Monday, January 17, 2005
Is Iran next for the US military?
J. Kenneth Blackwell: the man responsible for mak-
ing Bush president for a second term? Does the J
stand for Jiggaboo?
The upcoming Iraqi election is a joke thanks to the insurgents'efforts. What exactly are the coalition forces doing over there?
But what would you expect when the US can't even run clean elections at home:
- “In a terse, one line statement, the office of Republican Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell responded to an inquiry on the 102-page report on Ohio voting problems prepared by the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee.” (Raw Story)
- “I’m amazed that the chief elections official of the state that faced the most irregularities and the first state wide electoral challenge in history wouldn’t even bother to try to set the record straight on a single irregularity.” -- Rep. John Conyers’ (D-Mich.) quoted in Raw Story in response to an attack by Ohio Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell as to the motivation for his report.
(BTW: is this Ken Blackwell's payoff for rigging the election in Ohio for Bush?)
So with all that, why is Bush still so f-cking deluded about what his "re-election" meant? (Related: the BBC's take)
Pay special attention to this one: has Bush learned nothing from the Iraq debacle?
With the formal start of the second Bush administration only days away, an article in the latest New Yorker magazine suggests that Iran is now squarely in the US president's sights.from "Analysis: Is Iran next for US military?" (BBC News)
The piece by the veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claims that US special forces have already been operating inside Iran [emphasis added].
He also says that the administration's aims could include not just an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, but full-scale regime change [emphasis added].
And does anyone actually believe that the real "Ringleader" in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal was brought to justice on Saturday? Even if this happens, we'll only be getting slightly closer to holding the real culprits accountable.
U.S.-Led Troops Have Damaged Babylon, British Museum Says.
The latest scorecard on Bush's performance in fighting the "War on Terror":
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation is on the verge of scrapping a $170 million computer overhaul that is considered critical to the campaign against terrorism but has been riddled with technical and planning problems, F.B.I. officials said on Thursday. (from "F.B.I. May Scrap Vital Overhaul of Its Outdated Computer System" The New York Times)
- And also:
"One of the most alarming vulnerabilities to emerge after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has been the Federal Bureau of Investigation's continuing inability to come up with a computer system that enables field agents to act quickly in sharing information and suspicions about where the next threats may emerge. A more effective system was in the works, the bureau promised lawmakers. They poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the effort, expecting the F.B.I. to meet its goal of having the antiterrorist centerpiece - the Virtual Case File - finally up and running by December 2003, a date already a year behind the original goal.from The New York Times editorial "The F.B.I.'s Virtual Nonstarter."
Well, not only has Virtual Case File slipped another year behind, but it also appears close to a virtual death."
- Meanwhile:
"A British Airways jumbo jet flying to New York turned back after the US objected to one of its passengers.From "US sends BA jet back to Britain." So what was the point of all that and how (and why) was he allowed on the flight in the first place?
Three hours after take-off on Wednesday the Boeing 747, with 239 passengers, turned around after a US request that the man should not be allowed to land.
They said his name matched one on a terrorism watch list. He was met by British police on landing and was questioned, but later released [emphasis added].
BA said there was "no threat to the safety of the aircraft" [emphasis again added]."
Oren of Holla Like Jewish Bread gives Jon Stewart props for a "Mission Accomplished."
Glad to see some other mainstream media outlets finally start to question Bush's quest for Social Security reform.
