Yellow Dog

Bernard Kerik's Letter to President Bush Formally Withdrawing From Appointment as Director of the Dept. of Homeland Security - WHITEHOUSE.ORG

Here's a headline that perfectly illustrates the family values of the Bush Administration:

"Nearly 900 children have lost a parent in Iraq"

But at least we can all take comfort in knowing that Bush sent these men and woman to war to protect the US from those horrible weapons of mass destruction. Oh, wait a minute, I almost forgot--there was never any threat to the US. And no WMDs have been found to this day.

Scripps Howard News Service

To be fair, there are some Republicans--okay, one so far--willing to cut through the crap we are fed by the Bush administration and the conservative-leaning corporate media propoganda and to make an honest assessment of Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq. Senator John McCain said today that he has "no confidence" in Rummy. Join the club. I doubt the soldiers who spoke with Rumsfeld SEVEN months ago and long before this latest complaint about insufficient armor have much confidence in him either.

That's right--according to journalist Joe Conason,

"Seven months before the defense secretary's recent exchange, another grunt had complained about inadequate armor. Every GI who's been blown up since then is another reason to fire him.

If his competence matched his confidence, Rumsfeld would not only have investigated but acted months ago to improve 'force protection' in Iraq. It is amazing indeed that as the war drags on toward its second anniversary, and as the lack of planning for the occupation continues to take a terrible toll on our men and women along with the Iraqi people, this man remains in the job he has bungled so badly."

That seems to be a pattern with this administration: bungle things so badly and get rewarded by keeping your job (Condi "oops I didn't see that memo about an attack" Rice, anyone?). This principle would also help explain the 2004 election.



Yahoo! News - McCain Has 'No Confidence' in Rumsfeld

It turns out that Bernie Kerik, Bush's pick for Director of Homeland Security, has a couple dozen skeletons in the closet. Josh Marshall sums these up pretty well and asks how the White House could have been so sloppy and impulsive (that seems to be their pattern--WMD, anyone?). Here are Kerik's stunning qualifications:

a) Kerik received numerous unreported cash gifts from Lawrence Ray, an executive at a Jersey construction company (Ray was later indicted along with Edward Garafola, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano's brother-in-law, and Daniel Persico, nephew of Colombo Family Godfather Carmine "The Snake" Persico and others on unrelated federal charges tied to what the Daily News called a "$40 million, mob-run, pump-and-dump stock swindle.")

b) that Riker's Island prison became a hotbed of political corruption and cronyism on his watch

c) that he is accused by nine employees of the hospital he worked at providing security in Saudi Arabia of using his policing powers to pursue the personal agenda of his immediate boss

d) that a warrant for his arrest (albeit in a civil case) was issued in New Jersey as recently as six years ago

e) that as recently as last week he was forced to testify in a civil suit in a case covering the period in which he was New York City correction commissioner, in which the plaintiff, "former deputy warden Eric DeRavin III contends Kerik kept him from getting promoted because he had reprimanded the woman [Kerik was allegedly having an affair with], Correction Officer Jeanette Pinero"

f) his rapid and unexplained departure from Baghdad.

How do you spell INCOMPETENCE? BUSH

The New York Times > New York Region > The Nominee's Past: Beyond the Disclosure About Kerik's Nanny, More Questions Were Lurking