Buck Naked Politics

Industry-Sponsored Trips for Product-Safety Officials? [Updated]

Posted by D. Cupples |  Today's Washington Post reports:

"The chief of the Consumer Product Safety Commission [Nancy Nord] and her predecessor [Hal Stratton] have taken dozens of trips at the expense of the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries and others they regulate, according to internal records obtained by The Washington Post. ...

"The records document nearly 30 trips since 2002 by the agency's acting chairman, Nancy Nord, and the previous chairman, Hal Stratton, that were paid for in full or in part by trade associations or manufacturers of products ranging from space heaters to disinfectants. The airfares, hotels and meals totaled nearly $60,000, and the destinations included China, Spain, San Francisco, New Orleans and a golf resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C....

"Critics have long charged that the agency has become too close to regulated industries, opting for 'voluntary' standards and repeatedly choosing not to take legal action against businesses that refuse to recall dangerous products."

Is it any wonder that our toothpaste and toys seem to have posed safety threats?  So much for relying on  "voluntary" standards -- which is like leaving a sweet-toothed child alone with the key to the candy cabinet and saying, "Don't spoil your dinner." 

During the Clinton Administration, CSPC chairman Ann Brown did not travel at industry's expense.

Update:  Crooks & Liars (via Memeorandum) reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling for Nord to resign.

Rice & Others Subpoenaed in Espionage Case

Posted by D. Cupples |  The Associated Press reported:

"Two former American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbyists [are] accused of passing classified information to an Israeli official and the press. They argue, however, that the U.S. regularly uses the pro-Israel group to send back-channel communications to others, and they say Rice can verify that unofficial but sanctioned role.

"Lobbyists Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman subpoenaed [Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams and a dozen others to testify.

"Prosecutors unsuccessfully challenged the subpoenas. If the officials ultimately testify, the trial in federal court in suburban Alexandria, Va. could offer a behind-the-scenes look at the way U.S. foreign policy is crafted.

"The lobbyists are accused of receiving classified information from a now-convicted Pentagon official and relaying it to an Israeli official and the press...."

Several questions come to mind....

There's Something About Blackwater

Posted by D. Cupples   |These days, there's always something to investigate about government contractor Blackwater.  If it's not the reportedly reckless shooting of civilians or killing of the Iraqi Vice President's bodyguard, it's the alleged milking of taxpayers or the possible theft of Iraqi military aircraft.   

Yesterday, MSNBC reported:

"Federal agents are investigating allegations that the Blackwater USA security firm illegally exported dozens of firearm s sound suppressors — commonly known as silencers — to Iraq and other countries for use by company operatives, sources close to the investigation tell NBC News."

It's normal for soldiers to use silencers in covert operations, but nobody knows why Blackwater security guards needed silencers to openly protect diplomats. 

According to MSNBC, exporting silencers without State Department paperwork carries criminal penalties of up to 10 years' prison and $1 million in fines per incident (i.e., it's a serious crime).  Blackwater has strong ties to the State Department: the company protects State Department personnel in Iraq and had State Dept. contracts last year totaling $600 million.

Links to more Blackwater info are on the next page.

White House Withholds Abramoff-Related Documents

Posted by D. Cupples |  Apparently, chairing the House Oversight Committee requires mind-numbing amounts of repetition. Poor Henry Waxman, having to dash off yet another letter seeking info from an uncooperative White House, which has refused to turn over 600 pages of documents relating to Republican lobbyist-turned-inmate Jack Abramoff.  The White House claims the documents involve internal deliberations.  In part, Waxman's letter states:

"When Mr. Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption charges in January 2006, White House officials stated emphatically that Mr. Abramoff was a virtual stranger to the White House.  President Bush said, “I don’t know him.”...  Ken Mehlman, the former Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs, said:  “Well, Abramoff is someone who we don’t know a lot about. … We know what we read in the paper.”"

"The Committee’'s subsequent review of thousands of documents obtained from Mr. Abramoff’'s former firm, Greenberg Traurig, raised questions about these White House statements....

Is Waterboarding Torture? Part 3: Let's Ask the Experts

Posted by Damozel |  If Rudy Giuliani and Michael Mukasey---who allegedly finds waterboarding sort of "repugnant" but still isn't sure it's torture---just need to know what waterboarding is really about in order to decide, Malcolm Nance and Kaj Larsen are prepared to fill them in on the details.  In fact, Kaj Larsen has arranged for those who aren't sure what is involved to see it live.

Malcolm Nance was a "former master instructor and chief of training at the U.S. Navy  Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School (SERE) in San Diego.  He has "personally led, witnessed, and supervised waterboarding of hundreds of people."  (New York Daily News)  According to Nance, the interrogation manuals used at SERE were the basis for the techniques now being used against terror suspects. (New York Daily News)

Nance knows the waterboard "personally and intimately." (New York Daily News)  He has undergone it himself "at its fullest."  And he would like for Mukasey and others to know:  it is most definitely torture. (New York Daily News)    To administer it, "[o]ne has to overcome basic human decency to endure causing the effects. The brutality would force you into a personal moral dilemma between humanity and hatred. It would leave you questioning the meaning of what it is to be an American."(New York Daily News)   Still not convinced?  Here's his description.  Read it and try putting yourself there:

Hughes Leaves State Dept. Amid Questionable Performance

Posted by D. Cupples |  Under Secretary of State and former White House Staffer Karen Hughes has resigned, effective in December.  Hughes' primary job was "public diplomacy":  the polishing of our nation's image overseas. 

Perhaps recent State Department upheaval prompted Hughes' resignation: e.g., the embassy mess, the Blackwater mess, the Department's failure to monitor contractors' behavior and billing.... (links on next page).  According to the Associated Press , Hughes doubled the Department's public-diplomacy budget to $900 million.  In return, polls have shown no improvement in the world's view of our nation:

"A Pew Research Center survey earlier said the unpopular Iraq war is a persistent drag on the U.S. image and has helped push favorable opinion of the United States in Muslim Indonesia, for instance, from 75 percent in 2000 to 30 percent in 2006." (AP)

Despite the nearly 1 billion tax dollars spent on spin, our nation's image is even more tarnished than before President Bush took office.  Often, it's easier to work on image than substance.  But the proverbial turd can't be polished to the point of being passed off as even the lowest grade diamond.

Defense Dept. to Take Over State Dept.'s Security Contracts: Will it Matter?

Posted by D. Cupples  |  Yesterday, control of Iraq security contracts was moved from Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice to Defense Sec. Robert Gates. (New York Times)  This comes a week after Rice testified before the House Oversight committee -- and failed to directly answer numerous questions about the State Department's failure to monitor contractors' job performance and billing.

In other words, Rice did a bad job -- so we'll let someone else try.  Will the change do any good?

The Defense Department hasn't done a stellar job of protecting us taxpayers from unscrupulous  contractors.  Consider former Halliburton subsidiary KBR, for example.  Years before the Iraq  war, KBR paid $2 million to settle a Justice Department suit alleging that KBR had defrauded the government during work at a California military base back in the ‘90s.  In 1997, the GAO found that KBR had over-run its estimated costs by 32% on work in the Balkans.

And yet, the Defense Department awarded KBR huge contracts relating to the Iraq war. How did KBR conduct itself under the new contracts?...

NewPoll: Majority of Republicans Support Strike Against Iran

Posted by D. Cupples |  The latest Zogby poll indicates that 52% of 1,028 surveyed  likely voters support a U.S. military strike against Iran (5.8% are unsure).  The breakdown:

                           % Supporting Strike

Republicans                        71%
Democrats                           41%
Independents                     44%

It would be fascinating to know why there's a glaring difference between Republicans and Democrats. Do they have different memories of the Iraq war lead-up?  Rely on different news sources?  Drink from different water supplies?

This poll was released one day after a CNN interview with Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed ElBaradei, who said that the IAEA "cannot give Iran a pass right now," but the U.S. hasn't provided concrete evidence that Iran has an active "weaponization" program or the nuclear materials needed. It's less than 4 minutes: check it out.

Memeorandum has other bloggers' reactions.

Personal Attack on Journalist Sent from Petraeus Aide's Email Address

Posted by D. Cupples |  Last week, Salon's Glenn Greenwald wrote about links between military public-relations officers and war-friendly media outlets (e.g., selective interviews and info leaks).  This morning, Greenwald received an email from the address of Army Col. Steven Boylan (Gen. David Petraeus' spokesperson), which is as personal an attack as you'd expect from a wife who'd just caught her husband canoodling with her sister. 

The email writer moves from "refuting" points that Greenwald had not argued to stating (among other things) that: Greenwald lacks journalistic ethics, he didn't do good research, and he has no talent compared to Alan Colmes (Fox's bumbling, token "liberal")....

Later, Boylan refused to confirm that he'd sent the email.  Brilliant response -- except that the email reportedly came from this address: steven.boylan@iraq.centcom.mil.  It's the same address from which Greenwald had received other emails from Boylan.  That and after Greenwald hit the reply button to this morning's nasty-gram, his email reached Boylan and Boylan responded.

During this morning's exchange, Boylan implied that his Internet identity had been stolen by someone in Vermont.  I see the comic potential here, yet serious issues are emerging....

FEMA's Media Mishap: Bad Judgment or The Absence of Judgment?

Posted by Damozel   | Here's the question.  Would you rather have the federal agency that is principally charged with emergency management be run by:

(1) People who think it's okay to get the agency's message out by staging a news conference at which its own employees pretend to be reporters and ask only questions the agency is prepared to answer? or

(2) People who who are so naive that they don't think it really matters to the public whether reporters are asking the questions at an event billed as a "press" conference so long as the information they want you to have gets out?

Following the revelations in the press concerning the staged FEMA news conference,  its second in command, Deputy Administrator Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson Jr., has apologized for four paragraphs on its behalf. "We are reviewing our press procedures and will make the changes necessary to ensure that all of our communications are straight forward and transparent." (The Washington Post)

But of course the problem isn't the lack of transparency or straightforwardness, but the fact that the participants in the conference (including FEMA's Deputy Administrator) straightforwardly and transparently assumed that a staged press conference would---from the public's standpoint--- be just as good as a real one.  The problem is that either it didn't occur to the organizer and participants that this conduct crosses the line or that it possibly did occur to them, but they went on and crossed it anyway.  I still don't know which it was.

Army Investigating Contractor Bribes -- and Shouldn't Stop There

Posted by D. Cupples |  From Memeorandum, the Associated Press reported:

"A team of specially trained investigators will hunker down in an Army office north of Detroit on Monday to begin poring over hundreds of Iraq war contracts in search for rigged awards.

"This team of 10 auditors, criminal investigators and acquisition experts are starting with a sampling of the roughly 6,000 contracts worth $2.8 billion issued by an Army office in Kuwait that service officials have identified as a hub of corruption."

Army officials shouldn't limit the scope to small-time corruption cases, while bigger schemers go free. This isn't a left-field possibility: evidence suggests that State Department investigators were pressured to focus on smaller cases and to not make waves over bigger ones.

Uncovering bribery is important, but false billing and shoddy performance likely cost the taxpayers more -- and corruption goes beyond Kuwait's borders, likely stretching into our own homeland.

In 1863, Congress passed the False Claims Act to combat contractor fraud. Contractors found guilty of fraud can be barred from receiving other contracts, which may be why many contractors settle False Claims Act suits without admitting or denying guilt....

White House Upset by FEMA's Phony Press Conference [Updated]

Posted by D. Cupples | Yesterday, CNN reported:

"The White House scolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday for staging a phony news conference about assistance to victims of wildfires in southern California.

"The agency — much maligned for its sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina over two years ago — arranged to have FEMA employees play the part of independent reporters Tuesday and ask questions of Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the agency's deputy director.

"The questions were predictably soft and gratuitous."

The White House is concerned about manipulation of the news media?  One would think that no Bush Administration official had ever twisted the truth or choreographed a press conference.  I can't help but remember:...

Oversight Hearing: Rice was Evasive, Republicans Don't Want Probe

Posted by D. Cupples |  At yesterday's House Oversight Committee, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was mostly cucumber-cool, but she didn't give many direct answers.  This forced some committee members to use up part of their alloted 5 minutes repeatedly repeating their questions. (Hearing video.)

For example, Rice acknowledged a "lacuna" (loophole) in regulations, which allowed security contractors to dodge legal consequences for potential crimes, like shooting Iraqi civilians. (New York TImes)  The loophole was created 3+ years ago.

Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) repeatedly asked:  Why did you wait until now to work on closing the loophole?  Hodes pointed out that incidents of questionable contractor violence have been reported since at least 2005.

In response, Rice kept repeating that the State Department acknowledges the loophole and agrees that it should be closed.

Everyone at the hearing clearly spoke English, yet Rice's answers suggest that the admirably articulate Secretary of State didn't even hear some questions. That's how it went with most issues....

Oil Market Roil: A Threat or a Promise?

Posted by Damozel   |  The Bush Administration has said that increasing sanctions against Iraq are meant to prevent war. (Washington Post)  Of course, Condoleezza Rice also said that Bush is "committed to a diplomatic course on Iran," but she added that U.S. patience is "not limitless, and allies need to know that." (Washington Post)   

And we've all heard that one before, haven't we?   Or, as Leo Drollas -- the deputy executive the Center for Global Energy Studies -- put it "[I]t's like a crash happening slowly." (Washington Post) 

Oil traders are saying that even the threat of an attack---even a small chance of one--- would create a huge run-up in oil prices because speculators and investment funds would bid up the price of oil.  (Washington Post)  Meanwhile, oil prices closed at a record high as the US tightened its sanctions and the escalating tension between Iraq and the Kurds and uncertainty about OPEC's output also did their bit to raise the price to $90.46 per barrel. (Washington Post)   

While this is probably nice for people who own a few million barrels, it isn't nice for people whose business depends on the availability of oil at affordable prices....   

Talk of Bombing: is Iran the New Iraq?

Posted by D. Cupples |  Military strikes against Iran have been on President Bush's mind since at least 2002, when he declared Iran part of the "Axis of Evil."  Today,  ABC News reported:

"Tucked inside the White House's $196 billion emergency funding request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is an item that has some people wondering whether the administration is preparing for military action against Iran.

"The item: $88 million to modify B-2 stealth bombers so they can carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator, or, in military-speak, the MOP.

"The MOP is the the military's largest conventional bomb, a super "bunker-buster" capable of destroying hardened targets deep underground. The one-line explanation for the request said it is in response to "an urgent operational need from theater commanders."

"What urgent need? The Pentagon referred questions on this to Central Command."

This year, alone, various events and officials' statements have hammered home the point that Iran will likely end up a target....

Hearing Today, and Head Rolls at State Dept.

Posted by D. Cupples |  Today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may testify before the House Oversight Committee about the State Department's mismanagement of billions in federal contracts (and other things). Yesterday, a Department staffer resigned, perhaps because of contract-related issues.

The New York Times reports:

"The State Department official responsible for overseeing Blackwater USA and other private security contractors in Iraq resigned abruptly today.

"Richard J. Griffin, who has been the director of the department’s diplomatic security bureau since June 2005, faced stiff criticism from Congress over his handling of a Sept. 16 shooting episode involving Blackwater that left 17 Iraqis dead and other acts of violence by the State Department’s security guards.

"A special panel appointed to investigate the handling of diplomatic security in Iraq found a glaring lack of oversight and accountability that was hindering the American diplomatic and military mission there....      

Are  all the State Department's problems are Mr. Griffin's fault? Just last month, we learned that State Department inspector general Howard Krongard may have repeatedly blocked investigations into contractor waste and fraud.... 

Big-Spending, Big-Government Bush

Posted by D. Cupples |  Stephen Slivinski (budget-studies director at the hyper-conservative Cato Institute) said this about President Bush:

“He’s a big government guy....  He has presided over massive increases in almost every category … a dramatic change of pace from most previous presidents” (McClatchy)

The McClatchy article does state that Bush promised in 2004 to cut the budget deficit in half by 2009: in 2004, it was $412.7 billion, and in 2007 it was $163 billion.  That's great, but the deficit measures only how much we are over-budget each year, a figure that adds to our overall national debt each year.

As of October 22, our national debt was $9+ trillion, about 3.2 times the U.S. government's 2007 budget, up from $5.7+ trillion in 2001 (a 36% increase).  Even $1 trillion is a mind-boggling number.  Below are a few things we could conceivably do with $9 trillion:

Republican ex-AG Thinks Justice Dept. Selectively Prosecuted, Republicans Don't Want Investigation

Posted by D. Cupples |  Three witnesses testified yesterday at a joint hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on "Allegations of Selective Prosecution: The Erosion of Public Confidence in Our Federal Justice System."

Richard Thornburgh, a Republican and former Attorney General under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, thinks the Justice Department has prosecuted cases based on political agendas --  especially against his client Dr. Cyril Wecht, a prominent Democrat who faced 84 federal felony counts based on things like his having used an office fax machine to send his résumé. (See hearing video)

Another witness, communications professor Donald Shields, did a statistical analysis and found that in 820 Justice Department investigations of public officials, Democrats were investigated 5.6 times more often than Republicans. (Hearing video)

G. Douglas Jones, attorney for former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, said that prosecutors seemed unsure of the case in 2004; after Washington officials stepped in, a new case against Siegelman went forward. (See hearing video) 

These witnesses' testimony isn't conclusive, but it does signify that Congress should  keep investigating until it finds answers. Certain House Republicans think Congress should simply stop investigating....

House Republicans Hypocritically Try to Censure Free Speech

Posted by D. Cupples |  A couple weeks ago, 41 Senate Democrats wrote a letter to Clear Channel, asking the company to apologize after Rush Limbaugh said that soldiers who oppose the Iraq war are "phony soldiers."

People who value free-speech rights disagreed with the senators' move -- even those who regard Rush as more addicted to falsehoods than he once was to illegally obtained narcotics. 

Republicans and self-styled conservatives were among the most outraged by the senators' letter.

Just hours ago, 168 House Republicans (and 5 Democrats) supported a measure offered by Minority Leader  John Boehner (R-Ohio) meant to officially censure Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) for exercising his free speech rights. (Associated Press).  The only reason the measure failed is that  most House Dems opposed it.

The seeds of irony germinated just days before Limbaugh insulted our troops, when Senate Republicans and some Dems passed a resolution 1) that subtly censured MoveOn.org for criticizing General David Petraeus in a newspaper ad, and 2) that condemned negative comments against all military personnel.

Below is what Stark said:...

Dems Want to Explain their So-Called "Control" of Congress

Posted by D. Cupples |  Apparently, House Democratic leadership will publicly explain to frustrated voters why Congress has made so few major changes since the Democrats took so-called "control" in January. The Hill reported:

"In a 'Dear Colleague' letter sent last week to lawmakers, the six senior House Democratic leaders noted that bipartisan majorities have passed lobbying and ethics reforms, an increase in the minimum wage, a massive increase in student aid, legislation to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations and other initiatives that President Bush has signed into law...."

“'We’re concerned obviously that the accomplishments of both the House and Senate are overshadowed by failure to change direction in Iraq,' said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). 'We’re hoping in the next three or four months to make it clear what has been done and make it clear we are upset that more has not been accomplished because of the president’s refusal to change direction.'”

Actually, all Dems need to do is keep stating the facts -- including numbers, names and votes-- about who is creating obstacles to the progress that American voters expect....