that matter.

Not only did the President of the United States stoop low enough to use this phrase, but he also sandwiched poor David Kay into the mess -- using his name as if he had invented the phrase rather than Hughes or some other low level assistant.

Did this President study English as a second language?

The content of the speech was even more of an outrage than the weasel-wording -- promising more tax cuts for the rich, pretending that the few dollars a month the average family got from his last round of tax cut foolishness resulting in a booming economy, and on and on.

Does this man, George W Bush, think that we are a nation of idiots?

Of course he does.

He proved that is what he believes last night as he mouthed one lie after another, one pretext, one pose, one fearsome misstatement after another -- six thousand words that could have been penned by fifth-grade Pinocchio.

The worst comments by this puppet-for-the-rich were a litany of appalling insinuations aimed at Democrats -- slimy innuendo mean-spirited enough to make Christ's blood boil.

Let me list just some of them for you.
Bush claimed that examining our position in the Middle East and worldwide is a "dangerous illusion" and that not agreeing with the President is tantamount to unleashing terrorists and outlaw regimes on our children.
Bush claimed that economic growth and "improvements" in Medicare are real -- and that any rethinking there would be "turning back to old policies and old divisions."
Bush claimed that not pressing on with our ridiculous war mongering stance would be the same as leaving our "work unfinished."
Bush implied that because of himself, and in spite of Democrats, the US has been safe from terrorist attack for 28 months while the rest of the world is attacked again and again.
Bush all but said that opposition to the tyrannical PATRIOT Act is somehow un-American.
Bush claimed that Democrats simply shuffled "children along from grade to grade without them learning the basics."
Bush actually claimed that not granting more tax reductions is almost Biblical in proportion. His exact words: "What the Congress has given, the Congress should not take away." It was hilariously transparent. That sentence had such a high "stupid quotient" that it must have been his own line. I'd bet money on it.
Bush said that passing any budget which does not "fund the war, protect the homeland, and meet important domestic needs, while limiting the growth in discretionary spending" is wrong -- in short, anything that helps the needy would be "wasteful spending."
Bush made the sweeping assertion that a universal health care system favored by many Democrats and most citizens is "the wrong prescription." Because it would destroy the system of "private medicine" that makes American's health care the best in the world -- which is not true to begin with. Yes, it is the best -- for the rich Mr. President, however not for the poor -- not by a long shot.
Bush tried to imply that Democrats discriminate against religion because they do not, by and large, favor giving churches, synagogues and mosques billions of dollars to run their charities -- in a flagrant ignorance of our Constitution (can you say "establishment clause"?).
Bush insinuated that somehow banning same-sex marriages would prove that we are red-blooded American patriots -- and not Democrats.

Mr. Bush's speech was enough to make one puke. And I didn't even get to the dozens of lies, half-truths, and other false impressions the "president" of the United States regrettably left us with last night.

It will not be soon enough for Washington to be rid of him and his kind.

JEFF KOOPERSMITH is a political consultant, opinion research authority, policy analyst, and self-described "renegade lobbyist."
:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 4:39 PM [+] ::
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THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1682333&l=15412 >
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BUSH CHANGES HIS WMD CLAIMS

Ignoring his previous definitive statements, President Bush this week sought
to change the justification for the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Before the war, the president said there was "no doubt the Iraqi regime
continues to possess the most lethal weapons ever devised," while Vice
President Cheney said, "There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has
weapons of mass destruction...to use against our friends, against our
allies, and against us."

This week, however, in the absence of any evidence of weapons of mass
destruction, Bush said the war was justified not because Iraq had WMD, but
because Iraq had "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities."
When asked last month about the shift from asserting Iraq "possessed" WMD,
to Iraq merely exploring "WMD-related-program-activities," Bush replied,
"What's the difference?"

Both President Bush and Vice President Cheney made their definitive pre-war
statements repeatedly, using specific language. On chemical weapons, Bush
said before the war, "the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical
agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas" - a claim
since debunked by Bush's own chief weapons inspector, David Kay, who said,
"Iraq did not have a large, ongoing, centrally controlled chemical weapons
program after 1991."

On biological weapons, Bush said before the war that "Iraq has at least
seven mobile factories for the production of biological agents - equipment
mounted on trucks and rails to evade discovery." However, Mr. Kay reported,
"We have not yet been able to corroborate the existence of a mobile
biological weapons production effort." The president also claimed that "Iraq
has a growing fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to
disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas." But the
Washington Post later reported that the vehicles Bush cited "were never
meant to spread toxins" - a fact the U.S. Air Force intelligence service had
shared with the administration.

On nuclear weapons, Bush said before the war that "Iraq could have a nuclear
weapon in less than a year." More famously, in last year's State of the
Union, the president said Iraq "sought significant quantities of uranium
from Africa," and told Americans to fear "a mushroom cloud." Similarly, Vice
President Cheney said "Saddam has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."
But Mr. Kay reported in August, "We have not uncovered evidence that Iraq
undertook significant post-1998 steps to actually build nuclear weapons or
produce fissile material."

Read the Mis-Lead -->
< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1682333&l=15413 >


:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 4:29 PM [+] ::
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:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 8:19 PM [+] ::
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Golden Years by David Bowie
:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 8:17 PM [+] ::
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Love Hurts from the album The All-Time Greatest Hits Of Roy Orbison by Roy Orbison
:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 8:16 PM [+] ::
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Test
:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 5:09 PM [+] ::
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Yahoo! News - Dean's Wife Joins Him on Iowa Campaign: "Dean's Wife Joins Him on Iowa Campaign








2 hours, 34 minutes ago






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DAVENPORT, Iowa (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean (news - web sites), facing a tight battle in Monday's Iowa caucuses, got some last-minute help from a surprise source on Sunday -- his wife.









Reuters Photo




 


Judith Steinberg, Dean's wife and a doctor in Vermont who has not appeared with him on the campaign trail, joined Dean at the airport in Davenport.



The couple spent several minutes alone on Dean's chartered jet before emerging to face a phalanx of cameras. Both wore sweaters -- Steinberg's a bright blue -- and no overcoats despite the below-freezing temperatures.



They smiled and hurried across the tarmac to a waiting bus without answering reporters' questions.



Steinberg was to appear with Dean, who is also a doctor, at an afternoon rally in Davenport, Iowa, and then continue with him to an evening event in Cedar Rapids. But an aide said she would fly back to Vermont on Sunday night because she had 'patients to see' on Monday.



Dean and his wife had a joint practice in Vermont before he entered politics, and she continued the practice as Dean became governor of Vermont and then began his presidential run in May 2002.



Dean has said she is too busy to leave her patients and their teen-age son in high school and join him on the trail, and he did not want to force her into the typical role of a political wife. She appeared by his side last summer when he formally launched his presidential bid in Vermont, but has not attended any other public events.



Aides said it was unclear if Dean had asked her to come to Iowa or if she had volunteered. Dean is in a tight four-way battle ahead of the state's caucuses on Monday, the first test in the U.S. presidential race.







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:: Beauxbeaux's Daddy 4:52 PM [+] ::
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