Can George Bush be charged with war crimes?

There is precedent for charging a sitting President of a sovereign nation with war crimes: SEE THIS STORY.

The latest findings by Congress in the build-up to the Iraq War proves beyond any doubt that the Bush Regime lied and bullied their way into collecting the false "intelligence" that supposedly justified invading a country that never committed any act of war against us (as scummy as their President was and make no mistake, Saddam and his spawn were scum).

Shouldn't that alone be a war crime? And what about the hired help over in Iraq, acting on behalf of Halliburton and other Bush-Cheney "protected" clients? Can their murders of innocent civilians be considered war crimes? And then there's that little thing called Abu Ghraib which destroyed America's internatonal honor and image.

Can there be an international tribunal of Bush and Cabal and the things they've done that are contrary to American law, our Constitution, our military code of conduct, the Geneva Convention and other treaties and international laws that may apply?

And where do our own soldiers go to sue for their destroyed lives and injuries for a war based on false pretenses? Who do they sue for being deliberately given spoiled food and tainted drinking water? That's right, it was Dick Cheney's company... Halliburton and yes, he still collects millions from them.

The Chimp-o-matic

CLICK REFRESH FOR ANOTHER BUSHISMWell, at least George will enjoy his retirement in Abu Dhabi where he's already purchased a home, the better to please his corporate Halliburton masters who've already transferred corporate headquarters to this same Arab country... you know, Abu Dhabi. The very same country whose leadership enjoys taking hunting vacations with a Mr. Osama bin Laden, of the bin Laden family that bailed George out of business failure after business failure. The same country that George wanted to take over the security of our American ports. Them.

Head of 9/11 panel had friends in White House

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The September 11 commission's executive director had closer ties with the White House than publicly disclosed and tried to influence the final report in ways that the staff often perceived as limiting the Bush administration's responsibility, a new book says.

Philip Zelikow, a friend of then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, spoke with her several times during the 20-month investigation that closely examined her role in assessing the al-Qaida threat.

He also exchanged frequent calls with the White House, including at least four from Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser at the time.

The commission's executive director once tried to push through wording in a draft report that suggested a greater tie between al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Iraq, in line with White House claims but not with the commission staff's viewpoint, according to Philip Shenon's "The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation."

Shenon, a New York Times reporter, says Zelikow sought to intimidate staff to avoid damaging findings for President Bush -- who at the time was running for re-election -- and Rice. Zelikow and Rice had written a book together in 1995 and he would later work for her after the commission finished its job and she became secretary of state in 2005.

MORE...

The only thing left that still surprises me are those suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome - those twisted misguided sick puppies who will follow their leader right off the edge of the cliff.

Can We Impeach Him Now? PLEASE?

There is no doubt. The American people have known it for a long time. We are spending American blood in Iraq for George Bush's lie. We have spent billions on useless empire-building to fulfill the neocons' wet dreams.

Can the criminals who hijacked our country finally be brought to justice?

Study: False statements preceded war

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

...The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

Has the CIA been spying on you?

Under the FOIA and/or the Privacy Act, you might be able to find out. If you are interested in requesting to see copies of what records the CIA may have on you, go to this webpage for some helpful hints on how to obtain that information.

The webpage also details what information may NOT be shared with you. Some of that is interesting and makes me wonder how the Bush bots in his administration squared what the law demands with their own actions. Oh, that's right. One of them ended up a convicted felon.

From the CIA:

Personal Information Which Must Be Denied by Law
Unless "officially" acknowledged by executive acknowledgment or official release, an intelligence organization like the CIA takes exemptions under the PA to protect sources and methods and national security information by neither confirming nor denying the existence of those records and denying records on, but not limited to, the following:

Privacy information on other US citizens unless granted permission by the individual or can prove person is deceased.

CIA operational activities.

Specific confidential or covert relationships.

So let's see, that means our law-abiding President and his bots showed the media, especially the ratfink traitorous Bob Novak who obviously did an America-hating act by publishing Valerie Plame's name and identifying her as a CIA operative, proof that she'd granted permission for her name to be used in that way or proof that she was deceased... according to the law, the Bushbots - namely Cheney, Rove and Libby - absolutely would have had to have done that. Oh, that's right. One of them is a convicted felon.

And, of course, no one EVER told the media anything at all about any CIA operations, such as, how did Robert Wilson get sent to Niger.

And all persons in the CIA or elsewhere who ever worked with Valerie Plame were all deceased at the time she was outted so none of them could be harmed after she was outted.

Aw, shucks, I just can't quite twist myself into the Republican pretzel.

Well, maybe such aggregious crimes against the American people and Ms. Plame will eventually be resolved to the satisfaction of the American people. Maybe.

Anyway, thought you might like to look up anything the CIA snooped out on you.

I wonder if they know I once sneaked a look at my Dad's Playboy magazine when I was a little girl?

Again, here's the webpage to those helpful hints on getting that information.

TPM´s Great List of Scandalized Administration Officials

They've updated. So, folks, if you choose to vote Republican, this is the style of governing you will be voting for as represented by the character and the actions of the following individuals...

FROM TPM:
Since a complete catalog of administration officials who've been accused of some form of corruption or abuse of power would be endless, we tried to maintain a high standard for inclusion. Most of those below were the subjects of criminal probes, but we also included officials who were credibly accused of acts that, if not criminal, were a corruption of office (like the U.S. attorney scandal). And even then, such officials were only included if their accusers had them dead to rights (which is why Karl Rove didn't make the cut). We also limited ourselves to officials who were either political appointees or whose actions were so political that they were effectively political appointees (like John Tanner).

SEE THE LIST

Looking at America

There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency.

...This sort of lawless behavior has become standard practice since Sept. 11, 2001.

...Out of panic and ideology, President Bush squandered America’s position of moral and political leadership, swept aside international institutions and treaties, sullied America’s global image, and trampled on the constitutional pillars that have supported our democracy through the most terrifying and challenging times. These policies have fed the world’s anger and alienation and have not made any of us safer.

...We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

For real Americans, those who actually cherish this nation and those G-d given rights that are our birthright, what's been done to our nation in the name of greed and zealotry is absolutely heartbreaking. We are shattered and it is nearly incomprehensible that an American President could so utterly betray the American people. It is to be hoped that our long national nightmare will begin to be over after this November. It's only the beginning for there is much damage to repair.

If you are an American and you love your country, it is your sacred duty to vote. Please, don't sit this one out and assume your vote doesn't matter. You matter. Your vote matters. America matters.

Bush signs Sudan divestment bill

Hey! Bush does something right! Give the man credit where credit's due. Well, how many people have died or been raped while waiting for the world to give a shit? Oh well, at least this is a step in the right direction...

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush signed legislation Monday to allow states and local governments to cut investment ties with Sudan because of the violence in Darfur.

But in doing so, Bush made clear that he will construe the law as he chooses to make sure that lower governments do not try to intrude on the powers of the federal government.

...Bush's administration has for weeks objected to letting state and local governments adopt divestment policies that delve into foreign policy, a traditional federal role.

Nevertheless, Bush signed the bill, which was approved with strong support in Congress.

READ MORE...

Is this like bill signing under duress?

Bush says US economy is safe and sound

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - President Bush worked to reassure Americans on Monday about the economy but said "there's definitely some storm clouds and concern" because of the nation's credit crunch and mortgage problems.

"But the underpinning is good," Bush told business and community leaders at a gathering of Rotary Club members.

"We've had a pretty good economic run," the president said in a speech intended to show he is aware of the public's edgy mood these days. Consumer confidence has eroded as turmoil in the housing and credit market have battered the economy.

READ THE ARTICLE

Do you suppose he's aware that 70% of Americans think he's full of shit?

On Iran, Bush faces questions of what he knew when

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush faced questions on Tuesday about whether he knew of intelligence that Iran had ended its nuclear arms program when he warned in October that Tehran could trigger World War Three.

"Can't you be accused of hyping this threat?" Bush was asked at a news conference a day after his administration released a new National Intelligence Estimate concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"I was made aware of the NIE last week," Bush replied.

But it was his next remark that drew attention from Democrats, the news media and intelligence experts: "In August, I think it was (U.S. intelligence chief) Mike McConnell came in and said, 'We have some new information.' He didn't tell me what the information was."

Increasingly strident U.S. rhetoric over Iran's nuclear program reached a peak on Oct. 17 when Bush warned that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War Three.

A day later, Vice President Dick Cheney announced his own warning of "serious consequences" for Iran if it refused to abandon its nuclear activities.

The comments stirred fears of a possible U.S. military confrontation with Iran and helped send world oil prices soaring toward the $100 a barrel mark.

On Tuesday, some former intelligence officers said Bush and other top White House officials were probably briefed about the intelligence findings long before the NIE was published.

"I can't imagine that McConnell ... would tell the president about this and not tell him what the information actually said," remarked Flynt Leverett, a former member of Bush's National Security Council.

"I think they certainly played fast and loose with the facts," he said in an interview with CNN.

READ THE ARTICLE

ALSO SEE: Kucinich questions Bush's mental health over Iran

More Free Political Bumper Stickers for Your Blog, Website, forums, emails, etc.

You can find more in my earlier post here. Please download images to your own computer. Do not directly link (hotlink) to any images here. I often reorganize and change folders and file names and you may end up with a broken image link if you hotlink any images here. Also, I sometimes change the image to something embarrassing to the hotlinkers. You do not have to link back to my blog to use the images but it would be nice if you could. Don't sweat it, though.

CIA destroyed tapes despite court orders

Several issues involved here even though the opposite extremist ends of the political spectrum would desire that folks only paid attention to one issue or another or one very narrow view of an issue.

The Bush administration was under court order not to destroy videotapes of prisoner interrogations. Knowing they were forbidden to destroy those tapes, the Bush administration went ahead and destroyed them, anyway.

One has to ask, is this a "high crime" or "misdemeanor?" Is it an impeachable offense or, when taken together with other offenses committed by the Bush administration, is all of it "impeachable offenses?"

Is it scary that a President thinks he is above the law and entitled to make up his own laws as he goes along? Should America be concerned about this?

Is a President answerable to the law of the land?

There are also the debates over what constitutes torture and how to safeguard the secrecy of C.I.A. operations, something the Bush administration has clearly demonstrated little regard for when it suited their vengeful political purposes. Can they now hide behind the same protection they denied to a loyal C.I.A. operative and all she came into contact with as a part of her job?

Even if making public knowledge of the torture tactics used by the Bush regime was something that still required debating behind closed-to-the-public top secret doors, should not the evidence/issues to be debated have been preserved?

The Bush Derangement Syndrome suffered by the right-wing extremist zealots will have them scurrying like obedient little lemmings to defend any crime comitted by their leader. At this point, I truly do have to question their love for this country. How can they advocate for criminal behavior and dictatorship and say they love America? The truth is, they only love agenda and be damned to America and her laws... and her democracy.

FROM THE ARTICLE:

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration was under court order not to discard evidence of detainee torture and abuse months before the CIA destroyed videotapes that revealed some of its harshest interrogation tactics.

Normally, that would force the government to defend itself against obstruction allegations. But the CIA may have an out: its clandestine network of overseas prisons.

While judges focused on the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and tried to guarantee that any evidence of detainee abuse would be preserved, the CIA was performing its toughest questioning half a world away. And by the time President Bush publicly acknowledged the secret prison system, interrogation videotapes of two terrorism suspects had been destroyed.

READ THE ARTICLE

Free Political Bumper Stickers for Your Blog, Website, forums, emails, etc.

Please download any image you wish to use to your own hard drive (usually by RIGHT-clicking on the image). Do not DIRECT LINK (hotlink) to these images. I often change directories or delete items and occasionally will substitute something rather embarrassing for the hotlinkers, so thanks for not doing that. You don't really have to link to my blog for using these images, but it would be nice if you did. Enjoy!

Military Families Turn on Bush

Bush loses ground with military families
A majority disapprove of the president's handling of the war in Iraq and come closer in line with the views of the general public

WASHINGTON -- Families with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime presidents, disapprove of President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth it, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The views of the military community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that the strong military endorsement that the administration often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year.

Nearly six out of every 10 military families disapprove of Bush's job performance and the way he has run the war, rating him only slightly better than the general population does.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Is the President of our country mentally ill? Is he under the influence of the Carlyle Group (Bin Ladens) or Cheney-Halliburton or any of his father's old cronies? Exactly who's running the show in Washington?

Presidential Sex Tapes

Description: President George W. Bush needs money bad to pay for the war in Iraq, so former president Bill Clinton has an idea - they should make a "Sex tape, baby!" just like Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton! Sung to Kid Rock's "Cowboy," George and Bill just need a hi-8 and some drunk interns for their presidential sex tape, then the girls can come "and take a ride on Air Force One." Now if they can just keep Hillary away.....

SEE THE VIDEO

Republicans Call Bush's Bluff On War Funding Threats

This would be funny except it's not funny. Know what I mean? On the heels of Congress passing the largest Defense spending bill ever, Bush and his bots are crying "poor" and were threatening to "lay off" 200,000 Pentagon employees if Bush didn't get everything he asked for.

Well, the Republican lawmakers called his bluff.

But in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Virginia Republicans Tom Davis and Frank Wolf say the administration's threat is baseless, because the Pentagon has the authority to make shifts in its budget to avoid forcing employees to take leaves of absences.

...The letter -- also signed by Reps. Jim Moran, D-VA, Chris Van Hollen, D-MD, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-MD, Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, John Sarbanes, D-MD, and Elijah Cummings, D-MD -- comes less than a month after Congress passed a $459 billion defense spending bill. The Pentagon has "general transfer authority of $3.7 billion" and can also reallocate $8 billion of "excess working capital fund cash" to meet other budget, the letter states.

Citing this monetary flexibility, Rep. Moran labeled Gates' doomsday furlough proclamation an "old budget showdown tactic." Indeed, President Bush, himself, has been ramping up the rhetoric, repeatedly warning of severe damages to the Defense Department in the absence of an agreement on Iraq War funds.

"Given that the administration's threats were announced on the heels of Congress passing the largest defense spending bill ever, their cries of poor mouth raise a red flag the size of the North Pole," Moran said.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Deal near on mortgage defaults

The right-wing extremists must be in a tizzy over this one because they do not acknowledge the housing market, much less the general economy, is in any kind of a "slump." The right-wing extremists get their marching orders - talking points - from the pundits who know how to make a buck off the true believer.

It's a real head-spinner indeed when the titular head of the gang of true believing agenda pushers, George Bush, not only betrays their loyalty by having his regime acknowledge yes, indeed, there just might be a problem with the economy and specifically with the housing market, but here's what my administration proposes to do about it...

And once the extremists recover from that body blow and regain their wind (gas?), then they have only their old standard of "If you're having financial hard times, it's your own fault" to fall back on and that supreme selfishness is not well served by a President whose regime actually appears to be trying to do something to relieve the problem.

It should be noted the extremists never have any real solutions to real problems and any attempt to address Reality is considered by them to be clearly un-American and treasonous.

Well, here's their bad news for today:

Deal near on mortgage defaults

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Monday he is confident there will soon be an agreement to help thousands of homeowners avoid mortgage defaults by temporarily freezing their interest rates.

Paulson told a national housing conference that this effort involved a "pragmatic response" to current realities as the economy goes through the worst housing slump in more than two decades. The number of homeowners struggling to meet higher payments because their initial introductory rates are resetting is currently soaring.

Paulson and other top Treasury officials have been holding talks with major players in the mortgage industry over the past several weeks to hammer out an agreement that would freeze the lower introductory rates to keep them from resetting to higher levels for a period of years.

"We are working aggressively and quickly, utilizing available tools and creating new ones, to help financially responsible but struggling homeowners," Paulson said in a speech to a national housing conference sponsored by the Office of Thrift Supervision.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Yeah, it would be nice if we lived in a perfect world and there were no hungry people or working families who had a hard struggle to make ends meet.

Chavez loses constitutional vote

CARACAS, Venezuela - Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state...

...Foes of the reform effort — including Roman Catholic leaders, media freedom groups, human rights groups and prominent business leaders — said it would have granted Chavez unchecked power and imperiled basic rights.

READ MORE HERE

I understand that Chavez and Bush have a hard-on for each other but from the average Venezuelan citizen's P.O.V., why is this Chavez guy who provides government housing for poor people a bad guy and how did the Venezuelan opposition manage this startling achievement of handing Chavez his first major defeat? And when it comes time for him to leave office (2012), will he go?

George W. Bush Joke

One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing by him Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away.

The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight...

The third night sleep still does not come for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist...

Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"

Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

Experts Urge Congress to Cut Abstinence Only Funding

Ten top public health researchers urged Congressional leaders last week to cut funding for failed abstinence only programs. The letter, signed by researchers from universities like Columbia and Yale, as well as from the Guttmacher Institute, was sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It warned that abstinence only programs withhold "potentially life-saving information" about contraceptives and ignore the health needs of homosexual, bisexual and transgender youth, reports the Washington Times. Abstinence only programs also omit information on the use of condoms, which would aid in the prevention of spreading sexually transmitted diseases.

Abstinence only programs have come under increasing fire as studies reveal how ineffective they are. The US has spent about $1 billion on failed abstinence only programs in the past decade.

Many states, including New York, Maine and Pennsylvania, have rejected the matching federal abstinence only funds in favor of teaching comprehensive sex education. Virginia recently became the 14th state to do so, cutting the $275,000 from the state budget that is required to match federal abstinence-only funding.

Media Resources: Daily Women’s Health Policy Report 11/28/07; Washington Times 11/28/07; Feminist Daily Newswire 11/26/07

SEE ALSO:

Bush Pushes for More Abstinence Only Funding

President Bush is pushing for more funding for abstinence only programs even as a Congressional study shows they are ineffective. The US has spent about $1 billion on failed abstinence-only sex education programs over the past decade and President Bush proposes a 2008 budget of $204 million for such programs, reports Women’s eNews.

In fact, a November 7th study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy showed that programs that combine abstinence and contraception were most effective.

Many states are now rejecting the matching federal abstinence only funds in favor of teaching comprehensive sex education. Just this month, Virginia became the 14th state to do so, cutting the $275,000 from the state budget that is required to match federal abstinence-only funding.