Europeans told of plans for abductions.
Milan - A few days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the CIA station chief in Rome paid a visit to the head of Italy's military intelligence agency, Adm. Gianfranco Battelli, to float a proposal:
Would the Italian secret services help the CIA kidnap terrorism suspects and fly them out of the country?
The CIA man did not identify which targets he had in mind but was "expressly referring to the possibility of picking up a suspected terrorist in Italy, bringing him to an airport and sending him from there to a foreign country," Battelli, now retired, recalled in a deposition.
This initial secret contact and others that followed, disclosed in newly released documents, show the speed and breadth with which the CIA applied in post-9/11 Europe a tactic it had long reserved for the Third World - "extraordinary rendition," the extrajudicial abduction of Islamic radicals overseas for interrogation in friendly countries.
A year after the first contact, the CIA officer held another meeting with his Italian counterparts, this time sharing a list of more than 10 "dangerous people" the agency was tracking in Italy, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands, according to a deposition from Gen. Gustavo Pignero, another high-ranking Italian military intelligence official. "It was clear that this was an aggressive search project, that their willingness to employ illicit means was clear," Pignero said, adding that the list was later destroyed and he could not recall the names.
U.S. spies drew up suspect lists with the help of European intelligence agencies and chased some of the men around the globe before putting a brake on the operations in early 2004, about a year after the invasion of Iraq, according to documents unearthed in criminal investigations, lawsuits and parliamentary inquiries.
All told, the U.S. agency took part in the seizure of at least 10 European citizens or legal immigrants, some of them from countries not cited in that list of "dangerous people" received by the Italian spies. Four renditions occurred on European soil: in Sweden, Macedonia and Italy.
Six operations targeted people who were traveling abroad or who had been captured in Pakistan; European intelligence agencies provided direct assistance to the CIA in at least five of those cases, records show.
Each prisoner was then secretly handed over to intelligence services in the Middle East or Africa with histories of human rights abuses. Some remain imprisoned in those countries; others have been taken to the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One man was later released after being taken from the Balkans to Afghanistan, the victim of an apparent case of mistaken identity.
In the early stages, the CIA had prepared even more ambitious plans, according to the depositions from the Italian intelligence officials, who testified last summer during a criminal investigation into a CIA- sponsored kidnapping of a radical Islamic cleric in Milan.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121606D.shtml
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Military Budget About Half a Trillion and the Army is Broke
Wreck the nation game.. That is what the chimpster has done to this country....
A WSJ story noticed by Stehpen Pizzo over at the Smirking Chimp.
Yesterday the WSJ's defense correspondent, Gregg Jaffe, reported that US Army officials have told the White House they are broke. Worse than broke actually. The Army, despite its $168 billion budget, is out of money and being forced to cannibalize operations, here and in the war zone, just to keep the lights on.
Here are just a few of the grim facts from Jaffe's exclusive:
According to Maj. Gen Stephen Speakes, the Army was sent to war in Iraq $56 billion short of essential equipment.
Army officials told the White House that it needs at least an additional $24 billion, not in the 2007 budget, just to pay its current bills.
Cash shortfalls have forced the Army to lay off janitorial staff, close base swimming pools, and even stop mowing lawns on Army bases.
But cuts have also hit soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Army officials had to cut $3 billion for replacement of weapons in heavy use in Iraq, such as armored Humvees, two-way radios, remote control surveillance aircraft and trucks.
National Guard units now lack 40% of their critical readiness gear because it's been sent to Iraq, and the Army lacks the funds to replace it.
This budget crunch comes at a time when running the US Army never cost more, Jaffe reported.
To stem the flow of soldiers leaving the Army because of repeated deployments to Iraq the Army was forced to spend $773 million on “retention bonus' this year compared with just $85 million three years ago.
The Ambien-in-chief sleeps well, he wants us to know
Bush is sleeping well. He wants us to know that. So he told People magazine. We learned it from The NY Times:
Also in the interview, Mr. Bush acknowledged that he sometimes had to take “sleep aids” when traveling abroad, though “I must tell you, I’m sleeping a lot better than people would assume.”
Why not? He's just sending other people's kids to die. He's destroyed America's reputation in the world. He's made us a weaker nation. Now why should that interfere with his sleep?
Pentagon eyes $468.9 bln budget for fiscal 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has approved a fiscal 2008 budget request of $468.9 billion for the Pentagon, $4.7 billion more than expected last year, according to a memorandum obtained by Reuters.
It is also asking the Pentagon to cover some Army and Marine Corps war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the regular budget, rather than through emergency budget requests.
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England welcomed the topline budget increase in a memorandum to Rob Portman, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-12-16T020604Z_01_N15422822_RTRUKOC_0_US-BUDGET-PENTAGON.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-politicsNews-2
It is also asking the Pentagon to cover some Army and Marine Corps war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the regular budget, rather than through emergency budget requests.
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England welcomed the topline budget increase in a memorandum to Rob Portman, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-12-16T020604Z_01_N15422822_RTRUKOC_0_US-BUDGET-PENTAGON.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-politicsNews-2
Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war
Oh, oh! Blair is caught...
The Government's case for going to war in Iraq has been torn apart by the publication of previously suppressed evidence that Tony Blair lied over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.
A devastating attack on Mr Blair's justification for military action by Carne Ross, Britain's key negotiator at the UN, has been kept under wraps until now because he was threatened with being charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act.
In the testimony revealed today Mr Ross, 40, who helped negotiate several UN security resolutions on Iraq, makes it clear that Mr Blair must have known Saddam Hussein possessed no weapons of mass destruction. He said that during his posting to the UN, "at no time did HMG [Her Majesty's Government] assess that Iraq's WMD (or any other capability) posed a threat to the UK or its interests."
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2076137.ece
Friday, December 15, 2006
Pelosi Calls for New Oversight of Intelligence Spending
Go Ms. Pelosi!
Washington - Representative Nancy Pelosi, soon to be speaker of the House, said today that she will create a new panel to oversee spending on intelligence and enable lawmakers to better determine whether the money is being spent wisely.
Ms. Pelosi said the formation of the panel, which would work within the House Appropriations Committee, is in response to recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks and is part of an effort to make spending on intelligence more transparent.
The new unit will be called the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel and be composed of members of the House Intelligence and Appropriations committees, Ms. Pelosi said at a news conference. "Its purpose is to protect the American people with the best possible intelligence, recognizing the role that Congress plays in all of this," Ms. Pelosi said.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121506D.shtml
Washington - Representative Nancy Pelosi, soon to be speaker of the House, said today that she will create a new panel to oversee spending on intelligence and enable lawmakers to better determine whether the money is being spent wisely.
Ms. Pelosi said the formation of the panel, which would work within the House Appropriations Committee, is in response to recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks and is part of an effort to make spending on intelligence more transparent.
The new unit will be called the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel and be composed of members of the House Intelligence and Appropriations committees, Ms. Pelosi said at a news conference. "Its purpose is to protect the American people with the best possible intelligence, recognizing the role that Congress plays in all of this," Ms. Pelosi said.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121506D.shtml
Government Reform Leaders Call for Evaluation of Authority to Recover Billions from Oil Companies
Go Henry!Representatives Henry A. Waxman, Tom Davis, Darrell Issa and Diane E. Watson wrote to U.S. Attorney General Gonzales to ask him to review a legal analysis concluding that the Administration has legal recourse to recover billions of dollars in lost revenue on defective oil and gas leases issued in 1998 and 1999. According to the analysis, the Minerals Management Service exceeded its authority in issuing the leases, and the Administration has the authority to set aside the leases and seek recovery of lost taxpayer revenues.
http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1147
Witnesses in Libby trial all expected to testify
Fitzgerald signals nobody to assert privilege; Cheney appearance uncertain
WASHINGTON - Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has signaled that none of the government witnesses he intends to call will refuse to testify in the upcoming trial of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Fitzgerald did not say if Cheney or other top White House officials were on his witness list. But, he says, that none of the proposed witnesses intend to assert executive privilege, in an attempt to exclude their testimony.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16227672/from/RS.1/
Putting the chimpster ‘on the couch’
We all have certain words and phrases we use frequently, but White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has one that stands out for me. Consider this exchange from yesterday’s briefing.
Q: Why did he decide to give enemy body counts? That’s something that they’ve generally tried to stay away from.
SNOW: Well, that’s a good question. I won’t try to — rather than trying to tell you why the President said what he said — because I can’t give you the exact — I can’t put him on the couch right now — what I can do is at least offer one possible reason why that’s an important data point for Americans, which is there’s a lot of concern about U.S. casualties and deaths, as there should be — 103 deaths in October alone. (emphasis added)
Let’s put aside the substantive issue about of war body counts for a moment and take a look at that phrase, “I can’t put him on the couch right now.” Snow uses it quite a bit, and I think I understand what he means, but it’s become an easy and overly used cop-out. Questions about the president’s decisions and perspective are easily batted away — if Snow doesn’t like the subject — by suggesting that answering the question would require some kind of psychoanalysis.
A Rummy Christmas Song
Snowflakes roasting on an open fire,
Rummy's in his final throes,
Useless memos being fed to the pyre,
Hosannas sung by GI Joes.
Everybody knows the voters said you have to go,
Iraq has got to be made right,
Have a blast making fabulous dough,
I'm sure the Boards will love your spite.
We know that Gate's on his way,
He's got the exit strategy for which we've prayed.
All those in uniform will hardly cry,
They long ago saw past the 'oh goodness my.'
And so I'm firing this joyful shot,
At Rummy and his lousy crew,
We'll still uncover many crimes, many ways,
But the world is safer 'cause you're through.
We know that Gate's is on his way,
He's going to find the place in Rummy disarray,
The troops may be gung-ho but they are fried,
Let's hope and pray the Green Zone's days are equally nigh.
And so I offer up this borrowed phrase,
The military's black and blue,
You point your finger everywhere, every way,
The blame however falls on you.
Congresswoman Diane Watson's Statement on Signing John Conyers' Impeachment Resolution
The following statement was issued this afternoon to MichaelMoore.com:
I believe that the President must be held accountable for his actions. This past November, the American people affirmed through the ballot their dissatisfaction with the Administration and, in particular, its policies in Iraq.
I have been a steadfast opponent of the President’s Iraq policy. His administration has not been forthcoming with the American people and Congress has failed to conduct effective oversight of the executive branch. That’s why I am a cosponsor of Congressman Conyers' legislation, H. Res. 635, to create a select Congressional committee to examine the Administration’s conduct in prosecuting the Iraq war.
In the New Year, Democrats will gain control of the House of Representatives. Mr. Conyers is slated to chair the Judiciary Committee. I am ready to follow his lead on the issue.
-- Congresswoman Diane E. Watson
I believe that the President must be held accountable for his actions. This past November, the American people affirmed through the ballot their dissatisfaction with the Administration and, in particular, its policies in Iraq.
I have been a steadfast opponent of the President’s Iraq policy. His administration has not been forthcoming with the American people and Congress has failed to conduct effective oversight of the executive branch. That’s why I am a cosponsor of Congressman Conyers' legislation, H. Res. 635, to create a select Congressional committee to examine the Administration’s conduct in prosecuting the Iraq war.
In the New Year, Democrats will gain control of the House of Representatives. Mr. Conyers is slated to chair the Judiciary Committee. I am ready to follow his lead on the issue.
-- Congresswoman Diane E. Watson
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Email: Abramoff Associate Urged Funds for GOP Sen. Who "Never Said No"
Another man who understands the maxim is Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) (pictured on the left) , a senior lawmaker who has helped control the flow of billions of dollars from his seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee for many years.
As it turned out, Abramoff had a fat contract to represent one of the wealthiest interests in Cochran's home state, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. So it's no surprise that in the relationship between the three -- Abramoff, Cochran, and the Choctaws -- one might find the purest example of the way money can put politicians to work. And vice versa.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002076.php
Just how bad a President is the chimpster?
But even at that moment of seasonal celebration, Mr Bush's mind was on the events, thousands of miles away, that are dominating his presidency.
"We give thanks for the brave men and women in uniform who are serving our nation," he said. "Many of those who have answered the call of duty will spend this Christmas season far from home, and separated from family. We honour their sacrifice."
There is little prospect of festive joy for Mr Bush on the political front. Indeed, a spate of new opinion polls released on Friday made for sobering reading, even for a president renowned for his indefatigable optimism.
According to one, his job approval rating has slumped to a record low of 30 per cent. The highest any gave him was 37 per cent – well below the 40 per cent figure seen as the benchmark for a president in serious difficulties.
In fact, Mr Bush has been below that for months.
But the record on the economy is mixed. Federal spending has soared during the Bush administration, reaching $2.65 trillion this year (or more than one-fifth of GDP). Mr Bush inherited a budget surplus from his predecessor, Bill Clinton, but swiftly moved into deficit. As a result, national debt has gone from $5.7 trillion to $8.6 trillion, its highest level in history.
"If the president wants a legacy, he must resist the temptation to come to agreements that threaten his tax cuts," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, who said Mr Bush was "very upbeat" when he talked with him at the White House Christmas party on Thursday evening. More on the story.
Government Seeks New Ruling in Cheney Case
Washington - The Bush administration asked an appeals court
Wednesday to overrule a federal judge and allow the White House to keep secret any records of visitors to Vice President Cheney's residence and office.
To make the visitor records public would be an "unprecedented intrusion into the daily operations of the vice presidency," the Justice Department argued in a 57-page brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia.
The government was responding to an October order, by U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina, to release two years of White House visitor logs to The Washington Post. The newspaper, researching the access lobbyists and others had on the White House, sought Secret Service records for anyone visiting Cheney, his legal counsel, chief spokesman and other top aides and advisers.
In his ruling, Urbina questioned the government's primary argument against releasing the records - that the logs are protected by Cheney's right to executive privilege.
More on the story.
EXCLUSIVE: McKinney Discusses Her Bush Impeachment Bill (UPDATE 1)
(APN) ATLANTA – “Nothing is off the table unless the American people allow it to be so,” US Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) said in an exclusive interview with Atlanta Progressive News (APN) about her Articles of Impeachment against President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
The bill, H Res. 1106, which is now available at thomas.loc.gov, calls for the impeachment of President Bush for three main reasons: misleading the public over the need to invade Iraq, illegally spying on Americans, and failing to hold Cheney and Rice accountable.
The current 39 total co-sponsors are Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Rep. Jackson, Jr., (D-IL), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Rep. John Olver (D-MA), Rep. Major Owens (D-NY), Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ), Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN), Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA), Rep. John Tierney (D-MA), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA), Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and Rep. David Wu (D-OR).
http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0115.html
The bill, H Res. 1106, which is now available at thomas.loc.gov, calls for the impeachment of President Bush for three main reasons: misleading the public over the need to invade Iraq, illegally spying on Americans, and failing to hold Cheney and Rice accountable.
The current 39 total co-sponsors are Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Rep. Jackson, Jr., (D-IL), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Rep. John Olver (D-MA), Rep. Major Owens (D-NY), Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ), Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN), Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), Rep. Fortney Pete Stark (D-CA), Rep. John Tierney (D-MA), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA), Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and Rep. David Wu (D-OR).
http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0115.html
Rove said done with politics once he leaves this White House
An item in today's edition of the Evans-Novak Political Report today claims that Karl Rove, known to some as "Bush's Brain," will not continue participating in national politics beyond his tenure inside the current White House.
The report indicates that much of the national media overlooked the White House political strategist's appearance at a recent Washington, DC, speaking engagement. At the event, he apparently told the audience he was a "former political consultant" and would stay out of the game of politics. The Evans-Novak report read this statement as news of Rove's retirement, and a statement that he will not return to political consulting once he leaves the White House.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Rove_said_done_with_politics_once_1214.html
Yeah, Mctreason Rove may be done with politics but he is still on the radar of Fitzgerald...
Leahy to RAW: Torture memos will be made public
United States Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee has informed RAW STORY that he will subpoena a controversial detainee treatment memorandum if his request that the Justice Department submit it to him is not met.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Leahy_to_RAW_Torture_memos_will_1213.html
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Leahy_to_RAW_Torture_memos_will_1213.html
The chimpster panhandling for $100 billion more for wars, report says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- President Bush will soon seek about $100 billion in additional emergency funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a House report Wednesday.
Filed by Democratic staffers for two key panels in the House, the report's revelations mark a rapid escalation in the cost of the Iraq war at a time when public support is plummeting.
http://www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2006%2FPOLITICS%2F12%2F13%2Fbush.billions.reut%2F
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