Waging Peace in Flyover Country

That is so cool!
I'm heading out on the next bus (for ours).

Great report - great turnout. That's excellent for a community that size. It says something about how deeply the antiwar effort has moved into the "silent majority" side of the fence.

Plus it's an excellent local event that neighbors will discuss and create the opportunity to open even more eyes to what's going on.

Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks for sharing that Rick. I'm glad they built that memorial even if it was temporary. But also the flowers and cranes will help another soldier know we still support him or her.

And a reminder...Moveon has the candlelight vigils tonight. Try to go to one if you can.

http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=79

Great journalism & photos, Rick. Thanks. I'm heading out to our candlelight vigil in a bit to mourn & commemorate the 4th Anniversary of the illegal, immoral and unjust war in Iraq.

We've got Katy Scott, mother of U.S. Army Captain Jason Scott a critically wounded soldier who spent 8 months at Walter Reed as our main speaker tonight. (She appears with Jason in a documentary called “Fight for Life” to be released in the Spring of 2007.)

We cannot give up the fight. We must keep the pressure on. Tens of thousands of our bravest sons and daughters and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi women and children are counting on us to stop the madness and end the war.

What beautiful photos, Rick! and more nice birthday thoughts from the previous thread.

madame: I have chocolate! Come on over!

After we end the war, or SOMEONE does, we will share all the goodies in a well-deserved rest!

CNN: 2,000 page document dump tonight.

CNN’s Dana Bash reports, “We expect on the Senate and the House side, the Judiciary Committees, they are expecting a good old-fashioned document dump, Wolf. Lots and lots of pages. In fact, they expect as many as 2,000 pages of documents to come late in the day, maybe even as late as 7:00 tonight. All they understand from the Justice Department is that these documents will be e-mails and other internal pages that could provide “additional insight” into just why these U.S. Attorneys were fired.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/19/cnn-2000-page-document-dump-tonight

US Fatalities Confirmed--as of March 17, 2007

http://icasualties.org/oif/BY_DOD.aspx

NPR's reporting today has been quite interesting -- or at least that that I've heard so far. (Some days -- or maybe it's just some reporters -- I'm convinced they're shilling for the Republic Party.)

In any case, if you get a chance to listen to All Things Considered, Gary Langer, director of polling for ABC News, gave some interesting polling statistics from a poll of public opinions among Iraqis.

Bottom line: more violence & a majority of people say they're worse off than under Saddam Hussein.

The audio isn't up yet, but you'll find it here once it's available ==>
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8997392
Poll of Iraqis Finds Less Support, More Violence

Look to the firing of US Attorney Lam as to any possible Whitehouse connection and potential for obstruction of justice. Her firing apparently was done contemporaneously with her expansion of the Duke Cunningham probe and most likely halted that investigation from expanding to other potential defendants.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/140377.html

Get this...

As Gonzales Takes Hits, Fielding May Be Successor

All Things Considered, March 19, 2007 · Emerging details in an inquiry into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys may end the career of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The man who some consider to be Gonzales' likely successor is Fred Fielding, President Bush's new White House Counsel.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8997419

I don't think this is much of an improvement. But then, what was I expecting from this regime...

Posted by: madame defarge at March 19, 2007 06:30 PM

That's why we must investigate, indict, impeach, and imprison.

Posted by: madame defarge at March 19, 2007 06:30 PM
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at March 19, 2007 07:13 PM

Well, we do have a Democratic Congress. But if you read FDL and other places, not many people are happy with Harry Reid nowadays. Seems there is something about Harry that isn't quite right.

This little tidbit was from yesterday at DU and Kos but I hadn't seen it.

"Rove's "Dirty Tricks" Email Servers
by BloggerJohn [Subscribe]
Sat Mar 17, 2007 at 11:19:08 AM PDT
Imagine an administration that designed a special way to communicate to keep their secrets secret from investigations and history. Ok, stop imagining, because it's already here!!

On the talking points website, we find an email with J. Scott Jennings Signature --a signature is the electronic equivalent to his business card. And it says ---"

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/4/135310/0946

defarge that would be an interesting confirmation hearing. Fielding could be asked if he has changed since his days as chief fundraiser for Nixon. Fielding is now a senior partner in a prominent D.C. lawfirm with a sterling reputation in the legal world. Perhaps Lehey could ask Fielding if he sees any similarities bewteen this Administration and tricky Dick's.

Rove in the Docket
By Mike Whitney
The purge of the US Attorneys has Rove's bloody fingerprints all over it. Justice doesn't matter. Law enforcement doesn't matter. All that matters is destroying one's enemies, rewarding one's friends, and strengthening the one party system. That's it. .
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17351.htm

Crime Blotter: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
By Paul Craig Roberts
This criminal regime must now be brought to an end. Impeachments of Bush, Cheney, and Gonzales, followed by felony indictments and trials are imperative if the rule of law in the United States is to be preserved.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17350.htm

Republican Political Mafia and Federal Law
By Stephen Crockett
There is nothing as corrupt as using the governmental powers of law enforcement, to selectively prosecute your political enemies and to cover-up criminal behavior by your political organization and allies, while in a position of political power. This situation is the essence of the current scandal concerning the firing of US Attorneys by the Bush White House.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17355.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070319/ts_nm/iraq_protests_dc_3
More than 100 arrested in Iraq protests

Posted by: Bubba at March 19, 2007 08:03 PM

And can we talk to Jesselyn Radack about distruction of evidence, coverups, and persecution of whistleblowers and compare that to tricky-Dick's administration too?

WHITE HOUSE SEEKING GONZALES REPLACMENTS
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3202.html

Republican officials operating at the behest of the White House have begun seeking a possible successor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, whose support among GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill has collapsed, according to party sources familiar with the discussions.

Among the names floated Monday by administration officials are Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and White House anti-terrorism coordinator Frances Townsend. Former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson is a White House prospect. So is former solicitor general Theodore B. Olson, but sources were unsure whether he would want the job.

Republican sources also disclosed that it is now a virtual certainty that Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, whose incomplete and inaccurate congressional testimony about the prosecutors helped precipitate the crisis, will also resign shortly. Officials were debating whether Gonzales and McNulty should depart at the same time or whether McNulty should go a day or two after Gonzales. Still known as "The Judge" for his service on the Texas Supreme Court, Gonzales is one of the few remaining original Texans who came to Washington with President Bush.

In a sign of Republican despair, GOP political strategists on Capitol Hill said that it is too late for Gonzales' departure to head off a full-scale Democratic investigation into the motives and timing behind the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

[snip]

---------------

buh-bye albie,
Otter

I just reread this whole piece more carefully and it was really wonderful.

On this fourth anniversary of RoveCo's illegal war of conquest, please join the rest of the internets in lighting a candle for peace:

http://www.webshots.com/sp/peace_candle/

Posted by: Bubba at March 19, 2007 08:03 PM

RE: Fielding

He was an attorney for Nixon & Blackwater.

And now he's Little George's WH attorney.

Three strikes against him already.

Posted by: Otter at March 19, 2007 09:35 PM

Hope the candles don't burn up the tubes.

Steve Bell on 4th anniversary of the Iraq War

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,,2038132,00.html

He keeps making Bush's ears bigger all the time!

Candles? Did someone say candles?
Click on the Steve Bell link!

Kerry caught liars at FOX in a lie yesterday on tv and now they have edited it out of their transcript. Pants on fire!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/19/145742/538

More on the Colorado Springs protest that turned ugly
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/19/221315/372
My brother knows the guy who is down. He has book and record stores and is a well-known antiwar activist there, friend of theirs, has a van that says "The Bookman" on it. My brother says "Sometimes it's embarrassing to be from here."

I thought we had a ridiculously large police presence in Seattle today, actually.

Iraq War Protests Continue Nationwide
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6493593,00.html

How on earth can we get these claims through to the Decider for a change of decision?

US regime worse than Saddam, statue slayer says
Audrey Gillan
March 20, 2007

It is nearly four years since Kadhim al-Jubouri led the toppling of the Saddam statue in Baghdad.

HIS hands were bleeding and his eyes filled with tears as, four years ago, he slammed a sledgehammer into the tiled plinth that held a seven-metre bronze statue of Saddam Hussein.

Then Kadhim al-Jubouri spoke of his joy at being the leader of the crowd that toppled the statue in Baghdad's Firdous Square. Now, he is filled with nothing but regret.

cont. .....
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/us-regime-worse-than-saddam-statue-slayer-says/2007/03/19/1174152970789.html

Morning headlines....

BUSH'S SHADOW ARMY
By Jeremy Scahill, The Nation
The Bush Administration is increasingly dependent on private security forces to do its dirty work, Jeremy Scahill reveals in his new book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/49307/
{{{I want answers to a few questions that I've had for a few years now: Who's running Gitmo? Who's laws apply on a US military base? We hear plenty on in-state infotainment snooze about 'our brave soldiers' coming back from "the battle for Iraq" or Afghanistan (some in coffins), and in this state alone there are three who were mercenaries, two of whom worked for Halliburton's DynCorp for sure, who were killed in Iraq (not sure who the other one worked for), and there's currently a mercenary from Minnesota whose fate is still unknown but he was captured a few months ago. But I never hear about any enlisted US military personnel "returning from Gitmo...." Are Halliburton/DynCorp/KBR/Blackwater mercenaries running Gitmo? Are mercenaries doing the torture at Gitmo? We need answers to those questions...!}}}

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/19/AR2007031901659.html
Editiorial
Top-Secret Torture
What's stopping the Democrats in Congress from investigating?
KHALID SHEIK Mohammed's cold-blooded confession of responsibility for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and other horrific crimes before a tribunal in Guantanamo Bay got a lot of attention when the Pentagon released a partial transcript last week -- and understandably so. But another set of disclosures by the al-Qaeda leader that could also be sensational received almost no attention. That's because the Pentagon swiftly classified a document submitted by Mr. Mohammed in which he detailed the torture he says he suffered. The rationale is that disclosure of those allegations would harm national security. In fact, the harm the Bush administration's abuse of prisoners has already done to this country's ability to combat Islamic extremism will only be compounded if it succeeds in making this shameful record a state secret.
~~~~~
Two senators who attended Mr. Mohammed's Guantanamo hearing, Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), issued a statement calling for an investigation of the torture charges. Yet any administration investigation -- especially one conducted in secret -- will almost certainly conclude that the waterboarding was approved by senior administration officials. What's needed is a genuinely independent investigation, one that airs Mr. Mohammed's charges and tests the administration's claim that the CIA's actions were legal. Mr. Levin -- as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee -- could conduct such a probe in cooperation with the Intelligence or Judiciary committees. What's stopping him?

{{{{More on link. Hmmmm... Good question, and (surprise!), it's even from a Lamestream Media snooze paper!}}}

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/world/europe/20hicks.html
Detainee Says He Was Abused While in U.S. Custody
Excerpt:

In an affidavit supporting his request for British citizenship, Mr. Hicks contends that before he arrived at Guantánamo, his American captors threw him and other detainees on the ground, walked on them, stripped him naked, shaved all his body hair and inserted a plastic object in his rectum.

The abuse, Mr. Hicks asserts, began during interrogations in Afghanistan, where he was captured in late 2001. It then continued while he was shuttled between American naval ships, aircraft, unknown buildings and Kandahar before he was taken to the military detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in early 2002, according to the affidavit

While Mr. Hicks did not claim that he was tortured at Guantánamo, he said he was given regular, mysterious injections that “would make my head feel strange.” He also said he witnessed or heard about mistreatment of others there.

{{{More on link if you can stand to read it....}}}

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/washington/20documents.html
New E-Mail Gives Details on Attorney Dismissals
Excerpt:
Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney in Chicago who recently led the successful prosecution of I. Lewis Libby Jr., who was a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, was on a list of prosecutors whose performance was ranked as “not distinguished” on a list Mr. Sampson sent to the White House in March 2005, Justice Department officials say.

{{{Hmmmmm..........}}}

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/19/AR2007031902036.html
Fitzgerald Ranked During Leak Case
Justice Dept. Fired 2 With Same Rating

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/washington/20attorneys.html
Changes Sought in Naming of Prosecutors

WASHINGTON, March 19 — The Senate moved Monday to revoke authority it granted the Bush administration last year to name federal prosecutors, with Democrats accusing the administration of abusing the appointment power at the center of an escalating clash over the ouster of eight United States attorneys.
~~~~~
On Capitol Hill, members of both parties expressed support for repealing the Patriot Act provision, expected to be approved Tuesday. Lawmakers said the provision amounted to an end run around senators, who have long had influence in the appointment of home-state prosecutors. Some senators said the provision was used to clear the way for firing prosecutors and replacing them with candidates considered more in line with the administration.

“We can’t trust this administration to use that authority in a fair and constructive manner,” said Senator Mark Pryor, Democrat of Arkansas, who helped begin an inquiry into the dismissals by objecting to the administration’s choice for his state. “They have proven it to us.”

Mr. Pryor and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said that the way the Patriot Act revision, which was written by the Justice Department, was introduced last year with little or no consultation with senators suggested that the administration had intended all along to use it to avoid a showdown with the Senate over new prosecutors.

“Now it is becoming clear why they stuck that provision in there,” Mr. Reid said on the Senate floor. “This was a plan they had had for a long time.”

{{{More on link.}}}

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/world/europe/20iran.html
Russia Gives Iran Ultimatum on Enrichment
PARIS, March 19 — Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran’s nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, European, American and Iranian officials say.

The ultimatum was delivered in Moscow last week by Igor S. Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, to Ali Hosseini Tash, Iran’s deputy chief nuclear negotiator, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a confidential diplomatic exchange between two governments was involved.

For years, President Bush has been pressing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to cut off help to Iran on the nuclear power plant that Russia is building at Bushehr, in southern Iran. But Mr. Putin has resisted. The project is Tehran’s first serious effort to produce nuclear energy and has been very profitable for Russia.

Recently, however, Moscow and Tehran have been engaged in a public argument about whether Iran has paid its bills, which may explain Russia’s apparent shift. But the ultimatum may also reflect an increasing displeasure and frustration on Moscow’s part with Iran over its refusal to stop enriching uranium at its vast facility at Natanz.

“We’re not sure what mix of commercial and political motives are at play here,” one senior Bush administration official said in Washington. “But clearly the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves — and that’s not all bad.”

{{{More on link.... Sigh.... Can all those big bullies just please take their balls off the playground and go to a deserted island somewhere and leave the rest of us to live in peace with each other...??? I had another thought a few days ago. I'm wondering if Chinkster didn't target Valerie Plame specifically for another reason: she was, after all, working on stuff having to do with Iran and WMD and nuclear things... and Halliburton has been trading with Iran in spite of sanctions. She might have been too close to discovering that Halliburton was acting illegally (else why were Cheney and others looking over their shoulders to 'manage' the intel at the CIA?).... and then there's the fact that Halliburton is now re-locating to Dubai and they could easily still carry on their shenanigans with Iran, so close to Dubai, in spite of sanctions. Makes me go hmmmm....}}}

If you didn't get a chance to hear the Fresh Air interview with Jeremy Scahill RE: Blackwater, here's a diary with an excellent summary of the interview.

Blackwater

On March 31, 2004 the world was shocked as they witnessed images of four burned bodies hanging from a bridge in Fallujah, Iraq. We were told that these men were American contractors hired to secure food deliveries. The interesting thing was that the families of these men were actually told a different story. They were told that they were hired as a special military detailed to protect Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Somebody wasn’t getting the story straight.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/3/19/15502/2413

Well, I built me a raft and shes ready for floatin
Ol' Mississippi, she's callin my name
Catfish are jumpin'
That paddle wheel thumpin'
Blackwater keeps rollin' on past just the same

Saddam Hussein's vice president hanged

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/20/iraq.main/index.html

Serfs up, Hang Two.

Americans Mudslinging Over YouTube
http://cooltech.iafrica.com/technews/704750.htm

Now I'm even less inclined to support a top tier candidate yet.
I had not even seen it until I was polled by Zogby about it.

I really hate campaign adds.
As my Republican uncle said yesterday, "It's all politics."
He was referring to DOJ firing same attorneys for performance they'd
earlier commended.

What about policy? What about experience? What about voting record?
We are paying constantly for the politics of image.

We are paying constantly for the politics of image.

Posted by: not my president at March 20, 2007 09:37 AM

Agreed, in triplicate.

It's high time the public suffered from substance abuse.

We ain't gettin' any.

'Silent victims': What will become of Iraq's children?

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children no longer attend school. Many are forced to deal with mass displacement and killings of loved ones. Some are so shaken by the war, health experts say, they suffer from seizures and other mental health problems. "They killed my father and uncle in front of my eyes," one boy wept.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/19/iraq.children/index.html

Posted by: monkey at March 20, 2007 10:07 AM

Not quite the same meaning of "home schooling" that I use.

Just got call from Lori Perdue that Ann Wright was cuffed and arrested from a Conyers hearing on--of all things--the FBI overstepping its boundaries.

Conyers people asked that no one be arrested but Capitol Police seemed edgy today, and we are now trying to get more info.

McCain 'won't back down' from support of Iraq war

MASON CITY, Iowa (CNN) -- As presidential candidate John McCain travels Iowa and New Hampshire on his campaign bus, there's one subject he can't avoid even if he wanted to: Iraq.

Whether it's a moment of silence for the death of a local soldier or a question from the audience, the Iraq war and his unflinching support for it fills the open spaces in his run for the presidency.

Traveling through Iowa aboard the bus, the Arizona GOP senator ponders whether his fierce support of the war will hurt his presidential ambitions.

"I don't know and I can't worry about it," he said. "I just won't. There's too many people that have been hurt a lot more than I have as a result of this war. ... You've heard me say this before -- I'd rather lose a campaign than lose a war. ...

"I just have to do what I know is right and articulate what I think is right and best for the country," he added. "This is not a minor issue. It's a huge issue. I articulate what I think has to happen and what will happen if we fail."

Although severely critical of how the war has been conducted, McCain firmly believes the Iraq war has now become part of the broader war on terror.

"The consequences of failure are chaos, genocide and sooner or later we come back, and most importantly, they'll follow us home," he said.

McCain is the war's most visible supporter at a time when only a third of voters think it has been worth the price, both in money and lives lost.

But because of his years as a Vietnam prisoner of war and his staunch support of the military, McCain's strategists believe voters will give him leeway on Iraq.

Whatever happens with the voters, though, he is where he is. In the community centers and town halls of Iowa and New Hampshire, McCain generally enters to the room to the sound of rocker Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" -- a campaign promise, of sorts.

"This conflict we are in (is) between good and evil, between the forces of radical Islam extremism that are trying to destroy America and everything we believe in," he said at a campaign stop. "I'm qualified. I know the face of war. I know the face of evil. I will win. We will win, and we will never surrender."

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/03/mccain-wont-back-down-from-support-of.html

Satire from The Onion...

War Makes U.S. Less Safe

A recent National Intelligence Estimate report found that the war in Iraq has in fact increased Islamic extremism and the overall threat of terror. What do you think?

Lance Brown, Tech Support Operator
"The media has put a spin on these statistics. It only seems like there are more terrorists because the war has decreased the number of Americans."

Tanya Frazer, Mortgage Broker
"You know, I have noticed a rise in the hypothetical chance of a theoretically imminent attack."

Mark Everett,Logger
"As with our own radical '60s, I think it's important to stay the course and outlast the Islamic equivalent of our hippies."

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/53285

It's good to see that the protests aren't just happening in Washington. PBS has been compelled to enter the fray as part of the America at a Crossroads series. It looks like they are using about a dozen documentaries to spark dialogue.

A bunch of screenings and discussions are happening all around the country and you can submit video diaries on the website. Not too shabby.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/index.html

Word: Ann Wright was arrested; John Conyers paid her fine.

The police acted without approval from the Chairman of the Committee.

More as we know it...

I can't wait to hear what she was charged with. I contacted Jesselyn who is a friend of Ann's. She may be contacting you for more info, Karen, if she can't get ahold of Ann herself.

She was charged with disturbing the peace. Ironic, no?

Posted by: karen at March 20, 2007 03:12 PM

I guess her aura is so powerful and loud that even when she doesn't utter a peep, she's disturbing to those chicken-hawks.

Sounds like a set up to me!

McCain's platform for 2008 is to be even more stubborn than Bush 43? Now that is idiotic!

Posted by: monkey at March 20, 2007 01:31 PM

Funny...

Three out of four of the ads by google link up to right winged extremest sites like Ann Coulter, "Religious Defence League" which is anti ACLU, and a right winged t'shirt hate mongering site called "God Bless The Right."

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b26/bluebunting/theonionadsbygoogle.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b26/bluebunting/theonionadsbygoogle.jpg

Oops..sorry about the double link. They're the same. Only click once.

Nice to hear old Rove is getting subpoenaed, after all the WH offered was non-sworn, no transcript appearance.

Here's what TPM says about Rove & Miers getting subpoenaed...

Gotta love this. The White House will allow Rove and Miers to testify about the US Attorney Purge. But they can't be under oath. It has to be behind closed doors and no transcript can be kept.

And probably the whole thing has to take place at an undisclosed location and the senators have to wear blindfolds.

Regrettably, only the last sentence is a joke.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

Also, apparently Little George will make a statement on the US attorney matter around 5:45 EDT today... Since he called Al this morning to tell him that he's doing a heckuva job, wonder what he'll say...

I thought when you're subpoenaed, you're subpoenaed. You mean the WH offered no transcript - no oath after being subpoenaed - then the thing has no teeth. They will keep bringing up the so-called Executive Privilege, just like Bush is able to veto most everything.
Please someone find a way to get somethign that will stick! What does it take?! Until later today, I am unable to follow as closely as I'd like to.

I did have quite a few people ask me if I was at the protest. There was more media coverage than back before the war when we had 10x as many people out protesting. & at that time, it was taboo for people to think about it or ask about it here. Now it's suddenly PC to do so. Too little too late.

Glanced at tail end of hundreds of comments on Rove-related diary at DailyKos.

There I saw the most intelligent suggestion I've heard yet:

PRESSURE THE WHITE HOUSE TO remove Rove's security clearances until they have testified under oath before Congress

Then I noticed it was posted by Fe. ;)

Then I noticed it was posted by Fe. ;)

Posted by: not my president at March 20, 2007 04:13 PM

Of course it would be Fe! She's one wise woman! (Go Fe!)

Speculation on DU about Little George's press statement this afternoon is that it may be the equivalent to Nixon's comparable move when he was forced to hand over WH transcripts.

"Maybe bush will say, 'I am not on crack!'"

Posted by: not my president at March 20, 2007 04:10 PM

They haven't actually issued any subpoenas yet. They were in talks about who and how they would respond to Congress. This is the WH's offer which is being refused. The next step probably is subpoenas.

Posted by: dwahzon at March 20, 2007 05:03 PM

According to FDL, Schumer et al are busy preparing subpoenas for Thursday. FDL servers are slow or I'd grab the link.

Posted by: not my president at March 20, 2007 04:13 PM
Posted by: sparrow at March 20, 2007 04:21 PM

She is indeed something. We should be honored to count Fe among us.

Dwahzon
Thanks for the clarification! That's kind of what I thought at first. This is hard to follow as an intermittent lurker - I'll count on you guys to fill me in on Baby George's announcement coming up!

Can't you just imagine the humming and stirring of hordes of careful lawyers wanting to word things just right so as to facilitate the final Frog March?! It makes me smile. Is it possible?

Well if April or some of our other N.Carolina friends lurk, they might find this diary interesting.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/20/55451/1500

Searchable data dump.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/20/17716/3612

ePluribus Media Community wouldn't mind the help or the donation to keep their research going.

Lots of sites are live blogging the press conference. I'd rather live chat if anybody is around. So, I'm going to park in irc a while if anyone wants to try to catch me and visit.

(No guarantees. You know me. I sit down and then find a billion other things to do. But I'll try!)

Leahy: You Do Your Job, I'll Do Mine
By Paul Kiel - March 20, 2007, 5:38 PM

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002826.php
snip...

"“I don’t accept his offer. It is not constructive and it is not helpful to be telling the Senate how to do our investigation, or to prejudge its outcome.

"Instead of freely and fully providing relevant documents to the investigating committees, they have only selectively sent documents, after erasing large portions that they do not want to see the light of day. Testimony should be on the record, and under oath. That’s the formula for true accountability.“I hope the President will agree to be forthcoming. The straighter the path to the truth, the sooner we will finally know the facts.”

And from House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI):

"While we appreciate the White House's gesture, we will work with the Senate Judiciary Committee to create a counteroffer. We will move forward to authorize subpoenas for current and former White House and Justice officials, as well as documents. In short, the House Judiciary Committee will take whatever steps are necessary and within our Congressional authority to get to the bottom of what has become a horrible mess that is undermining American trust in our federal criminal justice system."
The House committee will vote to authorize issuing subpoenas tomorrow, and the Senate committee will vote on Thursday."

Sandy Berger and I believe Lanny Davis testified before the US Congress in the 1990s, why not Rove and Gonzales?

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/03/29/policy.principle/index.html

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=147
Judiary Committee to Meet on Subpoenas for White House and Justice Department Officials
An announcement from the Judiciary Committee:
Conyers, Sànchez to Issue Subpoenas for White House Officials
(Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. and Subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sànchez called a meeting to authorize subpoenas for five current and former White House and Justice Department officials. The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law (CAL) will meet TOMORROW, March 21st at 10:15 am in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building to consider subpoenas for Kyle Sampson, Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, William Kelley, and Scott Jennings, as well as White House and Justice Department documents, which have not been provided to date.