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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryNeck Deep: The Real 9/11 Scandal (by Robert, Sam and Nat Parry)
As George W. Bush tries to squeeze 16 more months of political advantage from America’s 9/11 memories, it is worth recalling how different history might have been had the Bush administration heeded intelligence warnings in the summer of 2001. Bush’s supporters have worked mightily to foist off blame for the attacks on the Clinton administration, but the truth is that the key developments in the emergence of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist band date back to the Reagan-Bush years of the 1980s – and the missed opportunities to stop the attacks fell heavily on George W. Bush’s watch.
Click through to read the 9/11 chapter of the Parrys’ new book, Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush. And you might want to review the excerpts of articles I posted in the year and more following 9/11 of the many warnings the administration received from credible sources about the imminent attacks. Many of the links no longer work, but there’s enough information about each article to find the original in a research service’s archives.—Caro Caught on Tape
BuzzFlash
The WorldBaghdadis dismiss report as 'theater'
BAGHDAD (Agence France-Presse) — A group of Iraqis watching the stuttering start of proceedings before the U.S. Congress yesterday, which could influence whether U.S. troops remain in their country, said they were unimpressed… Saleh Adnan, 34, a car mechanic … was dismissive. "For me, the main report will be the one which announces the American departure."
U.S. support for Maliki dismays Iraqi opposition
BAGHDAD — Iraqi politicians expressed dismay Tuesday that the top two American officials based here offered little criticism of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki during their two days of testimony before Congress, even though Maliki's government has made little progress toward national reconciliation.
Turkish Police Thwart Major Bomb Attack
Police found and defused more than 1,300 pounds of explosives packed into a minibus parked near a marketplace on Tuesday, thwarting what one official described as "a possible disaster."
Syria complains of Israel 'aggression'
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Syria complained to the United Nations about "aggression and violation of sovereignty" after Israeli warplanes reportedly conducted an airstrike in the country's north, the country's ambassador to the U.N. said Tuesday.
War-Weary Taliban Looking To Politics
Bolstered by recent success, increasing popularity, and an Afghan public tired of bloodshed, many Taliban leaders want to start peace talks with the government. For the first time, the group seems to want back into the legitimate political spectrum.
Blast kills at least 18 in Pakistan
A suicide bomber blew himself up near a pickup truck carrying passengers in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing up to 18 people, officials said.
Report: Russia tests 'dad of all bombs'
The Russian military has successfully tested what it described as the world's most powerful non-nuclear air-delivered bomb, Russia's state television reported Tuesday, the latest show of the nation's military muscle amid chilly relations with the United States.
China Bans Lead Paint In Toys Sent To U.S.
China signed an agreement Tuesday to prohibit the use of lead paint on toys exported to the United States. The NationOfficials: Bush to announce troop cut
WASHINGTON - President Bush will tell the nation Thursday evening that he plans to reduce the American troop presence in Iraq by as many as 30,000 by next summer but will condition those and further cuts on continued progress, The Associated Press has learned.
This is no cut. It’s a RETURN to the level of troops BEFORE THE SURGE, and consists of troops cycling out due to rotation.—Caro
Jon Soltz: Petraeus Admits "I Don't Know" If White House Plan on Iraq Makes America Safer
General Petraeus has a very limited area of concern -- the US military in Iraq -- and his testimony today reflected that. When one looks at the grander scale, the picture is dismal.
After two days, no answer to 'how this ends'
(T)here was one question that Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, couldn't, or wouldn't, answer. It was the question that Petraeus himself posed rhetorically back in 2003 when he led the Army's 101st Airborne Division into Iraq: "Tell me how this ends."
President’s Policy is a Path to 10 More Years of War in Iraq (by Speaker Pelosi)
President Bush’s policy announced by General Petraeus is a path to 10 more years of war in Iraq. General Petraeus’ testimony to Congress drew a bright line: redeployment is not an option; endless war in Iraq is the Administration’s only option… The Bush-Petraeus plan of 130,000 Americans in Iraq for 10 more years is not a reduction in our footprint; it is an insult to the intelligence of the American people to call that a new direction. It is a status quo plan that tells the Iraqi government that they do not need to change.
Bush policy to bequeath Iraq to successor
The president plans to end his term with a strong U.S. military in the country and leave the issue of exiting to his successor.
Of course that’s his policy. He’s never in his life had to clean up any of his messes. That’s why he keeps making messes.—Caro
Pentagon seeks ‘very rapid reduction’ of troops.
Newsweek “has learned that a separate internal report being prepared by a Pentagon working group will ‘differ substantially‘ from Petraeus’s recommendations.” An early version will “recommend a very rapid reduction in American forces: as much as two-thirds of the existing force very quickly, while keeping the remainder there.” “There is interest at senior levels (of the Pentagon) in getting alternative views” to Petraeus, an official said.
Former CIA official expects war with Iran (by Ken Silverstein)
Earlier this year, I asked a former CIA official, who was stationed in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War and served in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, if he though the administration was planning a military strike. “I don’t think the administration is about to carry out military action,” he told me. “The military does not want to do this…” Yesterday, I called the official—who speaks with me only off the record—and he now believes a military strike is likely.
59% Say US Has Changed for the Worse Since 9/11
Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Americans have believed that the events of that horrible day changed the United States forever. Each year that has gone by has seen an increase in the number who believe those changes have not been good for the nation.
Health-premium increases slow, but still outpace inflation
WASHINGTON — The price of health insurance premiums rose this year at the slowest rate since 1999, but still outpaced wage growth and inflation by a wide margin for the eighth straight year, according to a national survey of employers.
Inside the Hidden World of Earmarks
A BusinessWeek investigation reveals how company spending on lobbyists can pay off
Here’s what really frosts me about corporate lobbying—WE PAY FOR IT. Businesses use the money we pay them for their products and services to lobby against us. Pretty stupid of us, isn’t it?—Caro MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
"Crank Politics"
Paul Krugman at TPM Cafe Book Club discussing Jonathan Chait's new book: “Jon talks at some length about the media, and in particular about the Republican ability to get journalists to harp endlessly on supposed character flaws of Democrats, while their own candidates get a free pass. He emphasizes the right-wing echo chamber, but there’s more to it than that. It’s also – as I can report from my own experience – a result of asymmetrical intimidation. Quite simply, if you point out character flaws in a conservative, there will be an all-out effort, involving major media as well as blogs and talk radio, to discredit and ruin you, personally. This just doesn’t happen on the other side. So journalists feel that it’s safe to ridicule Democrats, even if the supposed character-defining episode never happened; they choke up and shy away when it comes to Republicans.”
That asymmetry will never change until progressives are willing to develop a comprehensive media strategy.—Caro
Media Matters Special Report: Black and White and Re(a)d All Over
Black and White and Re(a)d All Over is a comprehensive and unprecedented analysis of syndicated columnists from 96 percent of English-language daily U.S. newspapers. Because of the time, labor, and difficulty involved in gathering such a wide scope of information about these newspapers, no one has ever before determined exactly where these columnists run. The report shows that conservatives are carried in far more newspapers, with much greater reach than their progressive counterparts, giving conservatives a distinct advantage.
The result of right-wing bias in the media: http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/09/11/saddam-did-911-one-third-of-americans-believe-the-big-lie/">Saddam Did 9/11 -- One-Third Of Americans Believe The Big Lie
An important New York Times/CBS News survey finds that six years after the terror attacks of 9/11, "33 percent of all Americans, including 40 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of Democrats, say Saddam Hussein was personally involved."
Boehlert: Lapdogs to the end?
(H)ere we are in the waning days of Bush's second term -- a second term that will go down in presidential history as the least popular in modern times -- and members of the weakened and undernourished White House press corps are still being pushed around and still signaling fresh dismay at how the administration deliberately shortchanges reporters. How is any of this surprising?
Well, Eric, we could say the same thing about the Democrats. They continue to be bullied by a president who has no power left.—Caro
Putting Lipstick on a Pig
As part of the surge-week PR offensive, the President will make a primetime address Thursday announcing that he intends to bring the surge to an end next summer. That means 30,000 U.S. troops will be rotated home without replacements…. The White House can tout it as a troop withdrawal. Gen. Petraeus can claim it is his best professional military judgment. But bringing the surge to an end is a hard reality born of an overstretched military.
Out Of Touch Elites Promulgate Partition For Iraq That 98 Percent Of Iraqis Oppose
(Tuesday) morning, New York Times columnist David Brooks joined a small chorus … in giving up on listening to what Iraqis think. Instead, Brooks wrote that the U.S. mission in Iraq is to partition Iraq… This week’s ABC News/BBC/NHK survey of 2,000 Iraqis found the following: “Nearly every Iraqi — a whopping 98 percent — said the separation of people on sectarian lines is a bad thing for Iraq”.
National Review: Don’t. Ever. Leave.
In its May 9, 2005 issue, the National Review featured a cover proclaiming, “We’re Winning,” accompanied by a breathless cover story by National Review editor Rich Lowry: “It is time to say it unequivocally: We are winning in Iraq.” After two years of “winning,” the National Review believes the war can still be won. From its new Sept. 24 issue: “This war can still be won, but only if we have the nerve and the patience to see it through.”
Lie Detector: McConnell Baselessly Claims New Expansive FISA Law Responsible For Preventing Terror Attack
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell yesterday tried to claim that the new expansive FISA law adopted by Congress prior to the August recess was responsible for the foiling of a recent alleged terror attack… McConnell’s statements … appear to be an effort to build public support for the new FISA law that expires in five months…” In fact, the information gathered ahead of the alleged German attacks was done under the prior FISA law — the law that required warrants.
FAIR Study: The Poor Will Always Be With Us--Just Not on the TV News
(D)espite being an issue that directly or indirectly affects a huge chunk of the U.S. population, poverty and inequality receive astonishingly little coverage on nightly network newscasts. An exhaustive search of weeknight news broadcasts on CBS, NBC and ABC found that with rare exceptions, such as the aftermath of Katrina, poverty and the poor seldom even appear on the evening news—and when they do, they are relegated mostly to merely speaking in platitudes about their hardships.
Path To 9/11 Writer Complains Of ABC’s Decision To Block His DVD, Compares Network To Stalin
Cyrus Nowrasteh, the avowed conservative activist who wrote the screenplay for ABC’s infamous docudrama The Path To 9/11, complains (Tuesday) in the Wall Street Journal that his fictional drama is being censored. Nowrasteh repeatedly claimed his film was based on the 9/11 Commission report, but numerous members of 9/11 Commission spoke up to indicate that the docudrama did not reflect their findings. Counterterrorism analysts Richard Clarke and Roger Cressey, both of whom served in the Clinton and Bush administrations, said that key scenes in the film had no basis in reality. Technology & ScienceFuture Smart Cars Would Prevent Accidents
Researchers have set out to make cars far smarter than today’s models—especially when it comes to dealing with their twitchy, tweaky, all-too-human drivers.
Internet A Double Challenge For Libraries
Free Internet access is now one of the basic services Americans expect to find at the library, but according to a survey, only a fifth have enough computers and about half say their connection speed is too slow.
Bargain Hunting: 100+ Places to Find a Great Deal
Everyone’s obsessed with socially networked shopping now, but whatever happened to good old fashioned deal-finding sites? There are plenty still around, in fact, and lots of new ones launching everyday. We’ve assembled a monster collection of our favorite places to find deals.
Prenatal Testosterone May Play Autism Role
YORK (Reuters) - Children exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb showed more autism-related traits later in life, according to findings that suggest the male hormone may play a key role in the complex brain disorder.
Saying No to Yourself: The Neural Mechanisms of Self-Control
Brass and Haggard's results … illuminate a very important aspect of the brain's control of behavior -- the ability to hold off doing something after you've developed the intention to do it , which one might call "free won't" as opposed to free will.
Limits proposed on fast-food restaurants
Amid worries of an obesity epidemic and its related illnesses, including high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, Los Angeles officials, among others around the country, are proposing to limit new fast-food restaurants -- a tactic that could be called health zoning.
Schizophrenia Gene May Have On/Off Switch
Mouse study suggests new target for treatment, reseachers say
Smarts require teamwork in the brain
Like memory, human intelligence is probably not confined to a single area in the brain, but is instead the result of multiple brain areas working in concert, a new review of research suggests.
Gifted research parrot Alex found dead
A gifted parrot that could count to six, identify colors and even express frustration with repetitive scientific trials has died after 30 years of helping researchers better understand bird brains.
Chimps impress the ladies with stolen fruit
Pilfered fruit may be the secret to stolen love, at least for chimps.
And not just for Valentine’s Day.—Caro EnvironmentArctic Ice Continues Record Melting
An area of Arctic sea ice the size of Florida has melted away in just the last six days as melting at the top of the planet continues at a record rate.
Top polluters to discuss hard climate goals
Twenty of the world's top polluting nations have agreed to discuss binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Germany's environment minister said on Tuesday.
Wal-mart, Caterpillar, Ford, IBM, Dow, and Others Prepare to Share Their Sustainability Strategies
"If we are to truly address climate change and other environmental issues we must have everyone at the table," said Mayor Richard M. Daley. 'This gathering of some of largest companies in the world is definitely a step in the right direction.' Chicago is preparing to host Corporate Climate Response in two weeks time where 20 top companies will discuss their sustainability strategies.
Green fleets, fat profits on display at Frankfurt show
Carmakers wasted no time trying to show off their new-found "green" credentials -- as well as their glittering profits -- at the start of the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) on Tuesday. Opening the world's biggest car show with raft of optimistic reports on improved earnings and greater fuel efficiency, executives from carmakers around the world were bubbling with confidence about their greener fleets and fatter profits.
Ford turns harmful fumes into electricity.
Ford is further advancing its commitment to eco-friendly manufacturing technology by installing the third generation of its patented Fumes-to-Fuel system at Oakville Assembly Plant.
America's parking lots contributing to pollution and warming.
From suburban driveways to the sprawling lots that spring up around big retailers, Americans devote lots of space to parking spaces - a growing land-use trend that plays a role in heating up urban areas and adding to water pollution, according to a recent study. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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