Still Fighting

Activism

Network for Good. Acting against something bad (like corruption in the political majority) is good, but so is acting for something good. The Network for Good matches donors and volunteers to the charities they care about, with online tools to help you research the causes and charities you're looking to help out. Sign up for an account to keep track of your favorite charities and how you've donated, or keep a volunteer record of service for your more hands-on efforts. There's information about recent crises and crisis relief efforts, as well. If you're getting burned out by the GOP scandal mill (and, really, who isn't?), take a brief detour to the clean side of the street and lend a helping hand or two. Money and time are always in short supply, and for everyone who gives a little of each someone else gets to rest a bit easier. I'd say that's a pretty good deal.

News

Conflicting Stories. It was a leak that started us all down this path that seems to be heading in Karl Rove's direction, and it's new leaks that are helping keep the story alive in the press. Nobody really knows for sure how Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation will end, but information continues to dribble out. One of the newer pieces of info is that the stories Rove and Scooter Libby told the grand jury don't exactly match those of the reporters they've called. Rove and Libby both testified that they received Valerie Plame's identity from Bob Novak and Tim Russert, respectively, and both journalists say it simply isn't true. Also, Rove didn't come clean with investigators right away; first he neglected to mention his conversation with Time reporter Matt Cooper, then later said they'd primarily talked about welfare reform. Adding insult to injury: former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer initially denied seeing the classified memo that disclosed Plame's identity, but recent reports indicate he was among those on Air Force One who took a gander at it. One day, we hope, the full truth will come out; in the meantime, it's not looking so good for all these officials who, as Scott McClellan has stated, "enjoy the confidence" of President Bush.

London Alerts: At-a-Glance. BBC News UK has posted a comprehensive timeline of events in today's bombing attempt in London. While the attacks themselves appear to have been less than successful, one man was killed by police, two others arrested, and the photos of four others thought to be involved have been released. The timeline starts just after noon yesterday and runs until just after ten pm tonight. There's a map of the underground lines in the area, as well as a quick bullet-list of major points. This resurgence of domestic terror has not only pricked holes in Bush's "over there, not over here" theory but has also prompted a test of random bag searches in the New York subway system. The Washington Metro transit agency has tightened security and is studying the idea of bag searches, with an eye on how those searches go in New York.

Peace Treaty on N Korea's Wish List for Talks. North Korea is using a pretty big carrot to get what it wants, offering nuclear disarmament in exchange for a list of other demands including being taken off the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the end economic sanctions against it. An unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman said North Korea wanted to "replace the fragile ceasefire mechanism by a lasting peace mechanism on the Korean peninsula with a view to doing away with the last leftover of the cold war era," claiming this was essential to the reunification of Korea as well as peace and security in the rest of the world. Unsurprisingly, analysts say North Korea is taking advantage of the current US involvement in Iraq to lay out its wish list, in the hopes that it will be met halfway.

Editorials

The Record of Judge John Roberts. Gene C. Gerard points out that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts may not be the milquetoast distraction he might seem at first glance. In 1990, he authored a brief on behalf of the government, stating "Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled." Later that year, in another brief, he wrote that the First Amendment does not prohibit Congress from declaring flag-burning illegal. In another brief, Roberts wrote that organizations physically blocking access to abortion clinics did not discriminate against women. He did, however, admit that only women can actually have abortions. So that's nice. Just last year, Judge Roberts ruled it was within a "legitimate goal of promoting parental awareness and involvement" with delinquent children to uphold a law mandating a child should be arrested for a crime an adult would merely be ticketed for.

Wilson's Iraq Assertions Hold Up Under Fire From Rove Backers. "Joe Wilson's a liar!" You see it repeated often enough on those righteously indignant right-wing blogs. "His wife arranged the trip! He told everybody it was Cheney's office!" And so the case for Wilson's guilt in a smear campaign against the revered President Bush is a slam dunk. Or, well ... not. A week after Wilson wrote an article debunking the administrations claim's concerning Hussein's attempts to get uranium from Niger, Valerie Plame was outed as political payback. Wilson's claims have, for the most part, been upheld by the very Senate Report his detractors reference in their arguments against him. It doesn't hurt his case that U.S. and United Nations weapons inspectors sort of, y'know, agree with him. Even the White House backed down, the day after his column appeared. People tend to believe things they hear repeated often enough, and this White House knows how to stay on message. The one thing we're all really waiting for is to hear what SP Fitzpatrick digs up; he's been at it for two years, so it has to be something with teeth.

Rights Wronged. Robert Kuttner writes about "relentless accumulation of arbitrary authority" in the increasingly authoritarian War on Terra. With citizens and immigrants both being detained indefinitely in the ongoing terror-related investigation, the ideals this country was founded upon are being slowly but surely eroded. All of this is shaping up to be what Kuttner calls the "perfect authoritarian storm," combining Orwell's premise of permanent warfare with Kafka's unchallengable denial of rights. This bitter argument over the leaking of a classified information (as political payback or no), between two greatly divided political bases, highlights the very real danger we all face today: an unbridled grab for the reins of absolute power, returning us to the exact kind of rulership that early Americans sacrificed their lives to save us from.

Activism

No Rubber Stamps. Just because the President has nominated someone who doesn't seem outrightly crazy doesn't mean that the Senate should be a rubber stamp. We all know that Bush would like it to be, but there's this little clause in the Constitution about requiring the Senate's to "advise and consent" to any judge. That means the Senate should be able to ask any pertinent questions in determining if Roberts is worthy of their consent. Join Senator Pat Leahy in his petition to make sure the Senate upholds its Constitutional responsibility.

News

House votes to oppose early Iraq withdrawal. We all know that the Senate is waiting on pins and needles to question John Roberts, but what's the House up to these days? Oh, you know: The same old, same old. What does that mean? Well, it means that once again, the GOP is using its numbers edge to marginalize Democrats, and silence any possible critics of the administration. By significant margins (which means Democrats crossed over), the House voted to oppose any "early" withdrawal from Iraq, as well as to continue to tolerate the status quo at Gitmo. But in a closer vote, the House also voted allowing Democrats to add an amendment requiring Bush to provide a benchmark for success in Iraq. The GOP is clearly playing hardball, seeking to silence any criticism of Bush's immense failure, and in doing so, is doing a great disservice to our country. But there's no reason that Democrats need to be as complicit as they are, and it's up to you to take them to task when they roll over.

House approves renewal of Patriot Act. That sound you heard Thursday night was the door slamming on some of your civil liberties. Yes, the House passed the Patriot Act (again). The Senate is now looking at their own version. Only, the House voted to make several amendments permanent, despite Democrats' best efforts to reauthorize them for just four years (it failed 218-209). The only good news to come out of the House Bill is the so-called "Library Amendment," which would require the FBI Director to personally authorize any any FBI requests for bookstore or library records of suspected terrorists. Ah, America. Land of the free, unless the government thinks you're up to no good.

Supreme Court Pick Shifts Attention From Rove, Agent Disclosure. The timing couldn't have been better for the Bush Administration. Amidst a criminal investigation into Karl Rove that 6 out of 10 Americans were following closely, Bush made his Supreme Court nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. Bushco is hoping that this announcement will pull public interest away from Rovegate, but what the president doesn't seem to understand is that the American public can look at more than one issue at once. Silly as it may sound, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. No one should be less focused on Rove or his criminal investigation, yet that's precisely what's happening. The audacity is incredible, but it's up to us, the American people, to speak out. Call your Congressmen and Senators, and demand that they get answers about Karl Rove.

Editorials

Thank you, Mr. President. As this article is subtitled, last week it seems that John Roberts wrote Bush a blank check. A check for what? Well, a check to detain suspected terrorists, even domestic ones (like, say, Eric Rudolph), without due process. Roberts wasn't alone - he joined a unanimous decision on the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case that basically said Hamdan could be tried before a special military tribunal. In that tribunal, many rights that we take for granted can be taken away from him, including the presumption of innocence. Roberts seemed to have some reservations in his oral arguments, but signed the decision anyway. As the article says, "Did he decide that Judge Randolph had it right down the line in Hamdan, or did he sign on to a flawed and sweeping opinion because he was auditioning for the job Bush has now picked him for? Neither prospect is reassuring." Just what we need - another partisan hack in an important position of power in Washington.

Al-Qaeda has changed; Bush strategy also needs to shift. Even though Wes Clark is a four-star general, it doesn't take a great military mind to comprehend what he's getting at. Simply put, Bush's approach of just taking out state sponsors of terrorists, and hunting down the terrorists and killing them just isn't going to work. Clark argues that we must defeat the ideology of terrorism. This isn't making an "excuse" for terrorists, as the right-wing likes to argue whenever anyone advocated anything besides bombing the crap out of the Middle East. Rather, it's the only approach that stands a chance of working in the long term. Wouldn't it be nice to have this kind of tough, common sense leader in the White House?

A Right Turn With a Smile. E.J. Dionne cautions against being taken in by John Roberts' amiable demeanor. Just like Judge David Souter turned out to be a liberal in conservative's clothing, Roberts very likely could be an ultra-conservative disguised a moderate, or an "unknown". We can't accept his lack of a significant record as a judge to allow him a spot on the court that will decide very important national issues. Dionne outlines what some of those might be: "The government's power to protect the environment, to safeguard civil rights, including the rights of the disabled, and to provide protections for employees and consumers." Serious conservatives hailed his nomination - certainly there's a reason for that, right?

Activism

Exxpose Exxon. Ever since the Valdez oil spill, Exxon's been demonized as a company that doesn't care at all about the environment. And, since then, they've done nothing to dispel that label. It's well-known that many politicians are in the pocket of oil companies, and we deserve better from them. But what about the companies that buy them off? Shouldn't they feel some repercussions of their willingness to disregard environmental concerns in order to line their pockets? From drilling in ANWR, to increasing global warming, to maintaining our dependence on oil, Exxon's holding us back. Take action and let them know that you won't be buying Exxon products any time in the near future.

News

Congressman Suggests Way To Retaliate For Nuclear Terror. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO). Tancredo is a 4-term Senator from Colorado's 6th district, as well as the chairman of the 82-member bipartisan House Immigration Reform Caucus. Tancredo has what is certainly a uniquely stated idea of how to deal with Muslim extremists. On a radio show in Florida last week, Tancredo was asked how the country should respond if U.S. cities were attacked with nuclear weapons (a question which, unfortunately, is not nearly as hypothetical as it was 5 years ago), Tancredo replied, "Well, what if you said something like -- if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites." When asked if he meant Mecca, he responded "Yeah." Tancredo's aide tried to smooth things over by saying that Tancredo's statements were hypothetical. Hypothetical? Here we have an elected official of the United States Government being asked what is almost certainly a pre-screened question, and not only does he come up with an answer of sheer lunacy, but his aide has the gall to say that it was hypothetical. Does that mean he really doesn't believe that we should bomb Mecca? Then why did he say it? And if he does believe it, why the hell is he in office? This would be the same thing as saying an IRA attack should be responded to by bombing Dublin. Although Tancredo's comments (spoken publicly) are unique, his mindset is not. It's simply a mirror reflection of a large part of the right wing these days, with their adamant refusal to learn more about anyone else, and instead view the rest of the world as second class citizens.

Allawi: This Is the Start of Civil War. And speaking of narrow-mindedness, let's check in on what Bushco has done to Iraq. Remember Iyad Allawi, the Shi'ite former interim Prime Minister? The one who was very buddy-buddy with Bush? Well, turns out Allawi isn't too optimistic about Iraq's future. In fact, Allawi feels like Iraq is on the verge of a Civil War. According to Allawi, this is thanks to America's lack of "vision and clear policy" on Iraq. Well, no kidding. Welcome to the party, Mr. Allawi. Grab a chair, because it's going to be a long show. Since May, we've seen more Iraqi-Iraqi killings, especially between Shi'ites and Sunnis. With the resurgence of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the fighting is getting bloodier, and the stakes are getting higher. What does Bush need to see before he realizes how screwed we are?

Sunnis Suspend Participation in Iraqi Constitution Panel. And speaking of how screwed we are, Sunni Arabs have temporarily pulled out of the Iraqi Constitution panel, a day after two Sunni colleagues were shot to death. Sunnis maintain that the Shi'ite led government provides inadequate protection for Sunnis, and some extremist "hard-line" Sunnis are suggestion that Shi'ite leadership is behind this attack. We are now 26 days away from the self-imposed deadline of having the Constitution written, and this Sunni removal will not help in getting this tough process completed. Although it is unknown who is behind yesterday's attack, several members of the Iraqi government believe that al-Zarqawi was the mastermind, in light of his recent promise to kill any Sunni who is involved with the constitution-writing process. Good to see that we're doing well in quelling the insurgents, who are in their "last throes." Hey, Bushco, we've got three words for you: IT'S NOT WORKING!

Editorials

Rollback. One of the more amusing artifacts of the quite serious Rovegate investigate has been to watch White House Spokesfool Scott McClellan finally get his just desserts from the press. But Jay Rosen writes that this didn't come out of nowhere: It's a direct result of the Bush Administration's calculated and constant assault on the fourth estate. From day one, they've sought to "roll back" the press. Rosen outlines exactly how and why they've engaged in such tactics: It's part of a larger plan to politicize everything and create a reality based on assertion, rather than facts. The problem with this plan is that the press used to be a tool that informed the public and kept the government honest (more or less). Rovegate has finally given them a chance to fight back, but it may be too late. One more battle we need to keep fighting - a strong, independent press is critical to our democracy.

In Defense of Success. For years, the criticism of liberals is that they're interested in government giveaways, and do nothing to help the poor become self-reliant. And liberals, in a self-deprecating manner, seem to accept this criticism and half-heartedly acknowledge the need for welfare reform and the like. It's all well and good to acknowledge problems with government programs and work to improve the system, but as E.J. Dionne writes, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The CBPP released a series of reports yesterday regarding governmental policies that aid the poor. And guess what they found? They work! Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, WIC, they all do a good job of helping those less fortunate. It's unfortunate that more and more people need the safety net that the government is supposed to provide, but at least that net is there. Can you imagine how bad things would be these days if there was no safety net? Let's not find out.

Iraqi Troop Levels: Bush Lies. Not that you need more facts to prove that Bush lies to the American public, but Michael, over at AMERICABlog, debunks Bush's myth that there are 140,000 trained Iraqi troops. 90% of that number will not be effective in battle - only 2,500 have been fully trained to be self-sufficient. Another 8,900 can fight with our help. The rest, as Michael so eloquently puts it, "have been given an I'm an Iraqi soldier baseball cap and sent on their way." Why is Bush lying about this? Simply put, because he wants Americans to see that we've been effective over there. But we haven't. You'd think the "last throes" comment would have made him realize that he can't just lie about Iraq. Hell, you could extend that argument to every aspect of his so-called presidency. But he doesn't learn, and as long as Republicans continue to stand up for him, this country will continue to head in the wrong direction - down.

Activism

Tom DeLay's House of Scandal. Tom DeLay sure has a lot of friends. Some of them are powerful members of Congress. Others are high-priced lobbyists who have a kind of power all their own. The trouble is, it seems that DeLay and his cohorts have gotten themselves in a little hot water over some ethically questionable activities. On issues from gas prices to health care to Social Security, Tom sits at the center of a web of corruption that caused him to be admonished three times by the House Ethics committee before his Republican friends helped him change the rules to get out of trouble. With a nifty Flash animation that lets you see how all the major players are linked to the issues, and articles to help you understand how all of it affects you, it's hours of fun getting up to speed on the House Majority Leader's shady dealings.

News

Bolton May Accept Recess Appointment. Remember John Bolton? Controversy over his nomination for UN Ambassador caused a lot of conversation, at least until something else more controversial came along and knocked it out of the media spotlight. Now it looks like Bolton's stalled nomination will become a moot point; Bush may just appoint him to the position during an upcoming Senate recess. GOP senators have been concerned that such an appointment would weaken his legitimacy at the UN, but at this point it looks like it's the only way he'll get the job. Bush has refused to back down on the issue, and Senate Democrats won't budge (how unusual!) on their demands for documents on Bolton's State Department work they say are relevant to considering him for the post. Keep an eye on the papers next month to find out what happens next.

Bush Stalls on CIA Scandal Firing. Poor President Bush. A while ago he made some very strong statements about how he'd deal with anyone in his administration found to have leaked information in the Valerie Plame case. When the story first broke in 2003, the White House had a lot to say about how nobody in the White House could possibly have had anything to do with it. Since the news came out that Bush's chief political strategist (and, some say, his brain) is implicated in the leak, mum's been the word from the top on down. Now, Bush hedges his bets by saying he'll fire anyone who is found to have committed a crime - a subtle change from his original promise to fire anyone involved in the leak. Lots of the discussion surrounding this case centers on whether Rove, widely believed to have leaked Plame's identity, actually committed a crime in doing so. Democrats aren't willing to let Bush off the hook, and petitions aplenty have been circulated demanding that Bush live up to his promise and fire Rove. The fact remains that regardless of if Rove technically committed a crime, he and his boss put politics ahead of the safety of the country.

Rumsfeld vows speedy action on Guantanamo trials. Oh, so now you're in a hurry? Special military war crimes trials for two Guantanamo Bay prisoners will proceed, now that they've been validated by a federal appeals court. There are about 520 non-US citizens held at Guantanamo; many have been there for more than three years, with no charges filed against them. They've been denied the rights accorded to prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention, and some critics have said the process devised for the trials favored prosecutors and was rigged to produce convictions. Sounds like someone's desperate for good press. The White House's credibility is in question over the whole Rove affair, and "progress" in the War on Terra would probably help Bush's sagging poll numbers.

Editorials

The G-8 and Black Africa. Jude Wanniski thinks the fifty billion dollar aid package to Africa, authored in the recent G8 summit, is maybe not as big an accomplishment as it seems. The so-called "victory for millions" actually reduces aid as debt relief increases, resulting in no real net gain. At the same time, poor countries are required to "boost private sector development" and ensure "the elimination of impediments to private investment, both domestic and foreign." With western banks, institutions and governments taking three dollars out of Africa for every one dollar of aid paid in, and large multinationals controlling a majority of some of Africa's most valuable resources, it's hard to imagine how any real progress is to be made. The G8 countries should get serious about addressing the real problem of Africa's riches lining the pockets of wealthy industrialists, and them having to pay for the privilege on top of it.

Treasongate (Part VI): Response to GOP Talking Points. The hits just keep coming in the Rove leak case, and the Right Wing Noise Machine is steaming full bore ahead to cloud the issue. It's just politics as usual for the party of "we make our own reality," but polls and news coverage show that there's something different this time: The public isn't buying it. The Left Coaster has assembled a comprehensive list of GOP talking points, and includes a handy fact guide to help you thread your way through the veritable sea of lies. While the White House continues to claim it can't comment on the ongoing investigation, other arms of the Republican media octopus flail wildly to distract your attention from the truth. The only real surprise here is that it seems they've finally hit an issue they can't indignantly distract their way out of.

Victims' Group Blasts Santorum. Senator Santorum is out on the front lines in America's culture war. In fact, you might even say he's pulled himself out in front of the pack with recent statements squarely blaming liberals (and our "sick" culture) for pedophilia in the Catholic church. David Clohessy, National Director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, takes issue with this point of view, and blasts right back at Santorum. In a recent statement, Clohessy says "It is reckless and dangerous to misdiagnose the causes" of the abuse scandal, and warns that Santorum's "deceptive or ignorant" statements are distracting attention from dealing with the real problem of sexual abuse by clergy members. Also check out this PERRspectives Blog entry on how Santorum, unrepentant for the controversy his irresponsible remarks have caused, continues to champion his belief that liberalism, the Enlightenment and the scientific method are at the root of all of society's problems.

Activism

Representative Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee) is trying to do what Still Fighting readers want to do - fire Karl Rove. She's created a petition on her website (found here) to give Rove his pink slip. This may seem like a fruitless idea, but the more we make our voices heard, the more we let the rest of the country know that we won't settle for a double standard. What are you waiting for?

News

Abu Ghraib Tactics Were First Used at Guantanamo. It appears that, when it comes to Abu Ghraib, the Senate Armed Services Committee isn't sitting on its laurels. In talking with military investigators last week, the Committee found that the same tactics employed by "thrill-seeking military police officers" in Abu Ghraib were used (and approved to be used) in Guantanamo Bay, some tactics as far back as 2002. Bushco can preach "freedom" and "liberty" until they turn blue in the face. It won't change the administration's self-imposed mandate to get what they want by any means necessary. The man near the center of this hypocrisy is Major General Geoffrey Mller, who commanded Gitmo before setting up U.S. Ops in Abu Ghraib. Miller, at the very least, turned a blind eye to the techniques used in both places. At the worst, he's guilty of lying to the Senate about what he knew and didn't know. The Pentagon crows at how these techniques have gotten useful information. But do the ends justify the means? How far is too far? The more that comes out about this, the more it seems like an episode of 24.

Officials' Pitch for Drug Plan Meets Skeptics. And why shouldn't it? No one understands it. No one sees the "benefits" of the new program. Bush, the Surgeon General, and a few others have begun a city-to-city tour to describe the new Medicare drug benefit plan, but there aren't many takers. Skeptical is a word that appears more often than not. And really, can you blame people? After being told about how great Social Security would be under Bush, after being lied to about Iraq, why should Americans believe anything that comes out of his mouth? Perhaps we should change his name from the "War President" to the "Skeptical President."

Governors Aim to Ease Voters About Change. The National Governors Association, chaired by Mark Warner (D-VA), met this weekend. With both parties nominations up for grabs in 2008, many governors are considering runs at the White House. Even Republicans, because Dick Cheney has said he will not run, have an open field. The biggest issue is going to be how these potential candidates are able to talk to the public. With Bush's approval rating remaining lower than sea level, voters are going to be focused not just on what candidates say, but also their track record, something conspicuously missing from 2000 and 2004. Terrorism, unemployment, the economy, schools and health care are all issues that the next president will need to be strong on. Is there anyone you're interested in yet?

Editorials

Follow the Uranium. In one of Frank Rich's best columns to date, he reminds us that Karl Rove isn't the major antagonist in this Comedy of Errors. The designation belongs to George W. Bush. Sure, Rove is a scumbag who broke the law, but he's the fall guy. The real criminal here is Bush, who orchestrated the "trashing" of Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame. And they've been doing it for years. Those rumors about John McCain's wife being a drug addict? That McCain himself was unstable? That Ann Richards was a lesbian? All perpetrated by Bushco. Reporters are finally starting to find their backbones, as was evidenced last week with Scott McClellan. Bush might finally be seeing that he's pushed too far, but we doubt it.

Karl Rove's America. As Paul Krugman writes, there can be no doubting that Karl Rove really understands America. He lies, spins, cajoles, wheels and wrangles things in this White House that, even as recently as 10 years ago, would never have been tolerated. It's becoming less important that he's lying, or being underhanded and illegal, and becoming more important simply that he's a Republican. Is that the America you want to live in?

Wilson On Today: It's All About Iraq. Joseph Wilson, though, isn't hiding during this. He was on Today last week, and he was very clear in emphasizing Bushco's conspiracy. Everything that has been done by this administration comes back to the Iraq Lie. As Michael writes, Wilson's selflessness of coming forward made what Bushco did even more damning. Bush lied during his State of the Union. The "Hussein buying radioactive materials in Africa" line was proved to be false. Bush and his cronies can hide behind the shield of "that's what our intelligence told us," but if some enterprising reporters (and an American Ambassador) can find the truth, then that shield collapses. Wilson is also calling for Rove to be fired, as you can read on BradBlog. Where the right smears Wilson with talking points, Brad does something much more simple - he defends Wilson with facts. Honest-to-god published facts. You know, the kinds of things that real journalists use. Bushco is like a bunch of spoiled children. When the little brother tattles on them, they simply beat him up. We're embarrassed that they represent our country.