Sunday Roundup

This week, being sent to the Principal's office took on a whole new meaning when we learned that the National Security Council's Principals Committee - which included Dick Cheney, Condi Rice, Don Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, George Tenet, and John Ashcroft - discussed and approved very specific details of the "enhanced interrogation techniques" the CIA could use against al Qaeda suspects, down to the number of times they could be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or waterboarded. Talk about hands-on management! The money quote on this sordid episode was delivered by Ashcroft who, after one meeting, said: "Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly." And with that, Bush's Principals took a hatchet to America's principles.

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Comments

[themunz]

The people have stopped listening to GWB and his gang, they are irrelevant to the future so why pay attention. This means that all the fresh information about what was really going on is met with a shrug of indifference. What needs to done is to make sure that the GOP is held responsible and forced to pay the political price.

[HearNoWeasel]

Thanks for mentioning this latest jaw-dropper, Arianna.

Here we go, one more time, with a letter to Conyers' Judiciary Committee : www.restoreruleoflaw.com

Please sign on.

[normathumb]

We should all be referring to the 'Stalinist wing of the Republicam party' which is over represented in the upper echelons of this current junta. What they have done with collateral damage, the "unitary presidency", the Patriot Act, secret prisons and torture, turning the Bill of Rights into a museum piece is traitorous and obscene. What will we say if we find the Chinese are waterboarding Tibetan monks? I would like to hear them try and distinguish themselves from the great practitioners of Cheney's "dark side". If we all call them for what they are, sooner or later they will have to respond with something other then challenges to our patriotism.

[artchess]

How MANY people stop to think? ,and when they think what comes out as a product of that thought?.
i say to friends and strangers ENLIGHTENED THOUGHTS, WISE DECISIONS,from a sculpture i have made in 2001.

[zitlight73]

If the Democrats somehow keep their majority in the next house and senate it will do so in spite of Pelosi and Reid who should then be immediately stripped of their leadership positions for want of any leadership qualities. The next order of business should be taking the office of Attorney General of The United States out of the hands of the president. Too many times in the last forty years this nation has seen crimes committed by the President or those in his admistration go un-investigated, un-prosecuted and unpunished by so-called top law enforcement officers in the country when in reality their nothing more than lickspittle accomplices of those who appoint them. This present administration which is no more than a fascist, mob of criminals is the result of this attitude that we're a nation of men and not laws that places the president and his cronies above the laws we subjects are under.

[cspanwatcher]

I really enjoyed the exchange between Mayor Nutter and Tom Daschle.
you can hear the audio of some great clips at

http://inewstube.com/smm/nutter__obama_and_daschle_have_a_complete_disconnect.html

http://inewstube.com/smm/obama_supporter_daschle_lets_just_have_a_3rd_bush_administration.html

[Andres]

I hadn't attacked Hillary until now (pat 2) But we expect this hypocrisy from those in the Conservative party that without necessarily being homophobic or xenophobic themselves, play on people's fear of the other to get the power to push through laws that are going to be detrimental to the poor and middle classes. But what about those few in the Democratic party that do the same? Hillary's affirmative answer to a question to whether immigration was what was hurting the African-American community was xenophobic and divisive. Obama explained that it's Bush's economic policies that have hurt the minorities and the underprivileged; That African-Americans as a community might still be at a disadvantage because of years of oppression. Obama could have hit her harder with her blatant lies about Bosnia, but he didn't, and she goes on to call someone who was a community organizer, whose economic policy is by far the most worker friendly "elitist"?
What is more "elitist", the anti-union stance Hillary took while on the board at WAL-MART? The Colombian Trade Deal that her chief strategist MARK PENN was lobbying for (that would hurt workers in Us AND in Colombia?) while she herself pretended to attack it? Just how hypocritical can you get?

Andres Useche
Si Se Puede Cambiar

[Andres]

Until yesterday I had refrained from attacking Hillary because as a Democrat I think we should leave it up to McCain to try to sink this party in the general elections. I did expect McCain to attack Obama as an elitist while following Bush's truly elitist policies of tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans and continuing to funnel Billions of dollars on a war based on lies. A war which only Halliburton and other contractors are profiting from. Barack Obama could've chosen his words more carefully, but the truth is that people are angry, sick tired and yes embittered by an economy rigged in favor of the Few and not the working classes. He dared to talk about something we don't always like to face: The worse the economy gets, the more scapegoating there is. Anyone hurt lashes out. Fairly and unfairly sometimes. Sometimes people hold on to what they believe to be certain, whether that is their religion or the sense of security they believe owning a gun, the government certainly isn't giving them that sense of security, economically or otherwise. Obama obviously wasn't blaming the people but the system that for so long has worked against them. A system that has driven people to react, to increase democratic turn-outs dramatically. The same people that have given Bush such a dismal approval rating and that recognize McCain offers more of the same. read part 2 on my reply:

[milo9]

President's Bush's absence highlights his cowardice. A true leader would have been there and would have assured his lieutenants that it was his decision, and that he would take the blame, even it meant being tried as a war criminal.

Bush has always lacked the courage of his convictions.

[straightshooter]

Ronald Reagan's view of George "W" in his diaries, recently edited by author Doug Brinkley and published by Harper Collins:

"A moment I've been dreading. George [Bush Sr.] brought his n'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."

From the REAGAN DIARIES------entry dated May 17, 1986.

[Casanavelaw]

My God! What a beautiful quote. I'm developing a little respect for Reagan.

[Libsrule]

I keep wondering why the cowardly democrats just REFUSE to do a thing about ANY OF THIS?

What would it take? Darth Cheney beating a child to death on live TV???

Hell even then I would bet Nancy and the rest of the cowards in Congress would all claim they missed that and as a result could not hold even investigations AND after all, that happened in the past and they just want to go forward.

No wonder this prez just thumbs his nose every minute of the day at the congress because he knows they are just the biggest cowards this country has EVER SEEN.

The Founding Fathers must be shaking their heads saying, "Why did we even bother?"

One more quick thing Arianna. You HAVE to know I am a fan and love your site, BUT why are comments always being closed, like on the Polar Bear post? The last person to post got to state a lie about the UK banning Gore's Inconvenient Truth which is of course a complete load of BS.

So what gives on the closing of comments???

[BabyBoomer]

Ms. Huffington:

Don't you think it's time for Nancy Pelosi to put impeachment back on the table. It seems the only entity actually forcing our government to act as a democracy is the ACLU. I do believe we have enough evidence of criminality to start an impeachment inquiry. Considering the Military Commissions Act has granted immunity to anyone in our government possibly committing war crimes, it behooves the American people to hold the "principals" accountable for breaking our laws as well as international laws governing the use of torture. Considering the Yoo memo and the meetings in the White House of the principals who approved of torture, I believe it is time for us to act.

We, of the "left wing fringe" have been watching patiently and lawfully, while:

1. We were robbed of our rightful president in 2000.

2. Despite numerous warnings, George Bush ignored the threat of Al-Qaida and left our country
vulnerable to the worst attack in our history.

3. We were lied into a war for oil.

4. Our treasury was handed to the rich.

5. Our economy has been wrecked.

6. Our standing in the world has been damaged.

7. Our Justice Department is corrupt.

The fact that this president is ignoring the will of America to end this war is enough for a "vote of no confidence". To accept that we are stuck in this quicksand until the end of this year is tantamount to acquiesence. Impeach for the sake of our country!

[Danny]

Yes, impeach them all ( Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rice, Rusmfeld, Feith, Wolfowitz, Perle, C. Powell, Tenet, Miers ...), and at least the top two. This will stick to their historical, presidential record. It cannot be "pardoned" away. For their disregard for the Constitution, and their egregious abuse of power, and treasonous behavior on outing a CIA agent, starting an illegal war, directing torture, spying on innocent Americans, using for-hire mercenaries to intimidate us, allowing the financial system to bankrupt us, Katrina, the abuses of the Department of Justice and the Attorney Generals of the states, stealing and manipulating elections, subverting the contents of our airwaves, lying and thieving all around. ...

And after they have been impeached and found guilty, imprison them. And let a new era begin in the United States.

The French used to call us "les Americains". Recently they are referring to us as "les Etatsuniens", to differentiate us from the other "Americains".

[leftLibertarian]

Ms Huffington:

There is only 1 thing to be done.

Unfortunately, the Democratic Party is too feeble to do that which is to impeach the criminals Bush and Cheney.

[MajorKong]

You know things are really scary when John Ashcroft is the voice of reason in the room.

[DavidF07]

We have seen that the Democrats in the House are cowardly. In a just society, impeachment actions would begin now.

I wonder what would keep agencies in Europe and other law-respecting countries from arresting former Bush officials - and, I hope, a former vice-president - for the war crimes they have committed?

[guatemalatimes]

I am a liberal, but I just don´t understand what is the matter with the left wing media??

Do you hate women? Do you hate yourself?
Do you think the media - people as yourself " are giving Hillary a fair deal?

Do you think you can get over yourself enough to see what you are doing and why?

I feel sad for women and men journalists that have gone on the "destroy Hillary" wagon. Not because they like Obama, but because of their small little egos will not allow them to think one millimeter into the future and the consequences of their actions.

I feel sorry for American if you and this group of people are the ones forming the public opinion.

Good the Americans are getting so screwed, by the right and by the left and independents.

The republicans are at least honest enough to say clearly that all they care about is greed.

But the intellectual left "elite" is pathetic in their pretension of importance - relevance- at no matter what cost to your country.

What a pathetic bunch of people you have become. Sulking spoiled teenagers.
Grow up, and fast, or there will be no country left for you to opine about.

[nyboomer]

How is your rant appropriate to this topic? This is a discussion of illegal pursuit acquiesence of torture.

While it may appear that Hillary is a tortured soul. it still remains a discsussion about the current administration.

[gako]

It is about time we stopped Molly Coddling captured terrorists. Enough with slapping, punching, no ice cream with pie,
water boarding, no TV after 10:00 PM. It is about time we use the same tactics as they use. I am not so arrogant as to
think we are better than them as people. So when I hear arrogant bastards say, "Then we are no better than them", I say
good, I don't want to be better, just equal. For gathering intel, we should use what they use. We are not their betters,
we are their equals. If they slap, we slap. if they cut off heads, we cut off heads ... equals in all ways, the way it should
be.

[normathumb]

Did you have a problem with Stalin or Hitler? Your's is precisely the same argument they and their apologists made, that the rest of the world didn't understand the forces they were dealing with. This president has declared we have the right to attack anyone who he percieves to threaten us. Based on this we have invaded another country that had nothing to do with attacking us even though we had been bombing them routinely for over a decade. He threatens other countries with the same and worse, namely nuclear annhiliation. He has yet to explain why other countries don't posess the same right to unilaterly strike at their percieved threats, especially within the context of his sabre rattling at Iran, North Korea, Cuba and god knows where else.

[nyboomer]

When fighting monsters one should avoid behaving monsterously and becoming monsterous. If you sink to the level of your enemy you have become worse than the enemy.

[lisakaz]

Indeed. But this is too complex a thought for these 28 % ers to figure out. Bin Laden is winning because Bu$hco has bankrupted America BOTH morally and financially.

[Libsrule]

Dude, you need to start your meds back up.

IF YOU want to sink to the level of terrorists, then please, PLEASE go enlist in the Afghan army or Iraqi Army as I am sure they would take you. OR for that matter go to Darfur and join there. Tell them that you LOVE to torture and nothing gives you wood better than torturing children. Seriously you are one sick individual.

I've read your other comments, you are so deep into the KoolAid that dealing with people like you is just totally hopeless. So please go away and leave the discussions about this country to the grownups.

OH and don't forget. TAKE YOUR MEDS.

[bogananda666]

To use the same torture tactics that are 1000's of years old is not the mark of a civilized society. $trillions spent for defense and intelligence[?] and the best Bush can do is to use ancient sadistic practices is not economically justified especially for a conservative.

[BlueOnBlue]

According to your argument, we should have put captured Nazis in concentration camps and gassed them.

Also, I'm assuming you have no religion, since no major religion I know of would approve your moral standards.

[tonycd]

And if they endanger their own POWs by violating the Geneva Convention toward ours, then we should...

Anyway, I thought we were trying to make the world safe for the values of democracy. If not, why'd we meddle in other countries like Iraq that didn't endanger us to begin with?

[winoohno]

OH, that's just great, let's be savages because some of our enemies are... man, that is taking a huge step backwards.

We [with the help of other countries] brought war crimes' charges against Germany & Japan for torture after WWII -- how can we now do the same thing to our prisoners?

What if our soldiers are captured, would you want them tortured?

Finally, my last point: after all this torture, how many people have we convicted for 9/11???

ZERO! It is not about arrogance, it is about civility, the rule of law, freedom and justice -- notions our country used to stand for before bush and his criminal regime took power.

[nyboomer]

One should note that the pricipals on this committee all have a multitude of past experiences in international law, psychology and coercive interrogations. All of them have an abundance of expereince in military activity and have been under great psychological pressure by enemy interrogators at various times in their lives.

I assume the committee also met to instruct combat surgeos on how to save American lives and limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How did America get along before we elected and appointed such geniuses to high office?

[arglebargle]

Sarcasm, right?

Right? ;)

[guajiro]

It's a parallel I've noticed in this Bush administration and the trend in Corporate America since about the 1980's. The corporate culture/attitude is one of a confrontational, egotistical, punitive approach towards labor as is the Bush's attitude towards the working people, both lower and middle class America. It is no coincidence that about the time that the judges, administrative people and others of the 1950's and 1960's, the people who considered it a duty for the government to do the people's bidding, passed on, that we now have people in power who only knew the priveliges that the very type of government that they so much now detest gave them. But the teat is dry now, as we can see from the recession we are experiencing, and they have no idea what to do. They've always depended on the masses providing for them and nowhere in their psyche have they been prepared to accept the rationale that their existence, the existence of the top 1%, depends on the working class. Even the darlings of their power, the corporation structure, falls to that reality. I don't know how well those who voted for Reagan, Bush. and other conservative Republicans can eat or get jobs from their diet of anti-gay bashing, anti-social programs, etc.

[bogananda666]

You are right. Also the Corporatist demand loyalty, a team player is essential. This requires the' yes men' mentality.

[scaramouche]

You're right on. Well written and on the money. You have captured the American metamorphosis, and you have exposed it as it is. Seems like that now, since our well has run dry, they are turning to globilization ( exploitation ) and trumped up "wars of Liberation" to feed their need for greed and control. Our world wide reputation is in tatters, and nowhere is this elitist distain better illustrated than by Cheney's eloquent one word comment, "So?" It may be time for Madam LaFarge to start knitting names again.

[ChiGuy]

Arianna,
Doesn't the term "roundup" indicate a gathering together for discussion of similar items? In this case, articles or events that have been reported on HuffPo over the past week?

That said, you make no mention of Mayhill Fowler's rattling article detailing Obama's comments in San Francisco. Probably the most newsworthy/new breaking article on this site in a while.

Many questions are pertinent to that article and should be addressed/discussed:

1.) How does a writer, supposedly reporting on a candidate, use terms like "cocky", repeatedly, to describe Mr. Obama, when she doesn't use similar terminology to describe Ms. Clinton's or Mr. McCain's self-assured confidence?
Does this speak to her upbringing as detailed in her bio, in Tennessee and connections to Texas? And is it part of her southern-learned vocabulary when describing an assertive black man that speaks forcefully?
Or, does it speak to motive as detailed in #2?

2.) What part do her contributions to Thompson ($250) in late '07, and to Obama ($2224) in early '08, say about her intent?
Is she a Republican or Clinton backer who paid near the maximum allowable in order to gain an insider's pass to the Obama camp for the purpose of tearing down her candidate's biggest threat?

These are legitimate questions about the writer of one of the most incendiary articles ever posted at Huffington Post, and, at the very least, should be included in any "roundup".

[not2liberal]

Good comment - I am waiting for some answers also. This has been way overblown by the talking heads - but the effect can be devastating nevertheless, as their influence cannot be understated. As someone who thinks this election really matters a lot, and who finds Obama to be the only remaining option for real change in this country, I feel betrayed by this. I have been a regular on this site since its inception and I am really disappointed that this person was allowed this forum to promote her trash. I am sure that her recording his conversation was not approved and this was a subversive act. It may gain the website some press but it comes at a high price.
What say you Arianna?

[rwe]

enhanced, harsh and persuasive do not equate to the word torture...and most of the sensible American public realize this

[ChrisInTennessee]

Renaming it doesn't change what it is "enhanced interrogation" is torture, plain and simple. The dictators to be in washington rename everything to say something that is in fact the opposite, like the Patriot Act - totally unpatriotic and in many ways unconstitutional. The leave no child behind act was designed to leave most children behind and further dumb down education...it just goes on and on.
This administration is the foulest group of anti-Americans that has ever existed and they won't be happy until the country is destroyed. They're wokring on the next invasion with iran and must be stopped! I so want an election in Nov. but I don't think the dictator to be will allow it, and we will be the ones arrested and put away in halliburton's concentration camps. Way to go pelosi and all you representatives too scared to do your duty to the constitution and the American people.