Weekly Re-Cap | Nov. 24 - Dec. 1, 2007

Republican Senator Calls Bush Administration Incompetent

"'This is one of the most arrogant, incompetent administrations I've ever seen personally or ever read about,' said Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NB) at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. (USA Today)

Defense Secretary Says Military Alone Can't Protect U.S. Interests

During a speech at a Kansas university, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the U.S. must beef up its diplomacy, because the military, alone, isn't capable of protecting the nations interests worldwide. (NY Times and BN-Politics)

Bush Plans to Cut Counter-Terrorism Funds by Half

President Bush habitually talks about the threat of terrorism; yet, budget documents indicate that the White House plans to cut in half counter-terrorism funding for police, firefighters and rescue teams next year. (AP/Truthout)

Bush Plans to Cut Counter-Terrorism Funds by Half (cont.)

The Skeeter Bites Report suspects that Bush is using budgetary blackmail against Congress: i.e., he's saying pass the defense -appropriations bill with no strings attached or I'll starve domestic counter-terrorism programs.

Australia's New Prime Minister to Reduce Presence in Iraq

Incoming prime minister Kevin Rudd pledged to withdraw the country's combat troops from Iraq next year. (Guardian UK)

Hillary Clinton's Campaign Aides Taken Hostage & Released

Friday, a 46-year-old man entered Sen. Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire -- with a bomb duct taped to himself -- and took several campaign volunteers hostage.  He released them later that day and surrendered to the police. (BN-Politics and MSNBC)

Court Orders Govt. to Turn Over Telecom Lobbying Data

As part of a privacy lawsuit against telecom companies that gave customer data to Bush Administration officials without warrants -- and lobbied for immunity from privacy suits -- a court ordered the federal government to turn over telecom companies' lobbying records. (BN-Politics and Associated Press)

Leahy Challenges President's Executive-Privilege Claim

Over the summer, the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed several White House Staffers, including Karl Rove, for information about the unprecedented U.S. Attorney firings. The White House ordered staffers to not cooperate, claiming executive privilege.  Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy ruled that the claim is legally invalid, a step that could lead to  contempt of Congress citations for those staffers that refused to comply with the subpoenas. (BN-Politics)

Pentagon Calls for Refunds of Wounded Soldiers' Signing Bonuses

The Pentagon  has been sending letters to soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking for a partial refund of their signing bonuses, because wounds will prevent them from finishing their enlistment terms.  Sen. Chuck Shumer (D-NY) is sponsoring a bill to change this policy. (BN-Politics)

Abramoff-Linked Lott and Hastert Resign

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) announced that he would resign before the year's end, though his term is 5 years from being finished. Reportedly, he wants to leave the Senate before laws take effect that would prevent him from lobbying for two years after leaving the Senate, instead of one.  Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-OH), who had been talking for months about resigning, made his resignation effective last week.  Though neither resignation seems related to the Abramoff investigation, both politicians had helped the clients of and taken money linked to lobbyist-turned-prison-inmate Jack Abramoff. (BN-Politics)

National Dems Strip Michigan of Convention Delegates

The Democratic National Committee voted Saturday to strip Michigan of its delegates to next year’s national convention after that state violated party rules by setting its primary election before February 5. Florida was similarly penalized for scheduling a January 29 primary. (AP/Truthout)

Comments

[T. Andress]

“TWO OIL MEN ARE MAKING MILLIONS FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR AFFILITES”
Bush and Cheney have managed to get oil to close at above $97.00 a barrel (an all time high), gold is near an all time high and the U.S. dollar is at its all time low. There is more Federal money going to civilian mercenaries than to American solders. During the last seven years our borders have been left open, now we have over 14 million illegal immigrants. Every military power in the world has managed to slip spies up through Mexico and across our borders unchallenged.

Bush's bad appointments have been in his own personal interests; he has disregarded his oath to protect and serve the U.S.A. Good job guys you have made millionaires of your GOP affiliates by awarding big government contracts to their sham organizations at the cost of bringing our country into a recession. You have redefined Democracy, the executive powers, our Judicial system and the role of our National Guards and the Military Reserves.

Alabama is right in the middle of Bush’s corruption. Bush has had to help Bob Riley win both his elections for governor. Slick Bob is being groomed as a potential vice president candidate for the 2008 election. But what about his connection to Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon during the 2002 election. Also, there is another cloud over Riley’s head that involves their conspiracy to eliminate his opponent Don Siegelman in the 2006 election which is starting to get national attention.

By showing no shame and declaring executive privileges the occupants in the white house have become fugitives that are untouchable. Charges can’t be brought against them, because the judicial system works for the executive branch in which the President is the man in charge. Congress has not been able to start an impeachment process because there are very few conservative (honest) Republican’s remaining in Congress who align themselves with the traditional Republican values. Bush’s new group of corrupt politicians are still using the name of the GOP and they still run on the Republican ticket; however, they are aligning themselves on Bush's and Cheney's corruption.

What’s the next move once a new president assumes office? What could possibly be Bush’s plan? How are they going to avoid prosecutions and possibly war crime charges? How are they going to prevent the Feds. from seizing their bank accounts and their assets. Will Bush perform midnight pardons? But, first they have to be charged with a crime to be pardoned. Who then would pardon Bush?

I believe that they have all their eggs in one basket. The new President will have to be a close ally. With so many facing possible prosecutions, I believe that what they did to get Bob Riley elected governor is just an example of what might happen to their presidential opponents.

I believe that Karl Rove has never been debriefed and that he is still using the NSA to do wiretapping to gather whatever information that he needs to eliminate top presidential candidates. I believe that Bush is using the Justice department to investigate all presidential candidates, and that Karl Rove is being given the results of their investigations to be used to blackmail and to generate smear campaign ads. This is the same thing that he and Donal Segretti done for Nixon. Segretti went to prison; however Karl was only twenty one and escaped prosecution. Maybe he won’t be as lucky the next time. If Karl’s tactics fail to get their candidate in the lead, I believe that Bush's and Cheney's crimes are so serious that the leading candidate will be assassinated regardless of whether he or she is a conservative Republican or a Democrat.

[D. Cupples]

I love reading substantive comments with concrete details. Thanks for submitting. You raise some darned fine questions!