Dave Chandler's Earthside.com

It Was Rove - And Cheney Knew

Earthside Comments: Well, it looks like KKKarl Rove divulged a covert CIA agent's name to a reporter. He should be removed from the White House. Perhaps Patrick Fitzgerald cannot come up with enough evidence to indict Rove (and it's got to be difficult when you have the vice president's chief-of-staff lying to a grand jury). But being just barely legal, doesn't make it right. And make no mistake -- the cover-up continues. These people running this country now are scum -- and here's the proof.

Link: Time Reporter Says He Learned Agent's Identity From Rove | ABC News

One of the reporters at the center of the investigation into the leak of the identity of an undercover CIA officer, says he first learned the agent's name from President Bush's top political advisor, Karl Rove. Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper also said today in an interview with "Good Morning America," that the vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, confirmed to him that Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was a covert CIA operative.

Link: Did Cheney Know Plame Was Undercover? | David Corn/The Nation

... the most intriguing piece of evidence Fitzgerald mentioned in the indictment (with, alas, no elaboration) was that on June 12, 2003 -- nearly a month before Joseph Wilson published his now-infamous op-ed piece on his trip to Niger but several weeks after he had shared information about this trip with the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof as an anonymous source -- Vice President Dick Cheney told Libby, in the words of the indictment, that "Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Division." By sharing this information with Libby, Cheney was telling his chief of staff that Wilson's wife was employed by the Operations Directorate of the CIA--the clandestine service of the intelligence agency where undercover officers work.

It's War Over Supreme Court

Earthside Comments: Bush is militant and extreme. Period. This latest group hug amongst the Bushites, radical Republicans and the Christofascists results in the nomination of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. Posted here is just the beginning of information about the kind of judicially nutty ideas this fellow would take to the nation's top court. But the radical Christian clerics are happy .... and that is what is most important to Bush right now -- secure the base in the face of tumbling polls and indicted Republicans in the White House and Congress.

The biggest onus now is on Senate Democrats. This is it. This is political war. If they do not filibuster, fight, obstruct here -- then they are finished as a relevant political entity in America. This is it.

Link: Samuel Alito's America | Think Progress

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980's. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito's view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by "immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer's belief that it had selected the 'best' candidate was the result of conscious racial bias." [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito's dissent was so restrictive that "few if any ... cases would survive summary judgment." [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]

ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) "guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one." The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000]

ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito argued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004]

ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito's disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito's dissent "guts the statutory standard" and "ignores our precedent." In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito's opinion contradicted "well-recognized rules of statutory construction." [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004]

The Record of Samuel Alito: A Preliminary Review | People for the American Way

Free Speech and Censorship: Alito’s decisions in the free speech area raise some important and troubling questions about how he would approach First Amendment law as a Supreme Court justice. One theme that runs through the Alito opinions we reviewed is a tendency to approach questions of free speech with an emphasis on morality. That is, Alito’s opinions suggest that he believes that student speech about morality and “sin” should not be restricted even when it may offend others, while restrictions on speech related to sex are acceptable and do not merit careful review. This dichotomy in Alito’s opinions raises important issues for questioning during his confirmation hearings to ensure that he is not interjecting his own personal opinions and value judgments into the cases he is deciding.

Iraq, Bloody Iraq

Earthside Comments: The blood continues to flow in occupied Iraq. As of this morning, 2,025 U.S. troops have been killed because Bush and Cheney and Scooter Libby are LIARS. The chaos and destruction is worse for the human beings that actually live in the Bush-created hell of Iraq. If you want to know how really bad it is in Bush's emerging Islamic Republic, read Juan Cole's roundup of what has been happening. There's little doubt about it, for this atrocity, the United States has much to atone for.

Link: Rebels Kill Iraqi VP's Brother, US Marine in Separate Attacks | AFP

Rebel attacks killed the brother of one of Iraq's two vice presidents and wounded a deputy minister, as the US military announced the death of an American marine in a roadside bombing. ... The Iraqi deputy trade minister, Kais Dawud Hassan, was wounded when gunmen opened fire on his convoy in western Baghdad. He was rushed to hospital after the attack, an interior ministry official said. Two bodyguards were killed and six injured in the attack. Earlier in the day cabinet advisor Ghaleb Abdel Mehdi, brother to Vice President Adel Abdel Mehdi, died of wounds after being ambushed in his car in Baghdad. His driver was also killed. The attacks came one day after a bomb hidden in a truck packed with dates exploded in the Shiite village of Huwaider, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) north of Baghdad, killing at least 26 and wounding at least 45.

Link: Four Task Force Baghdad Soldiers Killed | Central Command

Four Task Force Baghdad Soldiers were killed when their patrol struck an improvised explosive device in the Yusufiyah district southwest of Baghdad Oct. 31.

Link: Two 29th BCT Soldiers Killed | Central Command

Two 29th Brigade Combat Team Soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device at approximately 9:06 a.m. Oct. 31 while on a patrol north of LSA Anaconda.

Link: Mosul Leaders Threaten to Join Guerrilla Movement Protest Firing of Police Commissioner | Informed Comment/Juan Cole

Cabinet member Adil Abdul Mahdi's brother was assassinated on Sunday. A government oil company official in Kirkuk was assassinated. There were about a dozen announced deaths in guerrilla violence on Sunday. Guerrillas detonated a bomb in Fallujah, killing two Iraqi soldiers; a woman and a child died when police fired indiscriminately after the bomb went off.

Why?

Earthside Comments: The great question is: why? Why did Scooter try to mislead a grand jury? Why did he lie to them and federal agents? Why did Scooter lie? Why? Fitzgerald said that he didn't have an answer as to Scooter's motive(s) for lying. When this question is finally answered, then we may know just why this White House felt so to compelled to stifle dissent -- even if it meant exposing an undercover CIA agent. This scandal is far from over ... indeed, it may just be starting ... because as Americans we have a right to know what OUR government is doing ... and why.

Link: Patrick Fitzgerald: It's Not Over | John Nichols/The Nation

The most intriguing news with regard to special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the apparent effort by the Bush-Cheney administration to punish former Ambassador Joe Wilson for revealing how the White House deceived the American people about the threat posed by Iraq is not the indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. ... But what matters most are the questions that the Libby indictment has raised with regard to Cheney's actions? ... As Fitzgerald said during his press conference Friday, "It's not over." Fitzgerald was extremely cautious about what he meant by that statement. But he did confirm that he will be keeping the "(grand) jury open to consider other matters." ... Some details with regard to the vice president's role have been revealed. The indictment indicates that Cheney was one of the first federal official who spoke with Libby about the identity of Joe Wilson's wife. "On or about June 12, 2003, Libby was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Division," it explains. "Libby understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA."

Libby Indicted

A beginning.

"Scooter" Libby indicted for perjury, making false statements, obstruction of justice.

The details of these charges will tell us a great deal.

Dick "Chickenhawk" Cheney has a lot of explaining to do.

Bush and Cheney: Never Straight With the Truth

Earthside Comments: What this report does is add texture to the whole cover-up of the lies told by the Cheney cabal to get their war going in Iraq. Always remember, Bush and Cheney have not been straight with the truth from the very beginning ... they conflated Iraq with 9/11 and they sought to deceive everyone about Saddam's possession of WMD. They lie all the time. This is just another example.

Link: Cheney, Libby Blocked Papers To Senate Intelligence Panel |Murray Waas/National Journal

Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources.

Troops in Iraq Bring Contempt for America

Earthside Comments: We quote from the Declaration of Independence:

"He [King George] has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to Civil Power. He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowleged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us: For protecting them by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders, which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States..."

What is perhaps most despicable about what Bush has done to this country, is making us supreme hypocrites. Heaven help the Iraqis if they learn about 'freedom and democracy' from Bush and his thugs. The great causes and principles that lead to the creation of this republic are thrown in the trash for the sake of violence and power. Somehow the cabal of gangsters bringing our country to ruin must be brought to justice -- Franklin and Washington and Adams and Jefferson and the eyes of history demand it.

The count today: 2,009 U.S. troops killed to disarm Saddam of non-existent atomic bombs.

Link: Iraqis Forced to Take in Uninvited Troops | Associate Press

The Marines call it a necessary evil -- taking over houses and buildings for military use. For the Iraqis who become unwilling hosts, it can be anything from a mild inconvenience to a disruption that tears apart lives. In a recent offensive in Haditha, the headmaster of one school where Marines were based pressed them for a departure date so he could resume classes. At another school, Marines fortified the building with blast walls and sandbags for long-term use. ... Requisitioning homes or other buildings has been widespread in Iraq for U.S. troops on missions who stay far away from bases, sometimes for several days or weeks. During major offensives, the temporary bases deep inside cities allow troops to send out more patrols and respond quickly to attacks rather than going all the way back to bases on the outskirts of town.

Link: The Death of an Iraqi Prisoner | NPR

Photographs of grinning GIs crouched over the iced-down, battered corpse of Manadel al-Jamadi were among the most horrific images of the 2003 Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The photos became one of the most powerful symbols for those who opposed to the American invasion of Iraq. The Iraqi insurgent died within hours of his capture, while being interrogated by the CIA. A military autopsy ruled Jamadi's death a homicide, but no one has been held accountable for his death.

What the New 'Constitution' Has Wrought

Earthside Comments: Today, the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq -- to disarm Saddam of non-existent weapons of mass destruction -- stands at 2,006. That is the cost in American blood for the dubious distinction of getting stuck in what now will be a civil war. Oh, for this development you can thank the perverted politics of Bush, Bremer, Chalabi, Rice, Negropointe, Rove, Khaliazad, Alawai and a host of other puppets and occupation authorities for the flawed and fraudulent 'constitution' that has been declared 'accepted' in Iraq. The predicted conflict gives every indication of beginning. The Iraqi population will pay a great price for something they never asked for -- even if they did want Saddam out of power -- death and destruction brought by a western power meddling in affairs not our business ... that now sets Iraqi against Iraqi.

Earthside also includes a link to a report that demonstrates why war is so horrible, costly and ineffectual as a means of solving problems -- young people get killed because old men like Dick "Chickenhawk" Cheney are cowardly and corrupt.

Link: 19 Killed in Sunni-Shiite Clashes in Iraq - AFP

Nineteen people, including 17 radical Shiite militiamen, were killed in clashes with Sunni insurgents east of Baghdad, an interior ministry official said. The militiamen from the Mehdi Army, loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, had asked police for help in recovering a comrade who was being held in Al-Khazaliyah. But the group was attacked by insurgents as they prepared to launch the operation on Thursday. The other two dead were both policemen and another 12 militiamen were also wounded, the official said. There was no immediate word on any insurgent casualties.

Link: Analysts Warn of Effects of Iraq Civil War | Associated Press

Any all-out civil war in Iraq could shake the political foundations of places beyond that stricken land, sending streams of refugees across Iraqi borders, tempting neighbors to intervene, and renewing the half-buried old conflict of Sunni and Shiite in the Muslim world, Middle East analysts say. "If it's a war between Sunni and Shiite, this war might be extended from Lebanon to Afghanistan," says Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian expert on Islamic militancy.

Link: Almost 70 Percent Of U.S. Casualties In Iraq Under Age 30

The death of a 34-year-old Army staff sergeant wounded by a roadside bomb marked the 2,000th military casualty of the Iraq war, the Pentagon announced Tuesday, cementing another grim milestone in the two-and-a-half-year-old conflict in Iraq. t's a number that many are using as a symbol of either a misguided military action or the ultimate cost of freedom. But who are the men and women behind the number? Of those 2,000 troops lost, nearly a third were between the ages of 20 to 22, with the highest fatality rate (11.7 percent) being among 21-year-olds, according to figures from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, which gathers the bulk of its data from the U.S. government. Soldiers in their mid- to late-20s made up 37 percent of deaths, making almost 70 percent of U.S. casualties under age 30.

Miers is Out

So, Harriet Miers has asked that her nomination to the Supreme Court be withdrawn ... and Bush has "reluctantly" agreed to her request (Now, let's be real. Harriet was pushed out. As it became clear that Senators were not being buffaloed and were going to be more inquisitive than usual -- no way was Bush going to let this person get in front of a Senate committee. Imagine Miers being pressed to answer questions about what she knew about Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib torture, Bush's AWOL records, the Plame scandal, etc.).

This was inevitable. Miers was the ultimate Bush crony. But besides just being a toady, she was simply unqualified. This little incident is a display of the corrupt nature of the Bush regime. But it is also a sign that the incompetence and venality of this bunch is finally being comprehended by the public at large.

The next question is whether or not Bush will cave-in to the Christofascists when picking another nominee. Is Ayatollah Dobson already faxing his short list to the White House? Will Democrats again be 'civil' and defer to the radical Republicans ... or will an extremist nominee be filibustered and fought against because that is what is best for the Constitution and the republic? We'll soon see by Bush's actions just how much political trouble he perceives himself to be in ... if the pick comes off the wish list of the Christian radical clerics, then you'll know that the Bushites are in mortal fear of indictments, impeachments, and/or resignations.

Still, being forced to dump Miers on the verge of indictments that will show the blatant criminality of the Bushites, is just a bit more good news that our long national nightmare might be slowly coming to an end.

For What?

Earthside Comments: The toll already today is up to 2,001 -- for what? The 'approved' constitution for Iraq, for all intents and purposes, creates an Islamic Republic. Bush and Cheney and Rice and all the other chickenhawks can talk about "completing the mission" -- but, of course, none of the blood spilled will come from them or any of their family members. The other sad thing about Henican's article is how war and militarism distorts the minds of young people ... how much more peace would there be if the old men and old women who start wars had to go fight themselves.

Link: Two Thousand Dead - and For What? | Ellis Henican/Newsday

Two thousand is too many names already. Elaine Brower is certain about that. So why should "James Brower" be added to the death list? His mother wants to know. "God forbid he goes over there and something happens to him," she was saying yesterday as more grim news arrived from Iraq. "I'll go off. I will. The way I'll react, they'll think Cindy Sheehan is a butterfly." All over America, moms and dads of U.S. military personnel were paying close attention as the official war-in-Iraq death roster reached another milestone. Two thousand dead - and for what? ... Her son, she said, shares her skepticism about the war in Iraq. Lots of his fellow Marines do. Support for some broader policy is not what motivates them. "Really, they don't train these guys to protect their country," Elaine Brower said. "They train them to protect each other. I asked James, 'Why are you going back?' He said, 'My buddies are over there, and I need to protect them.'" So his mother protests. At the kitchen table on Staten Island. At the anti-war rallies that she and her daughter, Tanya, have started to attend. And none of it has persuaded her son to stay home.