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NEWS DISSECTOR: IMPEACHMENT NOT VOTED ON BUT SENT TO THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
NEWS DISSECTOR June 12, 2008
IMPEACHMENT NOT VOTED ON BUT SENT TO THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
WSJ: GW BUSH-WHY I SHOULDA CHANGED THE TONE:
"I think that in retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric," Bush told The Times of London in an interview. The president acknowledged his trade-mark tough-talk ("Bring 'em on," etc.) had perhaps given the impression that he was a "guy really anxious for war" and that it "indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace."
The president further expressed frustration that the U.S.-and he in particular-are viewed as "a force for evil" in Europe. "I don't buy into that theory. America is a force for good. America is a force for liberty," he said.
RESPONSE FROM IRAN, ONE OF THE COUNTRIES HE CHARGED WAS PART OF THE "AXIS OF EVIL:" BUSH IS A "WICKED MAN."
IMPEACHMENT SHUNTED TO JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
PAKISTAN PROTESTS US ATTACK ON ITS SOLDIERS
PRESS: SEEKS A NEW NARRATIVE IN IRAQ
Dennis Kucinich proposed; the House of Representatives disposed-but not completely. Rather than voting the articles of impeachment filed by Kucinich down, they were sent to the Judiciary Committee for further action, giving supporters more time to rally behind the need for an investigation and trial. The measure would have been defeated in a straight vote.
THE BULLETIN FROM AFTERDOWNINGSTREET.ORG
WEDNESDAY 3:15 p.m.: Congress has just voted overwhelmingly (251-166) to send the articles of impeachment (H Res 1258) to the House Judiciary Committee to be acted upon there. 24 Republicans voted Yes along with all the Democrats.
Democrats.com's Bob Fertik reported:
By a bipartisan vote of 251-166, the full House of Representatives sent Dennis Kucinich's 35 Articles of Impeachment to the Judiciary Committee.
That means Chairman John Conyers now has the power to decide whether to hold impeachment hearings - or not.
Incredibly, 24 Republicans voted with 227 Democrats; the 166 no votes came exclusively from Republicans.
So what will Conyers do? After the Downing Street Memo was published on May 1, 2005, Democrats.com worked closely with Conyers to hold the famous basement hearings featuring Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern, and John Bonifaz. In August 2006, Conyers published all of the evidence of Bush's crimes in The Constitution in Crisis. Many of us believed he would begin impeachment proceedings if Democrats won the House, which they did that November.
But in the spring of 2006, Nancy Pelosi declared impeachment "off the table." And when Democrats took control and Conyers was sworn in as Judiciary Chairman, he fell firmly into line behind the Speaker. (Conyers insists Pelosi did not threaten to deny him the Chairmanship.)
MEDIA IRAQ "WAR WEARY AND DEPLETED"
Five Years Later, the American Press Corps in Iraq Is War-Weary and Depleted-Also Committed, Engaged and Desperately Seeking a Narrative to Wake Up Readers; 'The Press Redeemed in Baghdad,' Says George Packer, 'What It Missed in Washington'
IRAQ CORRESPONDENTS COMMENT
WATCH: BBC ON BIG NEW FINANCIAL RIP-OFF IN IRAQ
NOW WE ARE FIGHTING PAKISTAN
NYT: Pakistan Says U.S. Airstrike Killed 11 of Its Soldiers
American military officials said that coalition forces responded to fire from Pakistani paramilitary soldiers, who were possibly working with insurgents.
TERRORISM NOT ON THE DECREASE
Bernard Fine in Newsweek: They Still Hate Us
Terrorism on the decrease? Not so fast - that's probably unfounded optimism.
A mere six months ago, the Bush Administration was arguing that the terror threat was so severe that even a momentary lapse in the domestic surveillance authorization would place American lives at risk. Now, a series of briefings and speeches by high-level officials, reported on and amplified by prominent columnists has created a veritable drumbeat in support of the notion that not only is the threat diminished, but that victory in the "war on terror" is in sight. The timing is tremendously convenient in the run-up to an election that will inevitably become something of a referendum on the Bush years.
Think about it. This was supposed to be a generational conflict, and now it turns out that it that victory was always just an Iraqi awakening, a few predator strikes, and an obscure manifesto away. Islamo-fascism? Forget about it. The threat is now just from a bunch of yahoos. Porous American borders, disaffected Muslim populations in Europe, madrassas pumping out fanatics in Pakistan… all largely irrelevant.
TOP SECRET, NOT NO MORE
Secret government documents on al-Qaida and Iraq were left on a commuter train, prompting a major police investigation into the latest in a series of embarrassing security breaches, British officials said Wednesday.
The documents belonged to a senior intelligence official in the Cabinet office and were found by a passenger on a London commuter train Tuesday. The envelope was then passed to the British Broadcasting Corp.
SERB WAR CRIMINAL ARRESTED
Indicted Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Stojan Zupljanin has been arrested near the Serbian capital, Belgrade, justice officials have said.
He is one of four top Serb leaders still wanted for war crimes by the UN tribunal in The Hague.
A commander in the city of Banja Luka during the 1992-95 Bosnia war, Mr Zupljanin is charged with killing Muslim and Croat civilians.
His arrest is a condition for Serbia's advancement towards EU membership.
Now that the "presumptive" general election has began, the haters, the swiftboaters, the cynics, and the critics are moving from the margins to the mainstream with media weapons aimed at Obama. Imagine how this will escalate by the fall. The question is no longer who is right, but who will be left.
ATTACK ADS AGAINST OBAMA AND CRITICAL ARTICLES ON THE RISE: SEE THIS ONE
RIGHT WING TRYING TO DISQUALIFY HIM
This is from blogger/assault weapon Michelle Malkin:
We already know that Jihadist Obama HUSSEIN is not QUALIFIED to be the President, we now know that he is not ELIGIBLE to be President under American law. This is a great comment to a post over at Michelle Malkin's blog:
Barack Obama is not legally a U.S. Natural-born citizen according to the law on the books at the time of his birth, which falls between "December 24, 1952 to November 13, 1986? . Presidential office requires a natural-born citizen if the child was not born to two U.S. Citizen parents, which of course is what exempts John McCain though he was born in the Panama Canal. US Law very clearly stipulates: "…If only one parent was a U.S. Citizen at the time of your birth, that parent must have resided in the United States for at least ten years, at least five of which had to be after the age of 16." Barack Obama's father was not a U.S. Citizen and Obama's mother was only 18 when Obama was born, which means though she had been a U.S. Citizen for 10 years, (or citizen perhaps because of Hawai'i being a territory) the mother fails the test for being so for at least 5 years **prior to** Barack Obama's birth, but *after* age 16. It doesn't matter *after* . In essence, she was not old enough to qualify her son for automatic U.S. Citizenship.
SOME HILL BACKERS REJECT PARTY UNITY: THEY SAY NO DEAL
Nikki Oldaker on an Irony of Modern Politics
This is how Obama really won CT…back in 2005 - Joe took him under his wing and mentored him…that proved to be a huge mistake…for Lieberman - now that the Obama camp is attacking him…
NO SOONER THAN THIS APPEARED:
-Obama's Choice of Insider Draws Fire-Last month, Sen. Barack Obama turned to James A. Johnson, a former Fannie Mae chief executive and Washington insider since the Carter administration, to lead the vetting of potential running mates for the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee. For Republicans seeking to tarnish Obama's image as a squeaky-clean outsider hoping to clean up Washington - not to mention divert attention from questions about lobbyists working in Sen. John McCain's campaign - Obama's embrace of Johnson has been a gift, reports Jonathan Weisman and David S. Hilzenrath:
NO SOONER DID THIS STORY APPEAR IN THE WASHINGTON POST YESTERDAY MORNING THEN…..
WASHINGTON - Jim Johnson, a manager of Democrat Barack Obama's vice presidential search team, resigned Wednesday amid criticism over his personal loan deals.
"Jim did not want to distract in any way from the very important task of gathering information about my vice presidential nominee, so he has made a decision to step aside that I accept," Obama said in a statement. "We have a very good selection process under way, and I am confident that it will produce a number of highly qualified candidates for me to choose from in the weeks ahead. I remain grateful to Jim for his service and his efforts in this process."
THE ECONOMY: HEDGE FUND EXEC WANTED, MAY BE DEAD AND OTHER TALES
CRISIS TICKER: OIL UP $5, AVERAGE GALLON NOW COSTS $4.05, NATIONAL DEFICIT UP, STOCK MARKET DOWN
HEDGE FUND EXEC BEING SOUGHT
Investment News reports; New York state police are investigating the possible suicide of Samuel Israel III, the co-founder and chief executive of defunct hedge fund Bayou Management LLC.
He was to begin serving a 20-year prison term Monday, according to published reports.
But on that day, Mr. Israel's car, a 2006 GMC Envoy, was found abandoned near the Bear Mountain Bridge in Orange County, New York, with the phrase "suicide is painless" written in the dust on the hood.
The keys to the sports utility vehicle were left in the ignition, and prescription medication was found in the glove compartment.
Federal officials have launched an international manhunt.
BUSH TALKING UP THE DOLLAR: WHO WANTS HIM TO DO IT?
THE RGE MONITOR EXPLAINS: Low U.S. interest rates are a disincentive for oil producers to extract oil now when most of the proceeds will be invested in such low-yielding assets as Treasuries. And, as long as oil producers plow most of their oil windfall into Treasuries and yields stay lower than they're expected to be in the future, oil supply growth could remain historically low - supporting high oil prices. See "Oil Price Drivers: Focus on Low Interest Rates - Hotelling Rule Revives" and "Oil Moves Into Contango: How Contango and Backwardation Drive Spot Prices".
At the same time, low Treasury yields up the ante for oil producers to allocate more of their savings towards non-dollar assets or at least buy more non-dollar assets to maintain a constant ratio of USD-assets to non-USD assets. Either case poses further downside for the dollar. See "USD: Impact of Sovereign Demand for Dollar Assets"
WILL HIT $250, AND THAT IS ONLY $50 (OR LESS) FROM TOTAL, GLOBAL, ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/an-ominous-warning-that-the-rapid-rise-in-oil-prices-has-only-just-begun-844217.html
CRUDE OIL RISES ON SPECULATION OF INVENTORY DECLINE
ASIAN MARKETS RUMBLE: THE PLUNGE TOWARD GLOBAL RECESSION
FROM COMMUNITY INVESTMENT NETWORK
While threatened foreclosures of homes owned by the rich and famous, such as Ed McMahon, tend to dominate news coverage, the true impact of the current crisis can best be measured by examining developments in cities, towns and villages across the US. This is precisely the approach taken by the Los Angeles Times, as they recently sent reporter Peter Hong and photojournalist Brent Foster by auto across California to see how home foreclosures were playing out in various communities owned by families of all economic means. The result is a compelling four part series which really demonstrates how America's families are addressing the threat of losing their homes. The editors at CIN feel this is a series of such great importance that we have placed it in our 'Spotlight on Subprime' section. Entitled The Foreclosure Front, the series suggests that there is plenty of blame to go around.
HI, MY NAME IS FRED, AND I'M ADDICTED TO CREDIT CARDS
CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL AND OTHERS ON IRAN
WORLD SECURITY NETWORK: INDIA SAID TO WORRY ABOUT CHINESE MILITARY BUILDUP
China has announced an increase of 17.6 percent in its military budget. According to the International Herald Tribune, the increase in China's budget will amount to US $58.8 billion. China has maintained that the increased military budget is set to meet the growing needs of living expenses and pensions of the 2.3 million People's Liberation Army's (PLA) civilian personnel, soldiers and retired soldiers and officers. However, the international community views it as another move by China to strengthen and modernize its defense forces. China's anti-satellite weapon test (ASAT) in January 2007, the acquisition of SU-30 fighter bombs and air-to-air refueling capacity, the drive towards acquiring reentry vehicle technolo gy to equip China with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) with a Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) and China's growing dominance in the South China Sea have confirmed this fact. The recent photographs of China's Jin class nuclear submarine at Sanya on Hainan Island have certified that China is developing its military forces at a higher pace. China has already established its rule over Tibet and now has its eyes on neighboring states like Taiwan and Arunchal Pradesh (India). The military developments and modernization of China will challenge American power in the region and make it easier for China to achieve its political intentions. However, the US is still more technologically advanced than China. On the other hand, India lacks the technological capabilities to deal with the Chinese threat. There have been attempts by China to encircle India by both land and naval means. As a result, India is alarmed by the military developments in China.
NADER ON THE NBA, SIROTA ON LOU DOBBS, GUILBAULT ON THE DANGER
LETTER ON MY CALL FOR A NATIONAL ECONOMIC REFORM CONFERENCE
Bill Bissett writes:
That is a great idea but which media outlets would cover it? I think that things will have to get much worse before the masses wake up from their stupor and force debate and discussion of these issues. As long as we can eat as much as we want and have the ability to consume everthing else including mind numbing television as we currently can we as a nation will not care about anything except that consumption. Short sighted and shallow, yes, but here we are. There is some hope, aparently not all of us like living in the matrix and we have different movements that are working against the system including those at the NCMR.
Things are changing quickly however. The media is not covering what is really important to maintain this democracy which should include class and economic issues. However, I also believe that most of the media is totally unaware of the biggest problem that we face. It is an issue that I'm sure is the most important reason that we have troops in Iraq and will continue to keep troops in the Middle East. It WILL BE the most talked about issue of 2009 and I fear it will be used to justify everthing from endless wars to torture. I hope that you know what this issue is by now, because if you don't then you have been keeping you head in the sand for too many years.
Peak oil, peak food, peak water, peak resources in general is why we are in the beginnings of endless resource wars.
If you are not deeply aware of these issues then I suggest going to www.theoildrum.com and spending a hour or two there. It is a great site that intelligently talks about energy issues and policy. If so then I'm just a bit sad that even the journalists that I admire are unaware.
If you do know about this subject WHY ARE YOU NOT REPORTING IT? We have to have good people framing this issue as it becomes public knowledge. How the country deals with limited resources is a moral issue. Is it really our oil under their sand? Or should we find a way to consume less? And as Van Jones talked about on Sunday we could have a thriving new industry creating millions of good paying jobs; creating and exporting green technology. However the funding won't be made until the issue and its consequences are forced onto the American people.
If you were at NCMR 2008 then I missed you. I thought that your input at Memphis and St. Louis was important.
No, I am not a journalist, just a concerned citizen trying to find sources of real information.
DAVID SIROTA ON LOU DOBBS
The chapter on Dobbs (in Sirota's new book) THE UPRISING looks at how his show - in my opinion - deliberately separates the issue of free trade from the issue of immigration specifically to stoke anger. Dobbs rarely connects his admirably progressive views on trade policy with his critique of immigration policy - when, as I've shown before in my newspaper columns, the two policies are interconnected. In the radio debate, I bring this right up to Dobbs - and he says my point about the connection between lobbyist-written trade policies and immigration policies is one from the "left" and motivated from "guilt."
As THE UPRISING shows, Dobbs epitomizes both the positive potential of today's populist uprising to change our country's economic policies, and the negative potential of today's populist uprising to stoke anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment. He is a populist - sometimes a progressive populist, sometimes a right-wing populist. I give Dobbs credit for inviting me onto his radio show to vigorously debate the issue and his tactics
I WANT MEDIA.COM Viacom May Lose Spielberg to Rival Studio
Steven Spielberg aims to raise more than $1 billion in third-party financing to reinvent DreamWorks as a separate company that once again owns the movies it makes. As for distribution, Spielberg wants to leave Viacom's Paramount for rival studio NBC Universal.
WORTHWHILE READ:
MAKING SENSE OF COLLAPSE: FUNERAL PROCESSION OR PARTY TIME? By Carolyn Baker
MCCAIN TODAY: CANDIDATE ADMITS HE CAN"T USE A COMPUTER
NADER AND THE NBA
The Kings were up three games to two.
One win and the Kings would move on.
Shaq and Kobe and the Lakers would be out.
In that crucial game six in Los Angeles, the referees called foul after foul against the Kings.
But when Kobe Bryant elbowed Mike Bibby's nose, sending Bibby to the sideline bleeding, no foul was called.
It was that bad.
As the Washington Post's Michael Wilbon put it at the time "I have never seen officiating in a game of consequence as bad as that in Game 6."
The Lakers shot 40 free throws in that Game 6 - 27 in the fourth quarter - "won" the game 106-102, eliminated the Kings, and went on to beat the Nets for their third straight NBA Championship.
Ralph Nader saw injustice and on June 4, 2002, Ralph wrote to NBA Commissioner David Stern asking for an investigation.
Ralph personally spoke with Stern.
But Stern stiffed Ralph.
No action was taken.
Yesterday, former NBA referee Tom Donaghy, now convicted of conspiring with gamblers, was pointing fingers at his colleagues.
Donaghy's lawyer, John Lauro, says NBA executives directed referees "to manipulate games" in order to "boost ticket sales and television ratings."
According to Lauro, in the crucial 2002 Lakers/Kings game that Ralph complained to Stern about - "Tim learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games.
Tim knew Referees A and F to be 'company men,' always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series."
We tell our kids that sports teaches lessons about life.
The lesson we learned from the 2002 NBA Playoffs - Ralph was right.
A WARNING TO ALL OUR CHILDREN
I used to work with David Guilbault at ABC News. He was a talented producer who I always thought was straight and mainstream, honest and right down the middle. He went through some hard times, started writing songs and is now a worried man and writing about his concerns to his kids on his blog. I wanted to share some of what he has to say:
As a journalist and adventurer, I have been blessed with extraordinary opportunities to satisfy my unending curiosity. I have seen things and been places. I have climbed on glaciers, watched whales breach the surface of seas, witnessed the thundering launch of space shuttles, gazed awestruck at herds of elephants crossing the savannah, been at the site of a nuclear power plant accident, traveled on political campaigns with presidential candidates, walked down streets of poverty and decay, been moved by emotionally charged religious services, dined with a Vice President and a black-separatist minister, confronted a dangerous white separatist, helped start nascent cable and Internet news organizations. I have heard and told the stories of countless characters from incredibly diverse backgrounds, who have revealed volumes about life - the good, the bad, the evil, the beautiful and the sublime…..
You live in a dangerous time. It is not hyperbole when I say that I have not seen a more treacherous period in my life. It is an era of deceit. Powerful forces are skilled at manipulating and distorting information for their own greedy and malevolent ends. Those people are in positions of control, around the globe, in the government, business and the media. Their unchecked ability to initiate and control world events is frightening. Their threat to your safety and liberty is real.
Your generation is being lulled with a flood of lies, masked by a deluge of misinformation. It is very difficult, even for me, a professional observer, to filter through the obfuscation in order to find the truth. There are battalions of liars skilled in herding the public to accept and embrace their selfish actions, unwittingly many times, by persuading listeners with purposely misleading arguments…..
BUT ON THE POSITIVE SIDE: CANADA APOLOGIZES-WHEN WILL THE USA?
"The government of Canada sincerely apologizes and asks the forgiveness of the aboriginal peoples of this country for failing them so profoundly," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in the House of Commons Wednesday. "We are sorry."
That's all I can share today. Comments welcome. Write dissector@mediachannel.org
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