World Council of Churches wants U.S. out of Iraq

World Council of Churches wants U.S. out of Iraq

September 2, 2003
Council's central committee says U.N. forces must take control

By Jerry L. Van Marter
Ecumenical News International

GENEVA - The governing body of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has called
for coalition forces in Iraq to be replaced by United Nations personnel.

In its statement on Iraq, issued Sept. 1, the WCC's central committee also
implied that U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony
Blair might appropriately be charged with war crimes for their "illegal
resort to war" on Iraq.

"To do this, the U.N. Security Council would have to take action against two
of its permanent members, which is not likely," Peter Weiderud, director of
the council's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, conceded.
"But there is a need to look at the totality of the situation."

The WCC statement, approved unanimously with two abstentions, was praised by
several delegates as "forward-looking."

Among them was the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the Presbyterian
Church (USA), who said he was "deeply grateful" for the statement, which he
said "gives some understanding of what we're to do next, because we have been
so concerned with trying to stop the war."

The central committee reiterated its condemnation of the abuses of the Saddam
Hussein regime, but nonetheless called the U.S. and British-led war "immoral,
ill-advised and in breach of the principles of the U.N. charter."

It called for the U.N. Security Council "to insist on the establishment of a
legitimate, sovereign, elected and inclusive government as early as possible,
and (to order) the immediate and orderly withdrawal of the occupying forces."

The committee praised the lifting of economic sanctions against Iraq after 13
years, and called for cancellation of the country's onerous debt, which it
said resulted from "loans that merely financed the previous Iraqi regime."

It affirmed the inter-religious cooperation being demonstrated in Iraq, and
said the country's religious institutions must play a central role in its
reconstruction. It also urged all Christians to pray for the Iraqi people and
churches."

U.S. lays out new Iraq UN resolution

A proposal for a new UN Resolution?

It's about time!
Let's hope Bush is sincere and humble. He's made a real mess of things in Iraq....and in this world.
Let's hope it's not too late. You can almost be sure there will be intense UN negotiations to follow since Bush has regularly and ignorantly shown himself to be an international divider.
How much time is there to spare before we lose this war in shame?

U.S. lays out new Iraq resolution
From CNN's Dana Bash and Elise Labott
Wednesday, September 3, 2003

WASHINGTON (CNN) --"
A U.S. resolution strengthening the United Nations' role in Iraq and calling for a broader multinational force in the country could be presented to the Security Council as early as Wednesday, White House officials have told CNN."

Look, people...I'm just a writer in the wilds of upstate New York. I'm not a politician or a foreign policy expert.
I do, however, have good clean common sense. I could see this coming for months. If you don't believe me, go to my archives and read what I've been saying.
So many of us common folk could see this disaster on the horizon.
Why didn't our President see it?
Why didn't our Congress ask the hard questions before we began this fatal adventure in Iraq?
Did Republicans fall in blindly?
Did Democrats vote YES to give this duncecap-President the authority to make war upon Iraq....hoping he'd mess up and they would score political points?
Do you find it all disgusting?
Do you want your country back?

Another soldier has died tonight in a helicopter crash south of Baghdad.
The military says two more American soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack on their convoy in southern Baghdad on Monday.

This is madness.
Our Founding Fathers would die if they weren't dead already.

Bush is the worst President in U.S. History

So how much will the Iraq War cost us?
George Bush won't say right now because of the likely political fallout.
Bush will wait until the last possible moment so Congress won't have time to debate.
As usual, it's politics first, the American public last.
Bush is the worst President in U.S. History.


From USA Today Article Posted 9/3/2003 12:19 AM
Officials: No Iraq price tag for now


"....Administration officials, speaking on the condition that they not be identified, say they believe adequate funding is available for Iraq through December. Presenting the funding request in November gives Congress a limited amount of time to debate before acting.

The administration did not offer a prewar estimate of postwar costs. It has said profits from Iraq's oil wells would be used to offset expenses, but production remains below prewar levels.

Leon Panetta, who served as budget director for President Clinton, says the administration probably doesn't want to be specific about costs "for fear that it will set off a political explosion."

Other current articles:

Army Lacks Forces for Iraq Mission, CBO Warns
By Thomas E. Ricks and Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 3, 2003


Frustrated lawmakers question Bush Iraq policies

Congress starts to grumble over Iraqi occupation
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Both sides of the political spectrum are engaged in a debate over whether to send more troops, while others groan about costs

Iraq occupation could cost from $8 billion to $29 billion, congressional analysts say
By Alan Fram, Associated Press, 9/2/2003 22:32

Latest Iraq threat: cash crunch: US administrator Paul Bremer says the coalition budget for Iraq will fall short by $3.5 billion this year.

Bush's Labor Day Charade
Richfield, Ohio is not convinced:



''If I had George Bush's economic record, I'd stay at Camp David on Labor Day,'' said Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, whose congressional district includes Richfield. "President Bush has the single worst economic record of any president since Herbert Hoover led the country at the onset of the Great Depression", Brown said."

I'll bet the Labor Day reception wouldn't have been much warmer in Galesburg, Illinois.

Defying the Dependent Deity

Defying the Dependent Deity
By Richard Cohen
Tuesday, September 2, 2003

"...All over the world, people are hideously butchered in the name of God, which is to say condemned to death on account of an accident of birth. (This, after all, is how most of us get our religious convictions.) Religion can have a hard time being tolerant. To many adherents, the stakes are too high.
I am at a loss to explain this mentality...
...I am at a loss, too, to explain why the all-powerful deity needs some schoolteacher to lead a prayer -- why, for instance, the religious do not tend to this matter before their children leave for class. I do not understand why a God who once smote with abandon and authored miracles that science could never explain needs a statue here or a display there to remind us of his omnipresence......"

Salem Pax's home gets busted

From The Peking Duck blog: Salem Pax's home gets busted

Peking Duck writes:

"A shocking story over at Salem Pax about a recent raid of his house by American troops. It's not that they did anything brutal or cruel. But it certainly isn't the way to win friends and influence people. It told me me how much the Iraqis must despise us.

SP is educated, erudite and urbane, probably more so than your average Iraqi. So imagine how they must feel during events like this, which are apparently quite commonplace now. Are we welcomed and beloved by most Iraqis or feared and despised? My common sense tells me it has to be the latter, in which case I wonder, how can we ever succeed there? The whole thing was based on the premise that we'd be greeted with open arms and welcomed as liberators, if not saviors. And to a certain extent, we were. But as so many of the "weasels" and "anti-Americans" feared, there was no realistic plan to deal with the aftermath. We over-reached, the most common blunder of heady conquerors."


Fellow blogger Salem Pax tells the story firsthand at his weblog. Link HERE.

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION FOUND - Army Burns Sarin Gas in Alabama Incinerator

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION FOUND!
-In Anniston, Alabama-
Acceptable Risk or Unacceptable Risk?
You Decide
Sarin Gas Burning in Alabama--35,000 People Live Within a Nine-Mile Range
Arkansas, You're Next.

Army Burns Sarin Gas in Alabama Incinerator
from the Associated Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are people in Anniston concerned?

You bet your bum they are!

See:
Alabamians worry as sarin gas burns
Army destroys nerve agents; nearby town preps for danger

"....The Army says burning chemical weapons is safer than leaving them alone at the Anniston Army Depot, where government employees have found 882 leaks since 1982, Abrams said...."

Oye---Such a Comforting Alternative!

Hard Talk On Labor Day
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Monday 1 September 2003

Excerpt:

"....... I believe, at the end of the day, that America is an idea, a dream. You can take away our cities, our roads, our crops, our armies, you can take all of that away, and the idea that is America will still be there, as pure and great as anything conceived by the human mind. I believe the idea that is America stands as the last, best hope for this world. When used properly, it can work wonders.

I believe that the idea, the dream, that is America was made possible by the men and women who lived and worked and died for the right of workers to stand collectively for themselves. The idea that is America would not exist without unions, period. We must make people understand that. A great, great many Americans are well aware that the folks running things today do not have their interests in mind, but instead serve the interests of entities that would see workers' rights ground to powder.

That awareness is out there. We must make them aware that unions offer them the best possible chance to bring change, to turn back this tide, to bring us more fully towards the realization of that idea that is America. In your hands is the power to do these things. In your hands is the future of this great nation.

The word 'Union' is synonymous with the word 'Work.' I say let us begin this work, let us begin it today, let us not stop, let us not tire. I say let us begin. ...."

Will the Bush Administration Do ANYTHING to Try to Prove They Aren't Lying Sacks of Greed?

Get this:

The Bush Administration is now alleging that Saddam Hussein
sent out spies to spread false rumors that Iraq possessed
Weapons of Mass Destruction, thus forcing the United States to invade Iraq.

As if Saddam would risk an invasion of his country,
his assured removal from power, and the lives of his family!!

How gullible does this Administration think we are?


Read this article from the UK Mirror:

RIDDLE FOR SPY CHIEFS
Sep 1 2003
By James Hardy


BRITISH and US spy chiefs are desperately trying to discover if Saddam duped them into believing Iraq had chemical and bio weapons.

Former Iraqi officers have confirmed Saddam sent double agents disguised as defectors to the West to plant fabricated intelligence.

The regime is also thought to have tricked real defectors into giving phoney tips - knowing they would pass lie detectors.

Experts believe Saddam wanted to convince his enemies of his military might to boost his reputation as a strong man.

An inspector with the 1,400-strong Iraqi Survey Group - which has failed to discover WMDs - added: "We said Saddam was a master of deception. Then, when we couldn't find anything, we said that proved it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, we have the infamous journalist Judith Miller popping up in the news. I've said all along she's a joke, so this is an appropriate blog entry in which she might appear. She's done far more damage than Jayson Blair ever dreamed of doing. Why is she still taken seriously in the world of journalism?
More importantly, why the hell did ANYONE within the Bush administration take her seriously?
More shitty leadership.
What a dirty shame!


An Important article From Slate:

Judith Miller: Duped?
Did the New York Times swallow Saddam's disinformation?
By Jack Shafer
Posted Friday, August 29, 2003, at 2:38 PM PT

".....No reporter was more go-go on the prospect of finding caches of unconventional weapons in Iraq than New York Times correspondent Judith Miller, who published numerous stories during the 18 months leading up to the war that supported allegations that Saddam Hussein was illegally developing, building, and storing chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons....."

"....No mainstream journalist bit harder on the Iraqi defectors' claims than Judith Miller. In the 18-month run-up to the war, Miller relied on their testimony again and again, as this earlier "Press Box" column documents. If the Iraqi defectors were indeed trafficking disinformation, they found a willing propagator of it in Miller and the New York Times. Although Miller salted her stories with disclaimers that the CIA and State Department tended to doubt many of the defectors, she and her editors continued to give prominence to their claims. Her closeness to Chalabi cannot be denied...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the lighter side (as if all the above wasn't JOKE enough for you), read this piece by Argus Hamilton-host comedian at The Comedy Store in Hollywood.

Excerpts:

"...CIA reports surfaced Monday saying Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction may be hidden in containers deep inside Lebanon. They have to be somewhere. Americans don’t know where their jobs went either, but that doesn’t mean they never existed..."

"....The White House said Wednesday it will ask Congress for billions more to run Iraq. There must be a better way to pay for this show. If we sell naming rights to the country, the new nation of Jack Danielstan won’t cost the taxpayers a nickel.
Paul Bremer said it will take years and billions of dollars from outside Iraq to get the country on its feet and running. That’s at odds with what we all saw on television. The country was on its feet and running at the first sound of gunfire...."

ON LABOR DAY:

The National Maximum Wage
- a fanciful orwellian essay
by Todd J. Schneider
The Free Thinker's Page




Dec. 24, 2009 - The New York Times reports today that Representative Bob Whiteman, freshman Republican Congressman from Texas has introduced a bill that would set a federal maximum wage for all manufacturing and most service sector jobs.

"In order to be competitive with the industrial powerhouses of India, China, and all those 'other countries over there', after the recess I will bring to the floor of the house legislation that would bring labor costs more in line with a world standard. Although we have been successful in repealing The Clean Air Act under the guidance of President Jeb Bush, it's really not enough to make us competitive with the rest of the world. Outlawing labor unions, as we did last Spring, isn't really a substantial enough gain. We need to let foreign investors know that we are serious about increasing production, and cutting the cost of doing business. The Fairness In Profit for Freedom and Families Act of 2008 went a long way toward our goals, with the federally-mandated 10 hour work day, but there is still room for improvement. I know that we will meet some small opposition from those wanting to play politics with this issue, just as they did when we privatized Social Security. But if these few remaining Democrats really want to stand with the President and his patriotic approach to commerce, they'll vote with me on this bill."

An aid to another congressman confided that, "After reviewing it closely with some of his constituents in the Automotive and Pharmaceutical industries, my boss is starting to see the wisdom in it. After all, as long as the American worker makes enough to feed her family, so they have the energy to work their six 10 hour days, and has a 'manageable' credit card debt load of say, 10 or 15 thousand dollars, then they really shouldn't have any problem. After all, a portion of the average family is already supported by the government, doing their patriotic duty protecting American interests in Iran/Iraq, The Philippines, South America...You know, I think the average American now understands that the only way to keep American jobs and American freedom is to make sacrifices. And any argument from the other side is just old-fashioned politicking, from a bunch of whiners that weren't even patriotic enough to support our great president before Operation Venezuelan Liberty."

When asked about the bill, a Democratic Congressman who asked to not be named said, "The middle class is gone. And there's not a damn thing we can do about it. After the new mid-census redistricting, the recall of 3 Democratic governors and packing of three-quarters of the Federal Judgeships when filibustering was done away with, the presidency has become the only branch of government. And this Representative Whiteman is just another player in the Republican formula - let some young buck that's all full of himself take a shot at introducing some off-the-wall legislation. He has the chance to be hero or zero - to make a name for himself or be a chump. But in the end, the electorate gets used to the idea and eventually accepts it. But to tell you the truth, after the legislation two years ago that protects voting results and the companies that make the machines under the umbrella of national security, the electorate may not be even essential to the process anymore!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I never was much of a conspiracy theorist. Even though my political life began on 22 November, 1963, and I DON'T believe that Oswald was much more than a patsy, I noticed early on that the media had a way of spinning these searches for the truth into something akin to claiming to have been abducted by aliens. A few words from high-placed officials or academia, and the public tends to shun the subject and the messenger.

That's not to say that I didn't believe the theories myself; I just felt that, since they were being ignored so successfully, the person's energy was being wasted in a sad way. Let's move on, I thought. Things will work themselves out! The present state of the Union and the people (read Thinktanks) running it though, have proven me an ass and a fool.


In the above fanciful newsclipping, a law introducing a federal MAXIMUM wage is being put forth to make us competitive internationally. Far-fetched? If you would have asked me 10 years ago whether I thought something like this would take place, I would have said I was 80 per cent sure that there would be enough good people imbued with a conscience to never let that happen. You would always hear someone out of the corner of your ear say, "They want to destroy the middle class". Of course, as a blue-collar guy, I was always receptive to this sort of statement. But I lived in a semi fantasy world where good would triumph over evil at the end of the day, just like on TV. Even my dad, who isn't a real radical guy has spoken this phrase many times - and he owns the family company! But it has always been our family heritage to have a healthy distrust for the ruling economic elite. And you know what? We hillbillies was right, all along.

The creeping control of an ever-shrinking number of financial entities over our political system has been coming for a long time; in fact, our great republic has never been free of this sickness. But the coming of the Texans to Washington has accelerated this process at a speed that has been faster than the eye. But something caught my eye, and the eye of others before me. Note that the economy never seems to be much of an issue to the present occupier of The White House. Even though it was allegedly the issue that killed daddy's presidency, Junior doesn't really seem to be the least bit bothered by the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, we can jot this down as bush's total inability to understand the life of a commoner. True enough. Or we can say that this guy is a moron, and isn't intelligent enough to grasp the long-term effects of job loss.

Though I agree heartily with both concepts as basic elements of the bush 'mystique', I am starting to see (taking points from the anti-globalization fighters, union folks, etc.) that there is a reason the powers that be aren't at all alarmed with economic downturns. When a person has a choice between feeding her family at a $5 an hour job, or seeing them starve because she has no job at all, she is going to take that job. This idea is summed up for me in something my dad said to me once. It was a few decades ago; somewhere around the early seventies. Our shop was slow for some reason or another, and one day my dad was half complaining about the current state of things. But switching to a lighter note, he proclaimed, "This is good for us, though", going on to say that if a guy lost his job in another machine shop, we had a chance to take on an experienced guy for the lower wages that we paid at our shop. Now, my dad is a good guy, and has since seen through the moneyed elite for what they really are. In fact, he has turned around to voting blue collar, even though he is a small business owner. But times were different then. We didn't fear the reality of exploited foreign labor, and we had a Democratic majority that boldly stood for the American worker against unfettered profiteering.

But now we have a president beholden' to the corporate cash that had him appointed to the office. The scary part is that these fellows (the ones that pull the puppet strings) are of the opinion that this is a GOOD thing. Almost daily, American workers are confronted with another removal of pro-worker legislation, with the gutting of a federal agency that would protect their job, with the rhetoric that unions are somehow destroying America's freedom (though the Teamsters have played ball with them for years). And all the while, the corporate media makes excuses for it, or ignores it all together, because 'you don't bite the hand that feeds you'.

Yes, a poor economy is good for corporate America - which, let's admit it - sees loyalty and patriotism in terms of how they can put an American flag on a product in order to increase sales. In fact, the international nature of today's global economy really nullifies any real loyalty to our country, let alone foster any egalitarian sentiments toward America's workers. Untold riches are their god, and the flag is just a promotional vehicle. And as much of a beneficiary is the Republican Party. Not only have they laid the red carpet of profit before their corporate friends, they have served to distract the voting public. When both Mom and Dad have to work at low paying jobs to make ends meet, they have very little time left to research the issues, and no funds to contribute to progressive (un-American, freedom-hating) candidates.

Yes, the above faux news release is fanciful, and God help us that it never happens. Maybe ALL the workers in the world will be raised UP to a decent standard of living, and our corporate overlords will be overcome with altruistic ideals of the betterment of mankind. But if you would have asked someone 15 years ago whether or not they thought that 20 or 30 unelected men in swanky D.C. office buildings would dictate that we preemptively attack a third-rate country for economic and political gain, you probably would have thought that it couldn't, or wouldn't happen. Or that if it came out, the people responsible would be at least going to some minimum security federal prison for 18 month's cooling-off. But that's not the case, is it? So, I begrudgingly have become a conspiracy theorist. And I believe that the ultimate conspiracy in play today is the Republican/corporate dream of the universal $4 an hour job. Remember, I tried to resist!

Al Qaeda-TYPE?!

al-Qaeda-TYPE???????!

"...US President George Bush said earlier this month that more foreign "al-Qaeda-type fighters" have moved in."

More al-Qaeda types?




Shown: John Brown, Timothy McVeigh, Benedict Arnold, Randy Weaver, David Koresh, Nancy Morgan Hart, Boston Tea Party, Daniel Shays of Shays' Rebellion


From:

Blast suspects linked to bin Laden, Saddam
By Tarek Al-Issawi
August 31, 2003
The Sun-Herald


READ THIS AND CONSIDER THAT THERE WERE NO TIES BETWEEN SADDAM HUSSEIN AND OSAMA BIN LADEN BEFORE BUSH LED US INTO THIS UNILATERAL PREEMPTIVE ATTACK UPON IRAQ.
BUSH HAS MADE US CITIZENS AND THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ LESS SECURE THAN EVER BEFORE.
HOW, YOU ASK?
BY CREATING A SITUATION WHERE MEN LIKE HUSSEIN AND BIN LADEN, ONCE AT ODDS WITH ONE ANOTHER, WOULD COME TOGETHER IN SOLIDARITY.
YES--BUSH IS A UNITER...NOT A DIVIDER.
THE PROBLEM IS THIS: HE'S NOT UNITING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS OR THE WORLD COMMUNITY....HE'S UNITING TERRORISTS.

"....Najaf governor Haidar Mehdi Matar said the four suspects were two Iraqis from Saddam Hussein's fallen regime and two Arab nationals, categorised as Sunni Muslim radicals.

A senior police official said earlier that all four had connections to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network."

Paul Bremer was WHERE?!

Paul Bremer was WHERE??!



Does anyone else think it's totally inappropriate for Paul Bremer to be taking a VACATION while our troops are dying?!

From NY Times:

Death and Hesitation in Iraq

By DEXTER FILKINS

BAGHDAD, Iraq --

"The car bomb that killed one of Iraq's most important spiritual
leaders today was apparently met by a political vacuum in the nation's
capital, where the Iraqi and American officials charting the country's
future seemed unsure who should respond and how.

Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, a symbol of moderation in this
restive land, was dead. Religious leaders called for blood and
vengeance, and in some places the ayatollah's mourners took to the
streets.

Yet here in Baghdad, the Iraqi and American officials charged with
shepherding this country toward democratic rule went about their
business as if little had changed.

There were no speeches calling for calm and few public appearances by
anyone in charge. L. Paul Bremer III, the chief American
administrator, was on vacation.

Nobody seemed to know when exactly he would return.

The American military command here said nothing...."

See link for entire article.

Alastair Campbell Quits

Alastair Campbell quits

The BBC is slowly being vindicated.

HAVE WE LEARNED???

WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE REMIND GEORGE W. BUSH?

Hot Summer? Hotter Fall

Hot Summer? Hotter Fall
From Tom Paine.com

Hey, Mr. Bush...


"Bush could only react, interrupting his vacation -- and his fundraising -- to issue a soundbite about energy policy and deliver more boilerplate about evildoer terrorists. The president was all talk and no action, which only drives home the point that, while Iraq is burning, he's chopping wood....

...I can't help but think of Bush's father, who insisted that all was right with the world right up until the voters gave him a nice long vacation."

Iraq: One in Three US Military Dollars Spent Goes to Halliburton

Iraq: One in Three US Military Dollars Spent Goes to Halliburton
From CorpWatch.org

"..The size and scope of the government contracts awarded to Halliburton in connection with the war in Iraq are significantly greater than was previously disclosed and demonstrate the U.S. military's increasing reliance on for-profit corporations to run its logistical operations..."

"...The amount of money [earned by Halliburton] is quite staggering, far more than we were originally led to believe. This is clearly a trend under this administration, and it concerns me because often the privatization of government services ends up costing the taxpayers more money rather than less."
U.S. Rep Henry Waxman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



This is freedom? This is the answer to the evils of Big Government? Toiling to pay your taxes to Halliburton while the nation's deficit could fill up the Grand Canyon?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...Independent experts said the trend toward outsourcing logistic operations has resulted in new problems, such as a lack of accountability and transparency on the part of private military firms and sometimes questionable billing practices..."

"...."At the end of the day, neither these companies nor their employees are bound by military justice, and it is up to them whether to show up or not," Singer said. "The result is that there have been delays in setting up showers for soldiers, getting them cooked meals and so on."
A related concern is the rising cost of hiring contract workers because of skyrocketing insurance premiums. Singer estimates that premiums have increased by 300 percent to 400 percent this year, costs that are passed on to the taxpayer under the cost-plus-award fee system that is the basis for most contracts...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COMPANION STORY: Two U.S. Firms Hit Iraq Jackpot

Operation Iraqi Freedom: The well-hidden and forgotten wounded

Operation Iraqi Freedom:
The well-hidden and forgotten wounded

Wounded, Weary And Disappeared
From Tom Paine.com

"......the president has not shown up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to shake
hands with the recovering Robert Garrisons or Kenneth Dixons. Journalists should
pay these visits for him, to tell us the stories of these men and women, whose
problems will stretch into the coming years. And they should ask the president
why he is so reluctant to see these troops he sent so confidently into battle....."

Operation Iraqi Freedom: More lies on the Way

More lies, exaggerations, and cover-your-ass-syle WMD intelligence reports are on the way....



".....Canon Andrew White said Tony Blair had joined forces with the Americans to produce evidence on how the WMDs were removed by Saddam Hussein prior to invasion."

In a Long Presidential Race, Dean Sprints

DEAN WOWED 10,000 IN BRYANT PARK LAST NIGHT

In a Long Presidential Race, Dean Sprints
By JODI WILGOREN
NY Times Aug 27, 2003

"....The large and energetic crowds that followed Dr. Dean, and the meticulousness of his schedule and stage-managed events, prove he remains a phenomenon...."

From the Lessig blog

An excellent blog-related interview with Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi at Professor Lawrence Lessig's blog

Excerpt:

L: So when the Democratic Leadership Council attacks your campaign, are they attacking your campaign because they're not comfortable with this form of democracy?

T: Yes. I really think that's a good part of it. I think the one reason we have so much opposition — even within our own party — is because they like being in charge. They like it the way it is, or at least, too many of them do. And they're actually afraid of what would happen if people actually gave a damn again and started becoming involved and actually demanded that issues like healthcare got addressed without special interests whacking it down.

So yes, I have come to believe that a large part of why the DLC attacks Howard Dean so vehemently has a lot more to do with the power of what they're saying this campaign is about. They're not real thrilled with it.