Politics

Hayden Confirmed as CIA Director

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 History will surely boggle at this one: The architect of the NSA's domestic spying program has been made the head of the CIA. And the vote was 78-15. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Net Neutrality Gets Boost From House Panel

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 The panel recommended a version of the Net neutrality bill that would bar telecom companies from charging premium fees for Web companies that sell video and other content. This is far from a full victory, but it's a step in that direction. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Former Intel Officer: U.S. ‘Trying to Create an Iraq That American Voters Will Ignore’

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 A former Dept of Defense staffer says that the US, in building megabases in Iraq, has all but given up on policing the country, and will send its troops out only to quell large riots "The overarching U strategy is to avoid the kind of big eruptions that get media attention" . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Apologizes for Cowboy Rhetoric

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 The president said he regretted saying "bring 'em on" and "wanted dead or alive," and that Abu Ghraib had cost the country dearly. It's probably the most significant concession he has ever made, but if there has ever been a case for too little, too late, it's this. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Daily Show’ Viewers Better Informed Than O’Reilly Watchers

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 During his May 23 show, Bill O'Reilly claimed that many young Americans have "no idea what's going on," stating that they get their news from Jon Stewart. Problem is, studies show that Stewart's viewers are better informed than most other media consumers -- considerably better than viewers of "The O'Reilly Factor." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bush’s Appoints Washington Editor as Policy Adviser

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 It seems Bush has a thing for "Karls" as policy advisors. On the heels of Karl Rove's departure from his policy-advising position at the White House, the president has chosen Karl Zinsmeister, editor in chief of the magazine published by the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. He has had some eyebrow-raising things to say on the subject of race over the years. (Biographical info on Zinsmeister here.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Report: Feds Suspect Novak Promised to Cover Up for Rove

Staff / Truthdig May 26, 2006 Muckraking journalist extraordinaire Murray Waas reports that investigators suspect that columnist Robert Novak called Karl Rove to concoct a cover story that would protect Rove in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Verdict on an Era?

Staff / Truthdig May 25, 2006 That's what the N Times calls the conviction of Enron honchos Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling But Truthdig contributing cartoonist Mr Fish has a different perspective (click here to see the full cartoon) Truthdig editor Robert Scheer has written about the crooks from Texas in his new book, "Playing President" Click here to read some of those classic columns. Dig deeper ( 29 Min. Read )

Cheney May Be Called in CIA Leak Case

Staff / Truthdig May 25, 2006 Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wrote that Cheney would be a logical witness in the proceedings against his former chief of staff, Scooter Libby. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Increases Use of ‘State Secrets’ Privilege to Quash Lawsuits

Staff / Truthdig May 25, 2006 The administration is using this tactic at a rate of three lawsuits per year--purportedly to keep national security information safe. But one expert says that in cases like these, "the principal concern of the classifiers is not with national security, but with governmental embarrassment of one sort or another." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Joe Conason: Nasty Foes Now Owe Apology to Gore

Joe Conason / Truthdig May 25, 2006 "Like many prophets, Gore has often been derided as an annoyance, an extremist and possibly a madman. Every great American mind of our time felt compelled to take a shot at him." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘The Most Powerful Person You’ve Never Heard Of’

Staff / Truthdig May 25, 2006 It's David Addington, Dick Cheney's new chief of staff, who has been instrumental in fashioning legal arguments to support presidential-sanctioned torture, the attempt to discredit Joe Wilson, and the bogus Niger uranium story. U.S. News has the goods in this fantastic profile. Sickened by those "signing statements" that Bush uses to essentially ignore the laws Congress has passed? Addington has his fingerprints all over those. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )