David Remer: American Political Headlines

9/11 Panel Gets Access to Clinton Records

Sun, 04 Apr 2004 18:10:31 GMT

[AP Politics] By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration gave the federal panel reviewing the Sept. 11 attacks access Friday to thousands of classified counterterrorism documents from the Clinton administration.

Bush officials granted the Sept. 11 commission's request to review the material after Bruce Lindsey, former legal adviser to President Clinton (news - web sites), said the administration failed to turn over all of Clinton's records to the panel.

The commission's lawyers will begin reviewing the material Monday and should know within a day and a half if additional documents should be released, said commission spokesman Al Felzenberg. The panel isn't making prejudgments until then, he said.

"There's a lot of paper flying around," Felzenberg said. "We'll know quickly if there are materials we should have or if they are duplicates."

Lindsey said Thursday that the commission isn't getting a full picture of Clinton's terrorism policies because the Bush administration had only forwarded 25 percent of the 11,000 records it wanted to provide the panel.

Uneven Response Seen on Terror in Summer of 2001

Sun, 04 Apr 2004 17:12:38 GMT

A review of White House actions in the summer of 2001 shows an impulse to deal more forcefully with terrorist threats that peaked July 5 and leveled off until Sept. 11. By David Johnstonand Eric Schmitt. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Bush Aides Block Clinton's Papers From 9/11 Panel

Sun, 04 Apr 2004 17:10:51 GMT

By PHILIP SHENON and DAVID E. SANGER

The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks said on Thursday that it was pressing the White House to explain why the Bush administration had blocked thousands of pages of classified foreign policy and counterterrorism documents from former President Bill Clinton's White House files from being turned over to the panel's investigators.

After nuclear's meltdown, a cautious revival

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:32:00 GMT

With the improving business case for nuclear power, new reactors could begin to appear. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

Experts See No Law Barring Rice Testimony

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:18:00 GMT

[AP Politics]

President Asked Aide to Explore Iraq Link to 9/11

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 22:16:32 GMT

Condoleezza Rice acknowledged that on the day after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush asked Richard A. Clarke to find out if Iraq was involved. By Eric Lichtblau. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Rice Is Agreeable to Return for More of 9/11 Panel's Queries

Sat, 27 Mar 2004 11:55:18 GMT

Under mounting pressure from Democrats, the White House offered to have Condoleezza Rice answer more questions. By Adam Nagourney and Richard W. Stevenson. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

The Military: U.S. Army Finds Its Suicide Rate in Iraq Is Higher Than for Other G.I.'s

Sat, 27 Mar 2004 11:51:15 GMT

[New York Times: International News]

9/11 scrutiny hits Bush aura on terror

Sat, 27 Mar 2004 11:49:36 GMT

All week, the Bush team was on the defensive over charges that it made fighting terror a low priority. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

Different hearings - and times

Sat, 27 Mar 2004 11:48:55 GMT

9/11 hearings expose Washington's culture of caution. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

Bush manipulates 9/11 commission

Sat, 27 Mar 2004 11:47:56 GMT

The White House has finally stepped over the line. After doing everything in its power to obstruct the work of the 9/11 commission, the Bush administration is now manipulating the proceedings by feeding questions to the Republican commissioners. Here'... [Kicking Ass]

9/11 Panel Critical of Clinton, Bush

Thu, 25 Mar 2004 11:02:50 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics]

9/11 Panel: U.S. Lacked Info on Bin Laden

Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:56:53 GMT

[AP Politics]

Clarke Stays Cool as Partisanship Heats Up

Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:37:11 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics] By Dana Milbank

The Sept. 11 commission shed its bipartisan spirit and turned a Senate hearing room into a courtroom yesterday for the testimony of Richard A. Clarke, the White House counterterrorism chief-turned-Bush administration whistle-blower.

AIDING AND ABETTING TERRORISTS

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 23:44:03 GMT

SFGate: "A former U.S. Army sergeant who trained Osama bin Laden's bodyguards and helped plan the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya was a U.S. government informant during much of his terrorist career."

"Newsweek has learned that in the months before 9/11, the U.S. Justice Department curtailed a highly classified program called 'Catcher's Mitt' to monitor Al Qaeda suspects in the United States, after a federal judge severely chastised the FBI for improperly seeking permission to wiretap terrorists. During the Bush administration's first few months in office, Attorney General John Ashcroft downgraded terrorism as a priority, choosing to place more emphasis on drug trafficking and gun violence." [Heli's Heaven and Hell Radio]

Powell denies ignoring 9/11 warnings

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 23:42:03 GMT

The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, today denied that his administration ignored warnings of a terrorist threat. [Guardian Unlimited]

9/11 PANEL SCAM

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 23:41:09 GMT

What I have seen of the 9/11 panel till now is just a scam. The Republicans blame the Clinton administration and tell us they "wanted to...", "warned about...", "were making plans to...".

We know the Bush clique wanted a war with Iraq at all costs. They lied and cheated to get the world behind them.
AZCentral: "National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice refuses to testify under oath, insisting that presidential advisers need not answer to legislative bodies."

Rice is one of those responsible for the 9/11 debacle. That's why she does not want to appear before the panel.
Richard Clarke: "There's a lot of blame to go around, and I probably deserve some blame, too. But on January 24th, 2001, I wrote a memo to Condoleezza Rice asking for, urgently - underlined urgently - a Cabinet-level meeting to deal with the impending al Qaeda attack. And that urgent memo wasn't acted on. "I blame the entire Bush leadership for continuing to work on Cold War issues when they back in power in 2001. It was as though they were preserved in amber from when they left office eight years earlier. They came back. They wanted to work on the same issues right away: Iraq, Star Wars. Not new issues, the new threats that had developed over the preceding eight years." [Heli's Heaven and Hell Radio]

White House Assails Ex-Official Critical of Antiterror Effort

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 00:06:55 GMT

The counterterrorism coordinator said that the administration did not take Al Qaeda seriously enough before the 2001 attacks. By David Stout. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Bush ignored threats, says ex-aide

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 00:06:07 GMT

US: Former chief counter-terrorism adviser accuses Bush of doing "a terrible job" in protecting America against attack. [Guardian Unlimited]

Feds May Stretch Out Mercury Cleanup

Tue, 23 Mar 2004 00:03:23 GMT

[AP Politics]

A Day For Marching

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 12:15:03 GMT

[Washington Post: Editorial]

"Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction and wasn't connected to the September 11 tragedy. George Bush lied, and my son died," said a tearful Fernando Suarez at an unofficial memorial for the fallen soldiers outside Dover Air Force Base, where the bodies of U.S. soldiers are brought home and which is off limits to scrutiny by the media.

Washed-Up Credibility - Secrecy Kills

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 12:12:25 GMT

[Washington Post: Editorial]

Clinton Aides Plan to Tell Panel of Warning Bush Team on Qaeda

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 12:04:47 GMT

Senior Clinton officials say they repeatedly warned their Bush administration counterparts in late 2000 that Al Qaeda was the worst security threat facing the nation. By Philip Shenon. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Limits Urged on Eating Tuna

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 12:01:50 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics]

The joint Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency guidance also told women of childbearing age to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish because of high mercury levels.

The recommendation regarding tuna was immediately attacked as inadequate by a member of the FDA advisory panel that addressed it. University of Arizona toxicology professor Vas Aposhian resigned from the panel, saying the advisory did not reflect the experts' view that children and childbearing women should not eat albacore tuna, and should eat less light tuna than the advisory recommends.

Chomsky backs 'Bush-lite' Kerry

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 06:25:55 GMT

US election: Noam Chomsky, the political theorist and leftwing guru, gives his reluctant endorsement to the Democratic presidential contender, John Kerry, calling him "Bush-lite". [Guardian Unlimited]

U.S. Won't Challenge N.C. Districts

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 06:13:59 GMT

[AP Politics]By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. - Federal attorneys said Friday that they do not believe North Carolina's new legislative districts harm minority voters, a decision that keeps the state's July 20 primary on track.

The Justice Department (news - web sites), writing to a three-judge federal panel in Washington, said it will not challenge the state's latest House and Senate maps and has no problem if the judges declare them lawful.

The federal government's agreement that the maps conform to the U.S. Voting Rights Act is a victory for the largely Democratic leaders in the General Assembly who drew the districts that were approved in November.

Two earlier sets of maps were struck down by state courts for violating the North Carolina constitution.

GOP Governors Look to Bolster Their Ranks

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 06:10:20 GMT

[AP Politics]

Federal Housing Finance Chief Resigns

Sat, 20 Mar 2004 06:09:25 GMT

[AP Politics]

Korsmo did not make any mention in the letter of the controversy surrounding his fund-raising activities. Published reports have said that Korsmo and his wife, former Labor Department (news - web sites) official Michelle Larson Korsmo, are the targets of a Justice Department (news - web sites) investigation into a possible coverup of alleged campaign finance violations.

With Bush in charge, taxes may still rise

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 22:15:56 GMT

A soaring federal deficit, some economists say, will put fiscal pressure on the next president. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

Addressing the Unthinkable, U.S. Revives Study of Fallout

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 22:10:45 GMT

To cope with the possibility of a terrorist nuclear attack, the federal government is reviving the scientific art of fallout analysis. By William J. Broad. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Hindsight

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 21:58:56 GMT

Josh Marshall reminds us of this passage from President Bush's address to the nation one year ago:

Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq's neighbors and against Iraq's people. The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda. The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other. [Kicking Ass]

Foster: White House Had Role In Withholding Medicare Data

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 21:53:20 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics]

Scandals - GOP's turn.

Thu, 18 Mar 2004 14:21:23 GMT

Don't miss the Washington Post's rundown of scandals dogging Republican House members. Scandals include: A bribery attempt on the floor of the House. Conflicts of interest, including House members using their influence for the financial benefits of ... [Kicking Ass]

Mysterious Fax Adds to Intrigue Over the Medicare Bill's Cost

Thu, 18 Mar 2004 14:17:18 GMT

Questions are being raised about whether the White House withheld data on the Medicare bill's cost from lawmakers. By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Robert Pear. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

As Prices Rise, Washington Debates Saving Oil or Selling It

Thu, 18 Mar 2004 14:00:46 GMT

Members of Congress and administration officials are giving new scrutiny to the government's main tool for preventing price shocks, but they are reaching opposite conclusions. By Matthew L. Wald. [New York Times: Business]

Powell Reassures India on Technology Jobs

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 19:13:20 GMT

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said the Bush administration would NOT try to halt the outsourcing of technology jobs to India. By Steven R. Weisman. [New York Times: Business]

THE BALANCE OF ONE YEAR AT WAR

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 19:11:47 GMT

It all started on March 20, 2003. Well, not exactly, the global plans were already written well before that date, even before 9/11. Today, a few days from the official anniversary, the situation has become a downright catastrophe. The body count goes up and up. Casualties continue to fall on both sides. It's a daily routine.

American soldiers are deserting. US families protest war.
The lies and deceit have seriously damaged our democracies. And a peaceful solution is not in sight for years to come. The Bush/Blair clique warned us about that. Unless of course, we get these usurpers out of power.
Bush's war is a financial disaster too. "One more such victory and we are ruined."
Tony Blair will not be forgiven, nor will Bush.

"Two full-scale wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and countless anti-terrorist operations have failed to convince most Europeans that this war, as now conceived, is winnable."
"An attack on London is inevitable," according to John Stevens, Metropolitan police commissioner, and Ken Livingstone, mayor of London. [Heli's Heaven and Hell Radio]

Probe Starts In Medicare Drug Cost Estimates

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 16:03:24 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics]

GLOBAL DOMINATION

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 01:20:41 GMT

Doc Searls just discovered this from the Sunday Herald: "A secret blueprint for US global domination reveals that President Bush and his cabinet were planning a premeditated attack on Iraq to secure 'regime change' even before he took power in January 2001."

Better late than never. Some of these big blogger shots should have a look at the smaller blogs every now and then. Even here in blogland you have your mainstream blogs and the alternatives. But the above is essential information for any American or citizen of this world. [Heli's Heaven and Hell Radio]

G.I. Toll Rises in Iraq With New Bomb Tactics

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 01:17:20 GMT

-[New York Times: International News]

GOP Candidate Faces Divorce Questions

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 01:13:39 GMT

-[AP Politics]

Blix Says White House Had `Set Mind' on Iraqi Weapons

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 01:10:19 GMT

[New York Times: International News]

Data Mining

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 01:00:31 GMT

Capitol Hill Blue: "Two cutting-edge computer projects designed to preserve the privacy of Americans were quietly killed while Congress was restricting Pentagon data-gathering research in a widely publicized effort to protect innocent citizens from futuristic anti-terrorism tools.

As a result, the government is quietly pressing ahead with research into high-powered computer data-mining technology without the two most advanced privacy protections developed to police those terror-fighting tools. Poindexter's new software tools, far more powerful than existing commercial products, would have allowed government agents to quickly scan the private commercial transactions and personal health records of millions of Americans and foreigners for telltale signs of terrorist activity."

When you know that the clique behind the 'anti-terrorism surveillance' are themselves wreaking havoc all over the world, it's back to the future of 1984. [Heli's Heaven and Hell Radio]

Democrats Seek Probe of Medicare Estimates

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 00:52:05 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics]

'Memogate' opens window on judiciary fights

Wed, 17 Mar 2004 00:44:53 GMT

Republicans access to Democratic staffers' e-files opens window into judicial-nomination politics. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

Kennedy Criticizes Bush 'Credibility Gap'

Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:47:43 GMT

[AP Politics]

FBI WANTS MORE INTERNET WIRETAPS

Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:24:04 GMT

Arizona Daily Star: "Technology companies should be required to ensure that law enforcement agencies can install wiretaps on Internet traffic and new generations of digital communications, the Justice Department says." [Heli's Heaven and Hell Radio]

C.I.A. Chief Says He's Corrected Cheney Privately

Thu, 11 Mar 2004 21:13:17 GMT

[New York Times: International News]

Democrats Forming Parallel Campaign Like Republicans

Thu, 11 Mar 2004 21:09:54 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics] By Dan Balz and Thomas B. Edsall

Led by veterans of presidential and congressional campaigns, a coalition of Democratic Party interest groups, armed with millions of dollars in soft money, is rapidly constructing an unprecedented political operation designed to supplement the activities of Sen. John F. Kerry's campaign in the effort to defeat President Bush.

The newest visible sign of the coalition's activities will be seen beginning today, when a $5 million advertising campaign begins in 17 battleground states. But behind the scenes, Democratic operatives are moving to set up coordinated national and state-by-state operations that amount to the equivalent of a full presidential campaign, minus the candidate.

Bush Backs Off Limit On 9/11 Questioning

Thu, 11 Mar 2004 02:20:57 GMT

[Washington Post: Nation and Politics]