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Dick
Cheney - 
Humor?-(
- 
Family
- Lineage
- 
History
- 
Book
- 
West
Virginia - "Dick
Cheney's Incest Joke Irks West Virginian Lawmakers."
... "[Republican Vice President Dick] Cheney explained that during the
course of researching his family lineage for Lynne's memoir "Blue Skies,
No Fences" last year, he learned there were Cheneys on both his father's
and his mother's side of the family. There was a Richard Cheney on his
mother's side, the vice president said." ... ""So I had Cheneys on both
sides of the family and we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney quipped."
... "[West Virginia Democratic Representative Robert Byrd later responded:]
"That a man who has ascended to the seat of vice president of the United
States would openly display such contempt and astounding ignorance toward
his own countrymen is an insult to all Americans. Now that he or the administration
he represents no longer needs their vote, Mr. Cheney apparently feels that
he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia."" -By
Mary Ann Akers -WashingtonPost
WATCH
Republican Cheney make West Virginia incest joke.
Scott
McClellan - Book
- Noteworthy
- 
US
- 
Iraq
- 
Corporate
- 
Media
- 
Military
- 
Government
- 
Politics
- Marketing
- 
Television
- History
- 
Gore
- 
Obama
- 
McCain
- 
Russert
- Cheney
- "Scott
McClellan on the "liberal media"." ... "In a minimally
rational world, this extraordinary passage, from the new book by Scott
McClellan, would forever slay the single most ludicrous myth in our political
culture: The "Liberal Media":""The collapse of the administration's rationales for war, which became apparent months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. . . . In this case, the "liberal media" didn't live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served."
"I like [Bush]. Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs, maybe on the left -- I mean -- like him personally.""Or they'll point to "liberal" Tim Russert -- Tim Russert -- about whom [Republican Vice President] Cheney press aide Cathy Martin said: "I suggested we put the vice president on 'Meet the Press,' which was a tactic we often used. It's our best format, as it allows us to control the message." That's the same "liberal" Tim Russert who confessed that he operates by the defining law of the Government propagandist: "When I talk to senior government officials on the phone, it's my own policy -- our conversations are confidential. If I want to use anything from that conversation, then I will ask permission."" ... "Or look at the recent "controversy" reported by the Associated Press over whether NBC News' reputation as an objective news outlet is being tainted by virtue of the "liberal" commentators MSNBC features. Nobody questioned whether CNN's objectivity was imperiled by featuring the likes of [right-wing commentators] Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs, nor, for that matter, did anyone raise these questions about NBC when, for years, MSNBC shows were hosted by the likes of Tucker Carlson, Joe Scarborough and Michael Savage." ... "But a single unapologetic Bush critic appears on the TV -- Keith Olbermann -- and this rarest of occurrence suddenly leads to controversy over whether the "respectability" of television news can survive while allowing a single "liberal" voice to be heard." -By Glenn Greenwald -Salon
Vito
J Fossella - 
New
York
- 
Va
- 
Law
- Cheney
- "After
Fossella’s D.W.I. Arrest, District Is Puzzled and Torn."
... "Across Staten Island [New York] on Tuesday, voters were wondering
what [New York Republican] Representative Vito J. Fossella was thinking
when, the police say, he drove into a Washington suburb while severely
intoxicated early one morning last week." ... "Prosecutors in Alexandria,
Va. [Virginia], said Mr. Fossella, 43, was driving with a blood-alcohol
level more than twice the legal limit when he was pulled over just after
midnight last Thursday. Since last week, tabloid newspapers and the blogosphere
have been filled with accounts of Mr. Fossella’s night, and The Daily News
has taken to referring to him as “Vino Fossella.”" ... "An ally of [Republican]
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney — who appeared at a fund-raiser
for him last month — Mr. Fossella remains politically strong in Staten
Island, but his margins of victory have been shrinking." -By
Jonathan
P. Hicks -NYTimes
Corporate
- Government
- Psychological
- Military
- 
Intelligence
- Television
- 
Radio
- Media
- Politics
- Classified
- US
- History
- Guantánamo
- Prison
- 
Cuba
- Human
Rights - Justice
- 
- Iraq
- 
Terrorism
- Cheney
- 
Gonzales
- "Behind
TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand." ... "In the
summer of 2005, the [Republican President] Bush administration confronted
a fresh wave of criticism over Guantánamo Bay [US military prison
in Cuba]. The detention center had just been branded “the gulag of our
times” by Amnesty International, there were new allegations of abuse from
United Nations human rights experts and calls were mounting for its closure."
... "The administration’s communications experts responded swiftly. Early
one Friday morning, they put a group of retired military officers on one
of the jets normally used by [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney and
flew them to Cuba for a carefully orchestrated tour of Guantánamo."
... "To the public, these men are members of a familiar fraternity, presented
tens of thousands of times on television and radio as “military analysts”
whose long service has equipped them to give authoritative and unfettered
judgments about the most pressing issues of the post-[September]Sept. 11
world." ... "Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a
Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign
to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance,
an examination by The New York Times has found." ... "The effort, which
began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought
to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial
dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested
in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air." ... "Those business
relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not
even to the networks themselves. But collectively, the men on the plane
and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military
contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants.
The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller
companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for
hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s
war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information
and easy access to senior officials are highly prized." ... "Records and
interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access
and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media
Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from
inside the major TV and radio networks." ... "Analysts have been wooed
in hundreds of private briefings with senior military leaders, including
officials with significant influence over contracting and budget matters,
records show. They have been taken on tours of Iraq and given access to
classified intelligence. They have been briefed by officials from the White
House, State Department and Justice Department, including Mr. Cheney, Alberto
R. Gonzales and Stephen J. Hadley." ... "In turn, members of this group
have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected
the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed
doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access." ... "A few expressed
regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the
American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis."
... "Many also shared with Mr. Bush’s national security team a belief that
pessimistic war coverage broke the nation’s will to win in Vietnam, and
there was a mutual resolve not to let that happen with this war." ... "This
was a major theme, for example, with Paul E. Vallely, a Fox News analyst
from 2001 to 2007. A retired Army general who had specialized in psychological
warfare, Mr. Vallely co-authored a paper in 1980 that accused American
news organizations of failing to defend the nation from “enemy” propaganda
during Vietnam." ... "“We lost the war — not because we were outfought,
but because we were out Psyoped,” he wrote. He urged a radically new approach
to psychological operations in future wars — taking aim at not just foreign
adversaries but domestic audiences, too. He called his approach “MindWar”
— using network TV and radio to “strengthen our national will to victory.”"
(1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
DOCUMENTS)
-By David
Barstow -NYTimes
WATCH
- "How
the Pentagon Spread Its Message." ... "David Barstow,
an investigative reporter for The Times, examines primary source documents
detailing the Pentagon’s response to criticism of then-Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld by a group of prominent retired generals." -By
David
Barstow -NYTimes
Media
- Opinion
- Dick
Cheney
- Torture
- War
Crimes - 
Criminal
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Law
- US
- 
International
- Politics
- "Bush
OK'd Torture Meetings." ... "[Republican] President
Bush says he was aware that his top aides met in the White House basement
to micromanage the application of waterboarding and other widely-condemned
interrogation techniques. And he says it was no big deal." ... ""I'm aware
our national security team met on this issue. And I approved," Bush told
ABC News' Martha Raddatz on Friday. "I don't know what's new about that;
I'm not so sure what's so startling about that."" ... "It's true that it
has been widely assumed and occasionally reported that the CIA's [Central
Intelligence Agency's] use of brutal interrogation techniques could be
traced back to the White House on a general level. But it was most definitely
new last week when ABC
News reported that a group of Bush's top aides, including [Republican]
Vice President Cheney, took part in meetings where they explicitly discussed
and approved -- literally blow by blow -- tactics such as waterboarding.
And while Bush has previously defended these tactics -- vaguely, and insisting
against all evidence that they did not amount to torture -- he had not,
until now, acknowledged that he personally OK'd them beforehand." ... "If
you consider what the government did to be torture, which is a crime according
to U.S. [United States] and international law, Bush's statement shifts
his role from being an accessory after the fact to being part of a conspiracy
to commit." ... "The mainstream media by and large seem to agree with Bush
that the ABC News Report wasn't so startling, and they have given Bush's
remarks almost no coverage. There was no mention of Bush's admission in
the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal or the Los Angeles Times. There
was nothing on the major wire services. And nothing on CNN, CBS or NBC."
(1, 2,
3,
4,
5)
-By Dan Froomkin -WashingtonPost
Dick
Cheney - 
John
Ashcroft - Torture
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- US
- International
- Law
- War
Crimes - "Bush
Aware of Advisers' Interrogation Talks: President
Says He Knew His Senior Advisers Discussed Tough Interrogation Methods."
... "[Republican] President Bush says he knew his top national security
advisers discussed and approved specific details about how high-value al
Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency,
according to an exclusive interview with ABC News Friday." ... ""Well,
we started to connect the dots in order to protect the American people."
Bush told ABC News White House correspondent Martha Raddatz. "And yes,
I'm aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.""
... "These top advisers signed off on how the CIA would interrogate top
al Qaeda suspects -- whether they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of
sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding, sources
told ABC news." ... "At the time, the [National Security Council's] Principals
Committee included Vice President Dick Cheney, former National Security
Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary
of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney
General John Ashcroft." ... "The so-called Principals who participated
in the meetings also approved the use of "combined" interrogation techniques
-- using different techniques during interrogations instead of using one
method at a time -- on terrorist suspects who proved difficult to break,
sources said." ... "Critics at home and abroad have harshly criticized
the interrogation program, which pushed the limits of international law
and, they say, condoned torture." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Jan Crawford Greenburg, Howard L. Rosenberg and
Ariane de Vogue -ABCNEWS.com
Dick
Cheney - John
Ashcroft - 
Jay
Bybee - 
Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Secret
- Law
- History
- US
- Overseas
- "Cheney,
Others OK'd Harsh Interrogations." ... "[Republican
President] Bush administration officials from Vice President Dick Cheney
on down signed off on using harsh interrogation techniques against suspected
terrorists after asking the Justice Department to endorse their legality,
The Associated Press has learned." ... "The officials also took care to
insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA [Central Intelligence
Agency] interrogation methods, including waterboarding, which simulates
drowning, were discussed and ultimately approved." ... "Between 2002 and
2003, the Justice Department issued several memos from its Office of Legal
Counsel that justified using the interrogation tactics, including ones
that critics call torture." ... "The meetings were held in the White House
Situation Room in the years immediately following the [September] Sept.
11 attacks. Attending the sessions were Cheney, then-Bush aides Attorney
General John Ashcroft, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George
Tenet and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice." ... "The principals
eventually authorized physical abuse such as slaps and pushes, sleep deprivation,
or waterboarding. This technique involves strapping a person down and pouring
water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning."
... "The Office of Legal Counsel issued at least two opinions on interrogation
methods." ... "In one, dated [August] Aug. 1, 2002, then-Assistant Attorney
General Jay Bybee defined torture as covering "only extreme acts" causing
pain similar in intensity to that caused by death or organ failure. A second,
dated March 14, 2003, justified using harsh tactics on detainees held overseas
so long as military interrogators did not specifically intend to torture
their captives." ... "Both legal opinions since have been withdrawn." ...
"The department issued another still-secret memo in October 2001 that,
in part, sought to outline novel ways the military could be used domestically
to defend the country in the face of an impending attack. The Justice Department
so far has refused to release it, citing attorney-client privilege, and
Attorney General Michael Mukasey declined to describe it Thursday at a
Senate panel where Democrats characterized it as a "torture memo."" -By
Lara Jakes Jordan and Pamel Hess contributed to by Pete Yost
-AP via -SeattleTimes
Dick
Cheney
- John
Ashcroft - Jay
Scott Bybee - Torture
- War
Crimes - Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
-US
- International
- Law
- Secret
- Politics
- Prisoners
- "Sources:
Top Bush Advisors Approved 'Enhanced Interrogation':
Detailed Discussions Were Held About Techniques to Use on al Qaeda Suspects."
... "In dozens of top-secret talks and meetings in the [Republican President
Bush] White House, the most senior Bush administration officials discussed
and approved specific details of how high-value al Qaeda suspects would
be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, sources tell ABC News."
... "The so-called Principals who participated in the meetings also approved
the use of "combined" interrogation techniques -- using different techniques
during interrogations, instead of using one method at a time -- on terrorist
suspects who proved difficult to break, sources said." ... "Highly placed
sources said a handful of top advisers signed off on how the CIA [Central
Intelligence Agency] would interrogate top al Qaeda suspects -- whether
they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated
drowning, called waterboarding." ... "The high-level discussions about
these "enhanced interrogation techniques" were so detailed, these sources
said, some of the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed -- down
to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic." ... "The
advisers were members of the National Security Council's Principals Committee,
a select group of senior officials who met frequently to advise President
Bush on issues of national security policy." ... "At the time, the Principals
Committee included Vice President Cheney, former National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State
Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General
John Ashcroft." ... "Critics at home and abroad have harshly criticized
the interrogation program, which pushed the limits of international law
and, they say, condoned torture. Bush and his top aides have consistently
defended the program. They say it is legal and did not constitute torture."
... "Lawyers in the Justice Department had written a classified memo, which
was extensively reviewed, that gave formal legal authority to government
interrogators to use the "enhanced" questioning tactics on suspected terrorist
prisoners. The August 2002 memo, signed by then head of the Office of Legal
Counsel Jay Bybee, was referred to as the so-called "Golden Shield" for
CIA agents, who worried they would be held liable if the harsh interrogations
became public." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Jan Crawford Greenburg, Howard L. Rosenberg and
Ariane de Vogue -ABCNEWS.com
John
Yoo - Gonzales
- Cheney
- Addington
- War
Crimes - Criminal
- Torture
- Military
- Intelligence- Terrorism
- Political
- Law
- Secret
- Government
- History
- Civil
Liberties - 
California- US
- Guantanamo
- Cuba
- Iraq
- Prisons
- "John
Yoo's war crimes." ... "As the result of a FOIA [Freedom
of Information Act] lawsuit the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] filed
and then prosecuted for several years, numerous documents relating
to the [Republican President] Bush administration's torture regime that
have long been baselessly kept secret were released yesterday, including
an 81-pagememorandum
(.pdf) issued in 2003 by then-Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo
(currently a Berkeley [California] Law Professor) which asserted that the
President's war powers entitle him to ignore multiple laws which criminalized
the use of torture:"[""It depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that." Yoo wasn't just a law professor theorizing about the legalization of torture. He was a government official who, in concert with other government officials, set out to enable a brutal and systematic torture regime, and did so." ... "Since the Nuremberg Trials, "war criminals" include not only those who directly apply the criminal violence and other forms of brutality, but also government officials who authorized it and military officials who oversaw it. Ironically, the Bush administration itself argued in the 2006 case of Hamdan -- when they sought to prosecute as a "war criminal" a Guantanamo detainee whom they allege was a driver for Osama bin Laden -- that one is guilty of war crimes not merely by directly violating the laws of war, but also by participating in a conspiracy to do so." ... "That legal question was unresolved in that case, but Justices Thomas and Scalia both sided with the administration and Thomas wrote (emphasis added):"
""[T]he experience of our wars," Winthrop 839, is rife with evidence that establishes beyond any doubt that conspiracy to violate the laws of war is itself an offense cognizable before a law-of-war military commission. . . . . In [World War II], the orders establishing the jurisdiction of military commissions in various theaters of operation provided that conspiracy to violate the laws of war was a cognizable offense. See Letter, General Headquarters, United States Army Forces, Pacific (Sept. 24, 1945), Record in Yamashita v. Styer, O. T. 1945, No. 672, pp. 14, 16 (Exh. F) (Order respecting the "Regulations Governing the Trial of War Criminals" provided that "participation in a common plan or conspiracy to accomplish" various offenses against the law of war was cognizable before military commissions).""It isn't pleasant to think about high government officials in one's own country as war criminals -- that's something that only bad, evil dictatorships have -- but, pleasant or not, it rather indisputably happens to be what we have." ... "Yoo wasn't acting as a lawyer in order legally to analyze questions surrounding interrogation powers. He was acting with the intent to enable illegal torture and used the law as his instrument to authorize criminality." -By Glenn Greenwald -Salon
Secret
- 
Fashion
- Book- Government
- Military
- 
Tech
- Money
- Politics
- Calif
- Dick
Cheney - "Inside
the Black Budget." ... "Skulls. Black cats. A naked
woman riding a killer whale. Grim reapers. Snakes. Swords. Occult symbols.
A wizard with a staff that shoots lightning bolts. Moons. Stars. A dragon
holding the Earth in its claws."
Dick
Cheney
- I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Crime
- "Cheney's
former chief of staff disbarred." ... "I. Lewis "Scooter"
Libby was disbarred from practicing law in the nation's capital on Thursday."
... "The former chief of staff to [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney
was convicted last year of lying to a grand jury and federal agents probing
the leak of the identity of a CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] operative,
Valerie Plame Wilson." ... ""When a member of the Bar is convicted of an
offense involving moral turpitude, disbarment is mandatory," the District
of Columbia Court of Appeals wrote in its opinion, which is posted on its
Web site." ... ""When convictions on more than one count are involved,
disbarment is mandated if any one of them involves moral turpitude," the
court added." ... "Last July, a court sentenced Libby to a 30-month prison
term. [Republican] President Bush later commuted Libby's sentence, calling
it "excessive."" ... "He is still considered guilty of the crime he was
convicted." -Contributed to by Paul Courson
-CNN
Dick
Cheney
- Illegal
- 
Spying
- Criminal
Investigations - Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Politics
- History
- Data
- Secret
- Torture
- Executions
- "President
weakens espionage oversight." ... "Almost 32 years
to the day after [Republican] President Ford created an independent Intelligence
Oversight Board made up of private citizens with top-level clearances to
ferret out illegal spying activities, [Republican] President Bush issued
an executive order that stripped the board of much of its authority." ...
"Ford created the board following a 1975-76 investigation by Congress into
domestic spying, assassination operations, and other abuses by intelligence
agencies. The probe prompted fierce battles between Congress and the Ford
administration, whose top officials included Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld,
and the current president's father, George H. W. Bush." ... "To blunt proposals
for new laws imposing greater congressional oversight of intelligence matters,
Ford enacted his own reforms with an executive order that went into effect
on March 1, 1976. Among them, he created the Intelligence Oversight Board
to serve as a watchdog over spying agencies." ... "The board's investigations
and reports have been mostly kept secret. But the [Democratic President]
Clinton administration provided a rare window into the panel's capabilities
in 1996 by publishing a board report faulting the CIA for not adequately
informing Congress about putting known torturers and killers in Guatemala
on its payroll." ... "But Bush downsized the board's mandate to be an aggressive
watchdog against such problems in an executive order issued on Feb. 29
[2008], the eve of the anniversary of the day Ford's order took effect."
... "Under the old rules, whenever the oversight board learned of intelligence
activity that it believed might be "unlawful or contrary to executive order,"
it had a duty to notify both the president and the attorney general. But
Bush's order deleted the board's authority to refer matters to the Justice
Department for a criminal investigation, and the new order said the board
should notify the president only if other officials are not already "adequately"
addressing the problem." ... "Bush's order also terminated the board's
authority to oversee each intelligence agency's general counsel and inspector
general, and it erased a requirement that each inspector general file a
report with the board every three months. Now only the agency directors
will decide whether to report any potential lawbreaking to the panel, and
they have no schedule for checking in." ... "Some analysts said the order
is just the latest example of actions the administration has taken since
the 2001 terrorist attacks that have scaled back intelligence reforms enacted
in the 1970s." ... "In his 1976 executive order, for example, Ford also
banned foreign intelligence agencies, such as the National Security Agency,
from collecting information about Americans. The Bush administration bypassed
that rule by having domestic agencies collect information about Americans
and then hand the data to the NSA, The Wall Street Journal reported this
week." -By Charlie Savage
-Boston/Globe
John
McCain
- Dick
Cheney - US
- Iraq
- Military
- Media
- Politicians
- History
- Book
- 
Arizona
- 2008
Election - "The
Iraq Follies: Eighteen things you've already forgotten about the media's
flawed coverage of Iraq." ... "In putting together
my [Greg Mitchell] new book, So Wrong for So Long, on Iraq and the
media, I revisited the good, the bad, and the ugly in war coverage from
the run-up to the invasion through the five years of controversy that followed.
Even though I monitored the coverage closely all along, I was continually
surprised to come across once-prominent names, quotes, and incidents that
had faded to obscurity. Here is a list of 18 of those nearly forgotten
episodes, in roughly chronological order." ... "1) The day before the invasion,
Bill O'Reilly said, "If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein
and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation; I will
not trust the Bush administration again, all right?"" ... "3) After the
fall of Baghdad [Iraq's capital], MSNBC's Chris Matthews declared, "We're
all neocons now."" ... "4) The same day, Joe Scarborough, also on MSNBC,
said, "I'm waiting to hear the words 'I was wrong' from some of the world's
most elite journalists, politicians, and Hollywood types."" ... "5) The
New
York Times' Thomas Friedman wrote, "As far as I am concerned, we do
not need to find any weapons of mass destruction to justify this war....
Mr. Bush doesn't owe the world any explanation for missing chemical weapons.""
... "14) On March 27, 2007, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
John McCain, referring to the supposed calm settling on Baghdad, said,
"General Petraeus goes out there almost every day in an unarmed Humvee."
This turned out to be pure bunk, but McCain quickly visited Iraq to try
to prove his overall point. There, the Arizona senator went from the ridiculous
to the maligned, touring a Baghdad market and claiming all was safe—while
troops surrounded him and helicopters twirled overhead." ... "18) Also
in July 2007, an old clip of a C-SPAN interview with [Republican] Vice
President Cheney from 1994 surfaced, in which he defended the decision
not to depose Saddam Hussein during Gulf War I: "Once you got to Iraq and
took it over…then what are you going to put in its place?…It's a quagmire
if you go that far and try to take over Iraq." He explained, "And the question
for the president…was how many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth?
Our judgment was, not very many, and I think we got it right."" -By
Greg Mitchell -MotherJones.com
Dick
Cheney's
- Halliburton
KBR - Corporation
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- 
Water
-Safety
- Inpector
- "AP
Exclusive: US troops may have become sick in Iraq from contaminated water."
... "Dozens of U.S. [United States] troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using
"unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water supplied by the military and
a contractor once owned by [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's former
company [Halliburton Co.], the Pentagon's internal watchdog says." ...
"A report obtained by The Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin
abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after
using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five
U.S. military sites in Iraq." ... "The Defense Department's inspector general's
report, which could be released as early as Monday, found water quality
problems between March 2004 and February 2006 at three sites run by contractor
KBR Inc.[Incorporated], and between January 2004 and December 2006 at two
military-operated locations." (1, 2)
-AP via -IHT.com
Dick
Cheney
- Corporate
- Military
- Government
- KBR-Halliburton
- 
Cayman
Islands - 
United
Arab Emirates (Dubai) - Secret
- Iraq
- 
Oil
- Infrastructure
- History
- American
- 
Workers
- 
Health
- 
Security
- Legislation
- 
Massachusetts
- "Top
Iraq contractor skirts US taxes offshore: Shell companies
in Cayman Islands allow KBR to avoid Medicare, Social Security deductions."
... "Kellogg Brown & Root, the nation's top Iraq war contractor and
until last year a subsidiary of Halliburton Corp. [Corporation], has avoided
paying hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicare and Social Security
taxes by hiring workers through shell companies based in this tropical
tax haven [Cayman Islands]." ... "More than 21,000 people working for KBR
in Iraq - including about 10,500 Americans - are listed as employees of
two companies that exist in a computer file on the fourth floor of a building
on a palm-studded boulevard here in the Caribbean. Neither company has
an office or phone number in the Cayman Islands." ... "The Defense Department
has known since at least 2004 that KBR was avoiding taxes by declaring
its American workers as employees of Cayman Islands shell companies, and
officials said the move allowed KBR to perform the work more cheaply, saving
Defense dollars." ... "But the use of the loophole results in a significantly
greater loss of revenue to the government as a whole, particularly to the
Social Security and Medicare trust funds." ... ""Failing to contribute
to Social Security and Medicare thousands of times over isn't shielding
the taxpayers they claim to protect, it's costing our citizens in the name
of short-term corporate greed," said [Massachusetts Democratic] Senator
John F. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee
who has introduced legislation to close loopholes for companies registering
overseas." ... "With an estimated $16 billion in contracts, KBR is by far
the largest contractor in Iraq, with eight times the work of its nearest
competitor." ... "The [secret] no-bid contract it received in 2002 to rebuild
Iraq's oil infrastructure and a multibillion-dollar contract to provide
support services to troops have long drawn scrutiny because [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive from 1995
until he joined the Republican ticket with [Republican] President Bush
in 2000." ... "The largest of the Cayman Islands shell companies - called
[SEII] Service Employees International Inc. [Incorporated, which is not
associated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)], which
is now listed as having more than 20,000 workers in Iraq, according to
KBR - was created two years before Cheney became Halliburton's chief executive.
But a second Cayman Islands company called Overseas Administrative Services,
which now is listed as the employer of 1,020 mostly managerial workers
in Iraq, was established two months after Cheney's appointment." ... "If
KBR's American workers averaged even as much as $63,000 per year, they
and KBR would have owed more than $100 million per year in Social Security
and Medicare taxes, split evenly between them. Over the course of the five-year
war, their tax bill would have been more than $500 million." ... "The real
managers of Service Employees International work out of KBR's office in
Dubai. KBR and Halliburton, which also moved to Dubai [an emirate of the
United Arab Emirates], severed ties last year." -By
Farah Stockman with contributions by Stephanie Vallejo and Matt Negrin
-Boston/Globe
Dick
Cheney
- Political
- Terrorism
- Eavesdropping
- 
Phone
Calls - 
Electronic
- 
E-Mails
- Corporate
- Government
- Intelligence
- Law
- 
Nevada
- 
Vermont-
"Bush
May Win on Eavesdropping by Evoking Terror Fears (Update2)."
... "[Republican] President George W. Bush, his popularity at low ebb,
may yet score another legislative victory by evoking fears of a new terrorist
attack to win stronger powers to conduct electronic eavesdropping." ...
"The Democratic-controlled Senate yesterday approved 68-29 a bill giving
the president expanded authority to intercept phone calls and e-mails of
suspected terrorists. The measure also shields phone companies from lawsuits
for helping Bush eavesdrop on suspected terrorists without court warrants
after the Sept. [September] 11 attacks." ... "Nineteen Democrats voted
with Republicans for the legislation that protects companies such as AT&T
Inc. [Incorporated] and Sprint Nextel Corp [Corporation]. from privacy
lawsuits seeking billions of dollars in damages. [Nevada Democratic Senator
and] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged that ``holding all
the Democrats together on this'' wasn't ``doable.''" ... "Bush renewed
his demand today for Congress to complete action on the measure promptly.
``Our intelligence professionals must be able to find out who the terrorists
are talking to,'' he said at the White House. ``Their goal is to bring
destruction to our shores that would make Sept. 11 pale by comparison.''"
... "The House version of the legislation eliminates legal protection for
the phone companies, putting it at odds with the Senate. The two houses
must now iron out their differences before sending the measure to Bush."
... "The current law authorizing electronic surveillance expires this weekend,
and House Democrats said they will vote today on a 21-day extension to
allow more time to consider the long-term legislation. Bush said today
that any further delay is unacceptable; and his spokeswoman, Dana Perino,
told reporters the president would veto any temporary extension." ... "Reid
accused Bush of trying to ``bully'' Congress into passing permanent legislation
and said the final bill ``will not be what the president wants.'' He said
if the current law lapses, it will be ``the fault of Bush'' and [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney." ... "[Vermont Democratic Senator and] Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont said yesterday the
[Republican President Bush] administration used ``fear and intimidation''
to win enactment of the current temporary law, which lets Bush conduct
electronic surveillance without a court warrant." -By
James Rowley -Bloomberg
Antonin
Scalia - Dick
Cheney - Torture
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Politics
- History
- Guantanamo
- Cuba
- US
- Military
- Prisoners
- Human
Rights - 
Switzerland
- "Scalia
Weighs in Again on Controversy." ... "[Republican
President Ronald Reagan appointed Supreme Court] Justice Antonin Scalia's
statement that inflicting pain on a terrorism suspect to elicit critical
information could be constitutional was not the first - or second or even
third - time he has commented on a legal controversy that ultimately could
be settled by the Supreme Court." ... "If past practice is any guide, Scalia
won't let his remarks or his critics' complaints stop him from taking part
in the court's work." ... "In 2006, a few weeks before the court heard
arguments over the rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Scalia
told an audience in Switzerland that the Constitution doesn't protect foreigners
who are held there." ... ""War is war, and it has never been the case that
when you captured a combatant you have to give them a jury trial in your
civil courts. Give me a break," Scalia said." ... "He ignored a request
from five retired generals to withdraw from the case and dissented from
a ruling in favor of the detainees. Two years earlier, Scalia also dissented
in the court's first decision extending some legal rights to the Guantanamo
prisoners." ... "Scalia, 71, rebuffed calls in 2004 to step aside from
a dispute involving [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney when it was
disclosed Scalia accompanied Cheney on a hunting trip while the court was
considering the case." -By Mark Sherman
-AssociatedPress
Dick
Cheney - Videos
- Privacy- Politics
- 
Colorado
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- "Cheney
fights release of videos: The VP's [Vice President's]
office worries depositions of two aides in a Golden [Colorado] man's civil
lawsuit may show up on YouTube." ... "The office of [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney is seeking to block the release of videotaped depositions given
by two aides who witnessed a physical encounter between an Iraq war opponent
and Cheney." ... "In a motion filed Saturday, Cheney's office contended
that the videotapes could be used to invade the privacy and embarrass two
aides called to testify about the encounter in a civil lawsuit. " -By
David Olinger -DenverPost.com
Dennis
Kucinich - Dick
Cheney
- Law
- Health
Care - 
Gay
Marriage
- 
Ohio
- Energy
- US
- International
- Trade
- Seattle
- 
Washington
- 2008
Election - History
- "Kucinich
Abandons White House Bid." ... "[2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Ohio Representative] Democrat Dennis Kucinich
is abandoning his second, long-shot bid for the White House as he faces
a tough fight to hold onto his other job - U.S. congressman." ... "Once
dubbed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland [Ohio], he made an unpopular decision
to refuse to sell a publicly owned utility that pushed the city into default
and drove him from office." ... "In 1994, Kucinich was elected state senator
and he then won a seat in Congress in 1996. His once unpopular stand against
the sale of the municipal electric system was praised as courageous. In
1998, the Cleveland City Council issued him a commendation for having the
foresight to refuse to sell it." ... "During his time in Congress, Kucinich
has been one of the most outspoken liberals, opposing international trade
agreements like the North America Free Trade Agreement and marching with
protesters in Seattle [Washington] during a meeting of the World Trade
Organization." ... "As a presidential candidate, he has proposed a Department
of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also
pushed for impeachment of [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney." -By
Joe Milicia -WRAL.com
Dick
Cheney
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Language
- Database
- History
- "Bush
Administration Lied 935 Times About Iraq Before Invasion:
Study: President [Republican President Bush] cited as most frequent liar,
with 259 false statements about weapons of mass destruction and more."
... "For years, the [Republican President] Bush administration has faced
charges that it bent the truth or flat-out misled the public about Iraq's
alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the
2003 invasion of the country. Now, a study by two nonprofit journalism
organizations claims that President Bush and top officials in his administration
issued nearly 1,000 false statements about the security threat posed by
Iraq in the wake of 9/11." ... "Relying on what it described as a "massive
database" of information that fed the results of the project, the authors
said their research was based on juxtaposing what President Bush and the
top officials in his administration said in public against what was known,
"or should have been known, on a day-to-day basis." The searchable database
includes public statements drawn from both primary sources like official
transcripts and secondary sources like the reporting of major news organizations
over the two years beginning on September 11, 2001. It also used information
from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews."
... "An example given in the report is a portion of an address given at
the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on August 26, 2002,
during which Cheney said, "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam
Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing
them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us." According
to the report, former CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] Director George
Tenet later said Cheney's assertions went well beyond his agency's assessments
at the time, and another CIA official, referring to the speech, told a
prominent journalist, "Our reaction was, 'Where is he getting this stuff
from?' "" ... "As for criticism that the report does not have any new information
but rather rehashes already-reported facts, [Center for Public Integrity
spokesman Steve] Carpinelli said, "The difference is that while there have
been many intelligence reports that came out that contradicted a lot of
statements from administration officials, there's been nothing that could
show you how it was a coordinated effort." The report is accompanied by
a bar graph that Carpinelli said shows how the false statements reached
their peak in the months prior to the March 2003 launch of the Iraq war
and how they tapered off soon after." -By Gil Kaufman
-MTV.com
Dick
Cheney
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Rhetoric
- History
- Journalists
- "Study:
Bush, aides made 935 false statements in run-up to war."
... "[Republican] President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false
statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following
September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit
journalism groups." ... "According to the study, Bush and seven top officials
-- including [Republicans] Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary
of State Colin Powell and then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice
-- made 935 false statements about Iraq during those two years." ... "The
overview of the study also calls the media to task, saying most media outlets
didn't do enough to investigate the claims." ... ""Some journalists --
indeed, even some entire news organizations -- have since acknowledged
that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential
and uncritical," the report reads. "These mea culpas notwithstanding, much
of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation
of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq.""
-CNN
Dick
Cheney
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Rhetoric
- History
- Noteworthy
- "The
War Card: Orchestrated Deception on the Path
to War." ... "False Pretenses: Following 9/11,
[Republican] President Bush and seven top officials of his administration
waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat
posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq." ... "President
George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, including
[Republicans] Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza
Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements
in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security
threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Nearly five years after the U.S.
invasion of Iraq, an exhaustive examination of the record shows that the
statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized
public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly
false pretenses." ... "On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches,
briefings, interviews, testimony, and the like), Bush and these three key
officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary
Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott
McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction
(or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both.
This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration's
case for war." ... "It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess
any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to Al Qaeda. This
was the conclusion of numerous bipartisan government investigations, including
those by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (2004 and 2006), the
9/11 Commission, and the multinational Iraq Survey Group, whose "Duelfer
Report" established that Saddam Hussein had terminated Iraq's nuclear program
in 1991 and made little effort to restart it." ... "In short, the Bush
administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information
that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action
against Iraq on March 19, 2003. Not surprisingly, the officials with the
most opportunities to make speeches, grant media interviews, and otherwise
frame the public debate also made the most false statements, according
to this first-ever analysis of the entire body of prewar rhetoric." ...
"President Bush, for example, made 232 false statements about weapons of
mass destruction in Iraq and another 28 false statements about Iraq's links
to Al Qaeda. Secretary of State Powell had the second-highest total in
the two-year period, with 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction
in Iraq and 10 about Iraq's links to Al Qaeda. Rumsfeld and Fleischer each
made 109 false statements, followed by Wolfowitz (with 85), Rice (with
56), Cheney (with 48), and McClellan (with 14)." -By
Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith -PublicIntegrity.org
Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Electronic
- E-Mail
- History
- Censorship
- Politics
- Presidential
Records Act - Archives
- Law
- Calif
- "White
House Study Found 473 Days of E-Mail Gone." ... "The
[Republican President Bush] White House possesses no archived e-mail messages
for many of its component offices, including the Executive Office of the
President and the Office of the Vice President [Dick Cheney], for hundreds
of days between 2003 and 2005, according to the summary of an internal
White House study that was disclosed yesterday by a congressional Democrat."
... "The 2005 study -- whose credibility the White House attacked this
week -- identified 473 separate days in which no electronic messages were
stored for one or more White House offices, said House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee Chairman [California Democratic Representative] Henry
A. Waxman (D-Calif.)." ... "Waxman said he decided to release the summary
after White House spokesman Tony Fratto said yesterday that there is "no
evidence" that any White House e-mails from those years are missing. Fratto's
assertion "seems to be an unsubstantiated statement that has no relation
to the facts they have shared with us," Waxman said." ... "The competing
claims were the latest salvos in an escalating dispute over whether the
[Republican President] Bush administration has complied with long-standing
statutory requirements to preserve official White House records -- including
those reflecting potentially sensitive policy discussions -- for history
and in case of any future legal demands." ... "The White House is required
by law to preserve e-mails considered presidential or federal records,
and it is the target of several lawsuits seeking information about missing
data and efforts to preserve electronic communications." (1, 2)
-By Dan Eggen and Elizabeth Williamson
-WashingtonPost
Secret
- Dick
Cheney
- David
Addington - Government
- Archives
- Law
- Politics
- "Challenging
Cheney: A National Archives official reveals what
the veep wanted to keep classified--and how he tried to challenge the rules."
... "J. William Leonard learned the hard way the perils of questioning
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney. The veteran National Archives
official challenged claims by the Office of Vice President (OVP) to be
exempt from federal rules governing classified information. His efforts
touched off a firestorm—and a counter-strike by Cheney's chief of staff,
David Addington, who tried to wipe out Leonard's job." ... "Now, Leonard
is quitting as director of the Archives' Information Security Oversight
Office (ISOO)—the unit that monitors the handling of government secrets.
He tells NEWSWEEK that his fight with Cheney's office was a "contributing"
factor in his decision to retire after 34 years of government service."
... "Leonard-described by National Archivist Allen Weinstein as "the gold
standard of information specialists in the federal government"-spoke to
NEWSWEEK's Michael Isikoff." ... "[Newsweek:] So how did matters escalate?"
... "[J William Leonard:] The challenge arose last year when the Chicago
Tribune was looking at [ISOO's annual report] and saw the asterisk [reporting
that it contained no information from OVP] and decided to follow up. And
that's when the spokesperson from the OVP made public this idea that because
they have both legislative and executive functions, that requirement doesn't
apply to them.…They were saying the basic rules didn't apply to them. I
thought that was a rather remarkable position. So I wrote my letter
to the Attorney General [asking for a ruling that Cheney's office had to
comply.] Then it was shortly after that there were [email] recommendations
[from OVP to a National Security Council task force] to change the executive
order that would effectively abolish [my] office." ... "[Newsweek:]
Who wrote the emails?" ... "[J William Leonard:] It was David Addington."
(1, 2, 3)
-By Michael Isikoff -Newsweek
Dick
Cheney
- 
Car
- Manufacturers
- 
Fumes
- Corporate
- Government
- 
Environmental
- Science
- Politics
- California
- 
Climate
- "Cheney
accused of blocking Californian bid to cut car fumes."
... "The US [United States Republican] vice-president, Dick Cheney, was
behind a controversial decision to block California's attempt to impose
tough emission limits on car manufacturers, according to insiders at the
government Environmental Protection Agency." ... "Staff at the agency,
which announced last week that California's proposed limits were redundant,
said the agency's chief went against their expert advice after car executives
met Cheney, and a Chrysler executive delivered a letter to the EPA [Environmental
Protection Agency] saying why the state should not be allowed to regulate
greenhouse gases." ... "EPA staff members told the Los Angeles Times that
the agency's head, the [Republican President] Bush appointee Stephen Johnson,
ignored their conclusions and shut himself off from consultation in the
month before the announcement. He then informed them of his decision and
instructed them to provide the legal rationale for it, they said." -By
Dan
Glaister -Guardian.co.uk
Stephen
Johnson - 
Mary
E Peters
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Political
- Gas
- Auto
- Makers
- Fuel
- Economy
- Laws
- Environmental
- Health
- Safety- American
- 
People
- Transportation
- California
- History
- Global
- Climate
- Clean
Air Act - "EPA
blocks California bid to limit greenhouse gases from cars."
... "The [Republican President] Bush administration blocked efforts by
California and 16 other states Wednesday to limit greenhouse gas emissions
from cars and trucks, setting up a political and legal fight over whether
states can take a lead role in combatting global warming." ... "[Republican
President Bush's] Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen
Johnson rejected California's request for a waiver from the federal government
to impose its tough tailpipe emissions standards. The other states were
poised to adopt similar rules if California's request was granted." ...
"The states represent nearly half the U.S. [United States] population,
and their laws would effectively require automakers to cut greenhouse gas
emissions nationwide, despite [Republican] President Bush's rejection of
mandatory national standards." ... "Johnson said Congress' passage of an
energy bill this week that raises fuel economy standards for all cars and
trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 made the state laws unnecessary."
... "California officials said they believed Johnson had long ago decided
to oppose the state's waiver, and said he was using the newly passed energy
bill as an excuse. Nothing in the new law prevents states from taking stronger
action, they said." ... ""I find this disgraceful," said [California Democratic
Senator] Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.[Democratic-California], who helped
write the fuel-economy law. "The passage of the energy bill does not give
the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] a green light to shirk its responsibility
to protect the health and safety of the American people from air pollution.""
... "It was the first time the EPA has flat-out denied a waiver request
by California under the Clean Air Act. The law gives California special
authority to set stronger standards because the state has a long history
of smog and other air-quality problems." ... "California officials complained
that EPA's decision-making process for the waiver was tainted months ago
when documents revealed that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters led a
lobbying campaign to urge lawmakers to call the EPA and oppose the waiver
request." ... "Automakers have been meeting regularly at the White House
to discuss the new fuel-economy standards. The Detroit News reported that
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney met with the CEOs [Chief Executive
Officers] of Chrysler and Ford this fall to try to influence the policy."
-By Zachary Coile -SFGate.com
Secret
- Alberto
R Gonzales - David
S Addington - Dick
Cheney
- 
Harriet
E Miers
- Torture
- War
- Crimes
- Tapes
- Censorship
- Law
- Politics
- Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- History
- US
- Iraq
- "Bush
Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes." ... "At least
four top [Republican President Bush] White House lawyers took part in discussions
with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether
to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives
from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence
officials." ... "The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House
officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November
2005 was more extensive than [Republican President] Bush administration
officials have acknowledged." ... "Those who took part, the officials said,
included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early
2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until
January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and
Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel." ...
"It was previously reported that some administration officials had advised
against destroying the tapes, but the emerging picture of White House involvement
is more complex. In interviews, several administration and intelligence
officials provided conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White
House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed."
... "One former senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the
matter said there had been “vigorous sentiment” among some top White House
officials to destroy the tapes. The former official did not specify which
White House officials took this position, but he said that some believed
in 2005 that any disclosure of the tapes could have been particularly damaging
after revelations a year earlier of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq."
... "The current and former officials also provided new details about the
role played in November 2005 by Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., then the chief of
the agency’s clandestine branch, who ultimately ordered the destruction
of the tapes." ... "The officials said that before he issued a secret cable
directing that the tapes be destroyed, Mr. Rodriguez received legal guidance
from two C.I.A. [Central Intelligence Agency] lawyers, Steven Hermes and
Robert Eatinger. The officials said that those lawyers gave written guidance
to Mr. Rodriguez that he had the authority to destroy the tapes and that
the destruction would violate no laws." ... "Current and former officials
said the two lawyers informed the C.I.A.’s top lawyer, John A. Rizzo, about
the legal advice they had provided." (1, 2)
-By Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane with contributions
by David Johnston -NYTimes
Secret
- 
Jack
Abramoff
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Religion
- Politics
- "Judge:
White House visitor logs are public documents." ...
"The [Republican President Bush] White House must release its visitor logs
and cannot hide behind a shield of privilege, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The Bush administration has resisted public disclosure while it fights
a lawsuit over alleged political influence by conservative Christian leaders."
... "The White House claimed exclusive control of the documents, subject
to the complete discretion of the president over their release." ... "Citizens
for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a self-described government
watchdog group, sought the visit records of prominent conservatives James
Dobson of Focus on the Family, Wendy Wright of Concerned Women of America
and seven others including the late televangelist Jerry Falwell." ... "Separate
legal action by CREW and other groups, including Judicial Watch and the
Washington Post, sought White House visitor logs that listed lobbyist Jack
Abramoff. He pleaded guilty last year to public corruption charges." ...
"Another federal judge in Washington ordered the release of Secret Service
logs of visitors to [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's office. Cheney
claimed those logs were subject to executive privilege. That ruling is
being appealed." -By Bill Mears
-CNN
I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Criminal
- Government
- Intelligence
- Politics-
"Libby
drops appeal in CIA leak case." ... "Former [Republican
President Bush] White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is no longer
appealing his conviction in the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] leak
case, a tacit recognition that continuing his legal fight might only make
things worse." ... "Libby, the former chief of staff to [Republican] Vice
President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction but [Republican]
President Bush commuted his 30-month prison sentence in July. As a convicted
felon, Libby will lose his law license and, in some states, cannot vote."
... "He might have had a chance to avoid those consequences had he won
on appeal, but at a new trial his commutation would be meaningless and
Libby would again face potential prison time." ... "Libby, 57, was convicted
of lying and obstructing an investigation into the 2003 leak of [American
Undercover] CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. He was the only person
to face criminal charges in the case." ... "The decision to withdraw his
appeal means Libby will remain a convicted felon. President Bush could
wipe away the conviction with a full pardon, something he has refused to
rule out." -By Matt Apuzzo with contributions by Deb
Riechmann -AP
via -Yahoo
Joe
Biden
- US
- 
Iran
- Military
- Law
- Cheney
- 
Delaware
- 2008
Election - "Biden:
Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran." ... "[Delaware Democratic
Senator and 2008 Election] Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden
stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach [Republican] President
Bush if he bombs Iran without first gaining congressional approval." ...
""The president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he
does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach,"
said Biden, whose words were followed by a raucous applause from the local
audience." ... "Biden said he is in the process of meeting with constitutional
law experts to prepare a legal memorandum saying as much and intends to
send it to the president." ... "When local resident Joel Carp asked Biden
why not impeach now, given what has already been done, Biden said it was
a valid point, but might not be constitutionally valid and potentially
counterproductive. A case for impeachment must have clear evidence, Biden
said, and blame should be directed at the right parties." ... ""If you're
going to impeach George Bush, you better impeach (Vice President Dick)
Cheney first," said Biden, again drawing applause." -By
Adam Leech -SeacoastOnline.com
Dick
Cheney
- Karl
Rove
- I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby - Intelligence
- Law
- Politics
- Book
- "McClellan
blames Bush for CIA leak deceit: Former spokesman
says both president and vice president involved." ... "Former White House
press secretary Scott McClellan blames [Republican] President Bush and
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public
about the role of White House aides in leaking the identity of a CIA [Central
Intelligence Agency] operative." ... "In an excerpt from his forthcoming
book ["What Happened"], McClellan recount the 2003 news conference in which
he told reporters that aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby were
"not involved" in the leak involving operative Valerie Plame." ... ""There
was one problem. It was not true," McClellan writes, according to a brief
excerpt released Monday. "I had unknowingly passed along false information.
And five of the highest-ranking officials in the administration were involved
in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief
of staff and the president himself."" ... "Bush's chief of staff at the
time was Andrew Card." -AP
via -MSNBC
Dick
Cheney
- Dennis
Kucinich - US- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Law
- Ohio
- 2008
Election - "Debate
on Cheney impeachment averted." ... "House Democrats
on Tuesday narrowly managed to avert a bruising debate on a proposal to
impeach [Republican Vice President] Dick Cheney after Republicans, in a
surprise maneuver, voted in favor of taking up the measure." ... "Republicans,
changing course midway through a vote, tried to force Democrats into a
debate on the resolution sponsored by longshot [2008 Election Democratic]
presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich." ... "The anti-war Ohio Democrat,
in his resolution, accused Cheney of purposely leading the country into
war against Iraq and manipulating intelligence about Iraq's ties with al-Qaida."
... "The resolution said that Cheney, "in violation of his constitutional
oath to faithfully execute the office of vice president," had "purposely
manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress
of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
to justify the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq
in a manner damaging to our national security interests."" -By
Jim Abrams -AP
via -Yahoo
Dick
Cheney
- Dennis
Kucinich - Ohio
- US
- Iraq
- Politics
- 2008
Election - "House
tied in knots over resolution to impeach Cheney."
... "[Ohio Democratic Representative and 2008 Election Presidential Candidate]
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, is trying to impeach [Republican] Vice President
Cheney for what he describes
as "high crimes and misdemeanors" before the invasion of Iraq."
-USATODAY
Dennis
Kucinich - Dick
Cheney- Politics
- 2008
Election - Ohio
- "Kucinich
plans to force vote on Cheney impeachment." ... "[Ohio
Democratic Representative and 2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Rep.
Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), a long-shot presidential candidate, plans to
force the House to vote this week on whether to impeach [Republican] Vice
President Dick Cheney." -By Mike Soraghan
-TheHill.com
Alberto
R Gonzales - David
S Addington - Dick
Cheney
- John
Yoo - Secret
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Law
- Politics
- Terrorism
- Government
- Intelligence
- Prison
- Psychological
- Health
- Human
Rights - US
- World
- History
- "Secret
U.S. Endorsement of Severe Interrogations." ... "When
the Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal
opinion in December 2004, the [Republican President] Bush administration
appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential
authority to order brutal interrogations." ... "But soon after Alberto
R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice
Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different
document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement
of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence
Agency." ... "The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided
explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of
painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated
drowning and frigid temperatures." ... "Mr. Gonzales approved the legal
memorandum on “combined effects” over the objections of James B. Comey,
the deputy attorney general, who was leaving his job after bruising clashes
with the White House. Disagreeing with what he viewed as the opinion’s
overreaching legal reasoning, Mr. Comey told colleagues at the department
that they would all be “ashamed” when the world eventually learned of it."
... "Later that year, as Congress moved toward outlawing “cruel, inhuman
and degrading” treatment, the Justice Department issued another secret
opinion, one most lawmakers did not know existed, current and former officials
said. The Justice Department document declared that none of the C.I.A.
interrogation methods violated that standard." ... "The classified opinions,
never previously disclosed, are a hidden legacy of [Republican] President
Bush’s second term and Mr. Gonzales’s tenure at the Justice Department,
where he moved quickly to align it with the White House after a 2004 rebellion
by staff lawyers that had thrown policies on surveillance and detention
into turmoil." ... "Associates at the Justice Department said Mr. Gonzales
seldom resisted pressure from [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney and
David S. Addington, Mr. Cheney’s counsel, to endorse policies that they
saw as effective in safeguarding Americans, even though the practices brought
the condemnation of other governments, human rights groups and Democrats
in Congress. Critics say Mr. Gonzales turned his agency into an arm of
the Bush White House, undermining the department’s independence." ... "The
interrogation opinions were signed by Steven G. Bradbury, who since 2005
has headed the elite Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.
He has become a frequent public defender of the National Security Agency’s
domestic surveillance program and detention policies at Congressional hearings
and press briefings, a role that some legal scholars say is at odds with
the office’s tradition of avoiding political advocacy." ... "The Bush administration
had entered uncharted legal territory beginning in 2002, holding prisoners
outside the scrutiny of the International Red Cross and subjecting them
to harrowing pressure tactics. They included slaps to the head; hours held
naked in a frigid cell; days and nights without sleep while battered by
thundering rock music; long periods manacled in stress positions; or the
ultimate, waterboarding." ... "Never in history had the United States authorized
such tactics. While President Bush and C.I.A. officials would later insist
that the harsh measures produced crucial intelligence, many veteran interrogators,
psychologists and other experts say that less coercive methods are equally
or more effective." ... "With virtually no experience in interrogations,
the C.I.A. had constructed its program in a few harried months by consulting
Egyptian and Saudi intelligence officials and copying Soviet interrogation
methods long used in training American servicemen to withstand capture.
The agency officers questioning prisoners constantly sought advice from
lawyers thousands of miles away." ... "“We were getting asked about combinations
— ‘Can we do this and this at the same time?’” recalled Paul C. Kelbaugh,
a veteran intelligence lawyer who was deputy legal counsel at the C.I.A.’s
Counterterrorist Center from 2001 to 2003." ... "Mr. Kelbaugh said the
questions were sometimes close calls that required consultation with the
Justice Department. But in August 2002, the department provided a sweeping
legal justification for even the harshest tactics." ... "That opinion,
which would become infamous as “the torture memo” after it was leaked,
was written largely by John Yoo, a young Berkeley law professor serving
in the Office of Legal Counsel." ... "Mr. Yoo’s memorandum said no interrogation
practices were illegal unless they produced pain equivalent to organ failure
or “even death.”" (1, 2,
3,
4,
5)
-By Scott Shane, David Johnston, and James Risen
-NYTimes
Dick
Cheney
- Oil
- Industry
- 2008
Election - Environmental
- 
Iowa
- "Obama
Says Energy Policy A Moral Issue: [2008 election
Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama Says Energy Policy Requires
Shaking Up The Status Quo." ... "Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday the
country faces an "an urgent moral challenge" to reduce reliance on oil
and needs a president willing to defy special interests in Washington that
dictate energy policy." ... ""We've got to have a president in the White
House who sets bold targets and sets broad goals and isn't intimidated
by the barriers and the roadblocks and isn't driven by those who already
have an investment in the status quo _ somebody who can overcome the lobby-driven,
divisive politics that characterizes this issue," Obama told about 300
people at Waverly Light and Power, the [Wavery, Iowa] city utility." ...
""We've got an energy policy that doesn't just seem like it's written by
industry lobbyists," he said. "It was written by energy lobbyists."" ...
"[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney led the [Republican President
Bush] administration's energy task force, which Obama said met once with
environmentalists, once with renewable energy experts and 40 times with
oil industry leaders." ... ""It's an urgent moral challenge that demands
attention now," he [Obama] said. "We can free ourselves from the tyranny
of oil."" -Contributed to by Amy Lorentzen
-AP via -CBSNews
US
- Iran
- Iraq
- Dick
Cheney
- Media
- Politics
- Intelligence
- "Cheney
urging strikes on Iran." ... "[Republican] President
Bush charged Thursday that Iran continues to arm and train insurgents who
are killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and he threatened action if that continues."
... "[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney several weeks ago proposed
launching airstrikes at suspected training camps in Iran run by the Quds
force, a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, according
to two U.S. officials who are involved in Iran policy." ... "The debate
has been accompanied by a growing drumbeat of allegations about Iranian
meddling in Iraq from U.S. military officers, administration officials
and administration allies outside government and in the news media. It
isn't clear whether the media campaign is intended to build support for
limited military action against Iran, to pressure the Iranians to curb
their support for Shiite groups in Iraq or both." ... "Nor is it clear
from the evidence the administration has presented whether Iran, which
has long-standing ties to several Iraqi Shiite groups, including the Mahdi
Army of radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr and the Badr Organization, which
is allied with the U.S.-backed government of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki,
is a major cause of the anti-American and sectarian violence in Iraq or
merely one of many. At other times, administration officials have blamed
the Sunni Muslim group al Qaida in Iraq for much of the violence." ...
"Maliki is on a three-day visit to Tehran [Iran's capital], during which
he was photographed Wednesday hand in hand with Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad." -By
Warren
P. Strobel, John Walcott
and Nancy A. Youssef
-McClatchyDC.com
Gordon
Smith - Dick
Cheney - Environmental
- Science
- Politics
- Federal
- Investigation
- History
- Portland
- 
Ore
- California- 
Fish
- 
Food
- 
Farmers
- Business
- "Smith
backs Cheney on salmon kill controversy." ... "[Oregon
Republican Senator] Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. [Republican-Oregon], is siding
with [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney over a massive fish kill on
the Klamath River in 2002, saying there is no evidence it was caused by
water diversions to farmers." [The Klamath River runs through Oregon and
California] ... "Smith also defended Cheney's role in intervening with
federal officials to help farmers in the Klamath Basin and cast doubt that
the salmon die-off caused sharp commercial costal [coastal] fishing restrictions."
... "The House Natural Resources Committee is investigating whether Cheney
exerted improper political influence to override scientifically based management
of the water resources." ... "Environmentalists, often at odds with Smith,
say his stance contradicts a study by the California Department of Fish
and Game, which found that the water diversions played a key role in the
deaths of some 77,000 salmon." ... "The California Fish and Game report
cited several factors leading to the fish kill, the largest in recorded
West Coast history." ... "There were larger-than-normal salmon returns,
warm water and low river flows that combined to crowd the fish, hastening
the spread of disease." ... "The report concluded that, "River flow and
the volume of water in the fish-kill area were atypically low," and that
the river flow was the only factor controlled by humans." ... ""It's stretching
credibility to claim that the flow management decisions by the [Republican
President] Bush administration in 2002 had nothing to do with the low flows
in the Klamath River," said Steve Pedery of Oregon Wild, a Portland-based
environmental group." -AP
via -kgw.com
Secret
- US
- 
Philippines
- Dick
Cheney
- Leandro
Aragoncillo
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Ex-Cheney
aide gets 10 years in prison in spy case." ... "A
former White House official who took top secret documents from U.S. [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney's office and gave them to opposition figures
in the Philippines was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in prison." ...
"Philippine-born Leandro Aragoncillo, a U.S. citizen and former Marine,
pleaded guilty last year to taking the documents that included details
on threats against U.S. government interests and military personnel in
the Philippines." ... "Prosecutors told the court Aragoncillo used a fax
machine in Cheney's office to send documents to the Philippines. They said
up to 800 classified documents had been compromised by Aragoncillo, as
well as the name of a U.S. government source." (1, 2)
-By Edith Honan -Reuters
Fred
Thompson
- Lewis
Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Surveillance- Intelligence
- Law
- Politics- History
- Book
- 
Tennessee
- "Not
all would put a heroic sheen on Thompson's Watergate role."
... "The day before Senate Watergate Committee minority counsel Fred Thompson
made the inquiry that launched him into the national spotlight -- asking
an aide to [Republican] President Nixon whether there was a White House
taping system -- he telephoned Nixon's lawyer." ... "Thompson tipped off
the White House that the committee knew about the taping system and would
be making the information public. In his all-but-forgotten Watergate memoir,
"At That Point in Time," Thompson said he acted with "no authority" in
divulging the committee's knowledge of the tapes, which provided the evidence
that led to Nixon's resignation. It was one of many Thompson leaks to the
Nixon team, according to a former investigator for Democrats on the committee,
Scott Armstrong , who remains upset at Thompson's actions." ... ""Thompson
was a mole for the White House," Armstrong said in an interview. "Fred
was working hammer and tong to defeat the investigation of finding out
what happened to authorize Watergate and find out what the role of the
president was."" ... "But the story of his role in the Nixon case helps
put in perspective Thompson's recent stance as one of the most outspoken
proponents of pardoning I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff
to [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney. Just as Thompson once staunchly
defended Nixon, Thompson urged a pardon for Libby, who was convicted in
March of obstructing justice in the investigation into who leaked a CIA
operative's name." ... "On July 13, 1973, Armstrong, the Democratic staffer,
asked [Nixon aide Alexander] Butterfield a series of questions during a
private session that led up to the revelation. He then turned the questioning
over to a Republican staffer, Don Sanders, who asked Butterfield the question
that led to the mention of the taping system." ... "To the astonishment
of everyone in the room, Butterfield admitted the taping system existed."
... "When Thompson learned of Butterfield's admission, he leaked the revelation
to Nixon's counsel, J. Fred Buzhardt." ... "[Tennessee Republican Senator
Howard] Baker, meanwhile, insisted that Thompson be allowed to ask Butterfield
the question about the taping system in a public session on July 16, 1973,
three days after the committee had learned about the system." -By
Michael Kranish -Boston/Globe
I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- 
David
H Safavian - Jack
Abramoff
- 
J
Steven Griles - Government
- Military
- Law- Prison
- Politics
- "Libby's
sentence not unusually long: Though [Republican President]
Bush calls the 30-month prison term 'excessive,' records show defendants
convicted of similar crimes served jail time." ... "In commuting the sentence
of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, President Bush said that the former [Republican
Dick Cheney] vice presidential aide had suffered enough and that the 30-month
prison term ordered up by a federal judge was "excessive."" ... "But records
show that the Justice Department under the Bush administration frequently
has sought sentences that are as long, or longer, in cases similar to Libby's."
... "Three-fourths of the 198 defendants sentenced in federal court last
year for obstruction of justice — one of four crimes Libby was found guilty
of in March — got some prison time. According to federal data, the average
sentence defendants received for that charge alone was 70 months." ...
"Just last week, the Supreme Court upheld a 33-month prison sentence for
a decorated Army veteran who was convicted of lying to a federal agent
about buying a machine gun. The veteran had a record of public service
— fighting in Vietnam and the Gulf War — and no criminal record. But Justice
Department lawyers argued his prison term should stand because it fit within
the federal sentencing guidelines." ... "Former members of the Bush administration
have been sentenced to jail time in circumstances roughly analogous to
those of Libby." ... "A former federal procurement official, David H. Safavian,
was sentenced to 18 months in October for lying and concealing his dealings
with GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Late last month, a federal judge sentenced
J. Steven Griles, the former second-ranking official in the Interior Department,
to 10 months in prison for obstructing a Senate investigation into his
dealings with Abramoff." (1, 2)
-By Richard B. Schmitt and David G. Savage
-LAtimes
I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Prison
- Politics
- Intelligence
- Law
- "Bush
wipes away Libby's prison sentence." ... "Just when
things looked darkest for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, when prison seemed
all but certain, [Republican] President Bush wiped away the former White
House aide's 2 1/2-year sentence in the CIA leak case." ... "Bush's move
came Monday, just five hours after a federal appeals panel ruled that Libby
could not delay his prison term. His prospects for an emergency appeal
to the Supreme Court seemed bleak. The former chief of staff to [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney, Libby was just waiting for a date to surrender."
... ""I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a written statement.
"But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive.
Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required
him to spend 30 months in prison."" ... "Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald
disputed the president's assertion that the prison term was excessive.
Libby was sentenced under the same laws as other criminals, Fitzgerald
said. "It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before
the bar of justice as equals."" -By Matt Apuzzo with
contributions by Ben Feller -AP
Lewis
"Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Fred
Thompson
- Rudy
Giuliani
- Political
- Intelligence
- Law
- Tennessee
- New
York- 2008
Election - "Bush
Commutes Libby's Prison Term in CIA Leak Case (Update5)."
... "[Republican] President George W. Bush spared Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby
from prison in the CIA leak case, saying his 2 1/2-year term was ``excessive.''"
... "Bush acted after a U.S. appellate court today refused to let Libby,
56, stay free during his appeal. Libby, former chief of staff to [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of lying to investigators probing
the 2003 leak of Central Intelligence Agency official Valerie Plame's identity."
... "Republicans approved of Bush's decision." ... "``I am very happy for
Scooter Libby,'' said former Tennessee [Republican] Senator Fred Thompson,
a potential Republican presidential candidate who had urged a pardon."
... "Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani [2008 election Republican Presidential
candidate] said that Bush ``came to a reasonable decision and I believe
the decision was correct.''" ... "Melanie Sloan, a lawyer who represents
Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, in a civil suit against Libby and
Cheney over the leak, said Bush's administration ``believes leaking classified
information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies
to other people.''" -By Edwin Chen
-Bloomberg
Dick
Cheney
- Lewis
"Scooter" Libby
- Iraq
- US
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Law
- 2008
Election - 
Illinois
- John
Edwards
- New
York
- "Libby
commutation: Washington responds." ... "Following
are reactions to [Republican] President Bush’s announcement Monday that
he has commuted the sentence of former vice presidential [Republican Dick
Cheney] chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby:" ... "Sen. Barack Obama,
D-Illinois, [Democratic Senator, 2008 election] and presidential candidate:
“This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national
security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics
of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its
ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change
so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that
puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent
years.”" ... "Former Sen. John Edwards, [Democratic Senator, 2008 election]
presidential candidate: “Only a president clinically incapable of understanding
that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President
Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world.
In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence
for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush
and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with
the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious
blow today.”" ... "Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, [Democratic Senator,
2008 election] presidential candidate: "Today’s decision is yet another
example that this Administration simply considers itself above the law.
This case arose from the Administration’s politicization of national security
intelligence and its efforts to punish those who spoke out against its
policies. Four years into the Iraq war, Americans are still living with
the consequences of this White House’s efforts to quell dissent. This commutation
sends the clear signal that in this Administration, cronyism and ideology
trump competence and justice.”" -CNN
I
Lewis Libby Jr
- Dick
Cheney
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Bush
Spares Libby 30-Month Jail Term." ... "[Republican]
President Bush said today that he had used his power of clemency to commute
the 30-month sentence for I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former top aide to [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney, who was convicted of perjury in March and was
due to begin serving his time within weeks." ... "Like a pardon, a commutation
is a form of clemency, granted to the president by the Constitution. But
a pardon is an official act of forgiveness, whereas a commutation simply
reduces the penalty, without making an official judgment of forgiveness."
... "In June, Mr. Libby was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a $250,000
fine after he was convicted in March of obstructing justice and lying to
a grand jury and F.B.I. agents who were investigating the disclosure of
the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency operative, Valerie Wilson."
-By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
-NYTimes
I
"Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Law
- Intelligence
- "Joe
Wilson ‘outraged’ about commutation." ... "Commuting
the prison sentence of I. “Scooter” Libby raises questions of whether [Republican]
President Bush is now an active participant in obstructing justice, former
Ambassador Joe Wilson told The New Mexican on Monday." ... "“I’m outraged,”
Wilson — whose wife, Valerie Plame, was outed as a CIA agent by Bush administration
figures — said in a telephone interview. “The question for President Bush
is if, in commuting this sentence, are you not an accessory or participant
in the obstruction of justice in ensuring that Libby will never be forced
to tell the truth?”" ... "President Bush on Monday commuted the 2 1/2-year
prison sentence of Libby, former chief of staff of [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney. Libby was convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and
lying to investigators in the Plame case." ... "“Congress ought to conduct
an investigation of whether or not the president is himself a participant
in the obstruction of justice,” Wilson said." -By
Steve Terrell -SantaFeNewMexican.com
I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Law
- History
- Prison
- "Bush
commutes Libby's prison sentence." ... "[Republican]
President Bush commuted Monday the prison term of former White House aide
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, facing 30 months in prison after a federal court
convicted him of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators."
... "A commutation is distinct from a pardon, which is a complete eradication
of a conviction record and makes it the same as if the person has never
been convicted." ... "The commutation does nothing to prevent Libby from
appealing his conviction. And if the appeal fails or is still in process
at the end of Bush's term, there is nothing to prevent the president from
granting Libby a full pardon before he leaves office." ... "Libby's conviction
is linked to the investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie
Plame's identity." ... "An outraged Joe Wilson, Plame's husband, spoke
to CNN shortly after the ruling. Wilson had gone public with allegations
that the Bush administration had "twisted" the evidence used to justify
the invasion of Iraq, and prosecutors argued that Libby disclosed her employment
as part of an effort to discredit him." ... ""I have nothing to say to
Scooter Libby," Wilson said. "I don't owe this administration. They owe
my wife and my family an apology for having betrayed her. Scooter Libby
is a traitor."" ... "Plame had worked in the CIA's counter-proliferation
division before the March 2003 invasion. She told a congressional committee
in March that her exposure effectively ended her career and endangered
"entire networks" of agents overseas." ... "Libby, the former chief of
staff to [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney, is the highest-ranking
White House official ordered to prison since the Iran-Contra affair."
-CNN
Dick
Cheney
- Secret
- Electronic
- Communications
- Surveillance
- Terrorism
- Politics
- Vermont
- Civil
Liberties - Enforcement
- "Bush
won't supply subpoenaed documents." ... "The Senate
committee investigating the Bush administration's controversial domestic
wiretapping program subpoenaed the [Republican President Bush] White House,
Vice President Dick Cheney's office and the Justice Department today for
information regarding their legal justification for the warrantless secret
surveillance." ... "The subpoenas by the Judiciary Committee set the stage
for another legal and political battle between Senate Democrats and the
administration over its counter-terrorism and law enforcement policies.
Earlier subpoenas issued by Democratic lawmakers to current and former
White House officials have essentially been ignored." ... "[Democratic
Vermont Senator Patrick] Leahy noted that the Judiciary Committee was charged
with oversight of the executive branch in the areas of constitutional protections
and the civil liberties of Americans. "The warrantless electronic surveillance
program directly impacts those responsibilities," Leahy wrote. "We cannot
conduct this oversight without knowing the legal arguments the administration
has used to justify interception of the communications of Americans without
a warrant."" -By Terence Hunt
-LAtimes
US
- International
- Dick
Cheney
- Secret
- Military
- Surveillance
- Telecommunications
- E-Mail
- Companies
- Intelligence
- Law
- History
- Politics
- "Panel
pushes for files on spy program: White House, Cheney
get subpoenas." ... "The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday issued subpoenas
to the Bush administration for documents related to its warrantless surveillance
program, elevating a long-simmering dispute between Congress and the [Republican]
White House over classified national-security information into a possible
constitutional showdown." ... "Specifically, the committee is seeking documents
related to White House authorization and reauthorization of the warrantless
surveillance program, internal memos analyzing whether the surveillance
is legal, agreements with telecommunications companies that assisted in
the spying, orders by a secret national-security court regarding the program,
and papers concerning [Republican] President Bush's decision to shut down
an in-house Justice Department investigation related to the program." ...
"The program dates to the weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, when [Republican President George] Bush signed an order authorizing
the military's National Security Agency to monitor Americans' international
phone calls and e-mails without a judge's approval." ... "A 1978 statute
makes it a felony to conduct such surveillance without a warrant, but the
president's legal team secretly asserted that his wartime powers include
an unwritten right to bypass such laws at his own discretion. Cheney and
his counsel, David Addington , were the leading proponents of the program
and the controversial legal theory supporting it, former administration
lawyers have said." ... "The Justice Department's Office of Professional
Responsibility, which polices compliance with legal ethics, opened an investigation
into whether department lawyers knowingly signed off on a faulty interpretation
of the law to give the program legal cover. But Bush shut down the investigation
by refusing to grant the office security clearance." -By
Charlie Savage -Boston/Globe
Dick
Cheney - Special
Report - Government
- Terrorism
- Torture
- Economy
- Environment
- Air
- Water
- Food
- Animal
- Politics
- "Angler:
The Cheney Vice Presidency." ... "Dick Cheney is
the most influential and powerful man ever to hold the office of vice president.
This series examines Cheney's largely hidden and little-understood role
in crafting policies for the War on Terror, the economy and the environment."
Dick
Cheney
- Secrets
- Intelligence
- Government
- Money- Law
- "Democrats
Target Cheney's Office Funds." ... "House Democrats,
responding to Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that his office is
exempt from certain national security disclosure requirements, said Tuesday
they will try to strip his office's funding." ... "Cheney set off protests
from Democrats when he declared that his office was exempt from sections
of a presidential order that executive branch offices provide data on how
much material they classify and declassify. The White House agreed, saying
that Cheney's office was exempt from the reporting order because it was
not intended to treat the vice president's office as an executive branch
"agency."" -AP
via -CBSNews
J
Steven Griles - Jack
Abramoff
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Energy
- Money
- Politics
- "Former
Interior Official Gets Prison." ... "A federal judge
chastised the Interior Department's former No. 2 official and doubled his
proposed prison term to 10 months Tuesday for lying to senators in the
Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal and making excuses about it in court." ...
"J. Steven Griles was the department's deputy secretary and is the highest
administration official sentenced in the probe. He pleaded guilty to obstructing
a congressional investigation, but on Tuesday his lawyers tried to deflect
blame for his faulty testimony." ... "Griles admitted to lying to Senate
investigators about his relationship with Abramoff, the central figure
in a corruption investigation that has led to convictions of a former congressman,
legislative aides, lobbyists and officials in the [Republican President]
Bush administration." ... "Second in rank only to then-Secretary Gale Norton,
Griles effectively was Interior's chief operating officer between 2001
and 2005 and its top representative on [Republican] Vice President Dick
Cheney's energy task force." -By Matt Apuzzo
-AP
Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Secrets
- Military
- Terrorism
- Law
- Politics
- Intelligence
- "'A
Different Understanding With the President'." ...
"In roles that have gone largely undetected, Cheney has served as gatekeeper
for Supreme Court nominees, referee of Cabinet turf disputes, arbiter of
budget appeals, editor of tax proposals and regulator in chief of water
flows in his native West." ... "The vice president's reputation and, some
say, his influence, have suffered in the past year and a half. Cheney lost
his closest aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to a perjury conviction, and
his onetime mentor, Donald H. Rumsfeld, in a Cabinet purge. A shooting
accident in Texas, and increasing gaps between his rhetoric and events
in Iraq, have exposed him to ridicule and approval ratings in the teens."
... "Waxing or waning, Cheney holds his purchase on an unrivaled portfolio
across the executive branch." ... "Cheney preferred, and Bush approved,
a mandate that gave him access to "every table and every meeting," making
his voice heard in "whatever area the vice president feels he wants to
be active in," Bolten said." ... "Other recent vice presidents have enjoyed
a standing invitation to join the president at "policy time." But Cheney's
interventions have also come in the president's absence, at Cabinet and
sub-Cabinet levels where his predecessors were seldom seen. He found pressure
points and changed the course of events by "reaching down," a phrase that
recurs often in interviews with current and former aides." ... "Stealth
is among Cheney's most effective tools. Man-size Mosler safes, used elsewhere
in government for classified secrets, store the workaday business of the
office of the vice president. Even talking points for reporters are sometimes
stamped "Treated As: Top Secret/SCI." Experts in and out of government
said Cheney's office appears to have invented that designation, which alludes
to "sensitive compartmented information," the most closely guarded category
of government secrets. By adding the words "treated as," they said, Cheney
seeks to protect unclassified work as though its disclosure would cause
"exceptionally grave damage to national security."" ... "Across the board,
the vice president's office goes to unusual lengths to avoid transparency.
Cheney declines to disclose the names or even the size of his staff, generally
releases no public calendar and ordered the Secret Service to destroy his
visitor logs. His general counsel has asserted that "the vice presidency
is a unique office that is neither a part of the executive branch nor a
part of the legislative branch," and is therefore exempt from rules governing
either. Cheney is refusing to observe an executive order on the handling
of national security secrets, and he proposed to abolish a federal office
that insisted on auditing his compliance." ... "More than any one man in
the months to come, Cheney freed Bush to fight the "war on terror" as he
saw fit, animated by their shared belief that al-Qaeda's destruction would
require what the vice president called "robust interrogation" to extract
intelligence from captured suspects. With a small coterie of allies, Cheney
supplied the rationale and political muscle to drive far-reaching legal
changes through the White House, the Justice Department and the Pentagon."
... "The way he did it -- adhering steadfastly to principle, freezing out
dissent and discounting the risks of blow-back -- turned tactical victory
into strategic defeat. By late last year, the Supreme Court had dealt three
consecutive rebuffs to his claim of nearly unchecked authority for the
commander in chief, setting precedents that will bind Bush's successors."
... "Yet even as Bush was forced into public retreats, an examination of
subsequent events suggests that Cheney has quietly held his ground. Most
of his operational agenda, in practice if not in principle, remains in
place." -By Barton
Gellman and Jo
Becker -WashingtonPost
Dick
Cheney
- Secrecy
- Intelligence
- Archives
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- Government
- Calif
- "Cheney
Defiant on Classified Material: Executive Order Ignored
Since 2003." ... "[Republican] Vice President Cheney's office has refused
to comply with an executive order governing the handling of classified
information for the past four years and recently tried to abolish the office
that sought to enforce those rules, according to documents released by
a congressional committee yesterday." ... "Since 2003, the vice president's
staff has not cooperated with an office at the National Archives and Records
Administration charged with making sure the executive branch protects classified
information. Cheney aides have not filed reports on their possession of
classified data and at one point blocked an inspection of their office.
After the Archives office pressed the matter, the documents say, Cheney's
staff this year proposed eliminating it." ... "The aggressive efforts to
protect the operations of his staff have usually pitted Cheney against
lawmakers, interest groups or media organizations, sometimes going all
the way to the Supreme Court. But the fight about classified information
regulation indicates that the vice president has resisted oversight even
by other parts of the Bush administration. Cheney's office argued that
it is exempt from the rules in this case because it is not strictly an
executive branch agency." ... ""He's saying he's above the law," said [California
Democratic Representative] Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of
the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which released a series
of correspondence yesterday outlining the situation. "It just seems to
me this is arrogant and shows bad judgment."" -By
Peter Baker -WashingtonPost
Dick
Cheney
- Secret
- Intelligence
- Archives
- Law
- Politics
- "Congressman:
Cheney challenges classified oversight." ... "[Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney's office refused to cooperate with an agency
that oversees classified documents, then tried to abolish the office when
it challenged the actions, House oversight committee Chairman Henry Waxman
said." ... "The National Archives' Information Security Oversight Office
is charged by presidential order with ensuring that classified information
and documents are properly handled by executive branch agencies." ... ""I
question both the legality and wisdom of your actions," [California Democratic
Representative Henry] Waxman, D-California, wrote in a letter Thursday
to Cheney." ... ""Your decision to exempt your office from the president's
order is problematic because it could place national security at risk,"
wrote Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee."
-Contributed to by Adam Levine and Suzanne Malveaux
-CNN
Dick
Cheney
- I
Lewis Libby Jr
- Secrets
- Intelligence
- Government
- Archives
- Law
- Enforcement- Politics
- Leandro
Aragoncillo
- Philippines
- California
- "Cheney
in Dispute on Oversight of His Office." ... "For
four years, [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney has resisted routine
oversight of his office’s handling of classified information, and when
the office in charge of overseeing classification in the executive branch
objected, the vice president’s office suggested that the oversight office
be shut down, according to documents released today by a Democratic congressman."
... "The oversight office, a unit of the National Archives, appealed the
issue to the Justice Department, which has not yet ruled on the matter."
... "The archives’ division that oversees classification and declassification,
the Information Security Oversight Office, is an obscure part of the federal
bureaucracy." ... "[California Democratic Representative Henry] Mr. Waxman
asserted both in his letter and the interview that Mr. Cheney’s office
should take the efforts of the National Archives especially seriously because
it has had problems protecting secrets." ... "He noted that the vice president’s
former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., was convicted of perjury and
obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury and the F.B.I. [Federal
Bureau of Investigation] during an investigation of the leak of classified
information — the secret status of Valerie Wilson, the wife of a [Republican
President] Bush administration critic, as an undercover Central Intelligence
Agency officer." ... "He added that in May 2006 a former aide in Mr. Cheney’s
office, Leandro Aragoncillo, pleaded guilty to passing classified information
to plotters trying to overthrown the president of the Philippines." ...
"“Your office may have the worst record in the executive branch for safeguarding
classified information,” Mr. Waxman wrote to Mr. Cheney." (1, 2)
-By Scott Shane -NYTimes
Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Intelligence
- Secrets
- Archives
- Law
- Politics
- California
- "Waxman
decries Cheney security exemption." ... "House Democrats
on Thursday denounced [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's idea of
abolishing a government office charged with safeguarding national security
information — and criticized him for refusing to cooperate with the agency."
... "Cheney's office — over the objections of the National Archives — has
exempted itself from a presidential executive order that seeks to protect
national security information generated by the government, according to
the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform." ... "Cheney's
office provided the information in 2001 and 2002, then stopped. [California
Democratic Representative] Henry Waxman, chairman of the committee, said
Cheney's office claims it need not comply with the executive order because
it is not an "entity within the executive branch."" -By
Deb Riechmann -AP
via -Yahoo
Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Intelligence
- Secrets
- Law
- Politics
- Calif
- "Cheney
Power Grab: Says White House Rules Don't Apply to Him."
... "[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney has asserted his office is
not a part of the executive branch of the U.S. government, and therefore
not bound by a presidential order governing the protection of classified
information by government agencies, according to a new letter from [California
Democratic Representative] Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to Cheney." ...
"Bill Leonard, head of the government's Information Security Oversight
Office (ISOO), told Waxman's staff that Cheney's office has refused to
provide his staff with details regarding classified documents or submit
to a routine inspection as required by presidential order, according to
Waxman." ... "As director of the tiny, 25-person Information Security Oversight
Office, Leonard is responsible for keeping track of the nation's secrets
and making sure they are properly protected." -By
Justin Rood Reports -ABCNEWS.com
Lewis
"Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Intelligence- Politics
- "Libby
Must Go to Prison During Appeal, Judge Rules (Update2)."
... "Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby, an ex-aide to [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney, must go to prison while appealing his conviction for obstructing
a CIA leak probe, a judge ruled." ... "Libby was sentenced to 2 1/2 years
in prison by Walton last week following his March 6 conviction of lying
to investigators probing the 2003 leak of Central Intelligence Agency official
Valerie Plame's identity. Libby was convicted of obstructing justice, perjury
and making false statements. He resigned as Cheney's chief of staff upon
being indicted in 2005." ... "``The evidence of guilt was overwhelming''
and arguments by Libby's lawyers today for release were ``not close,''
Walton said before ruling from the bench. The judge didn't specify when
Libby must report to prison, though he said it may take six to eight weeks
for the Bureau of Prisons to be prepared to take him." ... "Libby was convicted
of lying to investigators probing whether the Bush administration deliberately
leaked Plame's identity to retaliate against her husband, Joseph Wilson,
who accused the government of twisting intelligence to justify the 2003
invasion of Iraq." -By Robert Schmidt and Nadine Elsibai
-Bloomberg
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Police
- Massachusetts
- Kid
- Cheney
- I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Intelligence
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Mitt
Romney
- "Gov.
Romney held fast against pardons." ... "Iraq war
veteran Anthony Circosta seemed like an ideal candidate for a pardon from
then-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney [Republican 2008 Presidential candidate]
for his boyhood conviction for a BB gun shooting. Romney said no — twice
—despite the recommendation of the state's Board of Pardons." ... "At age
13, Circosta was convicted of assault for shooting another boy in the arm
with a BB gun, a shot that didn't break the skin. Circosta worked his way
through college, joined the Army National Guard and led a platoon of 20
soldiers in Iraq's deadly Sunni triangle." ... "In 2005, as he was serving
in Iraq, he sought a pardon to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer."
... ""I've done everything I can to give back to my state and my community
and my country and to get brushed aside is very frustrating," said Circosta,
29, of Agawam, Mass. "I'm not some shlub off the street."" ... "Asked in
last week's debate if he would consider pardoning [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted
of lying and obstructing the CIA leak investigation, Romney said: "It's
worth looking at that. I will study it very closely if I'm lucky enough
to be president. And I'd keep that option open."" -By
Steve LeBlanc -APvia
-Yahoo
Cheney
- Secret
- Surveillance
- Politics
- Phone
- E-Mail
- United
States -
- Intelligence
- Liberty
- Law
- Health
- "Official:
Cheney Urged Wiretaps: Stand-In for Ashcroft Alleges
Interference." ... "[Republican] Vice President Cheney told Justice Department
officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance
program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, a former
senior Justice official told senators yesterday." ... "The meeting came
one day before White House officials tried to get approval for the same
program from then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who lay recovering
from surgery in a hospital, according to former deputy attorney general
James B. Comey." ... "Comey's disclosures, made in response to written
questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, indicate that Cheney and
his aides were more closely involved than previously known in a fierce
internal battle over the legality of the warrantless surveillance program.
The program allowed the National Security Agency to monitor phone calls
and e-mails between the United States and overseas." ... "Comey said that
Cheney's office later blocked the promotion of a senior Justice Department
lawyer, Patrick Philbin, because of his role in raising concerns about
the surveillance." ... "The disclosures also provide further details about
the role played by then-White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales. He visited
Ashcroft in his hospital room and wrote an internal memorandum on the surveillance
program shortly afterward, according to Comey's responses. Gonzales is
now the attorney general." ... ""Mr. Comey has confirmed what we suspected
for a while -- that White House hands guided Justice Department business,"
said Sen. [New York Democratic Senator] Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). "The
vice president's fingerprints are all over the effort to strong-arm Justice
on the NSA program, and the obvious next question is: Exactly what role
did the president play?"" (1, 2)
-By Dan Eggen with contributions by Amy Goldstein
-WashingtonPost
Dick
Cheney
- Gonzales
- Eavesdropping
- Government
- US
Attorneys - Politics
- Employee
- Intelligence
- Law
- Health
- "Cheney
blocked official's promotion." ... "[Republican Vice
President] Dick Cheney blocked the promotion of a Justice Department official
[Patrick Philbin] involved in a bedside standoff over [Republican] President
Bush's eavesdropping program, a Senate committee learned Wednesday." ...
"The Democrats' investigation into whether the firings of eight U.S. attorneys
were improperly political led to testimony last month in which Comey disclosed
details of a hospital visit on March 10, 2004, to the attorney general
at that time, John Ashcroft." ... "According to Comey, he and Ashcroft
had refused to recertify the legality of Bush's warrantless wiretapping
program for reasons that are classified." ... "During a meeting at the
White House on March 9, 2004, Comey told Cheney he would not certify the
program, he said in his written remarks Wednesday." ... "The next night,
then-White House Counsel [Alberto] Gonzales and Bush's chief of staff,
Andy Card, went to Ashcroft's bedside in intensive care unit at George
Washington University Hospital. Tipped to the impending visit, Comey and
his aides were present when Gonzales urged Ashcroft to recertify the program.
Ashcroft, who just had gall bladder surgery, refused, Comey testified last
month." ... "The White House recertified the program without the department's
endorsement." -By Laurie Kellman
-AP via -Yahoo
I
Lewis Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- US
- Iraq
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Law
- "Libby
Gets 30 Months in Prison in C.I.A. Leak Case." ...
"I. Lewis Libby Jr., once one of the most powerful men in government as
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, was sentenced
today to two and a half years in prison for lying to a grand jury and F.B.I.
agents who were investigating the unmasking of a C.I.A. operative, Valerie
Wilson, during a fierce debate over the war in Iraq." ... "Mr. Libby’s
chief lawyer, Theodore V. Wells Jr., asked Judge Walton to place his client
on probation, or at least place him under home confinement or in a halfway
house, rather than send him to prison." ... "But the prosecutor, Patrick
J. Fitzgerald, argued that the defendant had shown “absolutely no contrition,”
and that the court needed to send a message that lying in a criminal investigation
can never be excused." ... "“Truth matters,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “The
whole system depends on that.”" ... "Mr. Libby’s conduct was inexcusable,
the prosecutor said, because as a lawyer he is “educated and experienced
in these matters.”" ... "Nor was the defendant’s lying a spur-of-the-moment
decision, Mr. Fitzgerald went on. Rather, he said, Mr. Libby lied repeatedly
over a period of weeks, rejecting numerous opportunities to change his
account and avoid charges." ... "Mr. Fitzgerald argued that it does not
really matter than no one has been prosecuted for actually leaking the
C.I.A. affiliation of Ms. Wilson, also known by her maiden name, Valerie
Plame. The defendant knowingly impeded the inquiry, Mr. Fitzgerald said,
and made it difficult for investigators to determine “who’s telling the
truth in this house of mirrors he created.”" -By David
Stout -NYTimes
US
- Iraq- I
Lewis Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Military
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Law
- History
- "Libby
sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison." ... "Former
White House aide [to 
