Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Dems Roll Over
Democrats caved to pressure last week, voting with Repugs to allow Bush to continue to spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant. And director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell--by acting as a political tool for the White House--inserted himself directly into the political process:
"As the director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell is supposed to be above politics.
But last week, as the White House was successfully bullying spooked congressional Democrats into expanding the government's authority to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant, McConnell was President Bush's most effective enforcer.
And if that weren't controversial enough, some Democrats are charging that McConnell initially expressed his support for a much more restrictive Democratic plan -- then reversed himself under pressure from the White House."
Dan Froomkin - Chief Spy or Chief Enforcer? - washingtonpost.com
"As the director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell is supposed to be above politics.
But last week, as the White House was successfully bullying spooked congressional Democrats into expanding the government's authority to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant, McConnell was President Bush's most effective enforcer.
And if that weren't controversial enough, some Democrats are charging that McConnell initially expressed his support for a much more restrictive Democratic plan -- then reversed himself under pressure from the White House."
Dan Froomkin - Chief Spy or Chief Enforcer? - washingtonpost.com
Daily Crap (that we're not hearing about): Iraq
Just after the media has dutifully reported the White House talking points of the low death toll in Iraq in July (despite the continuing numbers of civilian casualties), using this as an indication the surge is working, CBS News reports that 26 U.S. troops have been killed in the last week in Iraq. That's some surge.
But there's even more crap:
A report in The Washington Post says investigators don't know what happened to about a third of the guns given to Iraqi security forces — or who has them now. A study by the Government Accountability Office shows U.S. military officials have lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi forces in 2004 and 2005, according to the newspaper. The report says the highest previous estimate of unaccounted-for weapons — given to Iraqi forces as part of their training — was 14,000.
Sixty decomposing bodies were found in a mainly Sunni area that had been under the control of al Qaeda in Iraq west of Baqouba, according to a Diyala police official. The U.S. military said it had no information about any discovery. At least 53 other people were killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, according to police. Those included the bodies of five soldiers who had been ambushed by gunmen while on their way home for vacation north of Tikrit.
26 U.S. Troops Killed In 1 Week In Iraq, Military Announces 4 More Deaths Around Baghdad - CBS News
But there's even more crap:
A report in The Washington Post says investigators don't know what happened to about a third of the guns given to Iraqi security forces — or who has them now. A study by the Government Accountability Office shows U.S. military officials have lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi forces in 2004 and 2005, according to the newspaper. The report says the highest previous estimate of unaccounted-for weapons — given to Iraqi forces as part of their training — was 14,000.
Sixty decomposing bodies were found in a mainly Sunni area that had been under the control of al Qaeda in Iraq west of Baqouba, according to a Diyala police official. The U.S. military said it had no information about any discovery. At least 53 other people were killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, according to police. Those included the bodies of five soldiers who had been ambushed by gunmen while on their way home for vacation north of Tikrit.
26 U.S. Troops Killed In 1 Week In Iraq, Military Announces 4 More Deaths Around Baghdad - CBS News
