And the Nixonian similarities just keep on coming. AP:
WASHINGTON – Key figures in a phone-jamming scheme designed to keep New Hampshire Democrats from voting in 2002 had regular contact with the White House and Republican Party as the plan was unfolding, phone records introduced in criminal court show.
The records show that Bush campaign operative James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002 — as the phone jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down.
The national Republican Party, which paid millions in legal bills to defend Tobin, says the contacts involved routine election business and that it was “preposterous” to suggest the calls involved phone jamming.
The Justice Department has secured three convictions in the case but hasn’t accused any White House or national Republican officials of wrongdoing, nor made any allegations suggesting party officials outside of New Hampshire were involved. The phone records of calls to the White House were exhibits in Tobin’s trial, but prosecutors did not make them part of their case.
Democrats plan to ask a federal judge Tuesday to order GOP and White House officials to answer questions about the phone jamming in a civil lawsuit alleging voter fraud.
Repeated hang-up calls that jammed telephone lines at a Democratic get-out-the-vote center occurred in a Senate race in which Republican John Sununu defeated Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, 51 percent to 46 percent, on Nov. 5, 2002.
The phone records show that most calls to the White House were from Tobin, who became President Bush’s presidential campaign chairman for the New England region in 2004. Other calls from New Hampshire senatorial campaign offices to the White House could have been made by a number of people.
[]
Virtually all the calls to the White House went to the same number, which currently rings inside the political affairs office. In 2002, White House political affairs was led by now-RNC chairman Ken Mehlman. The White House declined to say which staffer was assigned that phone number in 2002.
I think we’ve been here before:
GOP Security Aide Among Five Arrested in Bugging Affair
By Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, June 19, 1972One of the five men arrested early Saturday in the attempt to bug the Democratic National Committee headquarters is the salaried security coordinator for President Nixon’s reelection committee.
The suspect, former CIA employee James W. McCord Jr., 53, also holds a separate contract to provide security services to the Republican National Committee, GOP national chairman Bob Dole said yesterday.
Probably all part of that plan to bring "honor and decency" back to the White House. Well, at least it’s not another pedophile.
I think they totally blew the opportunity to insert the term of the day: wild speculation.
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fitz, ya bastards!
Go Joe and Valerie, GO, GO, GO! Fitzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Fitz, Feingold, Firedoglake
Here’s one difference between then and now…..
If Mistah Nixon had just named Larry OBrien and the ABM movement National Security risks right from the start he could have made himself the ultimate cutout and he would have been untouchable from the start.
(who says neandercons don’t learn Mr. Faulty).
.
Sharkbabe….
Bahstahds.
Inflection matters. ;-)
“No mere statement of innocence by Mr. Nixon’s campaign manager will dispel these questions.”
You bet it won’t!!!
Trust me? I don’t think so, George.
‘Tonight, on Unmutual Of Omaha’s Wild Speculation, Bill Clinton and Barbara Bush demonstrate the mating habits of the wily box turtle…’
;>)
palamedes – you totally right, apologies :)
And the Washington Post editorial will be entitled: “A Good Phone-Jam”
one of these days(nights?)I’ll get the top FITZ again!
I had forgotten that McCord had been ‘contracted out’…
ccmask, we’re counting down!
tick-tock
tick-tock
Got EPU’d again, but I’m reposting this:
Hello, friends, how’s everybody?
I know, I know, but let’s all take a nice deep breath. It does help, OK? Now, b r e a t h e. Very nice.
Back to business:
I’m posting the letter I wrote to the DSCC in reply to thier recent beg letter and below that, thier response.
From: zennurse
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 8:37 PM
To: DCCC
Subject: RE: Whatever it Takes- Response to mass mailing for funds
Where were you today during the Censure Resolution Hearings, and where is the e mail about this issue? I have no interest in donating my meager political funds to a group that doesn’t understand how crucial this issue is. If Bush is allowed unfettered freedom to break the law without major Democratic organizations collectively addressing it by standing with Senator Feingold, then whatever else you want to do is just pointless. You might as well call yourselves money launderers because there will be no point to electing Democrats to a Congress that has no further meaning in our government. Rahm Emaneul and the DSCC, DLC and DNC are spending too much time and money within the party machine, listening to cousultants who want them to go along to get along and what we see from this on the street is NO ACTION ON THE DISMANTLING OF OUR GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION.
I am aware that Mr. Emanuel believes the netroots will contribute to his cause without significant effort on his part. He needs to understand that he is rapidly losing his credibility with those whohave learned that it is possible to have personal control over our donation decisions rather than blindly supporting a machine that doesn’t represent our concerns and takes our dollars and committment to progressive causes for granted.
I will donate my dollars to candidates of my own choosing through direct means rather than supporting an organization which is so cavalier about my concerns, involvement and contributions.
zennurse
Gloucester, MA
************************************************
DSCC response
No greeting:
Thank you for taking the time to share your views with us. However, as you can appreciate, the DCCC focuses exclusively on electing Democrats to the House of Representatives. We do not comment on any political actions taken by members of the House of Representatives in regards to policy positions or impeachment / censure inquiries.
If you wish to pursue your concerns about the events taking place in the United States or remarks made by the President, please contact your local Member of the House of Representatives.
Again, thank you for contacting us and we hope that we will be able to count on your support as we fight to restore a Congress that will be motivated by the public interest rather than greedy and narrow special interests.
Sincerely,
DCCC Action Center Team
Vaughan — you’ve obviously got the inside track
Jane, aren’t you just engaging in “wild speculation” when you suggest that there are any similarities between crime-committing (and convicted)Republican political operatives in Watergate in 1972, and crime-committing (and convicted) Republican political operatives in New Hampshire in 2002?
Hmmm. The 2002 operation exudes the stench of Karl Rove, doesn’t it?
Now, who in the Bush White House right now has good reason to be pissed at Unca Karl? Why, could it be — Dick Cheney? The guy Karl’s given up to Patrick Fitzgerald’s tender mercies?
Yeow! First Digby a few minutes ago, and now this. Below is extract from the Digby post. My question: is this a coincidence?
I heard Karl Rove speaking to the Republican Lawyers Association on Friday (via C-Span) and he was going on and on and on about how the Democrats are cheating in elections. He cited “case” after “case” in which Democrats are disenfranchising Republicans all over the country. It’s shocking: the voter fraud, the throwing out of Republicans absentee ballots, the partisan vote count manipulation. He’s very worried about the integrity of our elections and thinks Republicans will be at a permanent disadvantage is something isn’t done.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com…..7053090841
Anyway, more evidence that the meek Democrat strategy is very dangerous. The Bushites will come at us with all sorts of off-the-wall smears, regardless of what the Dems do. So, OK, looks like high ranking (V. high ranking up to at least Rove) had something to do with election fixing. Obvious next move for them -go on offense against Dems on same issue (no matter how absurd, off-the-wall or out-of-the-blue). The GOP miracle instant balance recipe! It slices it dices, it’s self-sharpening, it’s just that easy! They can find enough timid journalists willing to fuzz the issue with balance, in order to stay off the reactionary hate lists. They have some very powerful lying whores (WaPo editorial board) who will willingly carry this water.
What are Dems going to do?
hint: road, middle of; deer; headlights.
My EYES my EYES!!!
Just say NO to Crack.
I just went over to Matt O’s site to check on the comments mentioned on the last thread, but there are no comments on any of the last posts. Anyone?
This is like watching another derivative gangster movie. You just can’t believe that the same old crimes are in the script. It’s all here—the same old shit we saw before. I mean, can’t they write something new? I dunno, I’m thinking about walking out to the box office and demanding my money back. Or at least a free ticket. I understand there’s a good French film playing, something about a labor uprising, and a film by a Mexican-American partnership about a street-level revolution…
Olbermann just ran the footage of todays Bush appearance at Johns Hopkins. The man simply reeks dishonor and his body language and facial expressions spoke volumes as he explained his decision to “declassify” the NIE information.
If there’s ever been a more fraudulent being in human history, I’d like to know who….
The phone calls from Tobin to the WH were undoubtedly to Rove, and I’m pretty sure there’s a criminal investigation going on there too, so Rove’s up to his eyeballs in alligators no matter which direction he turns. If Rove doesn’t spend the remainder of his life behind bars, there is no justice in the world!
apropos election cheating by Democrats: Indiana, like 6 other states (notably Georgia), passed a law requiring a state-issued ID like a drivers license. No exceptions! No substitutions! Many older Hoosiers have never driven and have never had to have a State ID card. A lot of folk will be disenfranchised. Black leadership is up in arms about it.
What’s amazing, there hasn’t been any cases of election day voter ID fraud for many many years. Clever cheating is done by working the absentee-voting process but that’s another story…
And lest we forget, a nukular attack on Iran could be just what Bush needs to embrace his inner Pinochet here at home.
There must be 50 Ways To Dump The Dubya
Fiat Lux
Arrest the crooks!
Jane, we have a complete breakdown of all civilized political behavior in this country. We have all witnessed this, with ever-growing incredulity, since the Clinton Cock Hunt.
Were Nixon himself to behold what we’re in now – “wait, omg – I never coulda dreamed up this kind of crazy shit, hold up! don’t these people care in the least about our actual country? wtf!?”
OT but
Zen,
how did your patient Pat do this weekend?
The Copy Desk — that is just wild speculation.
OMG, I now know what it is to be EPU’d.
Here is the report I left on the thread below:
I returned from the Obama townhall meeting where Siun and I sat up close in the hopes of getting in at least one question. But no such luck. There was only one hour for Q&A after an opening statement by the senator. I think there were only 8 or 9 questions actually asked, and I was heartened that not everyone was groveling at the feet of the junior senator from Illinois.
I was less heartened by his responses which, at times, seemed to be filibusterish in length, and well rehearsed in composition. He does think well on his feet, however. I did not quite get the feel of Joe Biden – not quite. The questions ranged from care of the veterans, to student loans, to the democrats lack of spine (well, lack of response), to dependence on foreign oil. It was here that both Siun and I cringed when he labeled Venezuela one of our “enemiesâ€. There were no questions about Iran, or his lack of support of Feingold’s censure resolution (two of our planned questions focused on those issues). It was interesting that although Obama received a standing welcome, it was Rep. Jan Schakowsky who received the loudest cheers/applause. Even though I don’t always agree with her positions, she has put her words into actions for a long time. And she has loudly and often criticized this administration.
I hope we get to meet with him at some time. I know there are plenty unasked questions that I would love to have answered.
I am certain Siun will have a clearer report than I just gave.
OBTW we have blogger rock star joining us tonight for FDL Late Nite. Digby in the house.
excellent, zenn
let’s all kick DSSC ass
And I expect Pach any minute with a report on the DC demonstration.
Ooooooooooooooooh!!
DIGBY!!!
YAY!
Rove accusing Democrats of stealing or tampering with elections? For chrissake this guy has balls of steel. It’s Rovian Ops 101 though: Accuse them of the crimes that you’re committing. Right behind: Make your opponents greatest strength his greatest weakness (hello John Kerry and John McCain) and Never Concede Anything. Fucking guy has scales.
The Leaker-In-Chief’s initial response to a question at Johns Hopkins U. concerning his declassifying sections of the NIE was that he “couldn’t comment on an ongoing legal investigation.” He then went ahead and commented that he needed “to get the truth out.” If TLIC can’t comment on an ongoing legal investigation then why did he feel free to proclaim Tom “Cut-n-Run” DeLay innocent in a recent interview?
John Aravosis over at http://www.AmericaBlog.org has been waxing enthusiastic (with fotos) about the Immigration Rally. Cute guys there too!
*ilson # 22
thought the Georgia Voter ID Law had been thrown out or at least injuncted (?) by a Reagan appointee judge who said it ‘amounted to a poll tax’
isn’t this also the case where career DOJ people said no, but were ooverridden by their appointee bosses?
Hi folks,
All this deja vu — including 50 Ways to Dump the Dubya — has me just freaked; this, plus the Joementum stuff, is really good, Jane, but omigosh, the sum total… And yes, Nixon, looks ever so much better than I ever thought he could, compared to this cretin — but tell me, folks, will Rove’s magic ever wear thin? Or, more to the point, is there anything we can do to help that happen?
Here is the other election day 2004 White Housethe phone interaction I’ve yet to see examined:
Just about the time the networks showed 80% reporting in Ohio & Florida – with the most heavily democratic counties yet to report – a CBS White House reporter said that upon asking about a loud cheer from Bush’s returns watching area, he was told that Karl Rove had just emerged from two hours in his self-described “bat cave” where he had been working the numbers and talking with the election officials in Ohio and Florida, and announced that (paraphrasing),”We’re going to take Ohio and Florida”. (This, after Karen Hughes had told Bush his defeat appeared all but certain.)
Now, why was Karl Rove consulting with ELECTION OFFICIALS to forecast still unreported precincts? Maybe the reporter mispoke, but he definitely said election officials. WTF?
Could it have anything to do with the fact that the Ohio Secretary of State was not just a rabidly partisan Republican (not to mention an “accidental” shareholder of Diebold stock), he was also the Co-Chair of Ohio’s Bush’04 campaign? And Brenda Hood, Katherine Harris’s successor as Secretary of State in Florida? I’m not sure of her official role in the Bush campaign, but no doubt she learned plenty of tricks from her old boss…
Rove Roast, anyone?
Listen to Mark Crispin Miller for 20 minutes, read Greg Palast’s work on voter disenfranchisement or just know that Rush Holt’s bill to force a paper trail on electronic voting machines was suffocated by House Republicans and you’ll know who’s doing the vote stealing. Wally O’Dell, Ken Blackwell, the Delay goons and John Bolton during the 2000 FLA recount….the pile is high.
Revolution time!
Sharkbabe says: “let’s all kick DSSC ass”
April 10th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
Sharkbabe, do you mean DSCC (Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee)?
Jay #33: because not enough people in Democratic party has sense and courage to confront Rove’s tactics head-on.
Evolving Peace #38: interesting. If Cheney is really gunning for Rove and is trying to deliver him up (for now, with Tobin scandal), then we might find out before long.
zennurse– Matt O’s post was here on FDL late night last nite. A lot of the horrific posts are history, but, you can get the feel just by browsing. ;(
zen– linky
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..s-beneath/
Digby, woo hoo! The sheer weight of FDL pulls ever more greatness into its orbit.
Leslie – thank you for the report and for going there. Good god, Obama is fucking useless. These people all think they’re in some nice 20th-c. America like it used to be and they can do their cute faux-progressive shtick and rise as “leaders.” Of what, assholes? Hey Obama, go make out with Hillary. God, useless pieces of FUCK. I’ll be as happy to see them go down as Tom Delay.
Good reporting, Ms. Hamsher! I hope this news item gets a bunch of play….but sadly, I sorta think it won’t.
On a related note, I still have a bad feeling about Ohio in 2004. Rep. Conyers has tried to look into the diebold voting machines. Alas, like all Congressional investigations, the Democrats do not have subpoena power and so the Conyers investigation dies on the vine. But if anyone looks into it, some REALLY STRANGE voting patterns and results came out of Ohio on election night. I truly believe they manipulated the Ohio results via diebold machines.
The story you write on has Rover smelling all over it. That man is dirty and slick. One day we’ll catch him…one day, I so hope. Ghostman
Jay #40: I think national election day holiday with paper ballots only and public vote counting best way to go. Short of that, no electronic voting without auditable paper trail. Anyone who opposed an auditable paper trail should be suspected of being soft on voter fraud. Dems should be very aggressive on this. More so that GOP on their racist goo-goo posturing to suppress minority and poor vote turnout.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…..6277.shtml
Link to new CBS Poll–Clusterfuck at 37% JAR.
“wild speculation”
What I love about this talking point is its utter lack of value as any type of honest communication. When I grade papers/tests, I put: “M?” next to particularly vague phrases. Especially ones that appear to be making a point but in fact are content-less. The “M?” stands in for — “MEANING?”
“Wild Speculation” is definately in the “M?” category. At first blush it seems like a denial — “couldn’t be, won’t happen” But then you peel it back and it might mean, “None of the people who were sources really know our plans, they are just speculating.” and then further, considering the “wild” — especially when Helen asked about whether the American people would follow him if he attacked — and you realize it is just a bullshit phrase intended to say nothing emphatically.
M?
Continued dissatisfaction with President Bush and the Iraq war could spell trouble for Republicans in the fall congressional elections.
More than one-third of voters in a CBS News poll say they will think of their vote as a vote against Mr. Bush, while just 14 percent will think of it as a vote for him. Forty-five percent say their view of the president will not be a factor in how they vote
CBS
sharkbabe at 45
Not exactly how I would put it, but exactly what I feel.
xxox
do you mean DSCC
yeah neuro, thanks – you know what else, I’m sick of these many different dem initial entities that all spell p-u-s-s-y v-i-c-h-y
Ahem… I’m sure there is an innocent explanation for all of this. I mean, 24 calls isn’t *that* many, and I’m sure the White House has a lot of people in it who could have answered *that* phone, and, well, ….
Those Enron guys aren’t crooks yet, are they? I mean, has anyone proven it yet?
(Got this response from calling the 1-800-PSYCHIC Republican hotline.)
Continued dissatisfaction with President Bush and the Iraq war could spell trouble for Republicans in the fall congressional elections.
EQUALS
unprovoked nuclear first strike against Iran in September.
Let the chips fall where they may.
The 2005 Ohio voting results were even weirder. Ballot questions regarding the voting process and recounts were expected to pass by a 2-1 margin. Instead they FAILED by a 2-1 margin. Now the process for demanding a recount is tied up in knots. Handy for ‘06 and ‘08?
Why hasn’t Steve Jobs given me a Close Tag Wizard? Thoughtless bastard.
egregious,
I am actually hopeful that the mess in Ohio on the voting process will end up being GOOD news in ‘06. The question is how long can the rusty and fixed apparatus last?
Kirby, thanks for asking about Pat. She transitioned into her active dying yesterday, I saw her and her family twice and by the evening, we finally had her quiet and comfortable. Recurrent non-small cell lung cancer with bilateral lower lobectomies, ovelaid with adenoca, COPD, sarcoidosis. And she would just sit there talking to you, breathing about 48 and with cyanotic legs and knees, and all the rest as you can imagine (won’t go into details). Until yesterday and hourly meds of many kinds. I haven’t listened to my voice mail, but I pray that she left us sometime last night. Her husband and 2 sons were simply wonderful. Thanks again.
angie, thanks for the link! Gotta check it out.
Oh sure, just because Tobin was in constant contact with the WH on election day that means the WH had anything to do with this particular case of voter fraud.
Next you’ll be trying to convince me that the WH was involved in the 2002 attempt to overthrow Hugo Chavez just because WH officials were in constant contact with opposition leaders during the coup attempt.
Jeesh
[/snark]
By the way, can somebody please tell me what EPU’d means. Thanks
EPU means EUROPÄISCHES PATENTÜBEREINKOMMEN . If you understand it, let us know!
zennurse.
you walk with angels.
EPU’d: I think we should put it on the site somewhere. Glossary maybe. I’m just saying.
Means that you are posting at the end of the thread so nobody is going to see it and respond.
Coined by “Evil Parralel Universe”
EPU means EUROPÄISCHES PATENTÜBEREINKOMMEN . If you understand it, let us know!
Uhm, thanks.
I think…………
EUROPÄISCHES PATENTÜBEREINKOMMEN means European Patent Convention
oh
*ilson. Stop, it’s mean.
wtg leslie!
But hilarious.
Jane, it’s nice you’ve cracked this case. And great grafix, too!
trex- no need to take off your shoes!
Zen,
Please drop me a note at edmed at cox dot net
Mark,
EPU is a term used by this list when someone posts at the end of a thread once the new thread has been posted.
immanentize: hard to believe that they would try an preemptive nuclear attack on Iran. I think there would be firestorm in US: impeachment and conviction, then to the Hague. It would be very very ugly, with a few wingnuts going, well, nuclear and postal, but I think something like that would happen. There would certainly be demonstrations that dwarfed anything for Iraq or immigration. Relatively normal wing of GOP might have to abandon Bushites out of fear of begin swept up in public fury. And response from the unitary executive would not be pretty.
So, I am crossing my fingers it won’t happen. Thing that makes me worried is that report I heard was that many high ranking civilian and military officials were threatening to resign in protest if whatever is being planned eor wargamed or scenario-ed actually transpires as political brass is contemplating. That is what makes me think not entirely Rove plant, and not simply planners running all possible scenarios, in the way that planners do to pass the time.
Something very strange happened at the Corner NR this afternoon.
I saw a hysterical post by K-LO in which she was imploring Porter Goss to finally reveal the fact that Valery Plame was never covert so that “we can finally put this whole sordid mess behind us” (or something to that effect) and then when I checked back a half hour later, the post was gone.
There’s no mention of it anywhere. I’m pretty sure the time stamp was 4:26 pm.
Someone obviously pulled it.
Is it legal to take pictures of yourself voting?
wesgpc says:
April 10th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Jay #40: I think national election day holiday with paper ballots only and public vote counting best way to go. Short of that, no electronic voting without auditable paper trail.
Auditable, schmautidable. Paper trail, schmaper etc.
These companies must be BURNED DOWN. Then their like must NEVER BE ALLOWED TO ARISE AGAIN.
Why on earth have we the people allowed these for-profit assholes anywhere near our sacred elective franchise? Look at the goddamn fucking result since 2k. This is really the only issue, people – how they’ve totally farked our voting. When will we rise to the level of Ukraine?
wespgc #47,
I agree, a national election day holiday and paper trails would move us toward ensuring all the votes are legitimate….but THEY STILL COUNT THE VOTES. Does a paper trail ensure a valid vote count? I suspect it helps, but this is one of the keystone’s of our democracy, we have to be sure.
I was thinking about Fitzgerald and the Plame investigation last night and I had a disturbing thought in light of how much faith we in the reality-based community (especially here at FDL) have put in Patrick Fitzgerald. What if the Libby perjury and obstruction charges are it? It seems pretty clear that enough evidence has come to light for the legal minds and the sleuths to piece together conspiracy and even treason…but what if it doesn’t happen? Do we vilify Fitzgerald if he doesn’t deliver the justice that we all know these criminals deserve? If he falls far short of our expectations?
I’m very hopeful based on what’s transpired….but we just don’t know how far the prosecution will take this, and anything short of some big time players getting served justice will be a huge disappointment.
I know I’m overanalyzing…
Anyone know how Jeff from Enron did in his sales pitch today? If he can sell that audience I’ll eat my purse.
Sharkbabe,
As someone posted for Jane yesterday, it’s just not good to hold things inside. Please, let it out and let us know how you really feel. *g*
Centre-left claims Italy victory
Romani Prodi has claimed victory for his centre-left coalition in the lower house, following Italy’s election.
Mr Prodi made the claim during a rally in the capital Rome, telling cheering supporters that “victory has arrived”.
But the claim has been contested by the centre-right coalition of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi – who has led the country for five years.
The election has been on a knife-edge after two days of voting. Final results have yet to be officially confirmed.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr…..897994.stm
Leslie says:
April 10th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
Speaking of EPU territory – I suppose it could also be thought of as the mostly likely place to contract what I want to call endofthreaditis, a benign affliction that occasionally affects regular FDL posters – I left a reply near the end of the previous thread to one of your posts.
wesgpc
The thing about today’s NPR Sy Hersh interview that settled it for me was when the interviewer (?) asked: “What motive could people have to tell you these things?” and Hersh answered, “Fear. Fear that they will carry this out.”
He went on to explain that the military always plans every contingency — like nuking London if necessary, but when the generals tried to “walk back” the nuclear option for Iran, the White House refused to take it off the table.
I too am hopeful that it won’t happen, but I am not at all sure it won’t happen. And that says it all, no?
zenn, I’d die right now if I could have your coolness around me. stupid joke but not really.
Kirby,
a couple of days ago you gave a great run-down of the Conn. scene and I went to sleep before I could thank you.
Thank you.
EPU’d: I think we should put it on the site somewhere. Glossary maybe. I’m just saying.
Means that you are posting at the end of the thread so nobody is going to see it and respond.
Thanks MsAnna.
That’s easy to avoid. Just don’t be last :)
concerning paper ballots: they are sure more trustworthy than purely electronic devices. I still like those heavy clunky mechanical devices that were hard to rig and gave vote totals at the end of the voting time. Sure, they’d break down and voters would have to wait until the certified mechanics got the machines fixed. Paper ballots have a MAJOR drawback: they take forever to count (tally) by hand…its the most boring of clerical work and usually done by volunteers or cheap part-time labor.
Venezuela has electronic machines that printout a paper receipt which the voter accepts and deposits in a box for recounts. Normally, the machine does the count but the paper is available for final determination if challenged.
And I find myself EPU’d
New tread HA!
moi – I saw that too! I check the Corner regularly for seeds of upcoming neo-con disinformation campaigns. And thre was a post that pleaded with Goss to come forward and prove Plame was not a classified officer (no mention that that is NOT what Libby is charged with). And then poof, it disappeared.
bless you for the care you give, zennurse
OfT: but hilarious.
“Jeff Gannon” was just an answer on “Cash Cab”, my favorite game show on The Discovery Channel.
I didn’t hear the question, because I was reading you guys, but I know it was something about a “Gay hooker with Press Credentials being let in after hours to the White House 250+ times”…
On voting: I appreciate commenters outrage re voting machines. Sorry to be realistic about what can be done for next few elections. What I think could really make a difference: Democrats really making big public stink and doing voter education. Democratic leadershhip willingness to confront GOP voting intimidation in pubic opinion arena only tool we have, realistically. But I think it is very very powerful tool to have, especially with Bushite and GOP approval ratings so low. Public sentiment that would force courts and investigators to take Democratic charges of vote tampering seriously would be very important in 2006 and 2008. And realistically, that is all we have that seems doable right now. So that is why I want more noise from the centrist headless nothings that pretend to run the party.
(”headless nothing” is not extremist hate speech -its from Abrose Bierce, and is fine political invective. We need more inventive invective for these do-nothings. “Gutless wonder” sounds good too.)
So, more Democrat bashing here, I suppose. But I think the stakes are very high, and Dems have tools if they can quit pissing themselves long enough to say something out loud.
Rove strikes me as the core of the the lying tradition of this Administration. There are plenty of bad actors, but I almost feel like there are several who, without Rove’s example, would not have taken criminal missteps along the way. I’ll think of one, just give me a minute.
Anon,
How weird was that????
Gawd I’d like to know the back story on that. I’m thinking of emailing her and asking about it.
I won’t let that happen MsAnna!
Paper ballots have a MAJOR drawback: they take forever to count (tally) by hand…its the most boring of clerical work and usually done by volunteers or cheap part-time labor.
Why can’t we make paper ballot counting a mandatory civic duty, like jury duty.
IMHO paper ballots are the only way we will get our democracy back.
Move voting to weekends, use paper, use the jury duty model (on a larger scale) to count.
A rebirth of democracy!
Stephen Parrish CPA ~
thanks for the response. for some reason I thought Douglas Feith was involved in PNAC. Don’t know how I blew that one. I guess I was just trying to be *smart* in my response. I’ll do some more reading.
Civil lawsuits sure do come in handy. That’s how DeLay’s takedown started. TRMPAC was sued for their election games, because at the time no prosecutor would touch the case. Once the records and other goodies were produced from the lawsuit, things started going downhill for the Hammer.
http://www.savetexasreps.com/index.php?m=200505
In the NH case, it started with criminal but something tells me this civil case is gonna be just as interesting. Heh, heh, heh.
Leslie, thanks also for your report. I held out such hope for your Senator Obama. Thank you for representing at the town hall meeting; I’m sure you’ll have another chance to ask your questions, or that others will ask them.
Leslie says:
April 10th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
I think you were on the right track; he knows many of the people involved with PNAC. He may be involved with AIPAC. When you have a chance, please see what Wikipedia, for example, has to say about him.
Would anyone here play the lottery without a paper ballot?
Or make a deposit or withdrawal from an ATM if you didn’t get a paper receipt? Diebold makes ATMs, so they can do paper receipts. We must insist!
‘Tomorrow on Unmutual of Omaha’s Wild Speculation…Patrick tests Karl’s lung capacity, and Mime Scotty shows us how to build an soundproof glass wall…’
;>)
The day the story of the Whitehouse being directly implicated in the 2002 phone-jamming/election-fraud/civil rights abuse of elderly and infirm is the day that Douchebagger Deluxe Rove chooses to accuse the Democrats of having elections that resemble thrid world dictatorships.
This man is intent upon destroying this nation.
-GSD
Third World meets the Turd World.
-GSD
moi –
It was almost like someone panicking – but then getting quickly shushed by other people in the room.
anon
I sent her an email, I’ll let you know if she responds.
Nice butt crack. Not wide or ugly enough to be Cheney’s
Rove is the paradigm frat-boy college Republican: smirking, pasty fucks high-fiving each other over the latest political ambush; the entitlement crowd on Spring Break, date-raping.
Phone-jamming. Old school bullshit, like McCain’s black baby and drug-addled wife. Criminals are the ones who get caught. Black, noisome “winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing” cancer on the Republic.
I’m so sick and tired of it. It’s the worst traits of the “me generation” writ large; a grotesque, blasphemous cult of wish fullfilment.
They must decrease, and we must increase.
OT, but where else to put it? Here’s my shot at a timeline on some of the Niger/Libby/Wilson etc. info.
This is just a draft and no claim to highest and best sourcing, or even reliable sourcing, yet at least, but here is the time line I get for the Niger to Libby disclosures, to lawsuit info.
1. Fall of 2001, soon after 9/11the C.I.A. received an intelligence report from Italy’s Military Intelligence and Security Service, or sismi, about a public visit that Wissam al-Zahawie, then the Iraqi Ambassador to the Vatican, had made to Niger and three other African nations two and a half years earlier, in February, 1999. While nothing was made of this at the time (1999), as the story goes, SISSMI takes another look after 9/11 and suggests Zahawie was really there to buy yellow cake. The VP sees this info, which had not documentary support, and brings it up in his daily CIA briefing – briefer chcks it out, tells VP there are no details. VP’s Press Sec. Cathie Martin say at this point, . “End of story,†Martin added. “That’s all we know. However, a CIA source tells Hersh that Cheney asked the agency to review the matter once againhttp://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
2. November 14, 2001 as the Taliban were being routed in Afghanistan, Richard Perle, a Pentagon consultant with long-standing ties to Wolfowitz, Feith, and Chalabi, articulated what would become the Bush Administration’s most compelling argument for going to war with Iraq: the possibility that, with enough time, Saddam Hussein would be capable of attacking the United States with a nuclear weapon. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
3. December, 2001, INR major review of Iraq’s progress on WMDs, finding no progress, completed and provided to Colin Powell. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact (nonsequitor but article also details Bolton managing to get direct access to electronic surveillance data)
4. Early 2002 and January 30, 2002 SISMI intel begins to play a role in decision making and 1-30 CIA report C.I.A. published an unclassified report to Congress that stated, “Baghdad may be attempting to acquire materials that could aid in reconstituting its nuclear-weapons program.†A week later, Colin Powell told the House International Relations Committee, “With respect to the nuclear program, there is no doubt that the Iraqis are pursuing it.†http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
5. Late February, 2002 CIA sends Wilson to “discreetly check it out†and is told that CIA has received a copy of a memorandum of agreement. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
6. eight/nine days later Wilson comes back, makes report, says he assumes the VP got it. VP’s Press Sec, Cathie Martin, says, “The Vice-President doesn’t know Joe Wilson and did not know about his trip until he read about it in the press.†The first press accounts appeared fifteen months after Wilson’s trip.
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
7. Leaving out all the reports and memos re: whether Pres had already made up his mind by about March 2002 to go to war in Iraq, but lots of things floating around about that time and later, some maybe earlier (eg, recent report about Cheney requests for Iraq briefings right after 2000 vote count) .
8. August 7, 2002 Vice-President Cheney, speaking in California, said of Saddam Hussein, “What we know now, from various sources, is that he . . . continues to pursue a nuclear weapon.â€
[]August 26th, [2002] Cheney suggested that Saddam had a nuclear capability that could directly threaten “anyone he chooses, in his own region or beyond.†He added that the Iraqis were continuing “to pursue the nuclear program they began so many years ago.â€
[]September 8th, [2002]he told a television interviewer, “We do know, with absolute certainty, that he is using his procurement system to acquire the equipment he needs in order to enrich uranium to build a nuclear weapon.â€
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
9. September 8, 2002 Rice, the National Security Adviser, says in an interview, “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud†http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
10. September 14, 2002 the President makes his radio address and says, “Saddam Hussein has the scientists and infrastructure for a nuclear-weapons program, and has illicitly sought to purchase the equipment needed to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon.†http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact [All this time, 2002 elections and the force resolution are coming up. ]
11. September, 2002, Members of Congress (Durbin and Graham in particular) request an NIE before Iraq vote;, Bush was not going to get one before sending troops to invade. (NSA = National Security Archives for this timeline)
12. September 24, 2002, Tony Blair comes out with dramatic allegations about Iraq trying to purchase uranium based largely on the SISMI information. (According to a parliamentary inquiry, stronger language in the report is toned down after the CIA cautions its British counterpart and references to SISMI as the sourcing are dropped, even though they form the primary basis of the British report.
13 Oct. 1, 2002.Classified version completed
14. October 4, 2002, Tenet releases an unclassified paper Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction programs (White Paper) Per the later Senate investigation report, the White Paper was missing many of the caveats in the key judgments and was also missing some of the references to alternative views .
15. October 5, 2002 memo from CIA to Bush’s speechwriter, Michael Gerson and deputy National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, objecting to reference in proposed Cincinnati speech for Bush about Hussein trying to obtain yellowcake;
October 6, 2002 second CIA memo, this one to Rice and Hadley, more specifically referring to “weakness†in the evidence; and
Right before the speech call from Tenet to Hadley requesting the reference come out – it did not appear in the speech. http://www.downingstreetmemo.c…..chive.html
16. October 7, 2002 President Bush said, “Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof—the smoking gun—that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.â€http://www.newyorker.com/fact/…..027fa_fact
17. October 13, 2002 Wilson writes an op piece for San Jose Mercury News, critical of the run up to war and http://www.politicsoftruth.com…..addam.html
18. Oct. 16, 2002 Iraq force authorization (passed Oct 5??) is memorialized http://www.c-span.org/resources/pdf/hjres114.pdf
19. January ___, 2003 National Intelligence Council issues memo that the Niger story is baseless and should be laid to rest. http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..00916.html
20. January 28, 2003 President’s SOTUS, with 16 words, “”the British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” That sentence came in the homestretch of saying that Iraq was ”assembling the world’s most dangerous weapons.” The sentence was part of building the case that ”the gravest danger facing America and the world is outlaw regimes that seek and possess nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.”
21. February 6, 2003 Colin Powell addresses UN with “proof†http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/02/…..ranscript/ and doesn’t mention the Niger issue.
22. March 13, 2003 al-Baradei and IAEA say Niger docs obvious fakes and some resulting uproar. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/…..index.html
But the discovery raises questions such as why the apparent forgeries were given to inspectors and why U.S. and British intelligence agents did not recognize that they were not authentic … A U.S. intelligence official said that the documents were passed on to the International Atomic Energy Agency within days of being received with the comment, ” ‘We don’t know the provenance of this information, but here it is.’ ” If a mistake was made, a U.S. official suggested, it was more likely due to incompetence not malice. “That’s a convenient explanation, but it doesn’t satisfy me,” [Ray] Close [a former CIA official] said. “Incompetence I have not seen in those agencies. I’ve seen plenty of malice, but I’ve never seen incompetence.”
23. Sometime in March Wilson claims there is a meeting of Cheney staff and/or others at which investigating Wilson was planned. Cheney denies. http://www.usatoday.com/news/w…..leak_x.htm
24. June 3, 2003 and effective July 11, 2003 Tenet announces his resignation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..4Jun3.html
25. June, 2003 British parliamentary inquiry debunks Blair’s claim that, even though the Niger docs were forgeries, he and Bush had “other, secret evidence†they could not disclose. This leaves the WH edgy and fingerpointy. http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..00916.html
26. Sometime in June, 2003 President decides to “declassify†“parts†of the NIE, (resurrecting the “parts is parts†chicken nugget battles) (no, WaPo didn’t mention the nuggets, but a scoops a scoop, and parts are parts). He directs that Cheney “get it out†http://wireservice.wired.com/w…..Id=1508945 but with no other details. OR the maybe the same, maybe alternative version, http://tinyurl.com/pnjqv Bush did not authorize anyone to release the information to reporters. Apparently what he “declassified†(in the parts sense), were the Key Judgments from the NIE, which had been, in a “take out the qualifications†sense in Tenet’s white paper, plus a couple of paragraphs that were not Key Judgments but alluded to the yellowcake and aluminum tubes claims made by the VP, P, NSAdv. http://www.fas.org/irp/cia/product/iraq-wmd.html, IMO, the typed up reports of what was released do not do justice to the pdf of what was released and how it looked. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/N…..gments.pdf
since that is what was ultimately released on July 18, 2003.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/08/AR2006040800916.html IMO, the typed up reports of what was released do not do justice to the pdf of what was released and how it looked. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/N…..gments.pdf At this point, no allegations or references that the President authorized the leaking of Plame’s identity.
27. Sometime at the end of June/beginning of July?? Cheney tells Libby to make revelations of portions of the NIE ; Libby balks, Cheney tells Libby that the President has authorized the release of the information, Libby speaks with Addington (but does not include him in the “three people who knewâ€) and Addington tells him that the authorization from the President is tantamount to a declassification. All from Libby’s GJ testimony, per the Special Prosecutor’s Memorandum and does not mention any authorization by anyone to mention Plame’s identity.
28. June 23, 2003, Judy Miller and Libby meet, an incident that slips their minds (perhaps as the story takes form that the OVP and WH interest in Wilson only came about after his July op ed?) and she took notes. Subject??? [Possibly some references from this period of time to restrictions on Miller’s writing for the NYT vis a vis WMD and Iraq – but I have no cite/info so ??? Also not clear if Libby knows]
29. June 26/27??, 2003 Libby and Woodward (working on book) meet and Libby mentions info apparently from the NIE. http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..00916.html (Woodward also met with someone who mentioned Plame prior to the July 8 meeting between Libby and Miller, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10…../newsweek/ and Woodward also finds Libby’s handwriting neat and organized and should probably be called upon to help transliterate, don’t you think?) From the Newsweek article, we learn that both Woodward and Novak are convinced the Plame leaks will end up being “nothing.†Woodward also admits knowing Novaks source when it comes out that he had the discussions/meetings he had at the WH)(and we also know that Novak is “absolutely sure†the President knows who did the Plame leaking).
30. Beginning sometime on or before the beginning of July, 2003 Hadley and others are lobbying the WH to declassify parts of the NIE and are not advised, at least not through 7-8-03, that the President has already done that or started the process. http://tinyurl.com/pnjqv
31. July 6, 2003 Wilson’s “What I Did Not Find In Africa†piece.
32. July 8, 2003 Libby meets with Miller, discusses NIE sections referring to a sheet he has brought with him [who prepared and what was on it and does Spec Prosec have it?] and specifies that he understood he was to tell her that the vigorous pursuit of yellowcake was one of the Key Judgments of the NIE (it was not and, by this point, had been pretty much disproven in any event unless there was additional “secret†evidence, which there was not and had been shot down in the parliamentary inquiry report released in June). Other than the parenthetical – Libby’s GJ testimony as referred to in Spec. Prosec. Memorandum.
33. July 8, 2003 Air Force One trip to So. Africa with Card, Fleischer, Powell, the Memo naming Plame, and Rice.
34. Sometime in July, 2003 Tenet takes responsibility for the 16 words. http://www.rotten.com/library/…..rge-tenet/
35. July 13, 2003 Novak article outing Plame’s covert CIA identity.
36. July 18, 2003, the Key Judgements, plus additional paragraphs, were released to reporters. Full NIE has never been released.
37. July 23, 2003 Hadley takes blame for 16 words. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3088597.stm
38. September, 2003 meeting with Powell, where statement is made about “everyone knowing†(unclear context).
39. Septeber 26, 2003, CIA directs DOJ to initiate investigation.
40. September 29, 2003, (8:30 PM) Gonzales notified by DOJ (at request of CIA) an investigation has been opened, preserve all materials. Gonzales tells only Card at first, then 12 hours later staff.
41. October 3, 2003 Comey appointed http://www.whitehouse.gov/news…..003-7.html
42. December 23, 2003 Daschle sends letter to Ashcroft asking for a special prosecutor.
43. December 26, 2003 Post reports investigation gaining momentum
45. December 30, 2003 Fitzgerald appointed.
46. January 2, 2004 reports that FBI is having WH staffers sign releases for reporters of confidentiality they may have given their sources.
47 February 6, 2004 Fitzgerald receives letter clarifying scope.
48. November 10, 2004 Bush announces Gonzales for AG.
49. April 20, 2005 Comey announces resignation
50.October 28, 2005, Libby Indicted
51. October, 2005 Fitzgerald’s appointment as US Atty in ND IL is/was up. Renominated/reappointed????
Re: the nuclear option-my fear is it is the only toy in the WH playroom that Georgie boy hasn’t played with yet. What do kids often too when they are told not to play anymore and get ready for bed? AND re: NH, can’t George just ask the NSA who were the parties of the phone calls.
The Republicans are racists, I totally agree with that. The red state map::confederacy map identity really convinced me.
But you just need to talk with Republicans in red districts to know it’s all about the “welfare state” and the sacrifices they make for people who don’t want to work.
Ironically (for them), it is the blue states that wind up supporting red districts through federal taxes!
Let those boony-towns decay, let their crazed leaders howl in the night (how’s that for drama), and let the metropolitan areas on the east and west coasts thrive.
In 100 years the hicks, in their empty and unpainted districts with dusty and potholed roads, the hill people will still be fighting for creationism and blaming someone else for their stupidity.
brace yourself for this excuse: if the president leaks the name of a covert cia officer, then it’s not illegal. how else does novak have absolute certainty, unless bush leaked it himself or was on the phone?
The red welfare state continues. Farming price supports are a form of socialism, basically welfare. Bidless business to Halliburton, those Houston guys can’t compete in the international mega-scale building project business, they need a government hand-out to stay competitive. Plus all those do-nothing national security companies like MZM, the trough that Cunningham fed at, again is just welfare for white boys with a pretty bow put on it so they don’t have to live with the stigma of receiving govt hand-outs.
Mary (107) — good job! you might find more at Cooperative Research
(http://www.cooperativeresearch.org). If you aren’t already a member, consider joining ePluribusMedia and adding your timeline to the PlameCIA timeline there.
**ATTN. FDL’RS** Cooperative Research has been a fantastic open source repository of research into 9/11, Iraq and Katrina. Unfortunately they are out of money and need your help. Donations are tax-deductible (yay!). Go to the link above to help if you can, even $10 bucks will help keep them online. Be sure to browse the research at their site while we still can…
can we fucking impeach bush yet?
Mary,
Know I am EPU’d here, but thought you may check back.
WOW. that was some nice piece of work.
Re: You last entry. Fitz’s 4 term expired. He is now a holder terminable at will. Let them dare try it though!
Phoenix Woman:
Karl Rove oversaw (oversees?) the White House Office of Political Affairs where the calls were made to. And several Bush 2004 campaign staffers, including Kenny Mehlman and Coddy Johnson were in the Political Affairs office at the time.