The evidence has been overwhelming for quite a while that, when it comes to climate-change science, the Bush administration prefers restrictions to revelations. Just two months ago, for example, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was set to testify on the impact of climate change on public health, but […]
There have been many, many reports in recent years about Bush administration officials torturing detainees, and using barbaric tactics like waterboarding, but insiders have been reluctant to admit publicly and on the record exactly what we’ve done and to whom. It’s one of several reasons why John Kiriakou’s perspective is of unique significance. A former […]
As of Sunday, the official line on the destruction of the CIA’s torture tapes was that the agency had been warned to preserve the videos. The White House, in particular, was at least tacitly aware of the videos’ existence, and the White House counsel’s office urged the CIA to keep them intact. So, who exactly […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Not surprisingly, the Bush gang has become a little shy about the CIA torture tape scandal: “White House lawyers have advised President Bush’s spokeswoman not to answer specific questions about why the CIA destroyed tapes of terror suspects under interrogation, as Congress seeks answers about the matter…. With that […]
I realize there are some ambiguities regarding private contractors’ legal status in Iraq, but this truly nauseating scandal, if accurate, should put a whole lot of people behind bars. A Houston, Texas woman says she was gang-raped by Halliburton/KBR coworkers in Baghdad, and the company and the U.S. government are covering up the incident. Jamie […]
Al Gore was in Oslo, Norway, this morning to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize. If you have a minute, his acceptance speech is well worth reading. For example, I didn’t realize it, but this week is the seventh anniversary of Gore’s concessions speech after the 2000 race. Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my […]
The shift appears to be complete. When the intelligence community concluded recently that Iran halted its nuclear-weapons program, the right’s reflexive reaction was to condemn intelligence agencies, question the accuracy of the report, and raise doubts about officials’ motives. If the NIE didn’t tell conservatives what they wanted to hear, then the NIE had to […]
When the National Intelligence Estimate undermined months of overheated presidential rhetoric, it didn’t take long before the political world realized Bush had been talking up an Iranian threat that didn’t really exist. This problem was compounded through a series of clumsy lies — about when the president learned about Iran halting its nuclear weapons program, […]
Yesterday, on Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked Rudy Giuliani one unexpected question towards the very end of the interview, inquiring about the former mayor’s opinion on a House energy bill that would increase fuel efficiency in cars. “That isn’t the way I think it should be done,” Giuliani said. “I think what we should […]
He may already have a get-out-of-jail-free card in hand, but Scooter Libby has been trying to overturn his felony convictions anyway. Something about trying to clear his “good name,” as if that were still a possibility. This morning, Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff gave up and ended his legal ordeal. Former White House aide […]