Intelligence test question:
Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez and Barak Obama were the first to immediately protest the coup in Honduras today. What do all of these men have in common?
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Senate GOP to hit harder on Sotomayor
Up till now, Senate Republicans have taken a somewhat softer, loftier stance on Judge Sonia Sotomayor than the conservative outside groups, ever aware of the possible political ramifications of getting tough with a Latina.
But that will change this week, ramping up to the July 13 confirmation hearing.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL, top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, is expected to lead the charge as he and his fellow GOPers take on Sotomayor’s record in a series of Senate floor speeches.
A spokesman for Sessions tells Fox that the focus this week will include Sotomayor’s involvement with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New Haven firefighters case, as well as role “empathy” and the influence of international law has had on her decisions. Also, members want to focus in on Sotomayor’s gun rights positions.
Members are still waiting for documents related to Sotomayor’s involvement with the PRLDF.
While making tougher speeches, Sessions is also expected to continue a series of more philosophical speeches on “the proper role of a judge in U.S. society,” ie, is she an activist judge, this according to a GOP committee aide?
But that will change this week, ramping up to the July 13 confirmation hearing.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL, top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, is expected to lead the charge as he and his fellow GOPers take on Sotomayor’s record in a series of Senate floor speeches.
A spokesman for Sessions tells Fox that the focus this week will include Sotomayor’s involvement with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New Haven firefighters case, as well as role “empathy” and the influence of international law has had on her decisions. Also, members want to focus in on Sotomayor’s gun rights positions.
Members are still waiting for documents related to Sotomayor’s involvement with the PRLDF.
While making tougher speeches, Sessions is also expected to continue a series of more philosophical speeches on “the proper role of a judge in U.S. society,” ie, is she an activist judge, this according to a GOP committee aide?
Will Obama Suspend Don't ask Don't tell?
Dozens of lawmakers urged President Obama in a letter Monday to suspend the policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and start working with Congress to repeal it.
The letter, written by Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., and signed by 76 members of Congress, comes as the president faces pressure from gay rights groups to do more to address their concerns.
Chief among those concerns is the Clinton-era policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military provided they do not disclose their sexual orientation. The lawmakers called the policy "misguided, unjust and flat-out discriminatory."
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell is not only an injustice to them, but a disservice to the U.S. military and our country as a whole," the letter reads.
The lawmakers urged Obama to direct the Armed Services not to initiate any investigation into the sexual orientation of service members and to disregard third-party accusations.
"Under your leadership, Congress must then repeal and replace Don't Ask, Don't Tell with a policy of inclusion and non-discrimination," the letter reads. "This bilateral strategy would allow our openly gay and lesbian service members to continue serving our country and demonstrate our nation's lasting commitment to justice and equality for all."
Though Obama pledged to end the controversial policy during his campaign, he has not taken concrete steps to do so. The lawmakers in Monday's letter said they are "confident" he will eventually keep his promise.
Obama also has not stepped in to block the dismissal of gays and lesbians who face court martial for disclosing their sexual orientation.
While he signed a memorandum last Wednesday expanding certain benefits to cover the same-sex partners of federal employees, the move did not cover the federal health insurance, retirement or survivor benefits that heterosexual couples receive.
Activists also want Obama to do more to repeal The Defense of Marriage Act -- the 1996 law which specifically prohibits extending health and retirement benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
Obama has said he wants to repeal it, but activists are waiting to see action.
The letter, written by Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., and signed by 76 members of Congress, comes as the president faces pressure from gay rights groups to do more to address their concerns.
Chief among those concerns is the Clinton-era policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military provided they do not disclose their sexual orientation. The lawmakers called the policy "misguided, unjust and flat-out discriminatory."
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell is not only an injustice to them, but a disservice to the U.S. military and our country as a whole," the letter reads.
The lawmakers urged Obama to direct the Armed Services not to initiate any investigation into the sexual orientation of service members and to disregard third-party accusations.
"Under your leadership, Congress must then repeal and replace Don't Ask, Don't Tell with a policy of inclusion and non-discrimination," the letter reads. "This bilateral strategy would allow our openly gay and lesbian service members to continue serving our country and demonstrate our nation's lasting commitment to justice and equality for all."
Though Obama pledged to end the controversial policy during his campaign, he has not taken concrete steps to do so. The lawmakers in Monday's letter said they are "confident" he will eventually keep his promise.
Obama also has not stepped in to block the dismissal of gays and lesbians who face court martial for disclosing their sexual orientation.
While he signed a memorandum last Wednesday expanding certain benefits to cover the same-sex partners of federal employees, the move did not cover the federal health insurance, retirement or survivor benefits that heterosexual couples receive.
Activists also want Obama to do more to repeal The Defense of Marriage Act -- the 1996 law which specifically prohibits extending health and retirement benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
Obama has said he wants to repeal it, but activists are waiting to see action.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Death of the Fourth Estate
I sent this to Fox News Sunday this morning:
You asked this morning what price we are paying for the media abdicating its historic role as the fourth estate of government. The answer to that question is staring you right in the face.
All week long, you all have been saying: “The only news we are getting out of Iran is from the government controlled media. That news of course, obviously is not reliable. We now have to rely on alternative sources.”
Obama thought he was cute (and he was) when he jested, pointing out that the media people all voted for him as well as being the ones who made him a star, and they were now his bed fellows. However, when the laughing dies, they go home to reality.
Perception is reality, and giving themselves all sorts of plausible reasons won’t change that. It no longer matters whether they are abdicating from ideological reasons, greed, or some freakish erotic attraction, the horse is out of the barn. When you can’t trust a state controlled media, you turn to alternative sources.
You asked this morning what price we are paying for the media abdicating its historic role as the fourth estate of government. The answer to that question is staring you right in the face.
All week long, you all have been saying: “The only news we are getting out of Iran is from the government controlled media. That news of course, obviously is not reliable. We now have to rely on alternative sources.”
Obama thought he was cute (and he was) when he jested, pointing out that the media people all voted for him as well as being the ones who made him a star, and they were now his bed fellows. However, when the laughing dies, they go home to reality.
Perception is reality, and giving themselves all sorts of plausible reasons won’t change that. It no longer matters whether they are abdicating from ideological reasons, greed, or some freakish erotic attraction, the horse is out of the barn. When you can’t trust a state controlled media, you turn to alternative sources.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Lawmakers Question Obama's Missile Defense Cuts
Lawmakers are demanding to know why the president's proposed 2010 defense budget cuts missile defense by $1.2 billion and does not provide any funds for the European missile defense shield as Iran and North Korea defy the international community with missile testing.
Iran tested its longest-range missile to date last month, and North Korea in April took another step toward an intercontinental ballistic missile on the same day President Obama gave a speech in the Czech Republic touting U.S willingness to protect Europe and the United States from rogue missiles.
Under President Bush last year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and then-Secretary Condoleezza Rice signed agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic to base interceptors and radar there, but now the Obama administration appears to be backtracking.
"I thought it was certain that the Poles and Czechs believe that it was a commitment we made," Sen. John McCain said Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
"We have not made a decision to go forward with that at this point," Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn replied.
At Fort Greeley in Alaska, the missile defense silos can defend the U.S. from both North Korea and Iran, but the Obama budget would cuts the number of interceptor missiles based there from 44 to 30. And that has both Republicans and Democrats asking, why now?
"Is this being budget-driven?" Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., asked.
"The numbers don't add up to me," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., "I think it's just a question of somewhere somebody has decided to cut missile defense substantially, and you're doing the best you can under a difficult circumstance."
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska said: "With North Korea, it seems since we've made this announcement, as I've said, 40 percent of their testing has occurred, plus an underground nuclear test. I mean, I don't know. That seems risky to me."
Asked the odds of shooting down a rogue missile using the current ground-based system in Alaska and California, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, said, "90 percent plus."
The European interceptors would provide an added layer of protection to the U.S. from potential Iranian missiles. But the Pentagon is now looking at basing the interceptors onboard ships, or mobile launchers at existing U.S. army bases in Europe. But that capability won't be ready for eight years, a former missile defense official said.
A recent Congressional Budget Office report found, "None of the alternatives considered by CBO provide as much additional defense of the United States."
Pentagon officials say if North Korea proceeds to develop its long-range missile capacity, they'll adjust the following year's budget requests, leaving many on Capitol Hill asking, why cut it in the first place.
Iran tested its longest-range missile to date last month, and North Korea in April took another step toward an intercontinental ballistic missile on the same day President Obama gave a speech in the Czech Republic touting U.S willingness to protect Europe and the United States from rogue missiles.
Under President Bush last year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and then-Secretary Condoleezza Rice signed agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic to base interceptors and radar there, but now the Obama administration appears to be backtracking.
"I thought it was certain that the Poles and Czechs believe that it was a commitment we made," Sen. John McCain said Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
"We have not made a decision to go forward with that at this point," Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn replied.
At Fort Greeley in Alaska, the missile defense silos can defend the U.S. from both North Korea and Iran, but the Obama budget would cuts the number of interceptor missiles based there from 44 to 30. And that has both Republicans and Democrats asking, why now?
"Is this being budget-driven?" Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., asked.
"The numbers don't add up to me," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., "I think it's just a question of somewhere somebody has decided to cut missile defense substantially, and you're doing the best you can under a difficult circumstance."
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska said: "With North Korea, it seems since we've made this announcement, as I've said, 40 percent of their testing has occurred, plus an underground nuclear test. I mean, I don't know. That seems risky to me."
Asked the odds of shooting down a rogue missile using the current ground-based system in Alaska and California, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, said, "90 percent plus."
The European interceptors would provide an added layer of protection to the U.S. from potential Iranian missiles. But the Pentagon is now looking at basing the interceptors onboard ships, or mobile launchers at existing U.S. army bases in Europe. But that capability won't be ready for eight years, a former missile defense official said.
A recent Congressional Budget Office report found, "None of the alternatives considered by CBO provide as much additional defense of the United States."
Pentagon officials say if North Korea proceeds to develop its long-range missile capacity, they'll adjust the following year's budget requests, leaving many on Capitol Hill asking, why cut it in the first place.
Stimulus Spending...
A $3.4 million-dollar underground turtle tunnel funded by government money is just one example of the Obama administration's frivolous stimulus spending, claims one Republican senator.
Sen. Tom Coburn released a comprehensive list Tuesday detailing 100 local projects funded by federal stimulus money that he says amount to nothing more than billions of dollars in wasteful spending.
But the Obama administration says Coburn's list is wrong. A number of projects listed in the report are no longer being funded by recovery money.
Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, said $1.15 million is being spent to build a guardrail on the "non-existent Optima Lake in Oklahoma." On its Web site for the lake, The Army Corps of Engineers warns: "Visitors should be aware that the lake's level can be very low. Depending on rainfall and evaporation rates, the lake may offer no water-based recreation and may not be suitable for swimming, fishing, boating or other activities."
But the White House said that project has been killed. In fact, said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, several parts of Coburn's report are "inaccurate" and "flat out wrong," and some of the projects were cancelled by the administration prior to the report's release.
Gibbs acknowledged that he had not reviewed every project listed in Coburn's report, an admission that Coburn spokesman John Hart called "disappointing."
"It's disappointing Robert is commenting on something he hasn't read, just as it was unfortunate many lawmakers made grandiose promises about the benefits of a stimulus plan they never read," Hart told FOXNews.com.
Among the funded projects listed by Coburn are $1.5 million for a new wastewater treatment plant in Perkins, Okla., that the senator says will result in higher utility costs for local residents. Also listed are $15 million for "shovel-ready" repairs to "little-used bridges in rural Wisconsin" and $840,000 to repair a bridge in the state that carries 260 vehicles a day largely to a backwater saloon and a country club.
"The vice president has been touring the country on the taxpayers' dime on a stimulus public relations tour precisely because Dr. Coburn's premise is correct -- the stimulus plan isn't working, as these few examples illustrate," Hart said.
Ed DeSeve, senior adviser to Obama for Recovery Act implementation, said more than 20,000 projects have been approved, contributing to the economy's slow recovery.
"With 20,000 projects approved, there are bound to be some mistakes. When we find them, we have been transparent about it, and worked on a bipartisan basis to shut them down immediately. Sen. Coburn's report, however, is filled with inaccuracies, including criticisms of projects that have already been stopped, projects that never were approved, and some projects that are working quite well."
Gibbs added Obama has upheld his pledge to be transparent, and administration officials have been vigilant in the use of stimulus funding for job creation.
"This president has taken historic steps to ensure that there is adequate transparency and that this money is spent the way it's intended to be used," Gibbs said.
Coburn's report is a compilation of months of research into hundreds of local projects across the nation. In it, he blasted $10 million in federal dollars to renovate "an abandoned train station that hasn't been used in 30 years" and criticized the use of $3.4 million to build an "eco-passage" -- or wildlife road crossing for turtles and other wildlife -- in Florida.
"Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the other side of a stimulus project," Coburn says in the report.
The 13-foot tunnel near Tallahassee, Fla., runs under Highway 27 -- a busy road that has the highest road-kill rate for turtles in the world, according to state officials.
Josh Boan, the Florida Transportation Department's natural resources manager, said a large number of turtles and other wildlife are killed in the area. In addition to protecting wildlife, he said the project is needed for safety: turtles hit by vehicles can become flying projectiles.
Sen. Tom Coburn released a comprehensive list Tuesday detailing 100 local projects funded by federal stimulus money that he says amount to nothing more than billions of dollars in wasteful spending.
But the Obama administration says Coburn's list is wrong. A number of projects listed in the report are no longer being funded by recovery money.
Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, said $1.15 million is being spent to build a guardrail on the "non-existent Optima Lake in Oklahoma." On its Web site for the lake, The Army Corps of Engineers warns: "Visitors should be aware that the lake's level can be very low. Depending on rainfall and evaporation rates, the lake may offer no water-based recreation and may not be suitable for swimming, fishing, boating or other activities."
But the White House said that project has been killed. In fact, said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, several parts of Coburn's report are "inaccurate" and "flat out wrong," and some of the projects were cancelled by the administration prior to the report's release.
Gibbs acknowledged that he had not reviewed every project listed in Coburn's report, an admission that Coburn spokesman John Hart called "disappointing."
"It's disappointing Robert is commenting on something he hasn't read, just as it was unfortunate many lawmakers made grandiose promises about the benefits of a stimulus plan they never read," Hart told FOXNews.com.
Among the funded projects listed by Coburn are $1.5 million for a new wastewater treatment plant in Perkins, Okla., that the senator says will result in higher utility costs for local residents. Also listed are $15 million for "shovel-ready" repairs to "little-used bridges in rural Wisconsin" and $840,000 to repair a bridge in the state that carries 260 vehicles a day largely to a backwater saloon and a country club.
"The vice president has been touring the country on the taxpayers' dime on a stimulus public relations tour precisely because Dr. Coburn's premise is correct -- the stimulus plan isn't working, as these few examples illustrate," Hart said.
Ed DeSeve, senior adviser to Obama for Recovery Act implementation, said more than 20,000 projects have been approved, contributing to the economy's slow recovery.
"With 20,000 projects approved, there are bound to be some mistakes. When we find them, we have been transparent about it, and worked on a bipartisan basis to shut them down immediately. Sen. Coburn's report, however, is filled with inaccuracies, including criticisms of projects that have already been stopped, projects that never were approved, and some projects that are working quite well."
Gibbs added Obama has upheld his pledge to be transparent, and administration officials have been vigilant in the use of stimulus funding for job creation.
"This president has taken historic steps to ensure that there is adequate transparency and that this money is spent the way it's intended to be used," Gibbs said.
Coburn's report is a compilation of months of research into hundreds of local projects across the nation. In it, he blasted $10 million in federal dollars to renovate "an abandoned train station that hasn't been used in 30 years" and criticized the use of $3.4 million to build an "eco-passage" -- or wildlife road crossing for turtles and other wildlife -- in Florida.
"Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the other side of a stimulus project," Coburn says in the report.
The 13-foot tunnel near Tallahassee, Fla., runs under Highway 27 -- a busy road that has the highest road-kill rate for turtles in the world, according to state officials.
Josh Boan, the Florida Transportation Department's natural resources manager, said a large number of turtles and other wildlife are killed in the area. In addition to protecting wildlife, he said the project is needed for safety: turtles hit by vehicles can become flying projectiles.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
GOP Blast Dem. Climate Bill
Republicans on Saturday slammed a Democratic bill before the House that seeks to address climate change, arguing that it amounts to an energy tax on consumers.
In the GOP's weekly radio and Internet address, Rep. Mike Pence said Congress should instead open the way for more domestic oil and natural gas production and ease regulatory barriers for building new nuclear power plants.
"During these difficult times, the American people don't want a national energy tax out of Washington, D.C.," the Indiana Republican said.
Pence reiterated what GOP lawmakers have been saying for weeks: that the climate bill being considered in the House capping releases of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would lead to much higher energy costs and accomplish little to counter global warming if other nations do not act as well. The bill's supporters counter that the increased costs can be minimized.
Pence outlined the alternative proposal that he and several other House Republicans unveiled earlier this week. The GOP plan included no mandatory limits on greenhouse gases -- something that supporters of the Democratic bill argue is essential to reduce the risks of global warming.
Still, Pence maintains the GOP plan will promote nonfossil energy use.
"The Republican energy plan calls for more domestic exploration for oil and natural gas, renewed commitment to clean emission-free nuclear energy, investments in renewable and alternative energy technologies and incentives to spur greater conservation among individuals and businesses," he said.
The GOP plan calls for using revenue from more oil and gas drilling to promote renewable energy such as wind and solar; it also makes it easier to get approval to build more nuclear power plants. The proposal also sets a goal of doubling the number of nuclear reactors over the next 20 years.
When Pence introduced the GOP measure, the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called it "the same tired policies embraced" for years by former President George W. Bush "at a time when Americans are seeking new solutions to rebuild our economy and break our dependence on foreign energy sources."
In the GOP's weekly radio and Internet address, Rep. Mike Pence said Congress should instead open the way for more domestic oil and natural gas production and ease regulatory barriers for building new nuclear power plants.
"During these difficult times, the American people don't want a national energy tax out of Washington, D.C.," the Indiana Republican said.
Pence reiterated what GOP lawmakers have been saying for weeks: that the climate bill being considered in the House capping releases of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would lead to much higher energy costs and accomplish little to counter global warming if other nations do not act as well. The bill's supporters counter that the increased costs can be minimized.
Pence outlined the alternative proposal that he and several other House Republicans unveiled earlier this week. The GOP plan included no mandatory limits on greenhouse gases -- something that supporters of the Democratic bill argue is essential to reduce the risks of global warming.
Still, Pence maintains the GOP plan will promote nonfossil energy use.
"The Republican energy plan calls for more domestic exploration for oil and natural gas, renewed commitment to clean emission-free nuclear energy, investments in renewable and alternative energy technologies and incentives to spur greater conservation among individuals and businesses," he said.
The GOP plan calls for using revenue from more oil and gas drilling to promote renewable energy such as wind and solar; it also makes it easier to get approval to build more nuclear power plants. The proposal also sets a goal of doubling the number of nuclear reactors over the next 20 years.
When Pence introduced the GOP measure, the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called it "the same tired policies embraced" for years by former President George W. Bush "at a time when Americans are seeking new solutions to rebuild our economy and break our dependence on foreign energy sources."
Obama's Pick to Be Army's Top Lawyer Withdraws
President Obama's pick to be the Army's top lawyer withdrew after failing to disclose Fannie Mae as his former employer in a document submitted as part of his nomination process.
Donald Remy caught heat from the Senate Armed Services Committee for not disclosing his ties to the troubled mortgage giant, instead describing his tenure at Fannie Mae as a 'major U.S. company.'
He had mentioned, by name, other companies for which he has worked on his work history provided to the committee.
Remy called the omission a 'mistake' in a written response to Senate follow-up questions after his confirmation hearing in February.
In a letter Friday obtained by Congressional Quarterly, Remy thanked the president for the opportunity to serve the public.
"I am honored by your confidence in my ability to deal with the critical issues that face our soldiers and their families and I was looking forward to serving in this time of great national crisis," Remy said. "Regretfully, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for this position."
"The president believes that Donald Remy would have been an excellent general counsel of the Army, but understands his personal decision and the choice he has made," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
During his time at Fannie Mae, Remy served as vice president and deputy general counsel for litigation; senior vice president and deputy general counsel; senior vice president and chief compliance officer; and senior vice president, housing and community development.
Donald Remy caught heat from the Senate Armed Services Committee for not disclosing his ties to the troubled mortgage giant, instead describing his tenure at Fannie Mae as a 'major U.S. company.'
He had mentioned, by name, other companies for which he has worked on his work history provided to the committee.
Remy called the omission a 'mistake' in a written response to Senate follow-up questions after his confirmation hearing in February.
In a letter Friday obtained by Congressional Quarterly, Remy thanked the president for the opportunity to serve the public.
"I am honored by your confidence in my ability to deal with the critical issues that face our soldiers and their families and I was looking forward to serving in this time of great national crisis," Remy said. "Regretfully, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for this position."
"The president believes that Donald Remy would have been an excellent general counsel of the Army, but understands his personal decision and the choice he has made," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
During his time at Fannie Mae, Remy served as vice president and deputy general counsel for litigation; senior vice president and deputy general counsel; senior vice president and chief compliance officer; and senior vice president, housing and community development.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
First we can't call them Terrorists and now this....
A senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee is accusing the Obama administration of quietly ordering the FBI to start reading Miranda rights to suspected terrorists at U.S. military detention facilities in Afghanistan.
The move is reportedly creating chaos in the field among the CIA, FBI and military personnel, according to Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. The soldiers, especially, he says, are frustrated that giving high value detainees Miranda rights -- the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney -- is impeding their ability to pursue intelligence on the battlefield, according to a story first reported by the Weekly Standard.
"What I found was lots of confusion and very frustrated people on the front lines who are trying to, well, make Afghanistan successful for the United States and its allies," said Rogers, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee.
Rogers, a former FBI special agent who served in the U.S. Army, just returned from Afghanistan and a visit to Bagram Air Base, where he said the rights are being read.
"I witnessed it myself, talked to the people on the ground," he said. "What you have is two very separate missions colliding in the field in a combat zone. Again, anytime that you offer confusion in that environment that's already chaotic and confusing enough, you jeopardize a soldier's life."
U.S. commanders told FOX News soldiers are not reading Miranda rights to detainees, but those commanders could not speak to whether the FBI was doing so. The practice has not been instituted at detention facilities in Iraq or at Guantanamo Bay, according to U.S. senior military officials.
Asked if the Obama administration had ordered that Miranda rights be read to certain detainees, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "I have no reason to disbelieve a member of Congress. But I don't know any of the circumstances that are involved around it."
But Gibbs acknowledged that it wouldn't be a surprise to find out that it was happening.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd denied there has been a policy change covering detainees.
"There has been no policy change nor blanket instruction for FBI agents to Mirandize detainees overseas," he said in a statement, adding, "While there have been specific cases in which FBI agents have Mirandized suspects overseas, at both Bagram and in other situations, in order to preserve the quality of evidence obtained, there has been no overall policy change with respect to detainees."
Some senators wonder what would have happened if Khaled Sheikh Mohammad, a self-confessed architect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, had been read his Miranda rights.
"I'd be very concerned if we're sending FBI agents over to Bagram Air Base in the middle of a military operation to start reading Miranda rights to detainees caught on the battlefield," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said.
The move is reportedly creating chaos in the field among the CIA, FBI and military personnel, according to Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. The soldiers, especially, he says, are frustrated that giving high value detainees Miranda rights -- the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney -- is impeding their ability to pursue intelligence on the battlefield, according to a story first reported by the Weekly Standard.
"What I found was lots of confusion and very frustrated people on the front lines who are trying to, well, make Afghanistan successful for the United States and its allies," said Rogers, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee.
Rogers, a former FBI special agent who served in the U.S. Army, just returned from Afghanistan and a visit to Bagram Air Base, where he said the rights are being read.
"I witnessed it myself, talked to the people on the ground," he said. "What you have is two very separate missions colliding in the field in a combat zone. Again, anytime that you offer confusion in that environment that's already chaotic and confusing enough, you jeopardize a soldier's life."
U.S. commanders told FOX News soldiers are not reading Miranda rights to detainees, but those commanders could not speak to whether the FBI was doing so. The practice has not been instituted at detention facilities in Iraq or at Guantanamo Bay, according to U.S. senior military officials.
Asked if the Obama administration had ordered that Miranda rights be read to certain detainees, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "I have no reason to disbelieve a member of Congress. But I don't know any of the circumstances that are involved around it."
But Gibbs acknowledged that it wouldn't be a surprise to find out that it was happening.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd denied there has been a policy change covering detainees.
"There has been no policy change nor blanket instruction for FBI agents to Mirandize detainees overseas," he said in a statement, adding, "While there have been specific cases in which FBI agents have Mirandized suspects overseas, at both Bagram and in other situations, in order to preserve the quality of evidence obtained, there has been no overall policy change with respect to detainees."
Some senators wonder what would have happened if Khaled Sheikh Mohammad, a self-confessed architect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, had been read his Miranda rights.
"I'd be very concerned if we're sending FBI agents over to Bagram Air Base in the middle of a military operation to start reading Miranda rights to detainees caught on the battlefield," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Republican Basics for a Big Tent
On the way to victory in 2010, Republicans have two nuisances to get out of the way. One is stop the intra nicene struggles between those who want to write others out of the party. The second is to get through to the largest group of voters, the independents.
Thoughtful Republicans know we have important basic principles which can be put under a big tent Taking my thoughts from a recent Wall Street Journal op ed piece by Sen. Jim DeMint, I propose three core beliefs that should appeal to Republicans, Conservatives and Independents alike.
1. National defense. Polls reveal a strong defense belongs to Republicans. The damage Democrats already have done in undermining our ability to defend ourselves is so glaring, I don’t even need to waste space discussing it.
2. Low taxes, limited government and fiscal conservatism. We can own these again. Republicans have been demonstrating unbelievable discipline on these issues finally. Daily more independents and even Democrats are becoming troubled. When they were swept up in the excitement last year of something new, they had no idea they were signing on for huge government takeovers, of wealth redistribution, of generational theft, and possibly the country’s bankruptcy with ownership by the Chinese. Yikes!
3. Traditional values are also ours. However, let’s admit right up front that independents have not missed the serious contradiction and hypocrisy of a party whose major tenet is less government interference, while at the same time nosing right into the peoples’ very bedrooms. .
There is though, a part of this argument we Republicans do own and is approachable without diminishing our beliefs. The majority of Americans know that our country’s founders did not set up a system where seriously divisive issues would be settled by the unelected judicial branch of the government. Many people are now aware that the judicial have caused a fractious and sometimes even pathological animosity in our nation.
Therefore, my last proposal is that instead of hitting cultural issues head on, let’s make the struggle be for something most people can agree on. California has just shown us that the proper way to do the people’s business is to let the people decide. Let us work tirelessly to return power to the people. We always insist that the best government is the government closest to the people.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
John Stuart Mill at Lincoln Reagan Dinner
Quoted by Congresswoman Virginia Foxx at the blowout, overflow, Lincoln Reagan Dinner which also celebrated the heroes of D-Day, June 6.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
John Stuart Mill
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
John Stuart Mill
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
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