In an interview yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he had a "gut feeling" about an increased risk of a terror attack here in the United States during the summer.

There's just one (MAJOR) catch.  Chertoff's dire warning wasn't based on any new intelligence.  He based his comments on his view that al Qaeda likes the summertime!  He said "Summertime seems to be appealing to them. We worry that they are rebuilding their activities."

Perhaps before Mr. Chertoff goes trying to scare the American people out of their witts, warning of attacks, he should come with some actual intelligence.

This does nothing but reinforce for me (and many others, I'm sure) that this Administration wants to keep the American public in a perpetual state of fear and paranoia.  And by extension, begin supporting this baseless war in Iraq.

Homeland Chief: "Gut Feeling" About Attack

A Senate panel today voted to defund Dick Cheney's office, until Cheney decides to actually abide by the law and obey an executive order on the handling of classified information.

From the Associated Press:

Senate Democrats moved Tuesday to cut off funding for U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's office in a continuing battle over whether he must comply with national security disclosure rules.

A Senate appropriations panel chaired by Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin refused to fund $4.8 million in the vice president's budget until Cheney's office complies with parts of an executive order governing its handling of classified information.

At issue is a requirement that executive branch offices provide data on how much material they classify and declassify. That information is to be provided to the Information Security Oversight Office at The National Archives.

Cheney's office, with backing from the White House, argues that the offices of the president and vice president are exempt from the order because they are not executive branch "agencies."

More at: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/10/america/NA-GEN-US-Democrats-Cheney.php

NOTE TO DICK CHENEY: You are not a government branch unto yourself.  And if you want to say that you don't fall under the executive branch of our government, perhaps you shouldn't receive any funding for the Office of the Vice President, and you can live off of your salary as President of the Senate.

As he testified before a House committe, Carmona said:

"Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried."  He added "The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science, or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds. The job of surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation, not the doctor of a political party."

More at:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070710/pl_nm/bush_surgeongeneral_dc_3

During that time, Gonzales (the nation's top law man, no less), assured Senators that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had NOT abused its newfound powers under the Patriot Act.   He said then "There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse."

As they say on Capitol Hill, Mr. Gonzales might want to revise his previous remarks.

It turns out that dear old Alberto wasn't exactly being truthful when he made that statement.  I'm just shocked, I tell you!

According to the Washington Post, in the three months PRIOR to his testimony, Gonzales received at least a half dozen reports of legal or procedural violations.

From the Post:

As he sought to renew the USA Patriot Act two years ago, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales assured lawmakers that the FBI had not abused its potent new terrorism-fighting powers. "There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse," Gonzales told senators on April 27, 2005.

Six days earlier, the FBI sent Gonzales a copy of a report that said its agents had obtained personal information that they were not entitled to have. It was one of at least half a dozen reports of legal or procedural violations that Gonzales received in the three months before he made his statement to the Senate intelligence committee, according to internal FBI documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The acts recounted in the FBI reports included unauthorized surveillance, an illegal property search and a case in which an Internet firm improperly turned over a compact disc with data that the FBI was not entitled to collect, the documents show. Gonzales was copied on each report that said administrative rules or laws protecting civil liberties and privacy had been violated.

The reports also alerted Gonzales in 2005 to problems with the FBI's use of an anti-terrorism tool known as national security letters (NSLs), well before the Justice Department's inspector general brought widespread abuse of the letters in 2004 and 2005 to light in a stinging report this past March.

More at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19685278/

Goodling had been granted partial immunity.  And during her testimony, she said she became uncomfortable when, during a meeting, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales seemed to be trying to get the both of them to discuss their recollections of what happened during the purging of the attorneys.

From the Associated Press courtesy of MSNBC:

A former Justice Department official at the center of the uproar over prosecutor firings told House investigators Wednesday that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tried to review his story of the dismissals with her at a time when lawmakers were homing in on conflicting accounts.

“It made me a little uncomfortable,” Monica Goodling, Gonzales’ former White House liaison, said of her conversation with the attorney general just before she took a leave of absence in March. “I just did not know if it was appropriate for us to both be discussing our recollections of what had happened.”

-snip-

Goodling said for the first time Wednesday that Gonzales did review the story of the firings with her at an impromptu meeting she requested in his office a few days before she took a leave of absence.

“I was somewhat paralyzed. I was distraught, and I felt like I wanted to make a transfer,” Goodling recalled during a packed hearing of the House Judiciary Committee.

Gonzales, she said, indicated he would think about Goodling’s request.

“He then proceeded to say, ‘Let me tell you what I can remember,’ and he laid out for me his general recollection ... of some of the process” of the firings, Goodling added. When Gonzales finished, “he asked me if I had any reaction to his iteration.”

Goodling said the conversation made her uncomfortable because she was aware that she, Gonzales and others would be called by Congress to testify.

It should also be noted that last month, Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he steered clear of aides who might be called to testify about the attorney purge. 

From the AP courtesy of MSNBC:

Goodling’s dramatic story about her final conversation with Gonzales brought questions from panel members about whether he had tried to align her story with his and whether he was truthful in his own congressional testimony.

Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month that he didn’t know the answers to some questions about the firings because he was steering clear of aides — such as Goodling — who were likely to be questioned.

“I haven’t talked to witnesses because of the fact that I haven’t wanted to interfere with this investigation and department investigations,” Gonzales told the panel.

One other additional note from today's hearing: Monica Goodling admitted that she "crossed the line" (read: BROKE THE LAW) because she tood into consideration the party affiliations of candidates who were being considered for career prosecutor positions. 

Ex-aide says Gonzales talked about firings

Goodling also says she 'crossed the line' and that McNulty was inaccurate

From the National Journal:

The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Rove's, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

The withheld records show that D. Kyle Sampson, who was then-chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, consulted with White House officials in drafting two letters to Congress that appear to have misrepresented the circumstances of Griffin's appointment as U.S. attorney and of Rove's role in supporting Griffin.

Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove

And the Governor of Kansas says that much of the equipment needed for the recovery effort is in Iraq.

From CNN.com:

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius expressed concern that rescue and recovery efforts were being strained because much of the needed equipment has been sent to Iraq.

"When the troops get deployed, the equipment goes with them. So here in Kansas about 50 percent of our trucks are gone. We need trucks. We are missing Humvees, we're missing all kinds of equipment that could help us respond in this kind of emergency," she said.

-snip-

"National Guard are our first responders. They don't have the equipment they need to come in, and it'll just make it that much slower," she said.

The National Guard has said for years that it is short of equipment at home because of deployments to Iraq.

"We weren't fully equipped with all the resources we need before the war started," said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting of the Kansas National Guard, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan "further depleted us."

Source:  http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/07/severe.weather/index.html

Thomas Frank wrote a book entitled What's The Matter With Kansas?  How Conservatives Won The Heart of America.  Basically, the book explores how some blue-collar workers in places like Kansas have continued to vote against their own best interests by supporting the GOP.

Perhaps now they will learn the importance of voting FOR their own best interests, not against.

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is."

-- George W. Bush, 4/9/99, criticizing President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo.

"I think it's also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn."

-- George W. Bush, 6/5/99

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/05/01/historical_quotes_of_the_day.html

And because George W. Bush doesn't want to be held accountable for his failed war, he put our troops at risk by denying them funding.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070502/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

Today, an Army Ranger told the House Reform and Government Oversight Committee that they were ordered to keep quiet about what really happened to Pat Tillman when he was killed in Afghanistan.  Army Spc. Bryan O'Neal said he was also ordered not to tell Tillman's brother what happened.

Jessica Lynch also testifed before the Committee, and help set the record straight about what happened to her in Iraq when her convoy was ambushed.  The military, with the media's help, embelleshed the story of Lynch's ambush, and today, Lynch said "The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate lies."

Ranger alleges cover-up in Tillman case

Setting the Record Straight

Jessica Lynch tells Congress what really happened to her in Iraq.

During a campaign appearance this week, McCain (who of course is running for President) joked about bombing Iran. 

From the Associated Press:

Republican presidential contender John McCain, known for having a quirky sense of humor, joked about bombing Iran at a campaign appearance this week.

In response to an audience question about military action against Iran, the Arizona senator briefly sang the chorus of the surf-rocker classic “Barbara Ann.”

“That old, eh, that old Beach Boys song, Bomb Iran,” he said in jest Wednesday, chuckling with the crowd. Then, he softly sang to the melody: “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, anyway, ah ...” The audience responded with more laughter.

I guess McCain (who of course was a POW during the Vietnam War) now finds it downright funny that we might commit American's sons and daughters who wear the uniform, to a military action in Iran, putting their lives at risk. 

McCain's joke about bombing Iran, reminded me of Bush' "comedy" routine at the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in 2004, when he joked about not being able to find the weapons of mass distruction in Iraq, and the White House produced a video of Bush supposedly looking for Iraq's missing WMDs in the White House.  Never mind that people have lost their lives as the result of the Iraq war.

McCain jokes about bombing Iran

’08 GOP hopeful spoofs Beach Boys song in off-hand remark

When you're the Republican Attorney General of the United States, and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma (who's among the rightest of the right wing) tells you that you need to pack your bags, you know you're on borrowed time.

Of course the big news of today is Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, regarding the firings of 8 U.S. prosecutors.

And if he was looking to members of his own party for relief, he didn't find it.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) told Gonzales it was time for him to go.  He said "The best way to put this behind us is your resignation."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) queried Gonzales "You said something that struck me — that sometimes it just came down to these were not the right people at the right time. If I applied that standard to you, what would you say?" 

Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA) warned Gonzales that his answers "did not stick together." 

Gonzales' faulty (read: SELECTIVE) memory was of concern to Sen. Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, who told Gonzales "I'm concerned about your recollection."

Iowan Republican Sen. Charles Grassley wanted to know about Gonzales'  inconsistent statements about his role in the firing of the prosecutors.  He asked Gonzales "Why is your story changing?"  (Point of privilege, if I may Senator.  That usually happens when someone is LYING.  Just thought I'd clarify that for you.)

I'm guessing that after today's hearings and Gonzales' performance, some Republican Senators are going to take that long walk to the White House and tell George W. Bush 'Game over.  Time for your Attorney General to go.'  And while they're at it, they might as well tell Bushie it's time for HIM to go as well.

Gonzales struggles to sway skeptics

So a few things stand out for me about this:

1.  As Commander-in-Chief, isn't George W. Bush supposed to be the "war czar?"  That's HIS job.  But in asking for a war czar, he's admitting that he's a miserable failure who has lost two wars, and that he needs someone to do his job for him.

2.  CBS News reports that currently, there are no takers for the war czar position.  According to a CBS report, the Washington Post says that at least three retired four-star generals were approached by the White House about the job, and they all declined to be considered for the position. 

No Takers For Bush "War Czar"

The Skinny: Top Generals Not Interested In Becoming Overseer Of U.S. War Efforts

A federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation, according to a review of the original report obtained by The New York Times.

Instead, the panel, the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate.

The revised version echoes complaints made by Republican politicians, who have long suggested that voter fraud is widespread and justifies the voter identification laws that have been passed in at least two dozen states.

Democrats say the threat is overstated and have opposed voter identification laws, which they say disenfranchise the poor, members of minority groups and the elderly, who are less likely to have photo IDs and are more likely to be Democrats.

Though the original report said that among experts “there is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling place fraud,” the final version of the report released to the public concluded in its executive summary that “there is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud.”

Panel Said to Alter Finding on Voter Fraud

While Congress is out of town on recess, George W. Bush used a recess appointment to name Republican fundraiser Sam Fox as U.S. ambassador to Belgium.  The interesting thing about Fox is that he donated money to the so-called Swift-Boat Veterans for Truth (more accurately called the Swift Boat Veterans for Lies and More Lies).  You will recall, of course, that the Swift Boaters were a 527 group who lied about John Kerry's service in Vietnam in order to derail his presidencial candicacy in 2004.  The Swift Boaters did George W. Bush's bidding, while allowing Bush to try to remain above the fray as if he had no affiliation with them.  A volunteer aide to Bush, Ken Cordier, had to quit George W. Bush's "re-election" campaign in 2004 after it was learned that he appeared in one of the Swift Boat ads.

Swift Boat donor's appointment sidesteps Congress

Meanwhile, Senator and Presidential aspirant John McCain has hired Richard Nixon's "Jew Counter" to help him with his campaign.

In a press release, the McCain campaign announced that it has hired Fred Malek to serve as its national finance co-chair.   Malek has a very interesting history indeed.  He served as a "Jew Counter" for Richard Nixon.  Nixon complained about a so-called "Jewish cabal" within the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Paranoid Nixon believed that the "Jewish cabal" in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was skewering data to make his Administration look bad.  So he asked Fred Malek (yes, the very same Fred Malek that McCain has just hired) to go back and count the number of Jews in the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Malek reported back the number of Jews to the Nixon White House.

John McCain and the Jew-Counter

No commentary from me necessary....I'll just let Newt's bigoted words speak for themself.

From an Associated Press article:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich equated bilingual education Saturday with "the language of living in a ghetto" and mocked requirements that ballots be printed in multiple languages.

"The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up" to vote, said Gingrich, who is considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He made the comments in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women.

"The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. ... We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto," Gingrich said to cheers from the crowd of more than 100.

Gingrich decries bilingual ballots

But Sampson told Congress that he wasn't really serious in suggesting the removal of Fitzgerald.  He says maybe he did it to see what kind of reaction it would get!  (Spare me!  Can this guy be any more of a joke?)

From MSNBC:

D. Kyle Sampson, the former top aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, said in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday that he suggested removing prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who oversaw the CIA leak case involving White House staff, from his post.

Sampson said he made the recommendation during a White House meeting with Harriet Miers, former counsel to President Bush.

Sampson's statements on Thursday came amid controversy over U.S. attorneys who were fired without warning. His testimony for the first time put Gonzales at the heart of the firings amid ever-changing Justice Department accounts of how they were planned.

Miers and her deputy, William Kelley. "I remember on one occasion in 2006 in discussing the removal of U.S. attorneys ... and I raised Pat Fitzgerald."  Sampson said that as soon as he raised Fitzgerald at the meeting he regretted it: "I knew that it was the wrong thing to do. I knew that it was inappropriate."

Fitzgerald served as special counsel in the trial over who revealed the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame, which ended in a perjury and obstruction conviction for Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Wilson is the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.

When quizzed by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., how Miers and Kelly reacted to the suggestion that Fitzgerald be added to the list of U.S. attorneys slated to be fired, Sampson said, "They looked at me like I had said something totally inappropriate, and I had."

"Why did you say it?  Why did you recommend or at least suggest that he be removed as U.S. attorney?" Durbin asked.

Sampson said he wasn't sure, but he thought "it was maybe to get a reaction from them." He added that he "never seriously considered" putting Fitzgerald on a list and that Fitzgerald never appeared on any list.

CIA leak prosecutor’s job was threatened

Ex-Gonzales aide says in testimony he suggested removing Fitzgerald