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Meghan McCain Disappointed in Rudy Giuliani on Gay Marriage – Old Dudes Cheney, Rove and Gingrich Need to Get Lost
ABC ‘View’ to co-host Meghan McCain Wants Cheney to ‘Go Away’Flap wonders when her old man, Senator John McCain, is going to put a sock in her mouth. After all, Mac is being challenged for the first time in years in an an Arizona Republican Primary election. By the way, McCain is already fundraising with internet banner ads for this race.
Flap won’t be contributing.
Again, Meghan serves as a clueless tool of the LEFT while alienating the base of the Republican Party. And, insults her dad’s close friend Rudy Giuliani over his position on gay marriage who refused to run negative attack ads against her father. Real class, Meghan.
Let’s see if Meghan can insult any other Republicans. I think Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee may be the only ones left.
Technorati Tags: Meghan McCain, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Gay Marriage
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Waterboarding: What Did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Know and When Did She Know It?
Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on waterboarding or an enhanced interrogation technique in 2002.Nancy Pelosi denies knowing U.S. officials used waterboarding — but GOP operatives are pointing to a 2007 Washington Post story which describes an hour-ong 2002 briefing in which Pelosi was told about enhanced interrogation techniques in graphic detail.
Two unnamed officials told the paper that Pelosi, then a member of the Democratic minority, didn’t raise substantial objections.
Joby Warrick and Dan Eggen wrote:
In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody. For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was given a virtual tour of the CIA’s overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk.
Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said.
But, Speaker Pelosi today denied that she knew anything about waterboarding.
Pelosi says she was briefed by Bush administration officials on the legal justification for using waterboarding — but that they never followed through on promises to inform her when they actually began using “enhanced” interrogation techniques
“In that or any other briefing…we were not, and I repeat, we’re not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation techniques were used. What they did tell us is that they had some legislative counsel … opinions that they could be used,” she told reporters today.
Earlier, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) criticized Pelosi and other Democratic leaders for backing probes into the use of waterboarding — after failing to raise objections during briefings on its potential use.
“Well, yesterday I saw a partial list of the number of members of the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans, who were briefed on these interrogation methods and not a word was raised at the time, not one word,” Boehner told reporters at his weekly news availability.
“And I think you’re going to hear more and more about the bigger picture here, that what — the war on terror after 9/11 was done in a bipartisan basis on lots of fronts. And that bigger story will be coming out,” he added.
So, California Democrat Representative Nancy Pelosi WAS present in “classified” briefings regarding waterbboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques and did NOT raise any objection.
Why?
Because she was not able to discuss the classified material with her staff? Or, she was “hamstrung” by confidentiality requirements?
Oh please!
This sounds like a pretty lame excuse. She acquiesced in the use of enhanced interrogation techniques because she as were others scared of another attack on the United States. Pelosi looked the other way lest she be blamed for another homeland attack.
Who is she trying to fool?
Technorati Tags: CIA, Nancy Pelosi, Waterboarding
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2,974 Reasons for Supporting CIA Enhanced Interrogations
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Drama at General Electric Shareholders Meeting: Why is MSNBC Slanting LEFT?; Updated: Jesse Waters Audio
Bill O’Reilly responds to Janeane Garofalo’s comments on teabaggers by blaming GE and NBCBill O’Reilly Show and Fox News Producer Jesse Waters ambush General Electric Executives at annual stockholder meeting again this year.
The hostility between Fox News Channel and MSNBC reached a fever pitch Wednesday when a Fox producer infiltrated the GE shareholders meeting.
Just before GE re-elected board members, company brass were hit with questions from shareholders critical of an alleged leftward political slant at MSNBC.
But one of those questions came from Jesse Waters, a producer on “The O’Reilly Factor” whose criticisms were cut short when his microphone was cut off, according to several attendees. Waters apparently did not publicly identify himself as a Fox employee.
Waters has built a reputation as an ambush interviewer, specializing in on-the-street confrontations. But this is arguably the boldest move by a Fox newsie to utilize the tactic inside their chief rival’s tent, as it were.
O’Reilly and MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann have been involved in a running feud for several years, but the pissing match between the two has of late started to envelope other parts of the News Corp. and GE empires.
GE pointed out that Waters had Fox News cameras waiting outside the Orlando meeting.
Attendees who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter said shareholders asked about 10 politically charged questions concerning MSNBC as well as one about CNBC.
It should be noted that Jesse Waters is a shareholder of General Electric and asked questions last year at the annual meeting. Apparently, the shareholders were upset with MSNBC because of its leftward lean politically.
When he got the floor, Waters focused his question about MSNBC on Olbermann’s interview of actress Janeane Garofalo, who likened conservatives to racists and spoke of “the limbic brain inside a right-winger.”
“He (Waters) was complaining that Olbermann didn’t bother to challenge her,” another GE shareholder said.
Immelt told the assembled he takes a hands-off approach to what is reported on the company’s news networks, which prompted a shareholder to criticize him for not managing NBC Uni more effectively.
But, it is not just MSNBC’s talking heads that are ALL LEFT all of the time. The NBC News division both national and Los Angeles are filled with left-leaning stories, interviews and personalities.
So, are the GE shareholders worried about the sinking of the once mighty General Electric Corporation?
I wouldn’t own their stock.
Update:
Here is the audio of Jesse Water’s asking his question. Note the applause and the boos that follow Immelt’s response.
Technorati Tags: Bill O’Reilly, Jesse Waters, Fox News, MSNBC, Jeffery Immelt
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Sarah Palin Speech in Indiana Spurs Another Alaska Ethics Complaint
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin greets supports before giving a speech at the Vanderburgh County Right to Life fundraising dinner in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, April 16, 2009
As Jim Geraghty remarks: How dare Sarah Palin give a speech in Indiana.
The Governor’s response:The Office of the Governor today expressed outrage that yet another baseless ethics complaint has been filed as part of an alarming new development in Alaska politics.
“In the past several months, we have seen an orchestrated effort by the governor’s opponents to make differences of opinion and ideology almost criminal,†said Mike Nizich, the governor’s chief of staff. “Governor Palin has spent a considerable amount of time and money fighting ethics complaints – and no charge has been substantiated. I hope that the publicity-seekers will face a backlash from Alaskans who have a sense of fair play and proportion. I served six previous governors, and I’ve never seen anything like the attacks against Governor Palin.â€
The latest ethics complaint against the governor alleges that she entered into a “contract†outside of her official duties in regard to a political action committee and that her recent trip to Indiana also conflicted with those duties.
“These allegations are categorically false and ridiculous, and are an abuse of the Executive Ethics Act,†Nizich said.
“We are blessed to live in a democracy in which everyone has the right to free speech, to petition their lawmakers, to vote, to run for office and, yes, to allege misconduct by public officials,†said Bill McAllister, the governor’s communications director. “But obviously the purpose of this complaint and the previous ones is to distract the administration and the public, and to paralyze the Department of Law and the executive branch.
“There’s a core hypocrisy in nearly all of the ethics complaints brought against the governor, including this one. The ethics act clearly states that complaints, when filed, are to be confidential. Ms. Tompkins publicized her filing on several blogs, breaking the letter and the spirit of the law. While there are no penalties in the statute for this illegal behavior, Alaskans of all political persuasions should be appalled that the people who are alleging unethical behavior by the governor are repeatedly doing so unethically.â€
The relevant section of the ethics act follows:
“Sec. 39.52.340. Confidentiality. (a) Except as provided in AS 39.52.335, before the initiation of formal proceedings under AS 39.52.350, the complaint and all other documents and information regarding an investigation conducted under this chapter or obtained by the attorney general during the investigation are confidential and not subject to inspection by the public. In the case of a complaint concerning the governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general, all meetings of the personnel board concerning the complaint and investigation before the determination of probable cause are closed to the public. … The attorney general and all persons contacted during the course of an investigation shall maintain confidentiality regarding the existence of the investigation.â€
Under the Legislative Ethics Act, publicizing an ethics complaint against a lawmaker would result in the automatic dismissal of that complaint. The Executive Ethics Act does not contain that provision.
While the latest complaint concerns 36 hours that the governor spent out of state this month, her opponents have spent months filing ethics complaints and records requests in a volume that constitutes a pattern of harassment and that has negatively impacted the Department of Law, McAllister said.
He noted that the governor left Alaska only twice during the recently completed legislative session — for a total of just four days, including travel time — and that during both trips she conducted state government business.
“Governor Palin hasn’t done anything that any other governor in the nation hasn’t done,†McAllister said. “I hope Alaskans can see through this stunt.â€
Folks are still going after her – six months after the election.
I guess this speaks volumes to Palin’s potential in and out of Alaska.
Technorati Tags: Sarah Palin
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Poll Watch: 58 Per Cent Say Obama Release of CIA Memos Endangers National Security
The latest polling in unfavorable to the Obama Administration recently releasing previously classified CIA memos regarding enhanced interrogation techniques used during the Bush Administration.Fifty-eight percent (58%) believe the Obama administration’s recent release of CIA memos about the harsh interrogation methods used on terrorism suspects endangers the national security of the United States. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 28% believe the release of the memos helps America’s image abroad.
Sizable majorities of Republicans and unaffiliated voters say the release of the CIA memos about the interrogations hurts national security. Democrats are evenly divided on whether the release hurt national security or helped the image of the United States abroad.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of all voters say they have followed news reports about the release of the CIA memos detailing Bush administration interrogation techniques at least somewhat closely. Only six percent (6%) say they have not followed the reports at all.
On the subject of torture which underlines the issue of the CIA memos:
Among all voters, 42% say terrorism suspects were tortured by the United States, but 37% disagree. The number who believe America used torture is unchanged from October 2007.
Most Democrats (54%) and a plurality of unaffiliated voters (46%) believe the United States did torture terrorism suspects. Fifty-five percent (55%) of GOP voters do not believe torture was used.
Only 28% of U.S. voters think the Obama administration should do any further investigating of how the Bush administration treated terrorism suspects.
There appears to be considerable risk to the Obama Administration by releasing the CIA Memos. And, now, former Vice President Cheney and others are calling for a full declassification and release of CIA memos that show the success of the enhanced interrrogation methods.
A full and thorough public investigtion of the issues raised by the enhanced interrogation program would be the most appropriate here as well as an investigation as to whether President Obama has further endangered Americans national security during his Presidency.
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, CIA, Enhanced Interrogation Techniques
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Barack Obama – The Greatest President EVER?
April 29 marks Barack Obama’s 100th day as President. Will it be a “Hallmark Holiday?”The “100 days†concept has had mythical status since the days of the New Deal, when Franklin D. Roosevelt made history with a blizzard of bold federal actions. And reporters have been addicted to stories around this milestone in every administration since.
White House senior adviser David Axelrod calls the 100th day a “Hallmark holiday,†an essentially artificial event with no genuine significance. But he and his colleagues also know the reality: The early-verdict stories are going to be written, creating both a challenge and opportunity for the new president.
So senior White House aides are playing the game with relish, doling out made-to-order anecdotes and what-it-means analytical insights to help reporters write their 100 days pieces. You can already see the results in a spate of stories that — thanks to competitive pressures — editors are deciding to publish before the actual 100th day.
The permanent Obama campaign is ALREADY spinning “The One’s” accomplishments. Let’s see what is noteworthy to Flap:
- Obama has increased the size and role of the federal government
- Obama has increased taxes and will increase them more
- Obama has markedly increased domestic government spending, while cutting Defense Department expenditures, including national missile defense
- Obama has blamed Bush for the domestic economy and foreign policy mistakes that he needs to apologize for.
NBC News may herald the “100 Days of Obama” as the greatest but so far the man has not delivered much but the same old left-wing weak on defense and tax and spend policies.
Exit Answer: The Greatest President EVER?
NO – Not even close.
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama
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Day By Day by Chris Muir April 23, 2009 – Journalism Redux
No, Chris, Senator John Kerry wants to bailout the Boston Globe and other newspapers to guarantee favorable left-wing coverage of events.Does that sound self-perpetuating?
More dead trees for the benefit of the LEFT.
What will Al Gore say?
How much do you need……?
Previous:
Technorati Tags: Day By Day, John Kerry, Newpapers
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links for 2009-04-23
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President Barack Obama’s attempt to project legal and moral clarity on coercive CIA interrogation methods has instead done the opposite — creating confusion and political vulnerability over an issue that has inflamed both the left and right.
In the most recent instance, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair acknowledged in a memo to the intelligence community that Bush-era interrogation practices yielded had "high-value information,†then omitted that admission from a public version of his assessment.
That leaves a top Obama administration official appearing to validate claims by former Vice President Dick Cheney that waterboarding and other techniques the White House regards as torture were effective in preventing terrorist attacks. And the press release created the impression the administration was trying to suppress this conclusion.
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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today sent the following letter to President Obama strongly urging him not to prosecute government officials who provided legal advice related to detainee interrogations, and to move forward in a constructive fashion to address the significant challenges our country faces on the detainee issue:
“We write with concern about proposals to prosecute previous administration officials for their legal analysis related to the CIA interrogation program. Pursuing such prosecutions would, we believe, have serious negative effects on the candor with which officials in any administration provide their best advice, and would take our country in a backward-looking direction at a time when our detainee-related challenges demand that we look forward.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressed the case for creation of a special “truth commission†to investigate the interrogation of terror suspects during the Bush administration.
The California Democrat said several House committees already are examining the issue amid concerns that brutal tactics were used. But in a roundtable meeting Wednesday with reporters, she suggested “it might be further useful to have such a commission so that it removes all doubt that how we protect the American people is in a values-based way.â€
The speaker said she’s open to holding potential witnesses, including former government officials, harmless from prosecution for cooperating with the commission, but only in a limited way. “I don’t think you take immunity off the table,†she said, suggested immunity could encourage cooperation. But Pelosi stressed immunity “should not be granted in a blanket way.â€
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The government will increase its top rate of income tax to a higher than expected 50 percent from next year, Chancellor Alistair Darling said on Wednesday as he delivered the government's annual budget.
The tax band had originally been due to rise to 45 percent from 40 percent in April 2011 as Britain seeks to claw back lost tax revenue caused by a deep recession.
The 50-percent rate will apply to any income above 150,000 pounds.
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The "death of newspapers" has drawn powerful political interest.
Troubled by the possible shuttering of his hometown paper, Sen. John Kerry reached out to the Boston Globe on Tuesday, then called for Senate hearings to address the woes of the nation's print media.
"To the Boston Globe family," the Massachusetts Democrat wrote to employees of the 132-year-old publication, which faces closure unless it can come up with $20 million in union concessions to parent company the New York Times by May 1. The Globe is losing $1 million a week.
"America's newspapers are struggling to survive, and while there will be serious consequences in terms of the lives and financial security of the employees involved, including hundreds at the Globe, there will also be serious consequences for our democracy where diversity of opinion and strong debate are paramount," Mr. Kerry said.
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