TODAY’S TOPICS: Tillman Murdered?, Gonzales, Fear Peddling, Impeachment, Economic (IN)Justice, Edwards Tax Plan

"In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Gonzales, now attorney general, said he had visited the ailing Ashcroft in the hospital to discuss 'other intelligence activities,' not the [National Security Agency] surveillance program."

-- CNN, 7/26/07

VERSUS

"I had an understanding the discussion was on an NSA program."

-- FBI Director Robert Mueller, 7/26/07

TILLMAN MURDERED???: I mentioned my deeper suspicions regarding the Tillman death (such as murder) in the past…well look at this (shot in the head from just 10 yards away 3 times???):

AP Via Firedoglake:

“This war is so fucking illegal.” (Patrick Tillman)

The AP reveals new documents suggesting that Tillman may have been murdered.

Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman’s forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player’s death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

“The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described,” a doctor who examined Tillman’s body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators. The doctors - whose names were blacked out - said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was cut down by an M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away.

In other words, Pat Tillman was most likely murdered in the field. In cold blood. By other US soldiers. This must be what the Bush Administration was trying so desperately to hide behind their all purpose “Executive Privilege” shield.

Read more…

Watch Olbermann and Westly Clark discuss the Tillman issue, as well as other Pentagon scandals:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/27/countdown-more-political-problems-for-the-pentagon/

On “Countdown” Keith Olbermann talks with Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News about President Bush’s use of trumped up terror alerts to drown out the roar of scandals plaguing his administration…a special eye should be kept on this trend now. Keith points out recent phony “plots” used to distract, scare and confuse again:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/27/keith-olbermann-updates-the-nexus-of-terror-and-politics-creating-terror-scares/

And now constitutional scholar Bruce Fein is featured on Hardball to discuss the Gonzales revelations and how they too indicate the need for impeachment! Are you watching Democrats!!!!???

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/27/hardball-watergate-redux/

Put Your Name in the Congressional Record in Support of Impeachment

Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants to put the name of everyone who supports Dick Cheney's impeachment in the Congressional Record! The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session and is fully searchable.

Every day that Congress is in session, Rep. Kucinich will submit 5 single-spaced pages of names with states, which is the daily limit under House rules. To be included, all you need to do is submit this petition.

http://www.democrats.com/impeach-cheney-congressional-record

ARTICLE SECTION: Digital Divide, Media Apologies, Economic (IN) Justice

I wrote my master's thesis on this very topic (digital divide..and how the "free market" - now known as monopoly - will prevent its democratization) 10 years ago, and not to pat myself on the back too briskly (but I like doing that), I predicted the very thing that we are seeing, and that Paul Krugman details in the New York Times on Wednesday. I would love to elaborate on this issue, but I’m going to leave it to Paul. A few clips:

As recently as 2001, the percentage of the population with high-speed access in Japan and Germany was only half that in the United States. In France it was less than a quarter. By the end of 2006, however, all three countries had more broadband subscribers per 100 people than we did. Even more striking is the fact that our "high speed" connections are painfully slow by other countries' standards...French broadband connections are, on average, more than three times as fast as ours. Japanese connections are a dozen times faster. Oh, and access is much cheaper in both countries than it is here.

SNIP

…when the Bush administration put Michael Powell in charge of the F.C.C., the digital robber barons were basically set free to do whatever they liked. As a result, there's little competition in U.S. broadband - if you're lucky, you have a choice between the services offered by the local cable monopoly and the local phone monopoly. The price is high and the service is poor, but there's nowhere else to go. Meanwhile, as a recent article in Business Week explains, the real French bureaucrats used judicious regulation to promote competition. As a result, French consumers get to choose from a variety of service providers who offer reasonably priced Internet access that's much faster than anything I can get, and comes with free voice calls, TV and Wi-Fi.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/072407H.shtml

This is classic. Media expert Norm Solomon lists a series of apologies and retractions that the news media should run but never would…in contrast to say spelling errors or a factual mistake or two.

Here are two of the corrections enumerated...read the whole article for all of them:

“Yesterday’s paper included a business section but failed to also include a labor section. Yet the vast majority of Americans work without investing for a living. They are employees rather than entrepreneurs. The failure to recognize such realities when using newsroom resources is not journalistically defensible. The Daily Bugle regrets the error.”

“Last week, The Daily Bugle reported on the history of human rights violations in Latin America without noting the pivotal roles played by the U.S. government in supporting despotic regimes during the 20th century. Such selective reporting had the effect of airbrushing significant aspects of the historical record.”

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/24/2724/

ECONOMIC JUSTICE SECTION…

I again can’t elaborate on all this right now, but the information I’m going to post will do a sufficient job in demonstrating our country’s rapid economic descent into the league of the world’s banana republics. It almost feels like we’re that frog in the slowly boiling water, we all just sit and watch all the benefits go to the super rich, while the middle class shrinks, poverty expands, and social programs are cut to shreds. The water is getting pretty hot people…

Here are a few clips from Holly Sklar:

CEOs make more in 90 minutes than minimum wage workers make in a year…In 1980, the average CEO at a big corporation made as much as 97 minimum wage workers. In 1997, the average CEO made as much as 728 minimum wage workers. Last year, CEOs made as much as 1,419 minimum wage workers.

SNIP

Between 1980 and 2006, worker productivity went up 70 percent, average worker wages went nowhere, the minimum wage fell 32 percent, and domestic corporate profits rose 256 percent, adjusting for inflation.

SNIP

Even the state with the highest minimum wage, Washington at $7.93, doesn’t match the buying power of the federal minimum wage at its peak in 1968. Worth $9.56 in today’s dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was more than $2 higher than the scheduled raise in the federal minimum wage to $7.25 on July 24, 2009.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/24/2723/

MORE ON ECONOMIC (IN) JUSTICE – Hedge Fund Manager Subsidies

..the fund manager tax break applies a lower tax rate on compensation earned by the people who manage hedge funds and private equity funds than on other wage income. As a result, these fund managers, many of whom earn more than $100 million a year, and some who earn more than $1 billion a year, pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher earning $50,000 a year. It is important to realize this lower tax rate is applied to the money they earn as a manager. The tax code already applies a lower 15 percent tax rate to investment income, including investment income from money that fund managers actually invest in their funds.

…this is not the place for government. The government should not be raising the taxes of school teachers and firefighters to subsidize fund managers.

The size of the subsidies Norquist wants for his fund manager friends is truly astounding. The special tax break for a fund manager earning $1 billion is worth $200 million, enough to provide health care insurance for more than 60,000 kids. What is really so special about the fund manager tax break is it exposes the right-wing for what it is, not a principled movement for small government, but rather a cabal that aims to use the power of government to shift as much wealth and income as possible to those at the top.

--Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research

AND MORE ON THE NEW AMERICAN GILDED AGE…

Saying that the majority of the country's economic gains in recent years have gone to the top 1 percent of the income ladder understates the trend. You have to cut the pie into even smaller slices to get the full picture. Because, while the bottom half of the top 1 percent of the income distribution have done far better than the average wage slaves, it is a smaller slice still -- the top .01 percent -- that has grabbed most of the gains, seeing an impressive 250 percent increase in income between 1973 and 2005 from an economy that's grown by 160 percent.

An analysis by economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez gives us the best perspective of what's going on for everyone else. They found that despite several periods of healthy growth between 1973 and 2005, the average income of all but the top 10 percent of the income ladder -- nine out of ten American families -- fell by 11 percent when adjusted for inflation. For three decades, economic growth in the United States has gone first and foremost to building today's modern Gilded Age. The recipients of those gains don't care about a fully funded Social Security system or a healthy Medicare program -- they don't need them.

Meanwhile, even as the top earners' incomes have gone through the roof, their tax burden has shriveled. At the same time, the share of federal revenues contributed by corporations has declined -- by two-thirds since 1962.

It's not that they're not working hard. The typical U.S. family puts in more time at work than ever before. The typical married couple works an additional 13.3 weeks per year -- 533 hours -- compared to a generation ago. But even though families are working more, their incomes have grown by only a third between 1973 and the present. That's much worse than the generation before; between 1947 and 1973, the typical married-couple family saw their income rise by 115 percent, and that was often just one parent's income. This was a period when most families could afford a stay-at-home mother. Of course, fewer families have that luxury today -- those with stay-at-home moms have the same inflation-adjusted median income in 2007 as they did in 1973. They haven't gained a penny from three decades of growth.

When we talk about the slow growth of family income, economists like to mention globalization, mechanization or other factors that require us to be lean and mean and more "competitive." The story line is that U.S. families have not seen their income grow because America has had to fight it out in a wide-open global economy, and these are lean times for workers. But that's simply not true.

The economy -- as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) -- has grown by over 160 percent since 1973 (PDF). This is only slightly less than the period from 1947 to 1973 when GDP grew by 176 percent. That has come as Americans have become much more productive -- by over 80 percent since 1973 -- meaning it now takes fewer workers to produce the same number of widgets as it did in the past.

As each worker in the U.S. economy produces more "stuff" per hour, be that DVD players or clients served, those goods and services are being sold in greater numbers. In a healthy economy, that growth is shared between workers and investors, and wage growth should rise with productivity. This was the case in the decades between World War II and the early 1970s, when productivity and median wages both increased by an average of two percent to three percent every year. But since 1973, productivity has increased sharply, especially after the late 1990s, but median wage growth has been flat. So firms are getting much more output per worker, but they're not paying for it. They've pocketed the difference in executive compensation and corporate profits. The share of national income going to wages is at the lowest level ever recorded, while the piece of the pie gobbled up by corporate profits is at its highest point since 1960.

But when the masses ask for help paying for health insurance or child care, or request that everyone be given the right to paid sick days, we're told we cannot afford it. "Afford" seems to be a very special term in the current American context: Letting the wealthy take ever-bigger pieces of our national product is something we always seem able to afford.

-- Heather Boushey is a senior economist with the Center for Economic Policy and Research. Joshua Holland is an AlterNet staff writer.

EDWARDS NEW TAX PLAN

This just came out yesterday, and no surprise he’s the first with a comprehensive plan…and a good one at that. It also relates to today’s topic of economic justice in America:

• Raising the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2012.
• Creating a Get Ahead Credit, which will expand the Savers Credit to match savings up to $500 a year, providing as much as an additional dollar for every dollar of savings.
• Boosting low-income families' savings with work bonds, which will supplement the Earned Income Tax Credit to match the savings of low-income workers up to $500 per year.
• Exempting from taxes each family's first $250 in interest, capital gains, and dividends.
• Allowing families to deposit part or all of their child tax credit into a tax-free savings account.
• Expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to pay up to 50 percent of child care expenses up to $5,000 and make it partially refundable to benefit low-income working families.
• Tripling the EITC for 4 million adults without children and cutting the marriage penalty for 3 million families.

In the past six years, President Bush has cut taxes on capital gains and dividends and started to eliminate taxes on inheritances completely. As a result of his regressive tax policies, the federal tax burden has been pushed onto the backs of working Americans. As president, Edwards will reverse President Bush's "War on Work" by:

• Raising the top tax rate on long-term capital gains to 28 percent, the same rate signed into law by President Reagan. The 28 percent rate will ensure that high-income investors will pay taxes on their investment income at a similar rate to what regular families pay on their earned income.
• Repealing the Bush tax cuts for the most fortunate families, who make more than $200,000 a year.
• Ending the abuse of foreign tax havens.
• Closing the hedge fund and private equity loopholes.
• Capping executive pensions.

GOOD NEWS...

In a continued effort to help the 9/11 rescue workers, Michael Moore stated that the Weinstein Company will be donating 11 percent of the box office receipts from SiCKO to "help these workers and the other workers who need help."

QUICK POST: Videos (Impeachment, Gonzales, Contempt), Vote Fraud Revelations...great stuff...articles tomorrow

From C&L:

"It’s official: President Bush is the most unpopular President for the longest stretch of time in American history. What makes this most recent poll incredible is the fact that Bush still has almost* two years left in office (or 544 days). Like they say in a limbo competition, “How low can he go?”

Watch Keith Olbermann delve into the impeachment issue with Bruce Fein (and they even talk about that Executive Order criminalizing Iraq war protesting I discussed yesterday...see post), the man who wrote the articles of impeachment against President Clinton. This from Alternet first:

“As the Washington Post recently reported, no president except for Nixon right as he was resigning has ever had a higher negative rating and Bush has hit his peak three times already. Clearly Bush fatigue has set in, but more than just exhaustion with the man, there is genuine across the board anger with his policies and his brazen contempt for the law.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/25/bipartisan-impeachment-support-as-bush-breaks-disapproval-records/

Daily Show absolutely nails the Gonzales testimony...talk about Bizarro World:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/26/jon-stewart-climbs-alberto-gonzales-bullhit-mountain-of-lies/

Just as I am quick to critique the Dems when they fail us, I also will give them credit when credit is due. Just today they're not only holding Miers and Bolten in contempt of Congress but they're also asking for an Special Prosecutor to investigate Gonzales for perjury. Two very positive developments, even if they were slow in coming.

Watch Rep. Adam Schiff make the case for contempt...and not one Republican joins the Dems:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/25/house-judiciary-committee-votes-to-recommend-contempt-charges-against-miers-bolten/

Now watch the Senate Dems call for a Special Prosecutor for liar and torturer, Alberto Gonzales:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/26/senate-press-conference-calling-for-gonzales-special-prosecutor/

And for a great comic interlude, Colbert schools O'Reilly big time for his "bordering on lunacy" attacks on the blog site Daily Kos. This is pretty damn funny:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/26/colbert-applauds-oreilly-for-smearing-kos/

TWO QUICK ELECTION THEFT STORIES (this is still a story simmering right below the corporate, mainstream surface)

How long have I been talking about this??!!

Newly Obtained Emails Reveal GOP '04 Vote Supression Scheme

Vote Caging Schemes, Plans to Challenge Voters Part of High-Level Bush/Cheney 'Voter Fraud Strategy'...

Bad news for the RNC. New emails reveal their "Voter Fraud Strategy Conference Call" just prior to the 2004 Presidential elections, with plans to use Vote Caging lists to challenge voters in swings states from OH to PA to FL to NM. The effort, seems to have been spearheaded by Tim Griffin.

Truthout gets the scoop and the collections of emails, as based on a report from PBS' NOW to air tomorrow night. Here's the skinny...

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4874

And our own CA. Secretary of State update...Diebold and Co. are shaking in their boots...elections have consequences

New Details on the Release of CA's Landmark 'Top-to-Bottom Review' of E-Voting Systems

Independent Reports to Be Released Friday, Public Comment Hearing in Sacramento on Monday, SoS Bowen's Final Certification Decisions on Aug. 3...

Following up on yesterday's report on the latest machinations surrounding the release of CA Secretary of State Debra Bowen's unprecedented "Top-to-Bottom Review" --- including independent hack testing and source code analysis --- of electronic voting systems. The BRAD BLOG has received a few more details on official release dates and timing, including a public hearing in Sacramento next Monday, from the SOS' office...

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4870

TODAY'S TOPICS: My Impeachment Follow-Up, Protesting Iraq is Now a Crime, Censure, Videos

"Our enemies aren't threatened by talk-a-thons, and our troops deserve better than publicity stunts."

-- Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 7/17/07, commenting on the Senate's recent all-night session on Iraq

VERSUS

"They will use every excuse, every slogan, every political trick to not let us end this war, so I would call that the stunt, and that's the stunt that's killing Americans."

-- Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), 7/23/07

IMPEACHMENT FOLLOW-UP (See yesterday's post for more)

While I believe it is fair to be disappointed in John Conyers, by no means do I advocate wasting my anger or disgust on him (one of the better legislators we have), rather than on who it really belongs. Too often I think we progressives can focus more of our anger on one another than on those more deserving. Within the Democratic party, clearly Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid win that prize in this case, as they hold the real power. Hell, Reid won't even back Feingold's Censure resolution...and dogged it yesterday on Meet the Press (what a friggin tool)!! And as I will post here in a minute, as impeachment expert John Nichols points out, nothing can really happen if the two majority leaders won't back the idea.

And let me just say, if you hear someone argue that initiating impeachment hearings will keep the Congress from other important business you have my endorsement to slap them around and shake them vigorously back and forth while saying "for Christ's sakes, get a hold of yourself!" (For demonstration see the scene in the film Airplane with a long line of people waiting to "shape up" a woman losing her mind).

First, there's barely a bill the Democrats can get passed the GOP Crime Family's Filibuster's right now anyway! And, as far as i know, this impeachment isn't about sex (and it would get real sick if it was...Dick Cheney and sex are things no human being should have enter his/her mind), so the idea that there will be non-stop media coverage and general hysteria around the proceedings is laughable. Second, are we really to believe people can't actually walk and chew gum at the same time???

God forbid having a committee open hearings on impeachment at the same time another committee is looking into health care! How could they ever pull that trick off???? And finally, impeachment can be a very effective tool to threaten and cajole an administration into being more open to legislation, and less intent and brazen in breaking the law. So it could actually HELP pass legislation and reign in Executive Power...not hurt those efforts!

So don't buy that bullshit. The issue is fourfold when it comes to the Dems inability to take impeachment up. First, most legislators have no real reverence for the Constitution anymore, and even less understanding of it. Second, they are afraid of being attacked by the media and the GOP for being unpatriotic, hater of troops, and blah, friggin blah. Third, that its strategically smarter to just let the GOP implode on themselves while "waiting out the clock". And fourth, that somehow voters will turn against them if they take a stand (this contradicts the fact that the public is turning on them BECAUSE they aren't doing more!).

In fact, initiating impeachment hearings WILL NOT cost them votes. Here's why:

1. already about 50% of the public want impeachment.
2. by initiating impeachment, all the crimes of this administration would finally get some continuous god damn coverage...thus serving to educate the public.
3. voters that will vote against the Dems because they initiate hearings are those that would do so anyway...and somehow if there are a tiny few that were going to vote Democrat, but switched just because they stood up to this syndicate, those would likely be outnumbered by the people that WOULD come out to vote Democrat BECAUSE they showed balls (likely those who otherwise may not vote at all, or maybe vote Green).

Of course, these kinds of political calculations still fail to measure up to the Constitutional, historical, and legal necessity of initiating impeachment hearings (I outlined these yesterday).

This administration has expanded Executive Power to such a degree, and committed high crimes and misdemeanors so egregious (all without any accountability), the next President, whoever it may be, will have this precedent, and these powers waiting for him/her. Human history dictates that once power is given to someone, or entity, it becomes very difficult for those to give it back.

Thus, impeachment is a critical tool in challenging these "crimes" against our founding principles and Constitution...and setting a precedent that indeed, they will not be accepted in the future either. This is not to say we have no other recourse, or that if impeachment is never initiated our country is finished. But there is no one single tool more important than this. In fact, it was created by our founders for PRECISELY THIS PURPOSE.

I fear, that as a nation we are walking along a precipice, and I'd hate to see us fall off...and deterioriate into something akin to an ugly love child spawned by Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. We must utilize those tools which we were given by our founders to prevent such a downfall...

This is why I have come to believe that impeachment is now so important.

Here's Nichols on the other days Impeachment mayhem:

"John Conyers wants to impeach, there’s no question of that. He wrote a book on it last year. He moved the proposal to set up a special committee to do it. But Pelosi has made it clear she doesn’t want to do it...We’re exactly where we’ve been all along, which is this process is going to have to go member by member, getting them to sign on. John Conyers would be absolutely delighted if he were forced to take up impeachment…The way Jefferson and Madison set it up, it’s supposed to be an organic process–it comes from people slowly convincing individual members to step up."

“The idea that taking up impeachment will keep us from acting on health care, gay rights, etc., is ahistoric. The fact of the matter is that during the impeachment of Nixon back in the 70s, the reason Congress was so effective and got so much done was that Nixon was scared and, in a calculated move, started cooperating with Congress to avoid impeachment. So the right thing to do is move immediately–see what you can get out of Bush.”

-- John Nichols, author of "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders’ Cure for Royalism

It's Now Illegal To Protest Iraq War...

'Forget Habeas Corpus. Forget free press. Forget Democratic checks and balances. Forget Democrats doing anything. Now you can't protest government policy on Iraq. It's now illegal to protest the Iraq War, due to "national security."'

I forgot to include in yesterday's post this unbelievable and gravely disturbing news (not covered by the corporate media) from last week. It ties in perfectly to my larger thesis that A. impeachment is required (or the attempt to) and B. there are a series of revelations coming out that point to even greater attempts by this administration to impose itself on the public and on our constitution...and we may be only scratching the surface of their criminality. Yesterday I mentioned Bush's Executive Order declaring his right to impose Martial Law...well, that's only the half of it. Last week he made another Executive Order...essentially, at least when they feel the need to, the right to arrest war protesters at will.

See this article by expert on the issue...a few clips first:

The Executive Order entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq" provides the President with the authority to confiscate the assets of "certain persons" who oppose the US led war in Iraq. Bush stated, "I have issued an Executive Order blocking property of persons determined to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq or undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people."

In substance, under this executive order, opposing the war becomes an illegal act. The Executive Order criminalizes the antiwar movement. It is intended to "blocking property" of US citizens and organizations actively involved in the peace movement. It allows the Department of Defense to interfere in financial affairs and instruct the Treasury to "block the property" and/or confiscate/ freeze the assets of "Certain Persons" involved in antiwar activities.

It targets those "Certain Persons" in America, including civil society organizations, who oppose the Bush Administration's "peace and stability" program in Iraq, characterized, in plain English, by an illegal occupation and the continued killing of innocent civilians.

SNIP

This latest executive order criminalizes the peace movement. It must be viewed in relation to various pieces of "anti-terrorist" legislation, the gamut of presidential and national security directives, etc., which are ultimately geared towards repealing constitutional government and installing martial law in the event of a "national emergency".

The war criminals in high office are intent upon repressing all forms of dissent which question the legitimacy of the war in Iraq. The executive order combined with the existing anti-terrorist legislation is eventually intended to be used against the anti-war and civil rights movements. It can be used to seize the assets of antiwar groups in America as well as block the property and activities of non-governmental humanitarian organizations providing relief in Iraq, seizing the assets of alternative media involved in reporting the truth regarding the US-led war, etc.

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6377

VIDEO SECTION

Wow...Gonzales tops himself...watch Olbermann's coverage:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/25/countdown-gonzos-rough-justice/

Michael Moore goes on Hardball...some good stuff:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/23/232240/031

Funny Daily Show piece on the Youtube debate:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/25/the-daily-show-youthanasia-rocking-the-vote/

TODAY'S TOPICS: Impeachment, Martial Law, The Filibuster, Moyers, Maher, Universal Health Care, Elizabeth Edwards, Comic Relief

BUSH T-SHIRTS...(to lighten you all up before I get really serious)

Bush Doesn't Care About White People, Either

George Bush: Creating the Terrorists Our Kids Will Have to Fight

America : One Nation, Under Surveillance

Which God Do You Kill For?

Who Would Jesus Torture?

No, Seriously, Why Did We Invade?

DEMS BACK OFF ON IMPEACHMENT: Z's QUICK SPECIAL COMMENT

Well, its official, for now, our greatest hope to really lead impeachment efforts against our current rogue, criminal government, John Conyers, has backed off because...wait for it...he doesn't have the votes!! So for all you people out there, the lesson is, regardless of how horrible the crime, or necessary the action, or how critical the need for precedent to be set to defend out Constitution, you back down if you "don't have the votes". Gee, can you imagine if that's the way people like Martin Luther King Jr. or Ghandi, or, well, ANYONE in our history who has fought for justice, approached their individual causes?

Here's an example, as blacks are being lynched, beaten, and relegated to second class citizenship in their own country, people look to MLK for leadership...and he says, "There just aren't the votes people, sorry. We need to wait to have this battle in a few decades when people are 'ready' for it." Can you imagine?

Now we have a little different of a story. Now we have a criminal organization running our country that has twice rigged elections to take power here. And in our name, since those two stolen elections, has left our democracy in shambles, murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people, and re-written the Constitution. Further, by NOT TAKING action to impeach, we have set a precedent that yes, the Executive Branch can commit such atrocities as this Administration has committed, and yes, future President's now have the powers that this administration has left them...such as eliminating Habeus Corpus, spying on American citizens, pre-emptively invading other nations, torturing foreign AND American citizens, and so on, and so forth.

But no, sorry, WE DON'T HAVE THE VOTES.

My friend and ally, Medea Benjamin summarizes this sad turn of events thusly:

"The arrest of impeachment activists and their forcible eviction from Conyers’ office today is proof of the bankruptcy of the two-party system. It is shameful that Conyers and Pelosi are putting their perceived interests of their party above the Constitution, which clearly makes impeachment the remedy for dealing with presidential “high crimes and misdemeanors”. With the Democratic leadership refusing to rein in an administration run amok, it is crystal clear that we, the people, must uphold the Constitution. People’s power, like the kind in evidence today in the normally solemn halls of Congress, is our only hope."

-- Medea Benjamin

And for an excellent break down of this turn of events and the need for impeachment please read this column by former CIA agent Ray Mcgovern.

A few clips first:

When I raised James Madison’s role in crafting a Constitution that mentions impeachment no fewer than six times, he replied: Madison did not say Conyers has to impeach every one. Why, if I had to impeach everyone for high crimes and misdemeanors, that’s all my committee would have time to do. I learned in Rhetoric 101 the name of that technique: reductio ad absurdam.

SNIP

We each have our favored crime for which President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached. Many of us have several. But the real challenge is to look AHEAD. What are Bush/Cheney likely to do in the coming months if the impeachment process does NOT begin? One often hears, Oh, they will do what they want anyway, impeachment process or not. Not true.

If we the people and our representatives in Congress choose the course given us by our Founders and impeachment proceedings begin, important swaths of our body politic AND military will be less likely to follow illegal orders from the White House. These important constituencies will become sensitized to the peril into which this administration has brought us and to the extra-constitutional orders they may be asked to carry out.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/24/2736/

VIDEO SECTION

Romney busted at a town hall for posing in front of signs comparing Obama to Osama…and of course, he not only avoids the question but doesn't seem to have any problem with the sign itself at all:

http://alternet.org/blogs/video/57688/

Bill Moyers interviews the Yes Men. If you haven't seen their documentary, you must! Hilarious, and right on:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/22/13810/0052

And watch Bill Maher do some dead on stand up:

http://www.politicstv.com/blog/?p=3236

And the Daily show mocks Bush’s dependence on all those “non-experts”...as well as his own role as a "know nothing":

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/24/daily-show-bush-relies-on-his-non-experts/

MARTIAL LAW INCHING CLOSER

This issue of course, is directly related to the need for impeachment, and the need for us to fully grasp the true nature of the threat we face from within, not from "without". As I have maintained for years on this blog, and which has continuously been proven true, is that the real "terrorist threat" is this administration, and to a lesser degree, their Congressional todies.

If you think that it is sufficient to sit back and just wait out the clock, for that glorious day of January 20th, 2009, you may well be gravely mistaken. As I have reported here, slipped deep into a recent appropriations bill, was an Executive Order that would enable the President to essentially declare martial law in the case of a "terrorist attack" of some sort. As is often the case with this syndicate, the language is vague and broad enough to apply to just about anything, and would give near unlimited power to them as well.

And if you don't think these people aren't capable of orchestrating such an attack, or incident themselves to create such a situation, and therefore keep the power they have usurped from us, then you really haven't been paying attention.

With that said, look at this recent interview with a high level Reagan administration, strict conservative about this very fear. and then, below that, please notice the recent effort by Democratic Congressman De Fazio to attain more information about this Executive Order only to be DENIED by the administration...unprecedented on all counts.

Here's the quote:

"Something's in the works," he said, adding that the Executive Orders need to create a police state are already in place. "The administration figures themselves and prominent Republican propagandists ... are preparing us for another 9/11 event or series of events," Roberts continued.

"Chertoff has predicted them. ... The National Intelligence Estimate is saying that al Qaeda has regrouped...You have to count on the fact that if al Qaeda's not going to do it, it's going to be orchestrated...The Republicans are praying for another 9/11…"If enough people were suspicious and alert, it would be harder for the administration to get away with it," Roberts replied. However, he added, "I don't think these wake-up calls are likely to be effective," pointing out the dominance of the mainstream media. "Americans think their danger is terrorists," said Roberts.

"They don't understand the terrorists cannot take away habeas corpus, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution. ...The terrorists are not anything like the threat that we face to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution from our own government in the name of fighting terrorism. Americans just aren't able to perceive that…"It's so obvious to people like us who have long been associated in the corridors of power," he said. "There's no belief in the people or anything like that. They have agendas. The people are in the way. The Constitution is in the way…Americans need to comprehend and look at how ruthless Cheney is…A person like that would do anything…"the only constraints on what's going to happen will come from the federal bureaucracy and perhaps the military. They may have had enough. They may not go along with it" old-line conservative Paul Craig Roberts -- a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan

Democratic Member Of House Homeland Security Committee Denied Access To Portions Of Presidential Directive

Via Newshouse News Service:

Constituents called Rep. Peter DeFazio’s office, worried there was a conspiracy buried in the classified portion of a White House plan for operating the government after a terrorist attack. As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, DeFazio, D-Ore., is permitted to enter a secure “bubbleroom” in the Capitol and examine classified material. So he asked the White House to see the secret documents.

On Wednesday, DeFazio got his answer: DENIED.“I just can’t believe they’re going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack,” DeFazio said.

Read more…

What are they hiding? I posted about this Presidential Directive in May, Bush Wants Full Control Of Government During Catastrophic Attack, which garnered a lot of discussion — it now appears the White House is attempting to block Congressional review of that directive. Contact your representatives in the House and Senate to let them know your thoughts on this. As I’ve mentioned before, please remind them (politely) that Congress is a coequal branch of our government and that President Bush is a public servant and therefore accountable to the people HE SERVES.

ARTICLE SECTION: Health Care, Elizabeth Edwards Interview

An excellent article on health care, and the complete irrationality of our current, for profit, system...a lead article in Newsweek no less...we are getting closer people.

A clip first:

But the public knows the American health-care system is breaking up, no matter how much its backers cheer. For starters, there's the 46 million uninsured (projected to rise to 56 million in five years). There's the shock of the underinsured when they learn that their policies exclude a costly procedure they need—forcing them to run up an unpayable bill, beg for charity care or go without. And think of the millions who plan their lives around health insurance—where to work, whether to start a business, when to retire, even whom to marry (there are "benefits" marriages, just as there are "green card" marriages). It shocks the conscience that those who profit from this mess tell us to suck it up.

SNIP

No advanced country has waiting periods for emergency surgery or procedures that are urgently needed. The United States has shorter waits than Canada and England for elective surgery. Still, queues are developing here, at the doctor's door. In a study of five developed countries, the Commonwealth Fund looked at how many sick adults had to wait six days or more for an appointment. By this measure, only Canada's record was worse than ours. But waits depend on how well a system is funded, not with the fact that it's single-payer. Many countries that cover everyone, including France, Belgium, Germany and Japan, report no issue with waits at all.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19886686/site/newsweek/page/0/

And a great interview by the Progressive's Ruth Coniff of one of my new favorite "political figures", Elizabeth Edwards:

Conniff: What's the answer for your husband?

Edwards: "It's the continuing inequity. We still have a middle class that lives on a razor blade. So sometimes when you say poverty, you neglect a large portion of the population about whom he's deeply concerned. It's the two-income trap. It's more likely in America that your parents will file for bankruptcy than divorce. We think of divorce as so prevalent, but we all know that happens because somebody moves out of the house. But when bankruptcy happens, they stay there, they close up, and you don't feel what's going on. But what that means is we have all these families under stress, constantly. And then we have the people who are trying to get out of dire distress. You hear that thirty-seven million people in this country live in poverty, and fifteen million people -- fifteen million -- live in deep poverty, which is $7,800 for a family of three."

SNIP

"You don't hear him (John) saying, "If I knew then what I know now" kind of stuff. He's saying, "I made a mistake. I should have done more. I should have been more suspicious. I should have asked more questions." Whatever was necessary to get to the right place. And having failed to do that, he takes responsibility for it.

And honestly, the other candidates? Obama gives a speech that's likely to be extraordinarily popular in his home district, and then comes to the Senate and votes for funding. John, the first time funding came up, he was already suspicious. What he said was we've got two issues, one is the information and the other is not trusting your President. And he gave plenty of speeches at the time saying, "I'm not voting for the $87 billion because he has no plan." You've got to do that for the men and women who are there: You've got to have a plan. And he didn't vote for the $87 billion, and never voted for any dedicated funding.

http://alternet.org/story/57463/

IMPEACHMENT...LET'S KEEP DEMANDING IT

Democrats.com is pushing for you to get your representatives working for you…from their email:

We’ve reached the impeachment moment for Vice President Dick Cheney. We’ve pushed the cosponsor list for H. Res. 333 up to 14. Chairman John Conyers says that if we get 3 more he’ll begin the impeachment proceedings.

And many Congress Members must be recognizing that there is no other path available. Cheney and Bush have repeatedly refused to comply with subpoenas, ordered former staffers not to comply, and announced that the Justice Department will not enforce contempt citations from Congress. When a special prosecutor attempted to hold this administration accountable, Cheney’s chief of staff obstructed justice, and Cheney persuaded Bush to commute his sentence. There is no course left for Congress but Impeachment.

[..] (T)ake two minutes on Monday and do two things: phone Chairman Conyers at 202-225-5126 and ask him to start the impeachment of Dick Cheney; and phone your own Congress Member at 202-224-3121 and ask them to immediately call Conyers’ office to express their support for impeachment. Your Congress Member might be one of the three needed, not just to keep impeachment activists out of jail but to keep this nation from devolving into dictatorship.

Also email your Representatives and demand that they get on board. Make the roar from the voters deafening.

END

ALSO RELATED TO THE LARGER THREAT FROM WITHIN...

Milwaukee Election Records Indicate Apparent Forgery, Ballot Box Stuffing in 2004 Presidential Election

After being hidden from the public for more than two years, records reveal apparent forgeries in the first city ward examined

How is it US Attorney Steven Biskupic missed this? Could he have been looking for voter fraud instead of election fraud?

-- Guest Blogged by John Washburn

After a two year interruption, I am beginning to go through the copies of November 2, 2004 election records which were provided to me in the settlement of my lawsuit with the City of Milwaukee Election Commission. The results of my initial examination of these records reveal immediately disturbing findings...

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4830

THE FILIBUSTER AS A WEAPON AGAINST PROGRESS

AND FINALLY: As I have discussed, and ALSO related to the UN-DEMOCRATIC threat from within that is the GOP, the level of the use of the filibuster as a tool to stop all legislation, be it ending the war to relieving the burdens of student loans to stem cell research is absolutely unprecedented.

Well, the data is in, and in fact, the GOP has used the filibuster 3 X's the level of any congress in history. So, please don't buy the lies being peddles that "everyone does it". And also remember, just a few years ago the GOP was threatening to "go nuclear" on the filibuster because the Democrats used it too much!!! This is what we're up against people...

PROGRESS IN THE HOUSE: Since Nov. 2006, the House successfully passed several key pieces of legislation. In fact, in the first 100 hours, the House acted to expand embryonic stem cell research, increase the minimum wage, allow the government to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, cut interest rates on student loans, end subsidies for big oil, and enact the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations -- all of which are supported by a majority of the Americans. In addition, on two occasions, the House has passed binding measures to end the war in Iraq, a measure supported overwhelmingly by both the American people and the troops on the ground. Even with such progress, House conservatives are still doing their part to obstruct legislation, often using a legislative device known as a "motion to recommit." A common tactic in the 110th Congress, "[t]he strategy is to institute a divisive change to the bill at the last moment, often unrelated to the original intent of the legislation, hoping that the altered bill can then be defeated on final passage."

OBSTRUCTION IN THE SENATE: Despite such progress in the House, a group of right-wing senators have acted to obstruct "almost every bill that has come before the Senate -- even ones with wide bipartisan support." Of the six major pieces of legislation passed by the House in the first 100 hours, "only one has become law" -- primarily due to conservative obstructionism in the Senate, a tactic that Weekly Standard Editor Fred Barnes touts as a success. On legislation related to such issues as reforming Medicare, raising the minimum wage, reforming union formation, and ending the war in Iraq, conservatives have obstructed progress by forcing bills to garner a supermajority of 60 votes to end debate and vote on the bill itself. Without the votes to overcome such a filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is frequently forced to withdraw bills from consideration, often in spite of the fact that the majority of the Senate and the House support the measures. Conservatives have used such "petty" and divisive tactics again and again. According to McClatchy, Senate conservatives "are threatening filibusters to block more legislation than ever before." Just seven months into the 110th Congress's two-year term, legislation in the Senate has been slowed or blocked completely by conservative filibusters a total of 42 times amounting to "[n]early 1 in 6 roll-call votes in the Senate this year." If the current pace continues, by Jan. 2009, conservatives in the Senate will have attempted to filibuster more than 150 times -- nearly three times more than any Congress in the last 50 years. In comparison, legislation was delayed or blocked by filibuster only 52 times in the whole 109th Congress.

TODAY'S TOPICS: Feingold/Censure!, Olbermann Special Comment, Impeachment, Iraq, Energy Meetings

I am running behind on my posts here, so rather than hold onto all the video clips and other tidbits of info until I have time to discuss and post articles, I'm just going to throw down what I have. More to come tomorrow though...

QUOTES AND VIDEO SECTION...

FEINGOLD INTRODUCES CENSURE RESOLUTIONS!!!

"It's clear to me, and millions of Americans, that the time has come for accountability – on everything from the disastrous war in Iraq, to refusing, time and time again, to follow the rule of law. Members of Congress can no longer stand by and allow the White House to shred the Constitution, and thumb their noses at the American people.Over recent months and years, we've learned that this President, and his administration, have used mistruths, spin, lofty-rhetoric, hyped-up intelligence reports, and scare tactics to drag this country into a war that can only be described as the worst foreign policy mistake in our nation's history.

In addition, the administration, in an attempt to justify this mistake, has repeatedly distorted the situation on the ground in Iraq. As a result, the administration has dangerously weakened us in our efforts to fight those who attacked us on 9/11.What's equally dangerous is the blatant disregard President Bush has shown for the rule of law on which our country was founded. Last year I introduced a resolution to censure President Bush for his failure to abide by the Constitution when he implemented his illegal domestic wiretapping program and for misleading the public about whether his administration was following the law.

With your help, public scrutiny in this program was raised and the administration couldn't ignore it any longer. Earlier this year, the program was finally terminated and brought under the jurisdiction of the FISA statute.Unfortunately, failing to abide by the law is a pattern for this President. From illegal domestic wiretapping, to the President's dubious signing statements, to redefining torture, to the current U.S. Attorney scandal, the list goes on and on. There are so many good reasons for the deep frustration so many of you and I feel about the direction of our country.As I have said before, I believe the President and Vice President have likely committed what our Founding Fathers would have thought of as "high crimes and misdemeanors."

...at a minimum we can agree that censure resolutions, holding the President and his administration accountable for the actions I've outlined above, are needed. History must show that when confronted with an administration which does not recognize the separation of powers, which continually acts as if the executive branch is above the laws of our land, the American people and their elected officials stood up, in one voice, and demanded accountability."

-- Senator Russ Feingold

Watch my man Feingold introduces Censure Resolutions…its not impeachment, but its a huge step in the right direction!

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/22/senator-feingold-to-introduce-bush-censure-resolution-in-senate-soon/

Let your minions try to spread the blame to the real patriots here, who have sought only to undo the horrors you have wrought since 2002. Let them try it, until the end of time. Though the words might be erased from a million books and a billion memories, though the world be covered knee-deep in your lies, the truth shall prevail. This, sir, is your war.

Sen. Clinton has reinforced enemy propaganda? Made it impossible for you to get your ego-driven, blood-steeped win in Iraq?

Then take it into your own hands, Mr. Bush. Go to Baghdad now and fulfill, finally, your military service obligations. Go there and fight, your war. Yourself.

-- Keith Olbermann

Now watch his brilliant “Special Comment” from last week:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/19/special-comment-keith-blasts-bush-scapegoating-this-is-your-war/

Yes, apparently even Chris Mathews has his moments...

VIDEO: Matthews Calls Out Bush Administration 'Propaganda' On Leno

Says Bush 'Snookered Us Again', 'Wasn't Even Exactly Elected'

TRANSCRIPT, VIDEO: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4849

Colbert inverviews Michael Moore:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/20/colbert-and-moore-team-up-against-cnn/

Daily show on al qaeda...

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/20/daily-show-bushs-fuzzy-al-qaeda-math/

“Another FEMA official wrote, the office of general counsel has advised ‘We do not do testing, because it would imply FEMA’s ownership of this issue.’ Early in the process, due to the perseverance of a pregnant mother with a four month old child, FEMA did test one occupied trailer. The results showed that their trailer had formaldehyde levels 75 times higher than the maximum workplace exposure levels recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The mother evacuated the trailer. FEMA then stopped testing other trailers.”

-- "Hammerin" Hank Waxman, Democrat

We're getting closer people...this is what MUST BE DONE to end this war...

70: Number of House members who wrote a letter to Bush stating that they "will only support appropriating additional funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq during Fiscal Year 2008 and beyond for the protection and safe redeployment of all our troops out of Iraq before you leave office."

Rupert Murdoch's potential takeover of Dow Jones, parent company of the Wall Street Journal, is worrying many employees. "There's a real culture of passion for the truth, for shining lights in dark places," said a reporter. "The overwhelming view here is that under Murdoch, that gets compromised from Day One, and that idea is devastating, heartbreaking, to people."

Resentment toward American forces remains "fierce" as "Iraqis endure their fifth blazing summer without sufficient power." The LA Times writes, "If anything is seen as symbolic of the United States' failure to deliver on its promise that life would be better without Saddam Hussein, it is the lack of reliable electricity."

GOOD NEWS...

An appeals court chastised the Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday and ordered the agency to pay retroactive benefits to Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and contracted a form of leukemia."

"The nation's governors, defying threats of a veto from President Bush, called on Congress Sunday to extend and increase a program to provide health insurance for poor children."

"After a rare bipartisan agreement in the Senate to expand insurance coverage for low-income children, House Democrats have drafted an even broader plan that also calls for major changes in Medicare and promises to intensify the battle with the White House over health care."

Former Federal Prosecutor: 'Bush Admin Asking to Be Impeached'; Conyers: 'Let's Take These Two Guys Out'

Elizabeth De La Vega Says Attempt to use Executive Privilege to Stymie Contempt Proceedings by U.S. Attorney Would Be 'Grounds for Impeachment'

Conyers Asks 'What Are We Waiting For?' at Event in San Diego According to Caller on Peter B. Collins Show...

-- Blogged by Brad Friedman from the road in Houston...

Heat for Impeachment continues to build as a former U.S. Prosecutor told me yesterday that she feels "it's almost as if the Bush administration is asking to be impeached," and as Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) reportedly opened an appearance with a crowd of supporters on Friday by proclaiming, "What are we waiting for? Let's take these two guys out!"

COMPLETE REPORT, INCLUDING AUDIO FROM MY FRIDAY INTERVIEW WITH DE LA VEGA:

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4852

MY "DUUHHHH..." OF THE WEEK (BUT STILL IMPORTANT IT CAME OUT)

ADMINISTRATION -- DOCUMENTS REVEAL INFLUENCE OF INDUSTRY IN DEVELOPING ENERGY AGENDA: The Washington Post reports today that in 2001, as the head of the administration's energy task force, Vice President Cheney routinely brushed off environmentalists in order to develop a heavily pro-industry energy agenda. In fact, as of April 2001, "Cheney and his aides had already held at least 40 meetings with interest groups, most of them from energy-producing industries" such as the American Petroleum Institute, National Mining Association, Enron (including convicted CEO Ken Lay), and BP, by the time his staff even met with the first environmental organizations, according to a recently disclosed confidential list. Cheney has mysteriously guarded memos about the task force. "For six years, those names have been a closely guarded secret, thanks to a fierce legal battle waged by the White House. Some names have leaked out over the years, but most have remained hidden because of a 2004 Supreme Court ruling that agreed that the administration's internal deliberations ought to be shielded from outside scrutiny." House Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said it is "ridiculous" that it has taken six years to see who attended the task force meetings, describing the surreptitious nature of the meetings as an indicator of "how secretively Vice President Cheney wanted to act." Cheney's secrecy here reflects a history of evading oversight. Most recently, Cheney exempted his office from an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he was not part of the executive branch.

Lawmakers scrutinize California's flex-fuel fleet — A state Senate hearing not only confirmed Wednesday that the governor's administration purchased a fleet of alternative fuel vehicles that have yet to burn anything but gasoline, but lawmakers also suggested the vehicles were purchased to benefit a specific automaker that has a cozy relationship with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: General Motors. Kimberly Kindy in the San Jose Mercury — 7/19/07

"Contractors hired to clean up after Hurricane Katrina are fuming over delays in getting paid by Federal Emergency Management Agency," with some owed as much as $150 million. "In hard-hit St. Bernard Parish, local officials expressed concern that the slow payments will discourage contractors from bidding" on upcoming major reconstruction projects.

"A federal judge in Washington on Wednesday upheld the right of a Yemeni man held as an enemy combatant at a U.S. military prison in Afghanistan to seek his freedom. The ruling is the first issued in a case filed on behalf of a foreign detainee held by the U.S. outside the country or the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station."

Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority, claiming that the Justice Department "will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege." Mark Rozell, an expert on executive privilege said, "What this statement is saying is the president's claim of executive privilege trumps all." A House Judiciary subcommittee rejected President Bush's contention that "his claim of executive privilege shields the top aide, Joshua Bolten, from having to turn over subpoenaed documents." The vote subjected Bolten to possible contempt charges.

NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: BUSH ADMINISTRATION MANIPULATED IRAQ INTELLIGENCE: A new biography on Vice President Dick Cheney by Weekly Standard staff writer Stephen F. Hayes contains some "revealing nuggets" about the infamously secretive Vice President. On Meet the Press this weekend, host Tim Russert highlighted a passage that said current Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Mike McConnell "was honored to be asked [to be DNI], but he had serious reservations. He had been unimpressed with many aspects of the Bush administration and its conduct of the war on terror, particularly what he felt was a politicized use of intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq war." McConnell reportedly "seemed to side with those who believe that the administration manipulated intelligence on Iraq for political purposes before the 2003 invasion." Specifically, McConnell decried the "secondary unit" established within the Pentagon to "reinterpret information" prior to the war. An internal Pentagon investigation released in February revealed that former Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith utilized the Counter-Terrorism Evaluation Group within the Pentagon to create and promote false links between Iraq and al Qaeda. Then-Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz "asked Feith's analysts to ignore the intelligence community's belief that the militant Islamist al-Qaida and Saddam's secular dictatorship were unlikely allies." Subsequently, Feith "disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaida relationship...to senior decision-makers." Despite the overwhelming problems with both the intelligence that led to the Iraq war and the war's execution, Cheney still maintains that Rumsfeld was a "great secretary of defense." According to Hayes, he "absolutely" did not agree with the President's decision to fire Rumsfeld.