The BRAD BLOG

Dems to file request for immediate investigation of former US Attorney General

Our friends at THE RAW STORY have the scoop, of course!

Is Ashcroft in trouble? It the scandal seeping closer to the President? Stay tuned!!

By Winter Patriot on 8/17/2005 10:48am PT

Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) will be issuing a formal request for an immediate investigation with the US Inspector General's office into John Ashcroft - former US Attorney General, Raw Story has learned.

The request - released to Raw Story - cites conflict of interest on the part of Ashcroft in his failure to promptly recuse himself during the initial investigation into the outing of CIA agent Valerie Wilson. Ashcroft was US Attorney General at the time.

The CIA filed charges with the FBI and Justice after columnist Robert Novak made Wilson's identity public in July of 2003. It has since been learned, as part of a case currently in front of a grand jury, that Karl Rove - Senior Advisor to President Bush, was the source for several reporters on the Wilson story.

Ashcroft was appointed to the AG office on the suggestion of Rove, who was also the political consultant for Ashcroft's 2000 US Senate campaign bid against the late Governor Mel Carnahan (D-Missouri), for which Rove was paid an estimated $750,000 in services.

Conyers, ranking member on the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Hinchey, a member on the House Committee on Appropriations, both request that US Inspector General, Glen A. Fine, also investigate the Justice Department's procedural failures, including failure to preserve documents.

The request is to be filed early this afternoon, but a fully transcribed version - excluding footnotes - is available [now].

Click here or on the photo for the latest!

Thanks again, Larisa!!

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So Far, So Good

CNN still talking about Cindy Sheehan, Price of Oil, Athletes and Actors

Psst! Let's keep it that way!

By Winter Patriot on 8/17/2005 10:03am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

I don't usually talk about my dreams, much less write about them. They're usually so unintelligible they don't even interest me. But last night I had a dream that seemed very clear.

In my dream, I called CNN and said "When are you going to interrupt your normal programming to cover tomorrow's terrorist attacks?" ... and the voice said "9:30" ... and I said "that's 9:30 Eastern, right? Tomorrow morning?" ... and the voice said "That's right, sir. 9:30 A.M. Eastern time tomorrow."

The last time I checked the TV, it was nearly noon eastern time, and CNN was still talking about Cindy Sheehan and the price of oil ... and something about an actress ... and something about an athlete. This is good. We need them to keep talking about stuff like this all day.

My, how times have changed! Just a few months ago I was pointing out, derisively, the amount of attention CNN was giving to the trial of a former pop singer. Today I'd be happy if they talked about that trial all day, just as long as they don't interrupt their normal programming for live coverage of the terrorist attacks, and the new nuclear war.

What's that, you say? Have I lost my mind? Well maybe I have, but that has nothing to do with this.

In case you haven't noticed, the internet has been abuzz lately with talk of impending terror attacks against the USA, on a scale heretofore unimaginable; such attacks to trigger the imposition of martial law at home and a full-scale, conventional and nuclear, attack on Iran. And according to some sources, the attack was supposed to come --- if it did come --- today.

After that dream, I couldn't very well sleep, and I've been checking the TV regularly --- something I never do --- just to see what CNN is doing. Everything seems absolutely normal. So I'm starting to believe that one of the following things may be true:

The dream was wrong. Hey, sue me! It happens to everybody.

The whole story was a hoax. There were no "distracting" war games on 9/11. There was no terror-response drill going on in London on 7/7. All the stories about Operation Northwoods were hoaxes too. Move along, folks. There's nothing to see here.

They've changed the date and/or the time of the attack, and we are still in grave danger. What's the probability of this one? I wouldn't hazard a guess.

They know we know, and it's holding them at bay. How likely is this? I can't estimate it; can't see it clearly. I have a conflict of interest: I want to live a long and happy life, and I want the same for my kids.

That's why I'm whispering. And it seems to me that maybe 6 or 7 other people are whispering along with me. And maybe ... just maybe ... if we whisper loud enough, we can keep the terrorists from striking again. Maybe.

LAST MINUTE UPDATE: The kids are home now, and I don't have access to the TV. That's all right with me, as long as the internet connection is working. And I can see from CNN's home page that everything is still normal; there's fresh carnage in Baghdad but none here. Oh yawn!

And by the way, who will be the next James Bond?

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Hang On, Cindy! Help Is On The Way!!

Coleen Rowley and Becky Lourey are Heading for Crawford Tomorrow

By Winter Patriot on 8/17/2005 7:51am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

According to this story from the Star Tribune:

Two Minnesota moms at the forefront of the anti-Iraq war movement, one of whom recently lost a son in the fighting, are flying to Crawford, Texas, on Thursday to join Californian Cindy Sheehan's expanding, and increasingly controversial, protest near President Bush's ranch.

State Sen. Becky Lourey, whose son, Matt, was killed piloting an Army helicopter earlier this year, and FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley [see photo], a recently declared DFL [Democratic] candidate for Congress who spoke out early against invading Iraq, said they will join the stakeout at "Camp Casey" --- named in memory of Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, 24, who was killed more than a year ago.

Star Tribune writers Dane Smith and Greg Gordon make the de rigeur attempt at balance, and inadvertently throw a bright light on the sleaze-mongers and spin-meisters who support this war and the chickenhawks who started it.

The Sheehan vigil is becoming a lightning rod and rallying point for opposition to the war, Lourey and Rowley said, while a Republican state leader described Sheehan's expanding vigil as a media circus.

Honestly, I don't understand why the opinions of "a Republican state leader" are necessary to the telling of this essentially news story. But then again how would we know what a crass hypocrite he is unless we hear his "side" of the "story"?

Which, not surprisingly, goes like this:

"You have to have compassion for folks like Becky Lourey and Cindy Sheehan, who have lost sons in the war," said Bill Walsh, the state party's executive director. "I don't need to question their motives, but I don't think you should question the president's motives either. He's fully aware of the ramifications of sending people's children into battle, but he has to balance that with the question of how do we best address the serious problems facing our world."

Walsh was less kind to Rowley. "You can't ignore the fact that Coleen Rowley is running for Congress right now," he said. "It's really unfortunate that she has to join the MoveOn.orgs, the Michael Moores and the left-wingers who are exploiting this circus for political gain."

I don't imagine we should expect Walsh to explain why he doesn't "think you should question the president's motives", which to all indications are highly questionable, if not outright criminal, and in my opinion Walsh would have a very difficult time proving that Bush is "fully aware of the ramifications of sending people's children into battle". Maybe Walsh is clairvoyant. But according to all the signs we ordinary humans can see, Bush is entirely unaware of said ramifications.

Still less do I understand what difference it makes if a pro-war politician accuses an anti-war politician of having "a political agenda". Do the pro-war "people" not have an agenda of their own? And is it not political?

I have always had a problem with people who pluralize the names of individuals and organizations, as if to imply that there are many of them. Who are all the other "Michael Moores" and why haven't we heard of them? Where are all the other "MoveOn.orgs" and how do they differ from the original? You won't find any answers to questions like these in the remainder of the article, but you can click on the photo to read the rest of it anyway.

But please be careful. The pro-war spin is enough to make you dizzy, especially early in the morning.

On the other hand, you can do your part to resist the media spin by clicking here and taking some unspun truths to the streets. Being The Media has never been easier, or more fun. Which is a damned good thing because it has never been more necessary, either.

Knowledge Is Power! Pass It On!!

And many thanks to regular BRAD BLOG commenter, Valley Girl, for the pointer to this article among other things. Keep up the good work, VG. You're fascinating!

UPDATE: The Star Tribune article I've been quoting, which was freely available just a few minutes ago, now seems to be available via registration only. I hate when that happens.

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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An Extreme Version of Asymmetrical Warfare

One Woman Against The Bush Political Machine

'Cindy Sheehan's War' by Tom Engelhardt

By Winter Patriot on 8/16/2005 11:49pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

I wouldn't want you to miss this excellent new column by Tom Engelhardt. I'll even give you a few excerpts to get you started:

On Being in a Ditch at the Side of the Road

Over the last two years, administration officials, civilian and military, have never ceased to talk about "turning corners" or reaching "tipping points" and achieving "milestones" in the Iraq-War-that-won't-end. Now it seems possible that Cindy Sheehan in a spontaneous act of opposition --- her decision to head for Crawford, Texas, to face down a vacationing President and demand an explanation for her son's death --- may produce the first real American tipping point of the Iraq War.
...
Faced with the power of the Bush political and media machine, Cindy Sheehan has engaged in an extreme version of asymmetrical warfare and, in her person, in her story, in her version of "the costs of war," she has also managed to catch many of the tensions of our present moment. What she has exposed in the process is the growing weakness and confusion of the Bush administration. At this moment, it remains an open question who, in the end, will be found in that ditch at the side of a Texas road, her --- or the President of the United States.

Please read more.

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CHRIS FLOYD: The Secret Sharers: A Bargain With Evil

Who bought the evil fruits of the Japanese torturers' work?

and a look back at the CIA, the Bush Gang, and the killing of Frank Olson

By Chris Floyd on 8/16/2005 10:08pm PT

Guest blogged by Chris Floyd

INTRODUCTION {by Winter Patriot} Once again we are honored to present a massive contribution from one of the English-speaking world's most literate truth-tellers, the honorable Chris Floyd. An American journalist living in England, whose column on world affairs, "Global Eye", is published weekly in The Moscow Times, proprietor of the excellent blog Empire Burlesque, and a good friend of both The BRAD BLOG and The Whispering Campaign, Chris Floyd joins us here for the third time. In July, his excellent essay, "The Dream Of Unlimited Swag", inspired a very interesting thread. The same sort of thing happened last week when we featured his newest column from The Moscow Times, Grease Monkeys: The Speaker, The Spigot and the Slitherer-in-Chief.

Here's Chris:

What would you call people who paid sadistic torturers for the information they had gleaned from macabre medical experiments on their helpless captives � and then used these evil findings to make biological weapons?

Why, you'd call them members of "the greatest generation," of course!

As we learn from ABC News (Australia) this week, the American victors in World War II "gave money and other benefits to former members of a Japanese germ warfare unit two years after the end of World War II to obtain data on human experiments the unit conducted in China.

U.S. military intelligence showered millions of dollars on these Mengeles � along with "food, gifts, entertainment and other kinds of rewards" (emphasis added). One shudders to think what this unnamed largesse entailed � "comfort women," perhaps? It seems nothing was too good for these "top-flight pathologists" who murdered more than 3,000 Chinese, Russians and others in their torture chambers.

Their patron was Brigadier General Charles Willoughby, head of the G2 intelligence unit of the US occupation forces in Japan. In his reports to his superiors, Willoughby waxed lyrical on the cost-efficient benefits of his war-criminal wooing. The killers' "data on human experiments may prove invaluable," and was "only obtainable through the skilful, psychological approach" to the torturers � i.e., buying them off.

"All of these actions did not amount to more than 200,000 yen, netting the [United States] the fruit of 20 years' laboratory tests and research," Willoughby wrote. The cost of obtaining the data, said the general, was "a mere pittance."

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Video of the Moment...

Jon Stewart reports on Bush's summer vacation

By David Edwards on 8/16/2005 2:39pm PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

In the opening segment of last night's edition of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart called attention to George W's vacation and Cindy Sheehan's attempts to meet with him.

Just when we were in need of some comic relief, Jon Stewart and Ed Helms nail the right-wing hypocrisy and tickle our funny bone at the same time.

Watch video in Windows Media streaming format

Watch video in Real Media streaming format

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Judge rules in favor of holding public hearings on detainee abuse

Again, our friend Larisa has the scoop

By Winter Patriot on 8/16/2005 12:29pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Following the latest round of filings by the Department of Defense in conjunction with the State Department --- which attempts to stipulate that all current and future photographs and tapes of detainee abuse be permanently sealed and, in addition, the reasons given for the motion be heavily redacted --- the court ruled largely in favor of public disclosure.

Click the photo for the rest of the article. And thanks again to Larisa, who has been very busy today!

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Ed Schultz Show goes to Crawford

Larisa Alexandrovna has the details

By Winter Patriot on 8/16/2005 12:23pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

The Ed Schultz Show will be heading to Crawford Texas to broadcast its Wednesday and Thursday show a few miles from Camp Casey, Raw Story has learned.

According to Ed Schultz, the host of the Ed Schultz show and one of the biggest voices in progressive radio, the show is going to show support for Cindy Sheehan. "We are going for our listeners, there are a lot of people from across the country who want to be [in Crawford, Texas] but can't be there," said Schultz in a conversation with Raw Story earlier today.

Click the photo for the rest of the article. And thanks to Larisa for the good news!

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Memorial Crosses at Camp Casey Plowed Down by Truck

Driver of truck apprehended and will be charged today

By David Edwards on 8/16/2005 7:00am PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Last night, around 10 PM local time, a pick-up truck ran over about 500 crosses at Camp Casey in Crawford, TX. The crosses, provided by Arlington West, each represent a soldier who has died in Iraq. The Associated Press published a preliminary story on the desecration of the memorial crosses early this morning.

Japhet Els and Emily Sharpe of truthout.org reporting from Crawford:

About an hour ago, wegot a phone call from our friends up at Camp Casey saying that the line of gravemarkers along the road (Arlington West) had been run over. People there said that as they were talking to a few members of the press, a pick-up truck came down the road and stopped at the fork by the edge of the tents. The driver then jumped out and attached a pipe to the undercarriage with a chain and began to "swerve into the line of crosses," said Tammara Rosenleaf from Montana. "Then we heard the pipe being dragged over the gravemarkers and the pick-up's wheels crushing them."

Out of the 800 crosses, 500 were knocked down and 100 are irreperable. However, the driver was arrested by the local authorities. This is a prime example of how the Crawford sheriff's department has helped to protect us and our freedom of speech over the past week and a half. A big thank you to them!

(..)

Now, more than ever, is the time for us to come together. We need your voice and your help to bring America closer to an ideal that all of us hold in our hearts. Cindy Sheehan is bringing us closer to that ideal and demonstrating its power to change this country.

This morning, NBC's Today show reported that the driver will be charged later today with criminal mischief. This video from NBC's Today show provides a drive-by view (Windows Media) that really highlights the destruction of the cross memorials.

Today may prove to be bring even more challenges as a few local residents vow to challenge Camp Casey in the Waco courts.

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Indicted GOP Moneyman Tied To ACVR, the Phony GOP 'Voting Rights' Group!

The DNC Finally Fights Back at the Republican-run 'American Center for Voting Rights' Hoax!

PLUS: Proof that Republicans only pretend to hate Marxists and More on ACVR's Fake 'Democrat', Brian Lunde!

By Joseph Cannon on 8/15/2005 11:19pm PT

Guest blogged by Joseph Cannon

The Democratic National Committee has responded to the false charges posted by the allegedly non-partisan American Center for Voting Rights.

As most of you should know by now, the ACVR is crawling with Republican operatives, many of whom have strong links to indicted sleazoid Jack Abramoff.

AVCR chairman Brian Lunde has a particularly troubling history...

According to Senate lobbying registrations, in 2001 Lunde registered to lobby for George Birnbaum, an associate of Republican consultant and mudthrower Arthur Finkelstein. According to his disclosure filed with the Secretary of the Senate, Lunde worked to "set up meetings for President Kabila of Congo."

According to the CIA factbook on the Congo, at the time, President Joseph Kabila had just assumed power from his father, Laurent Kabila. The older Kabila was a committed Marxist who had ruled Congo since he took forcefully took power in 1997 in a rebellion backed by Uganda and Rwanda. As President, Laurent Kabila banned all political parties except his and failed to hold long-promised elections. He also blocked an investigation into the massacre of tens of thousands of Rwandan refugees that occurred during his takeover. Today, Joseph Kabila still rules as a dictator and no elections have been held in Congo since 1984.

In addition, by claiming he worked for Birnbaum and not Kabila directly, Lunde skirted disclosure laws that would have required him to register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice.

A lobbyist for a democracy-phobic dictator dares to give the rest of the world a lecture on voting rights? Outrageous!

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Article Categories: Election Irregularities, Election 2004, Jack Abramoff, ACVR

Doug Thompson: Is Bush Losing It?

Capitol Blue Columnist Asks and Answers the $64,000 Question

Our WP offers a different answer [again!]

By Winter Patriot on 8/15/2005 10:19pm PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Doug Thompson, writing for Capitol Blue, asks: Is Bush Out of Control? His answer? Heavily edited excerpts follow.

Buy White House aides enough drinks and they tell a sordid tale of an administration under siege, beset by bitter staff infighting and led by a man whose mood swings suggest paranoia bordering on schizophrenia. They describe an angry, obscenity-spouting man who berates staff, unleashes tirades and ends meetings with �get out of here!�

Bush's mood swings have become so drastic that White House emails often contain �weather reports� to warn of the President's demeanor. �There's real concern in the West Wing that the President is losing it,� a high-level aide told me.

Do I think the President is losing it? No. I think he lost it a long time ago. However, the entire piece is worth a read: not too long and very well-written. Thompson quotes a prominent psychiatrist calling Bush an untreated former alcoholic. Take a look at the photo [of Bush with Dennis Hastert] and decide for yourself whether the word "former" seems appropriate. Click on the photo if you're not sure. And please share your thoughts below.

Thanks to Peg C. for many things, including the pointer to this article.

You seein' everything OK, Georgie? Georgie?? GEORGIE???

If you've enjoyed this post, please Buy Something at The BRAD STORE and/or Make a Donation via Credit Card or PayPal and/or Send a Donation via Snail Mail. Thanks to you, The BRAD BLOG and The BRAD SHOW are still here, and still growing!!

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CA: Schwarzenegger Could Be Impeached!

Sleaze Scandal Not Just About Sex; It Involves Bribery Too!!

So ... Why are Democrats so Quiet???

By Winter Patriot on 8/15/2005 9:11pm PT

Guest blogged by Joseph Cannon

Go to Google, type in the words Schwarzenegger, Gigi and impeach --- and what comes up? Precious little. Yet at this very moment, we should be seeing the stirring of a widespread impeachment movement.

The California governor had a seven-year affair with Gigi Goyette, who now lives in Malibu. The affair may have started when she was underaged.

Days after Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped into the race for governor and girded for questions about his past, a tabloid publisher wooing him for a business deal promised to pay a woman $20,000 to sign a confidentiality agreement about an alleged affair with the candidate.

American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, signed a friend of the woman to a similar contract about the alleged relationship for $1,000.

The story was first told in LA Magazine back in September of 2004. Alas, everyone (including this writer) ignored the matter until the L.A. Times brought it back into focus.

Two months later, the Enquirer announced it had a "world exclusive." The cover story, headlined "Arnold's Shocking 7-Year Affair," chronicled his dalliance with a former child actress named Gigi Goyette and was accompanied by photos of Goyette lounging in a thong bikini and posing with Schwarzenegger. Coming on the heels of the Premiere story, it was a lethal blow, certainly for a candidate who needed the support of the family-values, conservative base of the Republican Party to survive a primary.

The article had blindsided Schwarzenegger, who believed he had already dealt with the detritus of his life...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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Sheehan invites Bush to Friday Prayer Vigil for Troops

Will this 'president of faith' come out to pray with his neighbors?

By David Edwards on 8/15/2005 6:34pm PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

Cindy Sheehan is hoping that a less confrontational strategy will be more effective. Will President Bush, as a man of faith, join her and others on Friday at noon to pray for the troops? The president is reported to have nothing on his official schedule for this week.

A candlelight prayer vigil is planned for Wednesday night. Cindy asks that mothers around the nation join together on Wednesday night in solidarity to pray for our troops.

Here is the latest video of Cindy speaking about the prayer vigil on MCNBC's Countdown. (Windows Media format).

CrooksandLiars has an earlier MSNBC report from this morning.

UPDATE: Wednesday Candlelight Vigils...
Join with MoveOn, True Majority, and Democracy for America in organizing or attending a Vigil for Cindy Sheehan in your town on Wednesday, August 17, 2005, at 7:30 p.m.
http://www.moveonpac.org/event/cindyvigils/

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Velvet Revolution Launches Ad Campaign in Crawford

Hard-hitting campaign takes aim at neo-con 'chicken hawks'

By David Edwards on 8/15/2005 1:02pm PT

Guest blogged by David Edwards

The RAW STORY is reporting that Velvet Revolution, a coalition of over 120 activist organizations, is launching an advertising campaign aimed at the Bush Administration's "lies, corruption, fear, incompetence, indifference, and arrogance."

From the Velvet Revolution website:

"The first ad will appear today as a full two-page spread in the Crawford, Texas, newspaper The Lone Star Iconoclast and will be delivered to the President's ranch during his long five-week vacation. Cindy Sheehan and hundreds of others opposed to Iraq war are protesting nearby and they will all be given free copies of the paper. "
...
These ads will appear in newspapers, magazines, billboards, transit shelters, bus and rail cars, and on dozens of web sites in order to reach the most people.

Please donate here because your donations will determine how many of these ads can run. VR wants to have continuous ads in hundreds of venues over the next 18 months. Avenging Angels Inc.will create all of the ads.

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Mark Crispin Miller's 'None Dare Call It Stolen'

excerpts from Harpers and a few action items

for the 6 or 7 squad

By Winter Patriot on 8/15/2005 11:24am PT

Guest blogged by Winter Patriot

Some of us have read the newest Harpers, notable for its excerpt from Mark Crispin Miller's None Dare Call It Stolen. And many of us have been waiting for it to hit the net.

from None Dare Call It Stolen, by Mark Crispin Miller:

Whichever candidate you voted for (or think you voted for), or even if you did not vote (or could not vote), you must admit that last year's presidential race was�if nothing else�pretty interesting. True, the press has dropped the subject, and the Democrats, with very few exceptions, have �moved on.� Yet this contest may have been the most unusual in U.S. history; it was certainly among those with the strangest outcomes. You may remember being surprised yourself.

... or not ... you may have been expecting it ... once burnt, twice shy, as they say ...

--- Click here for REST OF STORY!... ---

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