Guest Blogged by Special BRAD BLOG CPAC Correspondent Daniel Borchers

EDITOR'S NOTE: We've asked Dan Borchers of Citizens for Principled Conservatism, Brother Watch & Coulter Watch, to cover the "Conservative Political Action Conference" (CPAC) in D.C. this weekend as our Special BRAD BLOG correspondent. We've written about Borchers --- who was escorted out of CPAC in 2002 for distributing material critical of CPAC darling Ann Coulter and disallowed media credentials in the years following --- in several previous articles here, here, both of which include videos he's compiled showing Coulter to be a detriment to the Conservative Movement. As well, we wrote about Borchers in an article for the February issue of Mother Jones. He previous dispatch from "Bloggers Row" at CPAC on DAY 1 is here.

Anticipation for Ann Coulter's performance was high. Throughout the afternoon, the emcee repeatedly announced that the first four rows of seats were specifically reserved for gold club members. The panel preceding Coulter's speech was cut short to prepare for hers. Coulter's personal bodyguard ensured the stage was secure.

Coulter entered as if she owned that stage.

The audience gave Coulter a standing ovation as she graced the mesmerized crowd with her welcoming smile. The enthralled throng was jubilant. Audience members standing along the walls on the sides and back of the packed auditorium jockeyed for better viewing positions. Cameras flashed. And the audience cheered as she began to speak.

Coulter held the audience in the grip of her words, her voice, her message. A burst of applause and cheers greeted her "Raghead" joke: "I think our motto should be post-9-11, 'raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences.'"

But just moments later, a deathly silence filled the room as people grasped the full import of Coulter's express wish that liberal Supreme Court Justices be targeted for assassination. But Coulter quickly lured back her audience.

During Q&A, one student asked Coulter what her greatest ethical dilemma was. Coulter toyed with the audience as the hushed auditorium awaited her answer to this personal question. Then Coulter replied, "One time I had a shot at Clinton. I thought, 'Ann, that's not going to help your career.'"

The audience went wild in appreciation, suggesting hatred of the former president remains high among conservatives.

Another student (a Muslim) suggested Coulter stop denigrating all Muslims for the actions of a few, while a third student criticized her for her racist rhetoric. Coulter's responses were lackluster and non-responsive. Afterwards, one student noted, "She can dish it out, but she can't take it."

Coulter left the stage to another standing ovation and the emcee begged the audience to remain for the next panel. Many left to follow Coulter to a book signing at the Claire Boothe Luce Policy Institute booth. (Complete Audio of Coulter Speech posted previously here.)

But not everyone at CPAC was thrilled about Coulter's presence. Prior to the speech, I spoke with Mohammed Ali Hasan, a spokesman for "Muslims for Bush" and "Muslims for America" who feels that Coulter is "completely inappropriate" and that she "hurts" the Conservative movement. Hasan unapologetically denounced Coulter as a poor representative for Conservatism. "Ann Coulter spends more time being a racist and bigot, and we don't welcome her at this conference."

"Right now," Hasan went on, "I'd advise the leadership of CPAC to re-think who should be there speaker for next year." (Listen to my short interview with Hasan [MP3].)

After the speech, I spoke with one student, a Christian, who had deliberately gone down to the exhibit hall to apologize to the Muslim student for Coulter's objectionable "raghead" comments and others. Many other students were unnerved by portions of Coulter's speech and her "blatantly beating up on Muslims." (Listen to my short interview with several of the Students [MP3].)

Perhaps the weirdest recurrence at CPAC is Coulter-mania ? Ann Coulter has spoken at nine consecutive CPAC conferences ? and each year is more manic than the last. The longest lines are always for her book signings. Coulter-abilia is everywhere.

One remarkable aspect of Coulter's annual CPAC speeches is this startling fact: rarely is the subject known in advance. She is given free rein to speak on whatever she wants.

It is shocking how complacent conservatives have become despite Coulter's most extreme rhetoric. Indeed, many come to CPAC to see her because of her extreme rhetoric.

Cheers,

Dan Borchers
www.BrotherWatch.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: Later that evening, Coulter gave another address at George Washington University. A BRAD BLOG fan was on hand with a video recorder, but not allowed to tape the address despite prior permission granted.

-- Video in Streaming Flash format...
-- Video in Windows Media Player format...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

Alaska is planning on finally turning over the voting files to the state Democratic party. It is hard to believe that what the party will get is going to prove or disprove anything now. In Florida the National Federation of the Blind lawsuit against Volusia Co. has been kicked out of the court. In New Mexico their voter verified paper ballot bill continues to move through the state legislature even against the scorn of some in the legislature and one stubborn county election official who may have staked her political future in her battle against verifiable elections. And the spigot of dis- and mis-information is wide open in Pennsylvania....

See RAW STORY for a few choice quotes from Coulter's standing room only speech just given at the "Conservative Political Action Conference" (CPAC) in D.C.

A couple such quotes reportedly include:

As Max Blumenthal mentioned at RAW, Coulter is the "rock star" of CPAC, and the complete audio of the event of her address (now posted below) complete with hysterical cheers from the adoring jam-packed crowd, of the event bears that out.

BRAD BLOG's Special CPAC Correspondent Dan Borchers submitted the following, along with the complete audio of Coulter's speech. (See this previous post for Borchers' details on DAY 1 from yesterday, and how he came to cover the event for us.)

(Apologies for the quality of the audio...it improves a bit as it goes on.)

UPDATE: Dan's more detailed report on the speech, including Audio interviews with some who are less than pleased with Coulter's appearance, as well as Video of protests outside and a warm BRAD BLOG greeting from Coulter is now posted here...

John Conyers (D-MI), ranking member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, has just sent the following letter to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, The BRAD BLOG has learned.

The letter, published exclusively below, concerns questions about the revelations from National Journal yesterday that Cheney's former chief of staff, I. "Scooter" Libby testified to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury that he was "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" to leak classified national security intelligence to the media.

It should be noted that a Vice President's chief of staff, doesn't have all that many "superiors" in addition to the Veep himself.

The leaks, as reported by Murray Waas, were meant to discredit former Ambassador Joe Wilson's assertions that the Administration was manipulating various intelligence in the lead up to the Iraq War, and later, to justify the Administration's questionable use of pre-War Intelligence.

We post Conyers' letter in full, including questions seeking confirmation and clarification from both Bush and Cheney on these matters below...

Guest Blogged by Special BRAD BLOG CPAC Correspondent Daniel Borchers

EDITOR'S NOTE: The BRAD BLOG has obtained media credentials to cover this year's "Conservative Political Action Conference" (CPAC) which began on Thursday, and will be taking place this weekend in Washington D.C. We've asked Dan Borchers of Citizens for Principled Conservatism, Brother Watch & Coulter Watch, to cover the event as our correspondent. We've written about Borchers --- who was escorted out of CPAC in 2002 for distributing material critical of CPAC darling Ann Coulter and disallowed media credentials in the years following --- in several previous articles here, here, both of which include videos he's compiled showing Coulter to be a detriment to the Conservative Movement. As well, we wrote about Borchers in an article for the February issue of Mother Jones. We're pleased to have him corresponding for us from "Bloggers Row" at CPAC this year. This is his first dispatch...

If you think all conservatives think alike, guess again. CPAC is a great place for an education in Conservatism.

The 33rd annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is being held in Washington, DC, February 9-11, 2006. CPAC features prominent national speakers, with thousands of students in attendance. White House officials, senators and congressmen, special interest groups and media personalities all converge at this largest annual gathering of conservatives to network, debate political issues, channel grassroots activism and define the direction of Conservatism for the coming year.

Conservatives of all stripes coalesce at CPAC, though anti-war paleoconservatives have been scarce in recent years. Neoconservatives predominate. Pro-market conservatives abound. Cultural conservatives thrive. Libertarians are free to liberate (to whatever degree they can) the Conservative Movement from the pro-security and pro-life wings of the party. This year, even the legalization of marijuana is formally debated.

You can find conservatives opposed to the Iraq War, Muslims supporting President Bush and an organization against the war on Christmas.

This year's theme was modestly called, "The Conservative Agenda for America." Among this kaleidoscope of conservatives, what that agenda will be remains to be seen. Unquestionably, the majority at CPAC favor President Bush and the neoconservative. What, exactly, unites these disparate threads of Conservatism? I suspect a mixture of freedom and faith, family and fortune.

As this year's CPAC Conference progresses, I'll file additional reports and photos. (See below for a selection of photos from the first day.)

Till then,

Cheers,

Dan Borchers
www.BrotherWatch.com

(Ed Note: Photos from CPAC Day 1, taken by Dan follow, along with photos of Velvet Revolution's "ImpeachMobile" which was parked out front, and a report from the driver about the various "friendly gestures" they received from CPAC attendees, and a group he described as "Hitler Youth")...

UPDATE: Borcher's dispatch from Day 2, including details (audio and video) from Ann Coulter's big keynote speech is now posted here...

Guest blogged by David Edwards

At the end of December 2005, there were 84 detainees on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay. Today, there are 4 detainees on hunger strike. The Pentagon has confirmed that some detainees on hunger strike were force-fed through a feeding tube.

Now, several detainees are claiming that the force feeding procedure is intentionally cruel and amounts to torture. CNN is reporting that detainees say their arms and legs were strapped down as they were overfed through the feeding tube. Afterwards, detainees were left strapped to the chair where they were forced to urinate on themselves.

CBS News reports:

The Pentagon and the White House deny, deny, deny that torture is condoned or being used at Gitmo. (Scottie always takes an uncomfortably long pause right before he lies about vehemently denies something.)

Here's a video report from CNN that includes comments from a lawyer for 3 of the detainees and White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's vehement denial of torture and abuse.

Video in Streaming Flash format...
Video in Windows Media format...

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Crooks and Liars first posted a MSNBC Countdown clip last night which exposed Bush's LA terror speech as a load of bullshit.

MSNBC Security Expert Gerald Posner made some important points that are worth highlighting:

Video in Streaming Flash format...

Crooks and Liars has this video in additional formats.

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Here's a short clip from tonight's broadcast:

I've been on the road all day and, as well, working on a number of important reports for the coming week. You'll want to keep your eyes on The BRAD BLOG in the the days ahead. We may be unloading fast and furiously on a number of breaking and important news items.

In the meantime, however, today there have been some very notable developments in several of the plethora of continuing Republican Scandals wending their way through the courts, the media and the hearts and minds of the American people...

DENNIS HASTERT BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS...

WARRANTLESS NSA SPYING UPDATE...

VALERIE PLAME CIA LEAK INVESTIGATION...

Lots ahead. Unfortunately. Hell, we didn't even mention Abramoff or Electoral Fraud once in the above report! Stay tuned...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

John Fund, writing in the WallStreetJournal, attacks the Maryland legislature for not taking action against voter fraud and for not doing like other states and making it harder for some voters to vote. Fund continues to think that voter fraud is a big problem while there is not evidence to prove this but he ignores election fraud which is a huge problem. An Appeals Court in New Jersey has reinstated a lawsuit filed by a Rutgers University Law Clinic in 2004 that challenges the ability of New Jersey's electronic voting machines to count votes accurately, in compliance with voting rights laws. This may be huge news....

Guest Blogged by John Gideon

In a just released press release the Constitutional Litigation Clinic at Rutgers School of Law in Newark, NJ has announced that all electronic voting machines used in New Jersey may violate New Jersey's Constitution and election laws.

The press release goes on to say:

This lawsuit could have an impact on lawsuits in other states. Paul Lehto, who is a complainant in a suit against Sequoia in Washington state because using secret software to count votes secretly is contrary to the Washington state Constitution, is very interested in the opinion in this case.

We will keep an eye on this and report back when more is known.

Guest blogged by David Edwards

The Daily Show doesn't hold back as it covers two of this week's hot topics in a single hilarious segment.

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on PBS Newshour along with Democratic Representative Jane Harman. Both expressed serious doubts about the legal underpinnings of the Bush-approved NSA Domestic Spying program.

It is a rare occasion when words resembling actual wisdom grace the lips of the ultra-conservative South Carolina Senator. In this case, Senator Graham makes a strong argument in favor of the system of checks and balances required by The Constitution:

Video in Streaming Flash format...

George W. Bush's conservative flank continues to show signs of crumbling.

A Libertarian-leaning coalition, comprised of many conservative Republican groups, is now joining the chorus of Americans calling for a full Congressional investigation into George W. Bush's warrantless government eavesdropping program, The BRAD BLOG has learned.

In an open letter obtained from The Liberty Coalition, to be released publicly tomorrow, the group --- which features such noted true conservatives as former Congressman Bob Barr (R-GA) and the Republican Liberty Caucus --- is calling on Congress to hold comprehensive hearings into the warrantless NSA domestic wiretapping program. As well, the group calls on the Dept. of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the matter and stresses the need for Whistleblower protections to allow employees of national security agencies to come forward to testify to Congress about criminal behavior in their respective agencies.

The letter says Bush's program threatens the ability of America to prosecute terrorists due to "tainted evidence obtained in possible violation of federal law." As well, it asks "what limit is there on any future president to secretly re-write our civil and criminal laws at will" if constitutional transgressions, such as those admitted to by the Bush Administration, continue to go unaddressed.

Michael Ostrolenk, the group's co-founder, was most recently seen introducing Vice President Al Gore before a January 16th speech which was highly critical of Bush's program, describing it as in criminal violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In his address, Gore said, "The President of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently." (Highlights of the speech available here.)

FISA requires that the NSA receive a court order for wiretaps of U.S. citizens on American soil. Such warrants may be requested for up to 72 hours after the eavesdropping takes place. Ostrolenk's impromptu introduction was in place of Barr whose live video link to the event failed at the last minute. The Liberty Coalition was a co-sponsor of the event.

Several "non-Conservative" groups, including Democrats.com and the non-partisan VelvetRevolution.us are also members of the coalition which describes itself as a "transpartisan network dedicated to protecting civil liberties and privacy rights". Additional groups from all across the American political spectrum have been joining of late. (DISCLOSURE: The BRAD BLOG is a co-founder of VelvetRevolution.us which is a signatory to the letter.)

The complete Liberty Coalition letter (WORD version here), beginning with a quote from the "Federalist Papers" by James Madison, follows...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

After yesterday's reports from electionline.org and the large number of articles that were the result, today has been pretty quiet. The big news is the update of an AP article from yesterday that discussed Diebold and possible actions to be taken to save the corporation. The update includes more quotes from their CEO and plainer language regarding the possibility that Diebold will divest themselves of the money losing elections unit. Another blow to Diebold was announced today as the largest county in Washington state announced that they were going to go all vote-by-mail next year, thus not needing all of the Diebold TSx's they would otherwise need to purchase....