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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryPaul Krugman: Time to Take a Stand
Here’s what will definitely happen when Gen. David Petraeus testifies before Congress next week: he’ll assert that the surge has reduced violence in Iraq — as long as you don’t count Sunnis killed by Sunnis, Shiites killed by Shiites, Iraqis killed by car bombs and people shot in the front of the head. Here’s what I’m afraid will happen: Democrats will look at Gen. Petraeus’s uniform and medals and fall into their usual cringe. Pablo on Politics
The World7 Americans killed in Iraq attacks
BAGHDAD - Four U.S. Marines were killed in fighting in Anbar province, and three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in northern Iraq, the military said Friday.
US strikes in Baghdad kill 14 sleeping civilians
US combat helicopters and tanks bombarded a Baghdad neighbourhood in pre-dawn strikes on Thursday, killing 14 sleeping civilians and destroying houses, angry residents and Iraqi officials said.
Shiite militias may be tougher to overcome
Turning the Iraqi public against Shiite militias may be more difficult than getting Sunni tribes to cooperate. Some Shiite extremist groups attack U.S. troops or are fronts for crime, but they have political and popular support.
Indian Maoists target politicians, three killed
HYDERABAD, India (AFP) - Maoists rebels targeted a federal MP and a state minister from India's ruling Congress party in a bomb attack that left three people dead, police said Friday.
NKorea invites 3 nations for nuke survey
SYDNEY, Australia - North Korea has invited nuclear experts from the United States, China and Russia into the country to survey and recommend ways of disabling all of its atomic facilities by the end of the year, the chief U.S. envoy to the communist regime announced Friday.
Bush, SKorea leader spar over Korean war
SYDNEY, Australia - In a testy public exchange Friday with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, President Bush said the United States would formally end the Korean War only when North Korea halts its nuclear weapons program.
White House mum on comedy group’s security breach
The White House was not amused Thursday by the antics of an Australian comedy group that breached President Bush’s security in Sydney… The group staged a faux motorcade, pretending to be the delegation of Canada with one of the comedians dressed as Osama bin Laden, and made it past two police checkpoints before being stopped.
Crooks and Liars has the video of the prank.—Caro
US Launches Medical Mission for the Poor
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - A huge U.S. Navy hospital ship brought state-of-the-art medical care to the Western Hemisphere's poorest country this week during a regional goodwill mission aimed at countering leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's influence.
And why is it that we don’t have a hospital ship to help our own poor and uninsured?—Caro The NationGaffe-prone Bush in fine form at summit
Even for someone as gaffe-prone as U.S. President George W. Bush, he was in rare form on Friday, confusing APEC with OPEC and transforming Australian troops into Austrians.
Don't count the man out: President
(George Bush) believes success is being achieved in Iraq and told the (Australian) Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, upon arrival on Tuesday night that "we're kicking ass". (Emphasis added.)
Gen. Jones: ‘Yes,’ we can begin to withdraw from Iraq.
In a House Armed Services Committee hearing (Thursday) afternoon, Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) asked Gen. James Jones to comment on his report’s recommendation that the U.S. should reduce its footprint in Iraq. The Jones report suggests “significant reductions” in the “size of our national footprint in Iraq.” Skelton asked Jones if this is a call to reduce troop levels, and Jones answered yes.
Bush: ‘No military guy is gonna tell a civilian how to react.’
In April, President Bush defended his plan to veto a bill mandating a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq by arguing that he would not “substitute the judgment of politicians in Washington for the judgment of our commanders on the ground.” But in Robert Draper’s new Bush bio, Dead Certain, the President’s opinion on the wisdom of military commanders is quite different: … “My reaction,” Bush would recall of the so-called General’s Revolt, “was, ‘No military guy is gonna tell a civilian how to react.’”
The Myth of AQI
Five years ago, the American public was asked to support the invasion of Iraq based on the false claim that Saddam Hussein was somehow linked to al-Qaeda. Today, the erroneous belief that al-Qaeda's franchise in Iraq is a driving force behind the chaos in that country may be setting us up for a similar mistake.
White House celebrates Rosh Hashanah a week early.
(Wednesday) night, President Bush issued a statement wishing “greetings” to those “celebrating Rosh Hashanah“… Unfortunately for the White House, Rosh Hashanah does not start until next week — sunset on Sept. 12. (Happy Thanksgiving, Mr. President!)
16 Gitmo detainees sent to Saudi Arabia
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Sixteen detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been transferred to the custody of Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.
Mexican trucks granted authority to operate in U.S.
The Bush administration granted authority late on Thursday for long haul Mexican trucks to operate anywhere in the United States, launching a one-year pilot program that some members of Congress, labor and consumer groups assert shortchanges safety.
FBI fails to add names of suspected terrorists to watch list
WASHINGTON — Six years after the terror attacks of 2001, an FBI unit failed to post the names of at least 20 known or suspected terrorists on a massive watch list that helps border and law enforcement agents keep al Qaida operatives out of the country, government auditors reported Thursday.
Judge Rules Provisions of Patriot Act Unconstitutional
A federal judge today struck down portions of the USA Patriot Act as unconstitutional, ordering the FBI to stop issuing "national security letters" that secretly demand customer information from Internet service providers and other businesses. (U.S. District Judge Victor) Marrero wrote in his 106-page ruling that Patriot Act provisions related to NSLs are "the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering, with an ominous free pass to the hijacking of constitutional values."
Survey: Candidates viewed as 'least religious' are leading polls
"The candidates viewed by voters as the least religious among the leading contenders are the current frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican nominations," the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reports today. Those candidates would be Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani.
“Viewed as” is the key. See below.—Caro
Hillary's Prayer: Hillary Clinton's Religion and Politics
When Clinton first came to Washington in 1993, one of her first steps was to join a Bible study group. For the next eight years, she regularly met with a Christian "cell"… Clinton's prayer group was part of the Fellowship (or "the Family"), a network of sex-segregated cells of political, business, and military leaders dedicated to "spiritual war" on behalf of Christ.
This article is quite frightening.—Caro
Anti-intimidation bill likely to get major change
A Senate panel plans to take up an anti-voter-intimidation measure today, and CQPolitics.com reports the bill is about to undergo an important change. The Senate Judiciary Committee "is expected to strip language that would allow private parties to bring lawsuits to block deceptive voting practices," the website reports. Instead, the parties can seek injunctions against the Justice Department to force compliance with the measure.
The Justice Department. Our politicized Justice Department. We can certainly count on it to vigorously pursue voter intimidation cases.—Caro
Jason Furman: The Effect of the 2001-06 Tax Cuts on After-Tax Incomes
(A)lthough tax cuts may result in efficiency gains…, when you factor in the new taxes and who pays them (or equivalently reductions in benefits like Social Security, Medicare, or food stamps) and look at the resulting distribution of winners and losers, the outcome is one where three quarters of households come out behind. MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
Justice Department Nixes Net Neutrality
The Justice Department said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.
UP IS DOWN AND VICE-VERSA....
Juan Cole is pissed: “I saw on CNN this smarmy Bush administration official come and and say that US troop deaths had fallen because of the surge, which is why we should support it. US troop deaths haven't fallen. They are way up… There are always seasonal variations because in the summer it is 120 F. in the shade and guerrillas are too heat-exhausted to fight; but the summer 2007 numbers are much greater than those for summer 2006; that isn't progress.”
A.J. Rossmiller of AMERICAblog predicted this maneuver back in December of last year.—Caro
Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq
The U.S. military's claim that violence has decreased sharply in Iraq in recent months has come under scrutiny from many experts within and outside the government, who contend that some of the underlying statistics are questionable and selectively ignore negative trends. Reductions in violence form the centerpiece of the Bush administration's claim that its war strategy is working.
Criticism Of McClatchy Surge Story Sparks Online Response
After receiving what McClatchy Washington Bureau Chief John Walcott described as "more vehement" criticism than usual for a story claiming a decline in Iraq combat deaths, the bureau posted an unusual online response to the critics Thursday.
Will the Press Again Serve as 'Surge Protectors'?
Everyone remembers the media failures in the run-up to the war. But nearly as tragic was the performance by the press in the weeks before the "surge" was announced in January. Now what will happen over the next few days?
Just 39% Believe Iraq Report Will Honestly Present Petraeus Views; 35% Say It Will Not
General David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, will be issuing a formal progress report on the situation in Iraq next week. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that … just 39% (of Americans) believe the report will honestly and accurately reflect the General’s true assessment of the situation in Iraq. Thirty-five percent (35%) say it will not while 26% are not sure.
O’Hanlon Rips GAO Report: It Is ‘Flat-Out Sloppy’
Brookings analyst Michael O’Hanlon … attacked the GAO, choosing instead to laud the Pentagon’s distortions (on conditions in Iraq). In an analysis only he could offer, O’Hanlon rips the GAO report for being both “overly rigorous” and “flat-out sloppy”… By attacking the GAO, O’Hanlon has defied the community of national security experts he alleges to be a part of and has instead allied himself with the discredited ranks of the Bush administration and right-wing lawmakers. Ironically, while O’Hanlon bashes the GAO when he doesn’t like what it says, his very own Iraq Index borrows heavily from GAO reports.
FOXNews/GOP Debate: “All we’re doing is saving face”
Wow. An almost authentic debate moment at the FOXNews/GOP debate. Ron Paul tells Mike Huckabee that it isn’t “honor” as Huckabee insists keeping us in Iraq, it’s a desire to save face.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/09/06/thomas-friedman-hooked-on-war/">Thomas Friedman: Hooked On War
Reading his "Letter From Baghdad" column in the New York Times on Sept. 5, you'd never know that Thomas Friedman has a history of enthusiasm for war.
Wishin’ and hopin’ and waitin’
Ret. Army Colonel and former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, Lawrence Wilkerson, sits in with Keith (Olbermann) and blasts Bush for his lack of planning for post-war Iraq and the revelation that Bush, regardless of what party the next president belongs to, he envisions a long-term presence in Iraq. In the end, Wilkerson rightfully shows his disgust with Democrats as they cower in fear of right-wing talking points and show no sign of true leadership in ending the nightmare.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Switching Sides
TPM Reader JB gets it ... “I'm surprised there hasn't been more commentary in the press and blogosphere regarding the fact that, in simplest terms, whatever "progress" we are making in Iraq is a function of the fact that we have switched sides. I don't think the U.S. public, or even the media, are really grasping the fact that we are fighting for Saddam's people now, and the Shia are rapidly becoming the primary target (along with the mystical "Al Queda"). The silence on the topic is a little eerie.”
Let Bush Be Reagan (by Bill Maher)
New Rule: For the next 18 months, let Bush be Reagan. A completely dissociative personality who lets the real work of the nation go on elsewhere, while he sits behind his desk and hums. I don't think the problem is that Bush lives in a bubble. I say make the bubble thicker. Use the armor we can't get to the troops. For example, on this whole "bomb Iran" thing. Let's not, and just tell him we did… He'll never know. Technology & ScienceSiemens, Microsoft develop car products
REGENSBURG, Germany - German engineering company Siemens AG said Friday it will work with Microsoft Corp. to develop communication, information, entertainment and navigation products for vehicles.
NY welcomes wave adaptive modular vessel
NEW YORK - Pity the fisherman or sailor who staggers on deck in the morning and through bleary eyes sees a 100-foot-long water spider coming at him, buzzing ominously. No cause for alarm, however. It's just Proteus, a so-called Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel designed for everything from military uses to biological studies, ocean exploration and sea rescue.
For doctors, diagnosing gets a technological boost
According to a 2003 review of autopsy studies, doctors misdiagnose 8% to 24% of the time… The solution for some is technology. Doctors are increasingly using the Internet, even search programs as basic as Google, when they're stumped, according to "Googling for a Diagnosis," a British Medical Journal study last year.
Virtual schooling growing at K-12 level
Virtual learning is becoming ubiquitous at colleges and universities but remains in its infancy at the elementary and secondary level, where skeptics have questioned its cost and effect on children's socialization. However, virtual schools are growing fast.
Tots better than apes at social learning
Toddlers may act up like little apes, but researchers who compared the species concluded a 2-year-old child still has the more sophisticated social learning skills.
Food Additives Could Fuel Hyperactivity in Kids
Study makes first link between colorings, preservatives and behavioral woes
Teen Suicides Up Sharply for First Time in Years
Fewer antidepressant prescriptions a factor in trend, expert says.
Change your ways
Adult brains may be just as capable of change as younger brains.
There’s a huge difference in WILLINGNESS to change, however.—Caro
Dark energy mission
NASA urged to study the mysterious force first in its "Beyond Einstein" program
Hubble spies tiny galactic building blocks
Astronomers have found nine of the faintest, tiniest and most compact galaxies ever seen. EnvironmentNOAA Affirms Predictions of Sea Ice Loss
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An analysis of 20 years' worth of real-life observations supports recent U.N. computer predictions that by 2050, summer sea ice off Alaska's north coast will probably shrink to nearly half the area it covered in the 1980s, federal scientists say. Such a loss could have profound effects on mammals dependent on the sea ice, such as polar bears, now being considered for threatened species status because of changes in habitat due to global warming. It could also threaten the catch of fishermen.
Bush presses Asia-Pacific on trade and climate
U.S. President George W. Bush urged the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouses on Friday to help secure elusive global deals on trade and climate change and pledged an "unshakeable" commitment to the region's security.
GAO Chides Government on Warming
The federal government needs to do a better job addressing how climate change is transforming the hundreds of millions of acres under its watch, according to a Government Accountability Office report to be released today.
Where’s Bush’s unshakeable commitment to addressing climate change in his own administration?—Caro
S.Korea to impose 3 pct biodiesel rule by 2012
South Korea aims to raise biodiesel content in domestic diesel to 3 percent from the current 0.5 percent by 2012, Seoul's energy ministry said on Friday. The news ran counter to expectations that the government may increase the ratio to 5 percent as early as next year, market watchers said.
Progress Energy Florida Takes Solar Energy to Schools
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 7, 2007 -- Progress Energy Florida is taking renewable energy to schools through a program that will install photovoltaic solar systems at schools throughout its 35-county service area.
Developing La Nina strengthens hurricane forecasts
La Nina conditions are developing in the Pacific Ocean, and that cooling of waters generally brings a more active Atlantic hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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