Monday, December 19, 2005

Desperation.. From Newsweek: "I learned this week that on December 6, Bush summoned Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger and executive editor Bill Keller to the Oval Office in a futile attempt to talk them out of running the story. The Times will not comment on the meeting, but one can only imagine the president[base ']s desperation." [Think Progress] 8:49:39 PM    comment []

The human faces of the Iraq war. New at Mother Jones: Four photojournalists who elected not to "embed" with US troops take an unflinching look at the human faces of war-ravaged Iraq. (LINK) Tom Engelhardt wonders why the anthrax attacks of October 2001 have all but disappeared from public and media memory. (LINK) In an interview, international lawyer Philippe Sands tells how the Bush administration has tried to wreck the global rules-based system--against the United States' interests. (LINK) [MoJo Blog] 6:01:00 PM    comment []

Stumped Again: Bush Can’t Name A Single Mistake. During a prime time press conference in April 2004, President Bush was asked to name one mistake he had made since taking office and explain what he had learned from it. He couldn’t do it. (We gave him 100 to choose from.) President Bush was asked the same question today. He came close to acknowledging an error– preparing Iraq’s Army more than its civilian security forces — but he quickly clarified that he was merely adjusting his tactics “to meet the changing tactics of an enemy.” At last year’s event, Bush explained, “Maybe I’m not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one.” But that’s clearly not the problem. A year and a half later, he still can’t bring himself to acknowledge a mistake. See for yourself: (Quicktime) Full transcript below: QUESTION: Sir, you’ve shown a remarkable spirit of candor in the last couple of weeks in your conversations, speeches about Iraq. And I’m wondering if, in that spirit, I might ask you a question that you didn’t seem to have an answer for the last time you were asked. And that is: What would you say is the biggest mistake you’ve made during your presidency, and what have you learned from it? BUSH: Answering Dickerson’s question. [Laughter] The last time those questions were asked, I really felt like it was an attempt for me to say it was a mistake to go into Iraq. And it wasn’t a mistake to go into Iraq. It was the right decision to make. I think that there’s going to be a lot of analysis done on the decisions on the ground in Iraq. For example, I’m fully aware that some have said it was a mistake not to put enough troops there immediately — or more troops. I made my decision based upon the recommendations of Tommy Frank. And I still think it was the right decision to make. But history will judge. I said the other day that a mistake was trying to train a civilian defense force and an Iraqi army at the same time, but not giving the civilian defense force enough training and tools necessary to be able to battle a group of thugs and killers. And so we adjusted. And the point I’m trying to make to the American people in this, as you said, candid dialogue — I hope I’ve been candid all along — but, the candid dialogue, is to say we’re constantly changing our tactics to meet the changing tactics of an enemy. And that’s important for our citizens to understand. [Think Progress] 5:59:36 PM    comment []

Sealed July ‘03 Letter: Rockefeller Warned of ‘Profound Oversight Issues’ With Warrantless Spying Program. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, first learned of the Bush administration’s warrantless domestic spying program on July 17, 2003. That day, he wrote a letter to the White House (it was handwritten, since he couldn’t share details about the program with his staff). Rockefeller warned of “profound oversight issues,” and said he was “unable to evaluate, much less endorse these activities.” Today, Rockefeller released that sealed letter, and criticized the administration for claiming that its briefings with members of Congress on the spying program constituted anything resembling “oversight”: For the last few days, I have witnessed the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General repeatedly misrepresent the facts. The record needs to be set clear that the Administration never afforded members briefed on the program an opportunity to either approve or disapprove the NSA program. The limited members who were told of the program were prohibited by the Administration from sharing any information about it with our colleagues, including other members of the Intelligence Committees. Below, an excerpt of the original letter he wrote in 2003: You can read the full letter here. [Think Progress] 5:54:45 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 Patricia Thurston.