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http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-nie28sep28,1,1795041.story?coll=la-news-comment
EDITORIAL
Declassifying the Obvious
It's not news that the Iraq war stokes jihadism, but Bush's secrecy makes it interesting.
September 28, 2006
THE JUDGMENT OF THE National Intelligence Estimate partly made public this week - that "the Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' forjihadists" - did not unveil an especially novel viewpoint or theory. So whyhas the report, assembled by U.S. intelligence agencies in April, caused such a sensation?
Partly it's the official pedigree of the document; partly it's the unconvincing attempt by President Bush to explain it away. In announcingTuesday that he would declassify parts of the report, he testily suggestedthat the actual language would discredit "speculation" that it had linkedthe war in Iraq to a heightened terrorist threat. But the material releasedto the public came to essentially that conclusion (though it also backedBush's contention that if jihadists failed in Iraq, they would recruit"fewer fighters" in the future).
Yet even before Bush declassified parts of the report, the document exerteda fascination that cannot be explained solely by its conclusions. Some ofthe report's mystique stems from the fact that, until Tuesday, it had been asecret.
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http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/bookman/stories/2006/09/28/0928edbookman.html
Bush team continues to tune out truth
Published on: 09/28/06
As President Bush sees it, a secret National Intelligence Estimate concluding that we are losing the war on terror was leaked for partisan gain.
"Here we are coming down the stretch in an election campaign, and it's on the front page of your newspapers," he said Tuesday.
"Isn't that interesting? Somebody's taken it upon themselves to leakclassified information for political purposes ... in order to createconfusion in the minds of the American people."
That's certainly one interpretation. Here's another:
Maybe the NIE was leaked not by moles in the intelligence world trying toswing the upcoming election to Democrats, but by patriots sincerely dismayedat the sight of Bush telling the American people something that is patentlyand dangerously untrue, that we are winning and should not change course.
Maybe - just maybe - their goal was not to sow confusion, as the presidentclaims, but to create clarity. Maybe they thought the American people shouldknow the truth about such a grave issue. Maybe they believe that if armedwith accurate information, voters would demand a change of course that mightspare us a new tragedy.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/28/AR2006092800290_pf.html
Bush up, Dems still favored in November: Reuters poll
Reuters
Thursday, September 28, 2006; 7:00 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush enjoyed a modest rise inpublic approval after his recent political offensive on Iraq and security,but voters still favor Democrats in the November 7 congressional election, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Thursday.
Six weeks before voters decide which party controls the U.S. Congress, a majority thinks the country is on the wrong track and nearly three-quartersgive the Republican-led Congress negative marks for its job performance.
Democrats have an edge of 9 percentage points, 42 percent to 33 percent,over Republicans when voters were asked which party's candidate they willsupport in November, the poll found.
But voters were evenly split when asked which party they preferred to lead Congress.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/28/ap/entertainment/printableD8KDHUD80.shtml
Fox Chief: Clinton Response an 'Assault'
NEW YORK, Sep. 28, 2006
(AP) Fox News chief Roger Ailes says former President Clinton's response to Chris Wallace's question about going after Osama bin Laden represents "an assault on all journalists."
Ailes said Clinton had a "wild overreaction" in the interview, broadcast on"Fox News Sunday." Hundreds of thousands of people subsequently watchedclips over the Internet, with Fox foes rallying behind Clinton.
"If you can't sit there and answer a question from a professional,mild-mannered, respectful reporter like Chris Wallace, then the hatred forjournalists is showing," Ailes said in an interview with The AssociatedPress on Wednesday. "All journalists need to raise their eyebrows and say,`hold on a second.'"
Wallace has said he asked Clinton about bin Laden partly because of ABC'srecent docudrama "The Path to 9/11," widely criticized as full of falsehoodsby former Clinton administration officials for depicting a bungling effortat going after the terrorist leader.
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-28-giuliani-clinton_x.htm
Giuliani defends Clinton's defense over terrorism preparedness
Posted 9/28/2006 5:19 AM ET
FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended BillClinton on Wednesday over the former president's counterterrorism efforts,saying recent criticism on preventing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks iswrong.
Political bickering over which president - Clinton or George W. Bush - missed more opportunities to prevent the attacks has been escalating sinceClinton gave a combative interview on "Fox News Sunday" in which he defendedhis efforts to kill Osama bin Laden.
"The idea of trying to cast blame on President Clinton is just wrong formany, many reasons, not the least of which is I don't think he deserves it,"Giuliani said in response to a question after an appearance with fellowRepublican Charlie Crist, who is running for governor. "I don't thinkPresident Bush deserves it. The people who deserve blame for Sept. 11, Ithink we should remind ourselves, are the terrorists, the Islamic fanatics,who came here and killed us and want to come here again and do it."
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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Kansas-Attorney-General.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
The New York Times
September 27, 2006
Kan. AG Alarms Abortion - Rights Groups
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:31 p.m. ET
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- GQ magazine declared he would do anything to stop abortion and called him the future of the anti-abortion movement. Planned Parenthood put him on a list of 15 Americans it saw as major threats toabortion rights.
Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has emerged as one of the nation'sforemost foes of abortion by tangling with abortion clinics and health careproviders in this heartland state, where is now running for a second term.
His opponents were even more alarmed recently after someone leaked acampaign memo he wrote in August, outlining an aggressive plan to courtconservative Christians with a blitz of speaking engagements at churches.
His Democratic challenger, Paul Morrison, the Johnson County districtattorney, has accused Kline of pursuing a narrow, personal agenda as attorney general and has called the memo cynical.
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http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2006/09/28/cost_of_iraq_war_nearly_2b_a_week?mode=PF
The Boston Globe
Cost of Iraq war nearly $2b a week
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | September 28, 2006
WASHINGTON -- A new congressional analysis shows the Iraq war is now costing taxpayers almost $2 billion a week -- nearly twice as much as in the firstyear of the conflict three years ago and 20 percent more than last year -- as the Pentagon spends more on establishing regional bases to support theextended deployment and scrambles to fix or replace equipment damaged incombat.
The upsurge occurs as the total cost of military operations at home andabroad since 2001, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will top halfa trillion dollars, according to an internal assessment by the nonpartisanCongressional Research Service completed last week.
The spike in operating costs -- including a 20 percent increase over lastyear in Afghanistan, where the mission now costs about $370 million aweek -- comes even though troop levels in both countries have remainedstable. The reports attribute the rising costs in part to a higher pace offighting in both countries, where insurgents and terrorists have increasedtheir attacks on US and coalition troops and civilians.
Another major factor, however, is ``the building of more extensiveinfrastructure to support troops and equipment in and around Iraq andAfghanistan," according to the report. Based on Defense Department data, thereport suggests that the construction of so-called semi-permanent supportbases has picked up in recent months, making it increasingly clear that the US military will have a presence in both countries for years to come.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092601486.html
House Passes Measure on Religion Suits
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 27, 2006; A04
The House passed a bill yesterday that would bar judges from awarding legal fees to the American Civil Liberties Union and similar groups that suemunicipalities for violating the Constitution's ban on governmentestablishment of religion.
Though the bill would prevent plaintiffs from recovering legal costs in anylawsuit based on the Establishment Clause, House Republicans said during afloor debate that it was particularly aimed at organizations that force theremoval of Nativity scenes and Ten Commandments monuments from publicproperty.
"Liberal groups . . . scour the country looking to sue cities and stateswith any kind of religious display, regardless of how popular these displaysare," said Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.). Because judges often requiremunicipalities that lose such lawsuits to reimburse their opponents' legalfees, "citizens' precious monuments are being eroded with their own taxdollars," she added.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092700174_pf.html
Schwarzenegger Signs Global Warming Bill
By SAMANTHA YOUNG
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 27, 2006; 8:34 PM
SAN FRANCISCO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday signed into law asweeping global warming initiative that imposes the nation's first cap ongreenhouse gas emissions, saying the effort kicks off "a bold new era ofenvironmental protection."
Standing on picturesque Treasure Island with San Francisco's skyline in thebackground, Schwarzenegger called the fight against global warming one ofthe most important issues of modern times.
"We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down globalwarming before it is too late," Schwarzenegger said during an address beforesigning the bill.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092701758.html
Arnold's Turnaround
A GOP Governor Finds the Key: Independence
By David S. Broder
Thursday, September 28, 2006; A23
SACRAMENTO -- The Terminator has rescued himself from political ruin byreinventing his approach to government, thus demonstrating in the mostdramatic way possible the value of political independence.
Just 10 months after California voters rejected all four of the ballotinitiatives he put before them and sent his personal approval ratingscrashing to dangerous depths, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger isriding high, poised to win a full term come November.
Instead of the partisan assault on public employee unions and Democraticlegislators (a.k.a. "girlie men") that marked his rhetoric in 2005,Schwarzenegger has negotiated agreements this year on a minimum-wageincrease, higher school spending, curbing air pollution and a mega-bond saledesigned to meet overdue highway, flood-control and school-constructionneeds.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092701287.html
House Approves Bill on Detainees
253 to 168 Vote Backs Bush on Prosecution Of Terrorism Suspects
By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006; A01
The House approved an administration-backed system of questioning andprosecuting terrorism suspects yesterday, setting clearer limits on CIAinterrogation techniques but denying access to courts for detainees seekingto challenge their imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere.
The 253 to 168 vote was a victory for President Bush and fellow Republicans.Bush had yielded some ground during weeks of negotiations, but he fullyembraced the language that the House approved with support from 34 Democratsand all but seven Republicans.
Senators also began debating the measure yesterday and defeated, along partylines, a Democratic-sponsored amendment that would have expanded detainees'legal rights. Senators predicted that their chamber will approve thelegislation today, which would enable Bush to hold a signing ceremony on ahigh-profile and intensely debated bill about a month before the Nov. 7elections.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/us/28hostage.html?pagewanted=print
September 28, 2006
Student and Gunman Die in Colorado High School Standoff
By KIRK JOHNSON
DENVER, Sept. 27 - A four-hour hostage standoff in a high school southwestof Denver ended on Wednesday with the hostage taker and a teenage girl dead.
But many details were sketchy, the police said, including the identity ofthe gunman and what role a police SWAT team may have played in resolving thecrisis.
The event, which began just before noon, convulsed the small community ofBailey, about 40 miles southwest of Denver, prompting the evacuation of twoschools and the closing of highways leading to town. For many it was afrightening reminder of the 1999 killings at Columbine High School nearLittleton, Colo.
"It's hard," Sheriff Fred Wegener of Park County said in a news conference. "The community's probably going to be in shock right now and rightfully so."
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The New York Times
http://www.smh.com.au/editorial/index.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
The Sydney [Australia] Morning Herald
A faint banzai for Shinzo Abe
September 28, 2006
SHINZO ABE gained an overwhelming mandate from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to become Japan's new Prime Minister, but there is a distinct lack ofenthusiasm for him at home or abroad. Rightly so. Mr Abe is, at 52, theyoungest Japanese prime minister of the postwar era, and is clearlyintelligent, charismatic and articulate. But he has taken office in aresurgence of old-style powerbroking between his party's notorious factions,rather than a repeat of the election-winning prowess of his predecessor,Junichiro Koizumi.
In most democracies, Mr Koizumi's sweeping election win in 2004, whichrestored the Liberal Democratic Party's majority in the Diet, the Japaneseparliament, would have kept him in office well into the future andintensified his economic reforms, which famously included a start onprivatising the huge postal savings bank. Instead, after setting thecompletion of the postal reforms far off in 2017, Mr Koizumi rested on hislaurels as his departure date - preset by party rules - loomed.
The first test for whether Mr Abe can translate internal party clout intoelectoral success will be in upper house elections next year. In policyterms, however, he represents a swing back to Japanese-style macho politicsafter a period when Japan seemed to be getting in touch with its feminineside, so to speak. That shift was symbolised by the likelihood that a femalemonarch would follow the present crown prince - but that prospect hasvanished with the birth of a prince. Japan has also seen the rise of a new economic model - derived from the floating world of anime, manga comics andtechno-pop - in place of the old one based on stagnating manufacturing andconstruction.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28un-index.html?pagewanted=print
September 28, 2006
Why I Should Run the U.N.
The United Nations selects its next secretary general this fall through aseries of straw polls. The third of these - the most decisive to date - willbe held today. In the vote, the 15 members of the Security Council"encourage," "discourage" or venture "no opinion" on each of the candidates.To win, a candidate must have at least nine encouraging votes and nodiscouragement from any of the five permanent members of the SecurityCouncil. The winner is then presented to the General Assembly forratification.The Op-Ed page asked all seven candidates to respond to two questions.First, we asked them to discuss an avoidable mistake the United Nations hadmade within the last five years. Second, we asked them what major reformthey would undertake as secretary general. Five candidates gave us theiranswers.
Click on the link above to read the responses.
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The New York Times
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28herbert.html
September 28, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
A Platform of Bigotry
By BOB HERBERT
George Allen, the clownish, Confederate-flag-loving senator from Virginia,has apparently been scurrying around for many years, spreading his raciallyoffensive garbage like a dog that should be curbed. With harsh newallegations emerging daily, it's fair to ask:Where are the voices of reason in the Republican Party - the nonbigotedvoices? Why haven't we heard from them on this matter?
Mr. Allen has long been touted as one of the leading candidates for theRepublican presidential nomination in 2008. But this is a man who hasdisplayed the quintessential symbol of American bigotry, the Confederatebattle flag, on the wall of his living room; who put up a hangman's noose asa decoration in his law office; who used an ethnic slur - macaca - in anattempt to publicly embarrass a 20-year-old American student of Indiandescent; and who, according to the recollections of a number of hisacquaintances, frequently referred to blacks as niggers.
The senator has denied the last allegation. But his accusers are low-keyed,straight-arrow professionals who have no obvious ax to grind. They, frankly,seem believable.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu2.html
September 28, 2006
Editorial
Mr. Buffett's Excellent Idea
At the center of the current showdown with Iran is one chilling technicalfact: The same technology that can make fuel for a nuclear reactor can alsomake the core of a nuclear bomb.
Add to that the legal fact that the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treatyguarantees all members in good standing the right to make their own reactorfuel and you have a pretty good idea why the United States and Europe arehaving such a tough time blocking Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Enter Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor and philanthropist. He ispledging $50 million for a fuel bank - run by the International AtomicEnergy Agency - to be a supplier of last resort for any country that choosesnot to get into the risky reactor fuel business and gets the I.A.E.A. sealof approval.
Right now countries can argue - sincerely or not - that without their ownfuel plants they can be easily blackmailed by foreign suppliers with whomthey have political disagreements. Iran has been caught lying about itsnuclear program too often to believe that all it wants is reactor fuel. Butits talk of nuclear cartels still gets a sympathetic hearing from many ofthe nuclear have-nots.
Mr. Buffett, who is working with the nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative,headed by former Senator Sam Nunn, is a man who understands leverage. He won'tkick in his $50 million unless some government or governments ante up $100million in cash or fuel. And the project has to come together within two years or he will take his money off the table.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
September 28, 2006
Editorial
Rushing Off a Cliff
Here's what happens when this irresponsible Congress railroads a profoundly important bill to serve the mindless politics of a midterm election: TheBush administration uses Republicans' fear of losing their majority to pushthrough ghastly ideas about antiterrorism that will make American troopsless safe and do lasting damage to our 217-year-old nation of laws - whileactually doing nothing to protect the nation from terrorists. Democratsbetray their principles to avoid last-minute attack ads. Our democracy isthe big loser.
Republicans say Congress must act right now to create procedures for charging and trying terrorists - because the men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks are available for trial. That's pure propaganda. Those mencould have been tried and convicted long ago, but President Bush chose notto. He held them in illegal detention, had them questioned in ways that willmake real trials very hard, and invented a transparently illegal system ofkangaroo courts to convict them.
It was only after the Supreme Court issued the inevitable ruling strikingdown Mr. Bush's shadow penal system that he adopted his tone of urgency. Itserves a cynical goal: Republican strategists think they can win this fall,not by passing a good law but by forcing Democrats to vote against a bad oneso they could be made to look soft on terrorism.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/us/politics/28senate.html?hp&ex=1159416000&en=582f125a7c4abeb0&ei=5094&partner=homepage
September 28, 2006
New Hope for Democrats in Bid for Senate
By ROBIN TONER
WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 - Six weeks before Election Day, the Democrats suddenly face a map with unexpected opportunities in their battle for control of theSenate.
In Virginia, a state that few expected to be seriously competitive, SenatorGeorge Allen, a Republican, looks newly vulnerable after a series ofcontroversies over his racial views, strategists in both parties say. InTennessee, another Southern state long considered safely red, RepresentativeHarold E. Ford Jr., a Democrat, has run a strong campaign that has kept thatstate in contention.
Elsewhere, Democratic challengers are either ahead or neck and neck in fivestates held by the Republicans - Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania andRhode Island - according to political strategists in both parties and thelatest polls.
All of these races could shift direction in a matter of days, let alone sixweeks, and Republicans are counting on their superior finances and largeblocks of television advertising to hold the line. Democrats also have theirown vulnerabilities, particularly in New Jersey, where Senator Robert D.Menendez has run behind his Republican challenger, State Senator Thomas H.Kean Jr., in recent polls.
Democrats must win six Republican seats to regain a majority, meaning theywould have to win nearly every close race. Even the most optimisticDemocrats acknowledge that such a feat would require a big anti-Republicanwave, a lot of money and a lot of luck.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/27/nie.iraq.ap/index.html
White House refuses to release full terror report
Story Highlights
.NEW: White House says releasing full intelligence report would endanger
lives
.Democrats call for full release of report, other report focused on Iraq .Both parties say intelligence report supports Iraq, terrorism policies.Report says combating jihadists requires more than killing their leaders WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House refused Wednesday to release the rest ofa secret intelligence assessment that depicts a growing terrorist threat asthe Bush administration tried to quell election-season criticism that itsanti-terror policies are seriously off track.
Press secretary Tony Snow said releasing the full report, portions of whichPresident Bush declassified on Tuesday, would jeopardize the lives of agentswho gathered the information.
It would also risk the nation's ability to work with foreign governments andto keep secret its U.S. intelligence-gathering methods, Snow said, and"compromise the independence of people doing intelligence analysis."
"If they think their work is constantly going to be released to the public they are going to pull their punches," Snow said.
In the bleak National Intelligence Estimate, the government's top analystsconcluded Iraq has become a "cause celebre" for jihadists, who are growingin number and geographic reach. If the trend continues, the analysts found,the risks to the U.S. interests at home and abroad will grow. (Read the keyfindings from the NIE -- PDF)
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By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
http://news. yahoo.com/ s/ap/20060927/ ap_on_el_ ge/republican_ convention
WASHINGTON - Republicans have chosen the Twin Cities of Minneapolis- St. Paul for the 2008 presidential convention, GOP officials said Wednesday.
The selection was expected to be announced later today, said the
Republican sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The choice of the Twin Cities would provide a major political punchfor the GOP, capturing the media markets in Iowa, Wisconsin andMinnesota - all battleground states in the 2004 election.
Losing out were New York City, Cleveland and a joint bid from Tampaand St. Petersburg, Fla., cities that had sought the GOP convention.
The four-day event will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St.Paul, Minn., home of the hockey team.
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http://www.waynebesen.com/2006/09/race-to-bottom.html
Anything But Straight
September 27, 2006
by Wayne Besen
A Race To The Bottom
As luck would have it, Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement couldn't havecome at a better time for embattled Senator George Allen (R-Va.). Havingjust learned of his Jewish lineage, he has an unexpected chance to wash awayhis impressive array of sins.
Overnight, Allen went from a rising star in the Grand Old Party, to a manwho looked like he was running for Grand Wizard. First, he referred to ayoung Indian-American as "macaca" a few weeks ago. Now, he is accused by twoacquaintances of using the N-word in the 1970's and 1980's.
Allen strenuously denies the allegations and has trotted out characterwitnesses to say he is the second coming of Malcolm X. But, his defensemight seem more plausible if he had spent his adolescence collectingbaseball cards, instead of confederate flags and nooses. He was also nicknamed "neck" during college - as in "redneck," which certainly isn'tgoing to earn him any "trust me" points from the NAACP.
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