Civil War Leaves No Sanctuary for Wounded

Shiite militias have been conducting death raids on Iraqi hospitals, signaling an escalation in the sectarian violence that plagues the country.  Many Sunnis, some seriously wounded, have been forced to seek medical attention at home, or in illegal clinics.

Posted on Aug 30, 2006 READ MORE  | 241 READS

Armitage Was CIA Leak Source, Lawyer Confirms

Richard Armitage, Bush’s former deputy secretary of state,  has confirmed through a lawyer that he was the original source in the CIA leak case. But he says he had no malicious intent. He was just gossiping with reporters.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 92 READS

Rumsfeld Goes Off the Deep End

The Secretary of Defense compared critics of the war in Iraq to Nazi appeasers, saying the critics have failed to heed the lessons of history. (story and video)
History, huh? Well, based on current policy, one imagines that Rumsfeld would have recommended invading China in response to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 128 READS

One Year Later: The Real State of New Orleans

President Bush may be giving speeches about how the federal government is standing with the people of the Gulf Coast, but as ThinkProgress points out, the facts speak for themselves:

UPDATE: Watch MSNBC footage of Katrina’s devastation.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 13 READS

Schwarzenegger Running Away With Race, Say Polls

“The Governator” has opened up a big lead over opponent Phil Angelides in the November California governor’s race. It’s quite a comeback considering how badly voters spanked Arnold by voting down his four ballot proposals last year. (Kos has the details).

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 14 READS

Hypocrisy Alert: Bush to Embrace Kazakhstani Autocrat

Just after launching an initiative to combat international kleptocracy, President Bush is scheduled to meet with the leader of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, a man who stands accused in U.S. courts of high-level bribery and who runs his country as a repressive despot.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 89 READS

Times Withholds Article in Britain

The New York Times blocked UK readers from accessing an online article about new details in the British terror case. Instead, readers in England saw this explanation, “British law ... prohibits publication of prejudicial information about the defendants prior to trial.?

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 6 READS

Whistle-Blower Makes His Case on YouTube

Shortly before being fired, a Lockheed Martin engineer posted a 10-minute video on YouTube alleging that the military contractor was turning a blind eye to critical security flaws on Coast Guard patrol boats. An investigation is underway. It’s apparently the first time someone has used YouTube to make such an accusation. (Article / Video)

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 114 READS

Arabic T-Shirt Keeps Man Off Plane

An Iraqi architect at JFK Airport was wearing a shirt that read “We Will Not Be Silent” in Arabic and English. Security officers said it was upsetting other passengers, and said he couldn’t board until he turned it inside-out or put on something else. He chose the latter. (Read his reaction after the jump) (h/t: Raw Story)
This is pretty ridiculous: If security guards were worried that he was a terrorist, a new shirt wouldn’t have thwarted his plot. And if they didn’t suspect he was a terrorist, why can’t he wear a shirt of protest?

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 105 READS

Bush to Be Subpoenaed in Spying Case

From U.S. Newswire: “Two lawyers who brought the first lawsuit against the Bush administration, Verizon and AT&T for illegally examining the phone records of virtually every American citizen will announce today that they are serving subpoenas on the Bush White House and on Verizon.”
We suspect those lawyers may have a bit of trouble nailing down that particular deposition.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 23 READS

Here We Go Again

Donald Rumsfeld paid a visit to a missile defense interceptor site on Sunday, and managed limited praise for the failure-ridden program.  The Bush administration, which deployed the system before testing was complete, has plans for expansion with a new base in Europe.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 40 READS

Families Demand Compensation for WWII Deportations

More than 200 families have threatened the French state railway with legal action if it refuses to compensate them for its role in transporting relatives to death camps during WWII. The railway companies argue they were forced to carry out the deportations, though a court in June sided with victims’ families.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 24 READS

Having an Open Attitude to Kids’ Gender Identity

Two private elementary schools in Oakland, Calif., have adapted to a phenomenon known as gender variance?when kids identify as the opposite sex.  Some grow out of it, some don’t, but the schools’ open attitude is meant to bolster self-esteem and avoid the kind of scars that can follow children into adulthood.

Posted on Aug 29, 2006 READ MORE  | 103 READS

I Love Black People!

In an apparent attempt to control the fallout of his ostensibly racist “macaca” remark, Virginia Sen. George Allen has updated his website with a picture of him embracing a woman with dark skin. But the damage has been done. He’s losing in the polls to his rival for the Senate (and Allen was until recently being touted as presidential material…). (h/t: HuffPo)

Posted on Aug 28, 2006 READ MORE  | 35 READS

Cheney Lap Dog to Pen Official Bio

The vice president has reportedly tapped Weekly Standard reporter Stephen Hayes to write Cheney’s official biography. Hayes is the guy Cheney used to peddle his myths about the connection between Iraq and 9/11. (h/t: HuffPo)
Surprise, surprise.

Posted on Aug 28, 2006 READ MORE  | 27 READS