Bob Woodward also received leak of Valerie Plame's name and CIA status one month before Novak wrote about it. Is he another Judith Miller turncoat?

UPDATE: Josh agrees about Woodward's apparently ethical lapse needing some explaining.

It's beginning to sound a lot like an intentional effort to disclose who this woman was.

It's also beginning to sound a lot like Bob Woodward is becoming our next Judith Miller. His repeated rants in defense of this administration, and against the special prosecutor, certainly take on a very interesting edge considering Mr. Woodward didn't bother disclosing that he was quite involved in this story, and was hardly the impartial observer his silence suggested he was. Not to mention, he knew all along that HE TOO had received the leak, suggesting that a clear pattern of multiple leaks was developing, yet he still went on TV and said that all of these repeated leaks were just a slip of the tongue?

Woodward, who is preparing a third book on the Bush administration, has called Fitzgerald "a junkyard-dog prosecutor" who turns over every rock looking for evidence. The night before Fitzgerald announced Libby's indictment, Woodward said he did not see evidence of criminal intent or of a substantial crime behind the leak.

"When the story comes out, I'm quite confident we're going to find out that it started kind of as gossip, as chatter," he told CNN's Larry King.

Woodward also said in interviews this summer and fall that the damage done by Plame's name being revealed in the media was "quite minimal."

"When I think all of the facts come out in this case, it's going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great," he told National Public Radio this summer.

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Smells like... victory. Read the rest of this post...

GOP Senator rips Bush criticism of Dems as "unpatriotic"

Oh my.

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) strongly criticized yesterday the White House's new line of attack against critics of its Iraq policy, saying that "the Bush administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them."....

Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran and a potential presidential candidate in 2008, countered in a speech to the Council of Foreign Relations that the Vietnam War "was a national tragedy partly because members of Congress failed their country, remained silent and lacked the courage to challenge the administrations in power until it was too late."

"To question your government is not unpatriotic -- to not question your government is unpatriotic," Hagel said, arguing that 58,000 troops died in Vietnam because of silence by political leaders. "America owes its men and women in uniform a policy worthy of their sacrifices."

Hagel said Democrats have an obligation to be constructive in their criticism, but he accused the administration of "dividing the country" with its rhetorical tactics.

Read the rest of this post...

Bush chastizes China for human rights abuses on same day we find out the US military burned people alive in Iraq with chemical agents

Bad China. You're an embarrassment to the entire world. And we know a thing or two about being an embarrassment to the entire world. Read the rest of this post...

"I treated people who had their skin melted"

More on US troops admitting they used chemical agents to burn people in Iraq. The big questions are now: did they use them against civilians; and did they then attempt to hide the evidence?

You happy with America burning people to death? Then vote Republican. Read the rest of this post...

US, caught lying, admits to using chemical agents against enemies in Iraq

Well, so much for that outright lie our government told us and the world just last week.

U.S. forces have used them very sparingly in Fallujah, for illumination purposes. They were fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night, not at enemy fighters.

Today the Pentagon admitted, after being caught red-handed by the Italian press, that our troops used burning chemical agents against enemy troops in Iraq. Yes, we burned the enemy to death with flaming chemicals. But please don't make any comparison to the Nazis, since this is really more like Vietnam.

"Phosphorus burns on the skin are deep and painful... These weapons are particularly nasty because white phosphorus continues to burn until it disappears... it could burn right down to the bone."

You read it here first. Read the rest of this post...

Bush & GOP Congress cut $125m meant to help injured World Trade Center rescue workers from September 11

There is a special place in hell for Bush, Frist, Hastert and all the rest.

Of course, it's no coincidence that the Republicans cut money for Ground Zero heroes on the same day that Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist pens an op ed about how we need MORE tax cuts.

Hey, what's a few dead 9/11 firemen and policemen when there are rich corporate executives who need their 4th, 5th, or is that 6th tax cut already?

If you like what you're hearing, please do vote Republican. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

I'm using SpamArrest now for my email. I've used it for my other email accounts for years and really like it, and now finally am using it for AMERICAblog.

I'm just getting too many offers from crazy Nigerian widows of generals, not to mention one too many folks are adding me to their email list-servs without permission. But that okay, SpamArrest lets me block all email from people who do that, so put me on all the list-servs you want - I'll never see a single email you send. 80% of my emails were spam. But I'm not bitter. :-)

PS If you sign up for SpamArrest via this link, AMERICAblog gets a cut. Read the rest of this post...

New DemsTV is up - we're back to our old format

We're trying the old format this week. It's actually a rather quick show this week, not sure why, and we start with a bit of a joke that I think is worth seeing. Check it out here.

Oh, and for any of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, several friends and I produce a weekly, or so, Democratic pundit podcast called DemsTV. It tries to be smart, snarky, and fun, and sometimes it is! Read the rest of this post...

Very disturbing story about Bush's state of mind in the Wash Times magazine

The Washington Times, you may know, is an "independent" newspaper that is basically the mouthpiece of the Republican party. For that reason, it sometimes gets inside scoops as to what the GOP is thinking, and even what's going on inside the White House. For that reason, their latest story on Bush is extremely disturbing:

President Bush feels betrayed by several of his most senior aides and advisors and has severely restricted access to the Oval Office, administration sources say. The president's reclusiveness in the face of relentless public scrutiny of the U.S.-led war in Iraq and White House leaks regarding CIA operative Valerie Plame has become so extreme that Mr. Bush has also reduced contact with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, administration sources said on the condition of anonymity.

Matt Drudge adds on his site:

The sources said Mr. Bush maintains daily contact with only four people: first lady Laura Bush, his mother, Barbara Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes. The sources also say that Mr. Bush has stopped talking with his father, except on family occasions.

So basically Bush is melting down. (Or, at the very least, the number one propaganda organ of the GOP wants us to think Bush is losing it - that's just bizarre on its face, and shows had bad things are for Bush, and the party.) This is rather disturbing in view of the increased chatter about Bush, an alcoholic who never sought treatment, now reportedly drinking again.

This man is running our country. And he won't speak to anyone - ANYONE - other than Condi Rice, his mom, and Karen Hughes? That leaves out the entire Dept of Defense - kind of important during war time - the CIA, every other agency and the entire White House staff.

It honestly sounds like he's losing control.

And he's in charge of our country.

Not just worst president ever. But quickly becoming scariest president ever. Read the rest of this post...

Rumsfeld now trying to pretend Iraq war wasn't his idea

Interesting new spin Rummy is now putting out there. Oh no, Iraq wasn't his idea, it was Bush's, you see?

Too bad Rummy's own quotes show that he advocated invading Iraq from the beginning. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

Speak now or forever hold your peace... Read the rest of this post...

If you think Iraq is a success, vote Republican

The head of the Republican Party thinks that any American who supported the war in Iraq, but now thinks that war has became a mess, is a traitor. Well I'd rather be a traitor than someone so stubborn, so unwilling to admit their mistakes, that they keep pursuing the same failed policy while brave American men and women continue to die.

This, from an email today from the head of the Republican party, Ken Mehlman

Now that the politics have changed, those Democrats are trying to rewrite history. We welcome a robust debate about the conduct of the war. But for these Democrats to make politics their bottom line, abandoning their long-held positions when times get tough, sends the wrong message to the Iraqi people and to the terrorists. Whatever the politics in Washington, our troops need to know that our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will defeat this enemy.

The choice is simple. If you think Iraq is a success, then please do vote Republican. Some day your children too can fight in this glorious war. Read the rest of this post...

Republican party leadership embracing liberal GOP Senator Chaffee, opposing his conservative Republican opponent

I guess "conservative" is now a dirty word to the Republican leading Washington. :-) Read the rest of this post...

Bush and Rummy admit they rushed into war

Rumsfeld joined Bush today in saying that lots of Democrats said the same thing about Saddam Hussein that they did - namely, that he was a bad man.

Great. But Bill Clinton and the Democratic Congress never declared war on Iraq. The Democrats saw the SAME evidence as Bush, or so Bush says, yet the Dems decided to use sanctions, the UN, targeted military operations, and diplomacy to contain Iraq, and it worked. Until Bush invaded, that is.

So what Bush and Rummy are now admitting is that they had the same information that Clinton had, yet Clinton decided that invading Iraq was a dumb idea, while Bush deciced that invading Iraq was going to be a "cake walk." Remember that phrase?

Yes, Mr. President, keep using this argument. Bill Clinton had the same information Bush had, yet Clinton didn't launch a poorly planned and executed war that has now turned into a quagmire and a money-hole, threatening to destabilize the entire region and fanning the flames of anti-American hatred and terror.

So you're telling us you're an idiot. I feel better already. Read the rest of this post...

Republican Senate leader Bill Frist thinks Bush is doing a "very good job" in Iraq

If you think George Bush is doing a "very good job" in Iraq, then be sure to vote Republican in next year's congressional elections.

From the DSCC:

1) Frist Said There Are 91 Iraqi Battalions. This morning, Frist said, “a year ago we had five Iraqi battalions, and now we have 91.” [“Today,” 11/15/05]

FACT: General George Casey Says Only ONE Iraqi Battalion Is Prepared to Work Independently From U.S. Forces. Last month, General George Casey said that the number of Iraqi battalions that are prepared to operate independently from U.S. coalition forces had dropped from three to just one. The rest of the Iraqi battalions are not yet operating at levels that would accommodate U.S. troop withdrawal. [CNN, “Late Edition,” 10/2/05; Senate Armed Services Committee Testimony, 9/29/05]

2) Frist Said Senators Don’t Know About Progress in Iraq. Frist said that “the American people and most of my colleagues” don’t know about the progress that is being made in Iraq. [“Today,” 11/15/05]

FACT: Last Month, Republicans Cancelled Intelligence Briefing on Iraq. Last month, Senate Republicans abruptly cancelled a scheduled briefing on Iraq by the Director of National Intelligence. Senator Rockefeller responded to the cancellation: “My colleagues and I requested this briefing from the intelligence community because, to date, administration policy makers have not been completely forthcoming about the situation in Iraq. … Democrats and Republicans alike want unvarnished information and we want answers. The American people deserve answers.” [Rockefeller Press Release, 10/5/05]

3) Frist Thinks Bush is Doing a “Very Good Job” in Iraq. In response to whether he thinks the White House is being held accountable enough in terms of what’s going on in Iraq,” Frist replied, “Well, I think the White House is actually doing a very good job…” [“Today,” 11/15/05]

FACT: According to the latest Newsweek poll, 65% of Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of Iraq. [Newsweek, 11/12/05]

Read the rest of this post...

Scalito to Feinstein: Let's just forget about what I said back then

So, the pattern with Alito is to never believe anything he wrote before -- just believe what he says now:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., an abortion rights supporter and the only woman on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she asked the conservative judge about a document released Monday showing Alito in 1985 telling the Reagan administration he was particularly proud to help argue that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."

"He said first of all it was different then," she said. "He said, 'I was an advocate seeking a job, it was a political job and that was 1985. I'm now a judge, I've been on the circuit court for 15 years and it's very different. I'm not an advocate, I don't give heed to my personal views, what I do is interpret the law.'"

Oh, sure. Just trust him. According to the AP report, Feinstein said she did:

When asked whether she found his answer satisfactory, Feinstein said: "The question is, Did I believe he was being absolutely truthful, and I did."

The question is why should any Senator trust Alito when he already lied to the Senate about Vanguard and the other conflict cases?

The reality is that Alito wants a political job now, too. Don't think that great cheers didn't go up among the theocrats when they saw the Alito memo yesterday. Think about this for a second: would any right winger believe Alito if the situation were reversed? Highly, highly unlikely. Read the rest of this post...

George Bush has done more to enable Al Qaeda than any man other than, perhaps, Osama bin Laden

Can you jail the president for treason? Because that's what his five years in office has pretty much amounted to.

He launched a war based on a lie, ran it like crap, and now can't admit the truth of his mistakes when our soldiers are dying every single day, in part because Bush has yet to give American soldiers the body armor they were promised 3 years ago, and he has yet to provide them with the manpower they need to actually win. The real experts predicted that we would need hundreds of thousands of troops, Bush said we could do it on the cheap. He was wrong, we're now losing, and people are dying.

If George Bush wants to talk about enabling the enemy, one need look no further than his own White House. The man is a walking recruitment poster for Osama, and Bush continues to let our young men and women stationed in Iraq die because he doesn't have the balls to admit to the American people that he made a mistake launching this war, and then made an even bigger one in his handling of it.

The only reason any member of Congress gave Bush permission to go to war was because they, like most Americans, trusted our president. They trusted Bush to be judicious in launching a war only when necessary, and they trusted him to run any such war in a competent manner. On both counts, we now know their trust was misplaced.

So let's talk about aiding and abetting the enemy, Mr. President. My incompetence never killed a single American soldier. Too bad you can't say the same.

PS Why are Republican Senators enabling our enemy and demoralizing our troops? Read the rest of this post...

Cheney, Pentagon Meet Spy - Censor Media

There is nothing that they won't do. They talked about oil, of course, because meeting with a spy is fine evidently so long as oil is involved. From Reuters:

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, once embraced and then shunned by the Bush administration, held talks with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Monday but the Pentagon did not allow television cameras to record the event.

He also held a private meeting at the White House with Vice President Dick Cheney after his 45 minutes of talks with Rumsfeld, but Cheney's office would not provide details.

Chalabi's trip to Washington has angered Iraq war critics who have denounced the visit of the man most associated with discredited prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Democratic lawmakers have demanded to know why Chalabi was meeting top U.S. officials after allegations he had passed American secrets to Iran and they urged congressional committees to subpoena him for testimony.
...
A senior U.S. defense official said Rumsfeld and Chalabi discussed the importance of protecting Iraq's oil and electric power grids from insurgent attacks and improving intelligence-gathering by U.S.-led military forces in Iraq.
...
Chalabi was taken into Iraq by the American forces, along with an armed group of supporters, as Washington tried to build a new power structure in the weeks after the invasion. But he soon fell into disfavor, targeted with allegations that he betrayed U.S. secrets to Iran.

It was nice that they threw the electric grid in there, wasn't it? Like they actually care about the Iraqi people. They don't care about the American people, ahem, Katrina, let alone Iraqis.

Chalabi should be in front of an investigatory committee under oath, not having access to the halls of American power. If Democrats were in charge of the House and Senate you can be sure this guy wouldn't have had the guts to set foot in the country without being subpoenaed.

Remember, we're not calling Chalabi a spy, the administration called him a spy, and yet now they meet with him? Is it any wonder why the public doesn't think that the President is honest? Read the rest of this post...

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

The media keeps noting that Bush is in campaign mode as he tries to defend his pathetic record. Only thing, we're not in a campaign, we're in a war and our soldiers are dying. Can the media tell the difference? Or will they start covering this like it is some kind of political game?

One other thing....Bush is always talking about how much we need to support the troops. Yet given the failure of the Bush Administration to provide a plan for Iraq or to supply basic body armor, the only time W. really cares about the armed forces is when they are used as political props, like the event yesterday at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. The military comes in handy for the White House then. Read the rest of this post...

Senate GOPers now want Iraq answers from Bush

While Bush is ranting about Democrats who question his Iraq policy, Republican Senators are asking the same questions:

The proposal on the Iraq war, from Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, and Senator John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, would require the administration to provide extensive new quarterly reports to Congress on subjects like progress in bringing in other countries to help stabilize Iraq. The other appeals related to Iraq are nonbinding and express the position of the Senate.

The plan stops short of a competing Democratic proposal that moves toward establishing dates for a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq. But it is built upon the Democratic approach and makes it clear that senators of both parties are increasingly eager for Iraqis to take control of their country in coming months and open the door to removing American troops.

This action by the Senate completely undermines the current White House strategy of attack and smear opponents. If not, he has to also attack the Republicans in the Senate. He'll have to add John Warner to his list of those who are they trying to in Bush's words "endanger the troops."

The person who most endangers our troops is Bush. And, his biggest problem is that most Americans believe that. That's why the GOPers in the Senate are willing to buck him. They have to run for re-election. He doesn't. Read the rest of this post...

Bush didn't mislead. We misfollowed.

Hilarious. And sad. Read the rest of this post...

The "I ♥ John Cusack" open thread

I have always loved this guy's movies. And now I see he's got the brain I always suspected he had, which is what pulled me to his movies in the first place. Put this guy on the short list of people I want to meet some day (and add his sister too).

Read his post on the Huffington Post. Read the rest of this post...