Buck Naked Politics

Seymour Hersh: Dick Cheney's Plan for Provoking War with Iran

Did administration officials actually meet to work out how they could go about provoking a war with Iran?  Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh says that they did.

In Hersh’s most recent article, he reports that this meeting occurred in the wake of the overblown incident in the Strait of Hormuz, when a U.S. carrier almost shot at a few small Iranian speedboats. The “meeting took place in the Vice-President’s office. ‘The subject was how to create a casus belli between Tehran and Washington,’” according to one of Hersh’s sources. (Think Progress)

Harry Shearer Sings '935 Lies' (from 'Songs of the Bushmen')

H/t Jesus's General '  (MDC: From Harry's new record Songs of the Bushmen. Releasing via digital download only, Songs of The Bushmen can be purchased from the iTunes store here.)

Senior White House Aides Can Be Subpoenaed, Says Bush Appointed Federal Judge

by Damozel |  Legal expert Marty Lederman thinks the 93-page opinion--- an extraordinarily thorough, scholarly and thoughtful opinion -- surely one of the best opinions ever written on questions relating to executive/congressional disputes---will be a 'landmark decision.'  District Judge John Bates (a George W. Bush appointee, who Lederman points out,  'worked on the Starr Whitewater team'):

An Interesting Comment on the Privilege-to-Avoid-Subpoenas Argument

Posted by Damozel | I found this comment at the end of Larissa Alexandrovna's post (cited in my previous note).  To quote Jeeves, it touches the matter with a needle:

More on the Bush Administration's Policy of Political Hiring: A Rove Connection?

Posted by Damozel | On May 17, 2005, the White House sent a letter to agencies throughout the executive branch instructing them to find jobs for certain 'Bush loyalists.'   The passage shows that even if Goodling and Sampson weren't working under direct orders from the White House, they were acting in line with its policies. (NYT)  And Larissa Alexandrovna asks the question that is troubling inquiring minds everywhere. 

The White House is a building. Who actually sent the memos instructing these activities?

Alexandrovna argues that the trail seems to lead back to Karl Rove...i.e.,the Political Affairs Office.

Democrats Call for Contempt Charges Against Rove

by Teh Nutroots | The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to hold him in contempt.  (NYT) I find it extraordinary that everyone, including all Republicans, doesn't hold him in contempt.  Why do Republicans insist on shielding wrongdoers within the Bush administration?(NYT)  Lying to Congress got Bill Clinton impeached in the House. 

But defying Congress?  That's apparently fine, even for people who aren't the president.  'The White House has invoked executive privilege in asserting that current and former top officials cannot be forced to testify before Congress, because the president’s right to confidential advice from his trusted aides would then be compromised.' (NYT) 

Will Goodling be the Bush Administration's Scapegoat?

by Damozel | Yesterday, I posted in some depth about Goodling's work at what legal scholar Jonathan Turley has called 'The Voldemort Department of Human Resources.' (Countdown, embedded below)  Via The Raw Story:

The White House's silence on the Justice Department report should indicate, perhaps, at least a tacit endorsement of Goodling's tactics, Turley says.

"The question really is why isn't the president coming forward and saying there's a shame factor here at what occurred at the Justice Department," he said. "Alberto Gonzales picked this person, not because of the merits -- she lacked anything on the merits. She was picked because she was an extremist, and this is the result." ( The Raw Story discusses the segment in depth.)

The Monica Goodling Files: Notes on the Investigation

by Damozel | Joe Windish has provided some background,  some blogger reactions,  and some other useful links. JI  spent a couple of hours this afternoon browsing the report (h/t to  Sadly No! where I found the link to the report (actually entitled 'Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring by Monica Goodling and Other Staff in the Office of the Attorney General') (pdf.file)  I've set out relevant quotes below.  I felt angry while I was reading it---which probably shows in my commentary; I don't know---but now that I'm done I just feel sad.  I certainly don't feel disposed to rejoice, but I do want to see these people held accountable.

Victory in Iraq: Not Ours to Claim?

by Damozel |  It seems that Petraeus doesn’t accept the idea of a timeline.  You can read his reasons here. Right-wingers, who have nothing else but the war to pin their hopes on, will tell you that this ‘proves’ that McCain knows more about war than Obama. I don’t think it proves anything at all.

My question remains:  what specific conditions, according to the candidates, must be met in order for us to start to withdraw? In sober reality, both McCain and Obama are disputing about semantics (timelines, horizons, etc.) and will be subject to the same ‘conditions’ of which Petraeus speaks.At least, unlike McCain (and recently, the media), he’s not framing his statements in terms of ‘winning.’ It isn’t the sort of engagement that will have a clear end and a settled outcome. And in playing it, we’ve gambled away more than we’ve yet had the chance to assess.

Irony Alert: Former Bush Speechwriter/Neocon David Frum Lashes Out at Comedy Central for Distorting the Facts

by Teh Nutroots | Via Sadly No: See Frum get very cross indeed with Stephen Colbert for twisting  facts to further his own [comedic] purposes and to manipulate people's emotions. Huh.  Here's David Rose, quoting Frum a couple of years ago.

"I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed to the ideas that underlay those words. And the big shock to me has been that although the president said the words, he just did not absorb the ideas. And that is the root of, maybe, everything."

Congress Considers The Culpability of the Bush Administration for Murder and War Crimes (with Videos)

by Damozel | As you know, Congress is finally sitting down to consider the many offenses of the Bush Administration. H/T to Crooks and Liars for bringing these speeches (and a related discussion in the mainstream media) together for me..

Via John Amato at Crooks and Liars: hear Manson-family prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi---author of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder---set out his case for a criminal referral to the DoJ.  It's quite riveting. 

Alan Grayson: A Congressional Candidate Who Fights Against War Profiteering, For Accountability

Posted by Damozel | Here at BN-Politics, we much admire Alan Grayson, now running for our 8th District here in Florida  (see here and here).   

He's an attorney (see the Vanity Fair article about him here) who has aggressively and relentlessly pursued corrupt defense contractors/war profiteers in Iraq.  Matt Stoller at Open Left, who met and interviewed him at Netroots Nation, writes:

Because of his track record suing defense contractors, Grayson is completely uninterested and unintimidated by ridiculous arguments about secrecy and national security.  He thinks that war crimes have been committed, that people need to be put in prison, and that we absolutely cannot let bygones be bygones with the 2000-2008 era.  He's also running a good campaign with one of the best commercials I've ever seen., and doing it without any help from the DC establishment.

Karl Rove Accused by Attorney in Ohio Elections Fraud Case of Intimidating a Witness; Meanwhile, Expert Claims to Have Fresh Evidence of Possible Irregularities

Posted by Damozel |  CAVEAT: The underlying facts are still in the process of development.  At present, file it away under 'Interesting allegations' against Karl Rove.  There have been plenty of others.

According to Brad Friedman at The Brad Blog, Ohio Attorney Cliff Arnebeck (lead plaintiffs' attorney in the long-standing Ohio elections fraud case King Lincoln Bronzwell v. Blackwell  has accused Karl Rove of attempting to intimidate a potential witness, cyber-expert Mike Connell. That case challeges the results the 2004 presidential election in Ohio. Last week, Arnebeck announced he was filing a motion to lift a stay in that case as a result of new evidence( The Raw Story; also BN-Politics).  In connection with the case, he said he planned to depose Karl Rove and 'other GOP operatives' he believes had participated. (The Brad Blog). One of these 'operatives' is Mike Connell. 

According to Arnebeck, Rove threatened cyber-expert Connell (and with his wife) with prosecution for lobbying violations if Connell failed 'to take the fall.'  (The Brad Blog).

'A Landmark Day for Torture-Disclosure' (Updated)

by Damozel | The ACLU has released some crucial memoranda which reveal the tortuous path by which the Bush Administration's Department of 'Justice' taught the CIA to rationalize its way to a distinction between 'enhanced interrogation' and plain old-fashioned 'torture.'  The Justice Department told the CIA that agents would be safe from prosecution if they they believed 'in good faith' that flies don't have feelings so it doesn't matter if they pull the wings off them, according to the AP.  I may have paraphrased a bit.  I know they don't like being quoted. 

Put it another way, you could say that the  standard articulated in the memos works something like this: 'Use only those enhanced interrogation techniques that wouldn't shock the conscience of a sociopath.'  At that, it's hard to believe that they drew the line at waterboarding.  Evidently the CIA doesn't have as many agents who think like sociopaths as television and films would lead you to believe.  One effect of all this information is to make me feel a little better about them.  They might have done so much more.

The Daily Show on the Congressional Hearings: Let Us Relish This incredible Low Point in Democracy

For we will never see their like again:

Bush Speaks About Wall Street: The Diagnosis

President Bush thought the cameras were off.  He was at a fund-raiser and he'd asked them to be switched off.  So he said:

McCain on the Surge: Deliberate Distortion, Memory Failure, or Reckless Disregard for Facts?

by Damozel | Yesterday, Elrod commented at TMV on misstatements by John McCain which he made during his interview with Katie Couric. ‘Mysteriously,’ these were not aired.

This misstatement isn’t another amusing gaffe  by a crusty old maverick; this one matters.  As to what it tells you about him, take your pick. More than one interpretation is possible, as Elrod and others have pointed out. Which do you like best? He’s either (1) deliberately distorting facts he knows perfectly well because he’s desperate to discredit Obama; (2) has forgotten the facts because his recollection has become blurred; or (3) —’the Bush option’—he is indifferent to the facts (because he thinks the end—deflating Obama—justifies the means).

Obama: Currently Winning the Iraq Argument

Posted by Damozel | Shaun Mullen discusses the ramifications for McCain’s of McCain’s argument here. Michael Stickings rounds up commentary by bloggers here; This piece rounds up related quotes and commentary, including a couple of fairly lame counterjabs from the McCain-supporting (or Obama-dissing) side which prove to be fairly easily seen off. After all, McCain’s whole argument against Obama’s position is founded on a pile of yesterday’s news clippings.

Initially, the Iraqi government denied that Maliki had intended to endorse Obama’s plan.  Now it seems that Maliki is endorsing Obama’s plan.

Hillary: Bush Adm'n to Undermine Women on Contraception Issues

by Damozel | I am supporting Obama for president now, so don't start on me if you're one of his supporters, but I'm nevertheless filled with pride that Hillary---my choice for the nomination---is justifying my faith in her. She has (in her words) 'sound[ed] the alarm' regarding the Department of Health and Human Service's pending regulations that will redefine common forms of contraception as 'abortion.'  What's in a name?:

These proposed regulations set to be released next week will allow healthcare providers to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it. (HuffPost)

That's bad.  That's very, very bad.  The ramifications are serious, both for those who think it’s not the government’s business to impose its current ideology on health care issues such as availability of contraception to the poor or who are already grumbling about all the women on welfare who expect taxpayers to pay for their children’s basic necessities. 

Taxpayers Lose Money on FBI Contracts: Incompetence, Complicity or Lack of Concern?

by Deb Cupples |  A willing accomplice or someone who just doesn't care about wasted tax dollars likely thinks it's better to appear incompetent than unconcerned or knowingly complicit in waste, fraud or abuse.  I don't believe for an instant that the folks handling the FBI's private contracts are too stupid to anticipate problems or learn from mistakes.  Some of it is just sooo elementary.

In May 2001, DynCorp got (what was supposed to be) a $132 million contract for the FBI's Trilogy project, aimed at upgrading the FBI's computer networks worldwide.  DynCorp's contract bid beat out bids from other companies including Lockheed Martin. (Washington Technology).

Fast forward to 2004, when the GAO audited the Trilogy project (after cost overruns and  performance problems).  The GAO found the actual costs tush far to be about $537 million and that a major part of the project was unfeasible despite the (tax) money so far spent.