Arthur:

"In terms of the narrower concerns of foreign policy, let me make clear that in my view, there is and ought to be a very simple, "bright line" test: if another nation or a terrorist group attacks us or threatens to attack us in a way that is indisputably and provably serious and capable of being actualized in the near future, we must confront it and eliminate the threat, to whatever extent we can. Such a test validates our invasion of Afghanistan, but it most certainly does not support the invasion of Iraq. Iraq was not a threat to us, three years ago or in the foreseeable future, and our leaders knew it....read on

via Agitprop

Last August, during the heat of the 2004 presidential campaign, President Bush struggled to re-define the War on Terror with the following statement: (video available @ onegoodmove)

We've actually misnamed the War On Terror it ought to be the the the s-s-struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies who happen to use terror as a weapon, to try to shape the conscience of the free world.

Tuesday The NY Times reported that the Bush administration is retooling its slogan for the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Bush's slogan above is a little too lengthy to catch on with the American public. Rumsfeld is currently describing this conflict as America's battle against the enemies of freedom and the enemies of civilization.

Maybe what they need are some hip Madison Avenue executives who can help sell the war properly. It could be cool and sexy, or just brutally honest. How about Operation White Man's Burden or War Against Imperial Subjects?

I invite you readers to offer up suggestions for what to name Bu$hCo's post-9/11 quagmire era . . .

[ed note:  go over and make a suggestion!

CIA LETTER: DOJ Ignored CIA Leak Investigation Request for 67 Days!       brad blog

Congressional Dems Request 'Investigation' Investigation on '12-Hour Gap' and '67-Day Gap'!
(Includes Copy of Original CIA Letter)

Many are now speaking of the '12-Hour Gap' between the time White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez was told by the Department of Justice about the official investigation into the unprecedented outting of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame and the time he "officially" notified the White House to preserve all documents relating to the investigation. (He told Chief of Staff, Andrew Card the night before.) Operation White Man's Burden or War Against Imperial Subjects?

I invite you readers to offer up suggestions for what to name Bu$hCo's post-9/11 quagmire era . . .

[ed note: go over and make a suggestion!

How We'll Know Rain Storm

Since Donald Rumsfeld has never been able to come up with a way to measure whether or not we are winning the global war on terror (GWOT), one of my fellow army veterans is willing to suggest one:
“When United States military recruitment shows steady growth, and terrorist/insurgent recruitment shows steady decline, we have turned the corner and are now winning the war.”

Ed also notes that Pat Buchanan may have a clearer understanding of terrorist motivation than those bright civilians in the Pentagon, or their neo-con masters at the AEI and the Project for the New American Century.

The "Falling Revenues" of "Liberal Hollywood"      Lawyers, Guns and Money

Via

“When Unites States military recruitment shows steady growth, and terrorist/insurgent recruitment shows steady decline, we have turned the corner and are now winning the war.”

Ed also notes that Pat Buchanon may have a clearer understanding of terrorist motivation than those bright civilians in the Pentagon, or their neo-con masters at the AEI and the Project for the New American Century.

REID CALLS ON BUSH TO REPUDIATE ROVE'S REMARKS

"I am deeply disturbed and disappointed that the Bush White House would continue to use the national tragedy of September 11th to try and divide the country. The lesson our country learned on that terrible morning is that we are strongest when we unite together, that America's power is in its common spirit of democracy and freedom.

"Karl Rove should immediately and fully apologize for his remarks or he should resign. The lesson of September 11th is not different for conservatives, liberals or moderates. It is equally shared and was repeatedly demonstrated in the weeks and months following this tragedy as Americans of all backgrounds and their elected representatives rallied behind the victims and their families, united in our common determination to bring to justice those responsible for these terrible attacks.

"It is time to stop using September 11th as a political wedge issue. Dividing our country for political gain is an insult to all Americans and to the common memory we all carry with us from that day. When it comes to standing up to terrorists, there are no Republicans or Democrats, only Americans. The Administration should be focused on uniting Americans behind our troops and providing them a strategy for success in the war on terror and the conflict in Iraq. I hope the president will join me in repudiating these remarks and urge Mr. Rove to take appropriate action to right this terrible wrong."

Another Broken Record

via Think Progress

Another record was broken this year - the number of serious international terrorist attacks in a single year more than tripled, from a record of 175 in 2003 to 655 last year, according to recently released U.S. government figures.

This data, however, will no longer be in the annual report on international terrorism submitted to Congress by the State Department. Just over ten days ago the State Department decided to eliminate the report, “Patterns of Global Terrorism,” entirely.

All this comes not even a year after then-Secretary of State Colin Powell had to publicly apologize for the first edition of the 2003 report - which severely undercounted the number of terrorist attacks. “The numbers were off,” Powell said, and “we have identified how we have to do this in the future.”

Apparently Condoleezza Rice doesn’t agree - her office had suggested an alternative method for counting attacks, and when the National Counterterrorism Center decided not to use this new method, the State Department eliminated the terrorism statistics in the congressionally mandated report altogether.

Checks and Balances and the "F-Word"

via SeeingtheForest

Is there enough going on to make you nervous yet? The Vice President of the United States was the keynote speaker at a conference where other speakers called for "a new McCarthyism" to bring "terror" to intellectuals, saying "let's oppress them [liberals]," and "the entire Harvard faculty" are "traitors." A Congressman said, "America's Operation Iraqi Freedom is still producing shock and awe, this time among the blame-America-first crowd," ? Then he said, "We continue to discover biological and chemical weapons and facilities to make them inside Iraq."

Meanwhile, right-wing commentators talk about killing American journalists, their premier blogs talk about former president Carter as being on the side of the enemy and leftists have "seamlessly taken up the cause of Islamic fascism". I have provided only afew examples.

When you hear threatening talk like this,in thecompany of the country's leadership, you know that whatever comesnext isn't going to be pleasant. Things do not appear to be heading in agood direction at all. If you have been following this in the blogs, youknow that more and more people are becomming concerned that the Right'srhetoric is growing ever more violent and totalitarian. Serious peoplehave started referring tothe"f-word." (See alsohere,here,here,here and manyother places.)

Oliver Williswrites,

You cannot deal with that sort of ideology in any sort ofaccomodationist manner. Liberals need to understand this, from Democraticsenators in Washington who still ? still ? refuse to vote theirconscience out of some sense of loyalty to a long-dead notion of civilityin Washington, to progressive pundits who actually believe that theirright-wing counterparts in the nation's media are actually there for agive-and-take rather than a chance to paint everyone to the left of JoeLieberman as a terrorist sympathizer. . I have provided only a few examples.

When you hear threatening talk like this, in the company of the country's leadership, you know that whatever comes next isn't going to be pleasant. Things do not appear to be heading in a good direction at all. If you have been following this in the blogs, you know that more and more people are becomming concerned that the Right's rhetoric is growing ever more violent and totalitarian. Serious people have started referring to the "f-word." (See also here, here, here, here and many other places.) read on

via Olliver Willis

New 9/11 Report Shows Warnings About Hijackings

The report discloses that the Federal Aviation Administration, despite being focused on risks of hijackings overseas, warned airports in the spring of 2001 that if "the intent of the hijacker is not to exchange hostages for prisoners, but to commit suicide in a spectacular explosion, a domestic hijacking would probably be preferable."
The report takes the F.A.A. to task for failing to pursue domestic security measures that could conceivably have altered the events of Sept. 11, 2001, like toughening airport screening procedures for weapons or expanding the use of on-flight air marshals. The report, completed last August, said officials appeared more concerned with reducing airline congestion, lessening delays, and easing airlines' financial woes than deterring a terrorist attack.

The Bush administration has blocked the public release of the full, classified version of the report for more than five months, officials said, much to the frustration of former commission members who say it provides a critical understanding of the failures of the civil aviation system. The administration provided both the classified report and a declassified, 120-page version to the National Archives two weeks ago and, even with heavy redactions in some areas, the declassified version provides the firmest evidence to date about the warnings that aviation officials received concerning the threat of an attack on airliners and the failure to take steps to deter it.

What did Dear Leader say last May?

"Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America, to attack us, I would have used every resource, every asset, every power of this government to protect the American people."

LIAR.

Police Scoff At Ashcroft Speech Yahoo! News

A day after Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) told the nation's largest association of law enforcement executives that the Bush administration had made the nation more secure from terrorist attacks and violent criminals, the group lashed back at the White House.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) said that cuts by the administration in federal aid to local police agencies have left the nation more vulnerable than ever to public safety threats. The 20,000-member group also said in a statement that new anti-terrorism duties for local cops - which have come as state and local budgets have declined and historically low crime rates have crept upward - have pushed police agencies to "the breaking point."

The statement reflected the ongoing tension between the administration and many local police chiefs, who believe the White House has saddled them with anti-terrorism tasks without much regard to the cost.

Among other things, members of the chiefs' group have long complained about localities having to pay millions of dollars in overtime costs when the U.S. government issued terrorism alerts. The group also is annoyed that President Bush (news - web sites) is phasing out a $10 billion program begun by the Clinton administration in 1996 to help local departments hire tens of thousands more cops.