The neocons have learned nothing from five years of catastrophe

White House neocons get slammed by Founder of U.S. Neoconservatism

Guardian UK:
Their zealous advocacy of the invasion of Iraq may have been a disaster, but now they want to do it all over again - in Iran

The United States today spends approximately as much as the rest of the world combined on its military establishment. So it is worth pondering why it is that, after nearly four years of effort, the loss of thousands of American lives, and an outlay of perhaps half-a-trillion dollars, the US has not succeeded in pacifying a small country of some 24 million people, much less in leading it to anything that looks remotely like a successful democracy.

Boston Herald Columnist Rips Cheney calling him 'paranoid, arrogant and frightened'

Rawstory:
"Boston Herald reporter Mike Barnicle, appearing on MSNBC's Imus in the Morning show, describes Dick Cheney as a "paranoid, arrogant, and now, thankfully, frightened Vice President of the United States.""

To watch the video Click Here

MSNBC's Olbermann Fact Checks the President

C&L:
To watch the video Click Here

US Army Investigating New Torture Allegations

Alleged Former Abu Ghraib Guard Discussed Gang Rape in YouTube Video

"The clip, originally linked via a now defunct account on YouTube, purports to show a former guard from Abu Ghraib talking about torture techniques employed at the American-run prison. The man also recounts the gang rape of a female teenage detainee, in which one guard "pimped" the girl to others for $50 each. As he recalls, "I think at the end of the day he'd made like 500 bucks before she hung herself.""

You can link to the rest of this article and the video Here

Chairman: Bush officials misled public on global warming

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Democratic chairman of a House panel examining the government's response to climate change said Tuesday there is evidence that senior Bush administration officials sought repeatedly "to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming."

NBC Reporter Russert Says Cheney's Aide Libby Lied

NBC News reporter Tim Russert said Monday that he did not tell vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby that a prominent war critic's wife worked at the CIA, as Libby has claimed.

Russert, who spoke in Tulsa and Oklahoma City at functions sponsored by Oklahoma State University's Spears School of Business, said he expects to be called to testify in Libby's ongoing federal perjury and obstruction trial in Washington.

Nuclear plans in chaos as Iran leader flounders

Guardian UK:

Boasts of a nuclear programme are just propaganda, say insiders, but the PR could be enough to provoke Israel into war

Iran's efforts to produce highly enriched uranium, the material used to make nuclear bombs, are in chaos and the country is still years from mastering the required technology.

John Stewart Unpacks Dick Cheney's CNN Interview

Eat the Press:
To watch the video Click Here

Senate Intelligence chairman quietly 'fixed' intelligence, and diverted blame from White House over Iraq

Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Pat Roberts (R-KS) ensured there was no serious investigation into how the administration fixed the intelligence that took the United States to war in Iraq or the fabricated documents used as evidence to do so.

Coupled with limited access to intelligence documents, RAW STORY has found that Roberts and a handful of other strategically-placed Washington players stymied all questions into pre-war intelligence on Iraq and post-invasion cover-ups, including the outing of a CIA covert agent, by using targeted leaks and artfully deflecting blame from the White House.

See additional coverage on this subject under: Roberts shifts blame to Democrats and CIA

Escalation of US Iran military planning part of six-year Administration push

Rawstory:
The escalation of US military planning on Iran is only the latest chess move in a six-year push within the Bush Administration to attack Iran, a RAW STORY investigation has found.

U.S. invasion was "idiot decision"-Iraq vice president

Reuters:
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was an "idiot decision" and Iraqi troops now need to secure Baghdad to ensure the country's future, Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Thursday.

"Iraq was put under occupation, which was an idiot decision," Mahdi said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Shocking Iraq Footage

Rawstory:
Dramatic footage of mostly Shi'a Iraqi soldiers delivering a "brutal beating" to several local Sunnis has been obtained by a British public-service television station.

US soldiers, assigned to train the Iraqi troops, look on as the Iraqi soldiers push the beaten men into the rear compartment of an armored vehicle

To watch the video Click Here

Bush's Approval Rating at All Time Low: 28%

CBS News:
President Bush will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night to a nation that's strongly opposed to his plan for increasing troops in Iraq and deeply unhappy with his performance as president, according to a CBS News poll.

Mr. Bush’s overall approval rating has fallen to just 28 percent, a new low, while more than twice as many (64 percent) disapprove of the way he's handling his job.

Report: Little evidence for Iran-Iraq arms link

A Los Angeles Times article on Tuesday reports that despite administration assertions that advanced weaponry is crossing into Iraq via its border with Iran, little evidence supports the claim.

Libby: Bush Administration Set Me Up...

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald described for jurors Tuesday a Bush administration effort to beat back early criticism of the Iraq war and accused former White House aide "Scooter" Libby of lying to investigators probing the leak of a CIA operative's identity.

I. Lewis Libby's attorney countered by painting a different White House plot, alleging that administration officials sought to blame Libby for the leak to protect Bush political adviser Karl Rove's own disclosures.

State of the nation? Broke

MSN Money:
When President Bush gives his State of the Union address tonight, don't expect accurate numbers on the budget. What you can count on is that the deficit is disastrous and the debt is piling up.

State of the Union: Unhappy With Bush

ABC News:

Bush's 33 Percent Approval Rating Lowest Since Nixon for President Entering State of the Union Speech

President Bush faces the nation this week more unpopular than any president on the eve of a State of the Union address since Richard Nixon in 1974.

Sen. Leahy Slams Gonzalez Over Torture

Crooksandliars:

Leahy: "We knew damn well if he went to Canada he wouldn't be tortured. He'd be held and he'd be investigated. We also knew damn well if he went to Syria, he'd be tortured. And it's beneath the dignity of this country, a country that has always been a beacon of human rights, to send somebody to another country to be tortured."

To watch the video Click Here

Iran: Thinking the Unthinkable

FPIF:
Is Israel, supported by the Bush Administration, preparing to launch an atomic war against Iran? On January 7, the London Sunday Times claimed that the Israeli government is planning to attack Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons. While the Israeli government denies the story, recent statements by top Israeli officials and military figures -- along with recent White House threats against Iran and Syria and a shuffling of American commanders in the Middle East -- suggest that the possibility is real.

'Unprecedented:' Evangelical, scientific leaders unite to respond to climate change problems and defend 'life on earth'

Rawstory:
A unique partnership was introduced at a Washington news conference today, as a dozen evangelical and scientific leaders announced a new joint effort to protect the environment and defend "life on earth," according to a press release received by RAW STORY.

CIA leak case figures reject Cheney immunity

MSNBC:
As jury selection began Tuesday in the criminal trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, former ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame, claim that the vice president cannot assert immunity from their complaint.

Russia Stands Firm on Sale of Anti-aircraft Missles to Iran, Syria

RUSSIA said yesterday it had delivered new anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran and would consider further requests by Tehran for defensive weapons.

Washington and Israel, which accuse Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear arms and undermining security in the region, have criticised the sale of TOR-M1 missiles.

U.S. policies have made Israel less safe, experts say

JERUSALEM - After years of supporting the Bush administration's policy in the Middle East, a growing number of Israelis are openly criticizing the United States for creating more, not less, danger for Israel.

Israeli experts contend that American policies have destabilized Iraq, emboldened anti-Western forces from Iran to Lebanon and paved the way for militant Islamists to gain control of the Palestinian Authority.

Blogger Battles Right Wing Hate Radio

Crooksandliars:
"The heat is raining down on KSFO and their crew over the hate speech that permeates the airwaves. Already almost 15,000 people have listened to this audio that typifies what we're talking about. Morgan, Sussman and Lee tried to get Spocko's site closed down by ABC."
To watch the video Click Here

Bush's New Intel Chief Could Overhype Danger of Iran

Rawstory:
Officials believe the White House chose new Intelligence chief in effort to darken Iran Intelligence Estimate, and broaden domestic surveillance.

The nomination of retired Vice Admiral John Michael "Mike" McConnell to be Director of National Intelligence is part of an effort by the Vice President to tighten the Administration’s grip on domestic intelligence and grease the wheels for a more aggressive stance towards Iran, current and former intelligence officials believe.

Exxon Mobile Paid for Propaganda to Mislead on Global Warming

Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON - ExxonMobil Corp. gave $16 million to 43 ideological groups between 1998 and 2005 in a coordinated effort to mislead the public by discrediting the science behind global warming, the Union of Concerned Scientists asserted Wednesday.

Bush Claims Power to Open Americans' Mail without Warrants

WASHINGTON - President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.
The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.

That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.

Reid, Pelosi call on Bush not to get deeper into Iraq

To read the letter Click Here

White House Visitor Records Closed

AP:
WASHINGTON - The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.

The Bush administration didn't reveal the existence of the memorandum of understanding until last fall. The White House is using it to deal with a legal problem on a separate front, a ruling by a federal judge ordering the production of Secret Service logs identifying visitors to the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Israeli Experts Say Middle East Was Safer With Saddam in Iraq

Jerusalem - Although few tears were shed in Israel over Saddam Hussein’s death last week, a small but growing chorus — including government officials, academics and Iraqi émigrés — is warning that Israel could find itself in more danger with him gone, and that it might even regret having welcomed his toppling

Next Stop, Iran?

The American Conservative:
In Washington it is hardly a secret that the same people in and around the administration who brought you Iraq are preparing to do the same for Iran. The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within Iran there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including numerous suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites. Many of the targets are hardened or are deep underground and could not be taken out by conventional weapons, hence the nuclear option. As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing—that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack—but no one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.

FBI Files: Rehnquist Had Hallucinations

ABC News:
WASHINGTON - The FBI's file on former Chief Justice William Rehnquist made public more than a year after his death indicates the Nixon and Reagan administrations enlisted its help in blunting criticism of him during confirmation hearings.

The file also offers insight into the hallucinations and other symptoms of withdrawal that Rehnquist suffered when he was taken off a prescription painkiller in 1981. A doctor was cited as saying that Rehnquist, an associate justice of the Supreme Court at the time, tried to escape the hospital in his pajamas and imagined that the CIA was plotting against him.

He Takes His Secrets to the Grave. Our Complicity Dies with Him

Independent/UK:
How the West armed Saddam, fed him intelligence on his 'enemies', equipped him for atrocities - and then made sure he wouldn't squeal

We've shut him up. The moment Saddam's hooded executioner pulled the lever of the trapdoor in Baghdad yesterday morning, Washington's secrets were safe. The shameless, outrageous, covert military support which the United States - and Britain - gave to Saddam for more than a decade remains the one terrible story which our presidents and prime ministers do not want the world to remember. And now Saddam, who knew the full extent of that Western support - given to him while he was perpetrating some of the worst atrocities since the Second World War - is dead.

Right Wing Radio Host Announces "Assassination" Schedule for Members of Congress

Whackjob Alert:
A radio talk-show entertainer whose earlier statements that he "may" have to assassinate members of Congress if the wrong people were elected Nov. 7 now has set a timetable for those killings.

In a statement on his website, Hal Turner noted that a newspaper has reported that a bill granting amnesty to illegal aliens is expected to be enacted in January, when the Democratic Party takes control of the U.S. Senate and House.

Silencing Saddam

Alternet:
Did Saddam die because he knew too much about the United States' real role in Iraq?

It is a very frightening precedent that the United States can invade a country on false pretenses, depose its leader and summarily execute him without an international trial or appeals process. This is about vengeance, not justice, for if it were the latter the existing international norms would have been observed. The trial should have been overseen by the World Court, in a country that could have guaranteed the safety of defense lawyers, who, in this case, were killed or otherwise intimidated.