Nic Kristof has a great column today (Save Our Spooks)on the enormous misuse, manipulation and fabrication of “intelligence” by this administration. I thought the information on Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity was particularly noteworthy.

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Here we go again. After all the denials about Iran and North Korea being “next”, ABC News is reporting:

The Pentagon is advocating a massive covert action program to overthrow Iran’s ruling ayatollahs as the only way to stop the country’s nuclear weapons ambitions, senior State Department and Pentagon officials told ABCNEWS.

The proposal, which would include covert sponsorship of a group currently deemed terrorist by the U.S. government, is not new, and has not won favor with enough top officials to be acted upon.

But sources say it is a viable option that is getting a new look as the administration ramps up its rhetoric against Iran, and it is likely to be one of the top items on the agenda as high-level U.S. policymakers meet today to discuss how to deal with the Islamic republic.

The Pentagon’s proposal includes using all available points of pressure on the Iranian regime, including backing armed Iranian dissidents and employing the services of the Mujahedeen e Khalq, a group currently branded as terrorist by the United States.

Donald Rumsfled is at it again. He hasn’t even been able to prove that most of his assertions about Iraq’s capabilities had any basis in fact and he’s attempting to pin something on Iran. We are in a very dangerous time from a foreign policy perspective. The worldwide opinion of the United States is extremely low and this disclosure won’t help. I’m sure Rumsfeld will deny this story vehemently, but I have not doubt in its validity. Rumsfeld and the neo-cons are determined to re-shape the world in the way they see fit with no regard for the opinions and beliefs of other nations or for the truth.

This story also harkins back to the Reagan days. Funding covert operations to overthrow governments was a favorite tactic of his administration, but isn’t it ironic that we would consider employing the services of a terrorist organization in a supposed “War on Terror”?

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According to CBS News there wasn’t even a bunker in the compound where many thought we got Sadaam.

The compound has been searched three times – once by the CIA and twice by Madere, trying to find Saddam’s DNA.

“When we came out here the primary thing they were looking for was an underground facility, or bodies, forensics,” says Madere. “And basically what they saw was giant holes created. No underground facilities, no bodies.”

Every structure in the compound was destroyed, except one building – the main palace – hidden behind a wall topped by electrified barbed wire. It’s a shambles, windows have been blown out, but it is not destroyed.

Madere says a person in the house “could have survived.”

One weapon clearly missed the compound. Others landed just outside the wall, destroying other buildings.

This doesn’t solve the mystery of what happened to Saddam, but the clues at Dora Farms leave no doubt he could have survived.

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Thomas Friedman of the New York Times is extremely insightful on the primary issue facing the Bush administration in it’s foreign policy in general, but especially when it comes to the Middle East. This administration has failed when it comes to translating stated policy into practice. They can talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk.

How good are they at translating principles into practice? When it comes to breaking things they are very, very good - whether it is the ABM treaty, the Kyoto accord, Afghanistan, Iraq or the old way of Arab-Israeli peacemaking. The Bush people believe in power and are not afraid to wield the wrecking ball. But how good are they with a hammer and a nail? How good are they at the detail work of building real alternatives - to Kyoto, Saddam or the Arab-Israel peace process? This is still the most important unanswered question about this administration. Can it reap the harvest of the principles it has sown?

Don’t get me wrong — ultimately it is up to Israelis, Palestinians and Iraqis to liberate themselves. They have to want it. But at this stage, we have to use our power to help create the context for them to do it. And that is hard. It means taking hits politically and militarily, which is why if we are to do it right we really have to want it bad.

I don’t think the Bush administration wants peace that badly. The President is not willing or able to put in the time, effort and resources it will take to build a two-state solution in Israel or to build democracy in Iraq.

Friedman also makes a powerful statement about why Americans should care about what happens next, “[B]ecause if we’ve learned anything since 9/11, it’s that the spreading flames of Middle East conflicts have, in a world without walls, begun affecting our quality of life. Their madness has become our metal detectors — and we’ve had enough of it.”

I’m in 100% agreement with Friedman’s arguments. We will not have peace on our shores until we act to stabilize the Middle East. We’ve proven we can destroy, now we have to prove we can build the kind of world we say we want.

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Let me voice my strong support for AA baseball in Montgomery and for our hometown Biscuits. To all the naysayers out there ponder these points:
1) The owners have been able to stir up a controversy (and therefore generate interest for a team that doesn’t take the field for another year) that doesn’t involve race, religion, or politics. Now that’s an incredible feat.
2) Baseball is a game, it’s not life or death. More than that, it is a kids game. I would love to see a poll of those between the ages of 5 and 13 about what they think of the name. I’ll bet you would find 80-90% support.
3) What do the Biscuits have to do with Montgomery? Raise your hand if you don’t eat a biscuit for breakfast at least once a week. I don’t see very many hands.
4) Stop calling for a name change, you’re just wasting your breath. We’ve got the name for at least three years and there is no going back. So, stop you’re whining, buy your Biscuits gear and support this team for the betterment of the Montgomery community.

Butter, Jam
Sausage, Ham
GO BISCUITS!

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Please take a look at my letter to the editor published in the Sunday Birmingham News: Alabama Doesn’t Have to Be Last.

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BUTTER, JAM
SAUSAGE, HAM
GO BISCUITS!!!

Biscuit Baseball Makes Jubilee Debut

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Great report by John Stossel on tonight’s 20/20(Laughing Matters) concerning whether Arab comics should be joking about terrorism. I thought some of the stand-up was funny for the same reason all comedy is funny, because it has a taste of truth in it. Humor does help break down barriers and it helps us to acknowledge some difficult realities. POWER TO THE COMEDIANS!!!!

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I read US News & World Report cover-to-cover every week, so I did not get to the brilliant editorial by David Gergen until today. Many have attempted to warn the citizenry of the dangers of the Bush tax cut. Gergen makes the case very well:

Politics are clearly in the saddle, and it’s no secret the president’s men see tax cuts as a potent asset for re-election. A devotion to tax cuts keeps the conservative base energized. By accelerating cuts in personal income tax rates into next year, as has been reported, the White House boxes in Democrats, who have been calling for delaying those cuts. Instead, Democrats will be forced to argue in favor of reversing cuts already in place–in effect, higher taxes–or bite their tongues. Reportedly, the White House is also passing word to conservatives that Bush will propose new cuts every year he is in office, straight through a second term. All this is clever politics–and Bush has one of the best political teams ever. But it shouldn’t be confused with sound economic policy.

The president’s father, George H. W. Bush, had the courage to raise taxes in exchange for Democrats’ putting a lid on spending. It was the wrong choice for him politically: Arguably, it cost him re-election. But it was the right choice for the country. His economic policies, along with those of Bill Clinton (who also raised taxes), fueled a boom in the 1990s that lifted the incomes of millions of Americans at the bottom. Where are the leaders in Washington today who will put the young and the vulnerable ahead of wealthy contributors?

The deal that is being reported today means that the President will get his tax cuts, but we are all going to pay the price in the end. Well, those of us that don’t have the good fortune of being pals with the President.

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Bob Herbert of the New York Times raises an important point this morning about the dealings of the federal government with Halliburton.

Let’s see. Who’s less patriotic, the Dixie Chicks or Dick Cheney’s long-term meal ticket, the Halliburton Company?

The Dixie Chicks were excoriated for simply exercising their constitutional right to speak out. With an ugly backlash and plans for a boycott growing, the group issued a humiliating public apology for “disrespectful” anti-Bush remarks made by its lead singer, Natalie Maines.

The Chicks learned how dangerous it can be to criticize the chief of a grand imperial power.

Halliburton, on the other hand, can do no wrong. Yes, it has a history of ripping off the government. And, yes, it’s made zillions doing business in countries that sponsor terrorism, including members of the “axis of evil” that is so despised by the president.

But the wrath of the White House has not come thundering down on Halliburton for consorting with the enemy. And there’s been very little public criticism. This is not some hapless singing group we’re talking about. Halliburton is a court favorite. So instead of being punished for its misdeeds, it’s been handed a huge share of the riches to be reaped from the reconstruction of Iraq and U.S. control of Iraqi oil.

We only recently learned that the “emergency” contract awarded to Halliburton was for much more than fighting oil well fires. These sort of inside deals are always going to peak the interest of those inside the Loop much more than America at large, but there has been far less analysis of this issue than of the free speech issues surrounding the Chicks. So once again, the populace focuses on a non-issue while the rich and powerful fill their pockets.

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AMERICA PICKS RUBEN!!!!!!

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I was thinking some more about the strongest arguments to support what Governor Riley has proposed and I think I have hit on it. Your taxes are going to go up one way or the other. If it’s not this package, the Legislature will still be forced to take action to make up the $600 million shortfall. Voting against the comprehensive package does not mean that we will not pay more in taxes. It means that we will be faced with massive sales taxes or other tax increases that the state can change without voter approval.

The choice should be simple. I hope the people get the chance to make the choice.

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One of my public policy passions is smoking and the dangers of tobacco use, especially by youth. I applaud the unanimous vote by the World Health Organization to approve a worldwide anti-smoking treaty. This is a historic action, and I’m proud that the United States was able to support it in the end. I am concerned by the provisions that have watered down the treaty over the last few months, but nevertheless the treaty is a strong statement to the tobacco companies that the tide has turned.

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The Birmingham News editorial page hits the nail on the head:

In general terms, Riley’s package will make the state’s tax system more fair. It will raise more money for services. And it will cut out waste and inefficiency.

That’s the truth. Now he must convince a majority of lawmakers and the public.

I am already tired of the same old arguments that are surfacing. The Christian Coalition says “good stewardship” is the solution to all the state’s ills. I’m sure the Christian Coalition would be perfectly happy if the school systems go bankrupt, all social services are ended, we kick the mentally ill out on the street and release all our criminals early. I’m sure they’ll pick up the slack.

When a conservative Republican who has voted against every tax increase put in front of him is telling you we need to raise taxes. You might want to listen. It tells citizens a great deal that we are going to hear the same old tired arguments used to defeat previous Democratic tax increases to defeat a proposal from the Republicans. Those who oppose this package should be forced to propose a package of their own or get out of the debate. We need more revenue, if you have a better plan than that proposed by the Governor I would love to see it. Put it out there and let the people decide.

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