destruction

Retards. Mongoloids. Smoke some more crack.

And about his threat to me that he's going to find me and bust my teeth in (code for "I'm gonna kill you") which you purposely ignored? You are a poor excuse for a moderator, loser. Come out of the closet and reveal your true right wing self, fool.

LOL!!!

Baby killer. ^^

Bush indulges in a little horseplay in Mongolia >By Caroline Daniel in Ulan Bator >Published: November 21 2005 16:38 | Last updated: November 21 2005 16:38 >> In the first visit by a sitting US president to Mongolia, George W. Bush announced that he was in Ulan Bator to deliver an “important international messageâ€, then after a pause, added: “Secretary Rumsfeld asked me to check on his horse.†His comment got a knowing laugh from the watching Mongolian elite, dominated by officers festooned with gold medals. When Mr Rumsfeld visited Mongolia last month, the defence secretary received a horse as a gift, which he named Montana. However, Mr Bush had a more serious reason for being here: to highlight Mongolia’s symbolism as an emerging democracy in the region, elevate the country’s international standing, and thank its leaders for their support in Iraq, where Mongolians form the third largest troop contingent per capita. “In Iraq, Mongolian forces have helped make possible a stunning transformation,†Mr Bush said. As Mr Rumsfeld’s visit emphasised, the US has been forging closer military ties with the country, strategically located on the border of China and Russia. There are fears about its vulnerability to an expansionist China, which would be interested in its natural resources – oil, coal, copper and uranium. Mongolia was ruled by China from 1691 until the early 20th century. One aim in giving Mongolia the high profile of a presidential visit is to build diplomatic protection from its bigger neighbours. Ahead of his trip, Mr Bush said: “By being friends, I think we can prevent any potential military dispute from arising.†He declared on Monday: “America is proud to be called your ‘third neighbour’.†Even so, the Mongolian foreign minister, interviewed in the Mongol Messenger, the local English-language newspaper, appeared to play down that assertion. “We perceive all nations, including the US, as our third neighbours,†he said. In 1990, after 70 years of Soviet rule, democratic elections were held in Mongolia. “Many of you can still recall the exhilaration of voting freely for the first time after decades of tyranny,†Mr Bush said. “You know the satisfaction of seeing leaders you chose take office...and of seeing them leave office if you decide to replace them.†Although there are continued concerns about corruption, its politicians have learnt fast. According to a State Department biography of Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Mongolia’s president, when he won the election in 2000 after being advised by a British political consultant on how to reform his own party, he was dubbed the “Blair of the steppes†after Tony Blair, UK prime minister. Mr Enkhbayar also has other British ties. He has translated novels by Virginia Woolf and Charles Dickens. For all the military and symbolic overtones, Mr Bush’s trip was also about something simpler: presidential tourism. On the way from the airport, silhouettes of soldiers bordered the route. In downtown Ulan Bator, Mongolia’s Soviet roots were evident in the city’s architecture. Mr Enkhbayar showed Mr Bush into a traditional ger, a circular felt-lined tent, overlooked by a towering statue of Genghis Khan. Mr Bush seemed pleased to review 200 local police officers, sporting swords, long brown riding boots and bright costumes. That compared with his visible unease in Beijing when he reviewed the military troops in the Great Hall of the People. Later, Mr Bush watched Mongol warriors on horseback, drank – tentatively – fermented mare’s milk, and listened to traditional throat singing. As he ended his challenging week-long trip to four Asian countries, Mr Bush offered Mongolians his highest praise. “I feel very much at home in your country. This is a beautiful land, with huge skies and vast horizons – like my home state of Texas.†http://news.ft.com/cms/s/66d5ae02-5aaa-11da-8628-0000779e2340.html

Open Letter to George's Mama ...a message from Cindy Sheehan Dear Barbara, On April 04, 2004, your oldest child killed my oldest child, Casey Austin Sheehan. Unlike your oldest child, my son was a marvelous person who joined the military to serve his country and to try and make the world a better place. Casey didn't want to go to Iraq, but he knew his duty. Your son went AWOL from a glamour unit. George couldn't even handle the Alabama Air National Guard. Casey joined the Army before your son became commander in chief. We all know that your son was thinking of invading Iraq as early as 1999. Casey was a dead man before George even became president and before he even joined the Army in May of 2000. I raised Casey and my other children to use their words to solve problems and conflicts. I told my four children from the time that they were small that it is ALWAYS wrong to kick, bite, hit, scratch, pull hair, etc. If the smaller children couldn't find the words to solve their conflicts without violence, I always encouraged them to find a mediator like a parent, older sibling, or teacher to help them find the words. Did you teach George to use his words and not his violence to solve problems? It doesn't appear so. Did you teach him that killing other people for profits and oil is ALWAYS wrong? Obviously you did not. I also used to wash my children's mouth out with soap on the rare occasion that they lied... did you do that to George? Can you do it now? He has lied and he is still lying. Saddam did not have WMDs or ties with al-Qaeda and the Downing Street Memos prove that your son knew this before he invaded Iraq. On August 3rd, 2005, your son said that he killed my son and the other brave and honorable Americans for a "noble cause." Well, Barbara, mother to mother, that angered me. I don't consider invading and occupying another country that was proven not to be a threat to the USA is a noble cause. I don't think invading a country, killing its innocent citizens, and ruining the infrastructure to make your family and your family-friendly war profiteers rich is a noble cause. So I went down to Crawford in August to ask your son what noble cause did he kill my son for. He wouldn't speak with me. I think that showed incredibly bad manners. Do you think a president, even if it is your son, should be so inaccessible to his employers? Especially one of his bosses whose life George has devastated so completely? I have been to the White House several times since August to try and meet with George and I am going back to Crawford next week. Do you think you can call him and ask him to do the right thing and bring the troops home from this illegal and immoral war in Iraq that he carelessly started? I hear you are one of the few people he still talks to. He won't speak to his father, who knew the difficulties and impossibilities of going into Iraq and that's why he didn't go there in the 1st Gulf War. If you won't tell him to bring the troops home, can you at least urge him to meet with me? You said this in 2003, a little over a year before my dear, sweet Casey was killed by your son's policies: "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?" (Good Morning America, March 18, 2003) Now I have something to tell you, Barbara. I didn't want to hear about deaths or body bags either. On April 04, 2004, three Army officers came to my house to tell me that Casey was killed in Iraq. I fell on the floor screaming and begging the cruel Angel of Death to take me too. But the Angel of Death that took my son is your son. Casey came home in a flag draped coffin on April 10th. I used to have a beautiful mind too. Now my mind is filled with images of seeing his beautiful body in his casket and memories of burying my brave and honest boy before his life really began. Casey's beautiful mind was ended by an insurgent's bullet to his brain, but your son might as well have pulled the trigger. Besides encouraging your son to have some honesty and courage and to finally do the right thing, don't you think you owe me and every other Gold Star parent an apology for that cruel and careless remark you made? Your son's amazingly ignorant, arrogant, and reckless policies in Iraq are responsible for so much sorrow and trouble in this world. Can you make him stop? Do it before more mothers' lives are needlessly and cruelly harmed. There have been too many worldwide already. Sincerely, Cindy Sheehan Mother of Casey Sheehan Founder and President of Gold Star Families for Peace Founder of Camp Casey Peace Foundation http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=544

Locked doors thwart Bush's bid to duck question Reuters Sunday, November 20, 2005; 8:10 AM BEIJING (Reuters) - Irked by a reporter who told him he seemed to be "off his game" at a Beijing public appearance, President George W. Bush sought to make a hasty exit from a news conference but was thwarted by locked doors. At the end of a day of meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Chinese officials, Bush held a session with a small group of U.S. reporters and spoke at length about issues like religious freedom, Iraq and the Chinese currency. The final reporter he called on critiqued Bush's performance earlier in the day when he stood next to Hu in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square to deliver a statement. "Respectfully, sir -- you know we're always respectful -- in your statement this morning with President Hu, you seemed a little off your game, you seemed to hurry through your statement. There was a lack of enthusiasm. Was something bothering you?" he asked. "Have you ever heard of jet lag?" Bush responded. "Well, good. That answers your question." The president then recited a list of things of that he viewed as positive developments from his Beijing meetings, including cooperation on North Korean nuclear disarmament and the ability to have "frank discussions" with his Chinese counterpart. When the reporter asked for "a very quick follow-up," Bush cut him off by thanking the press corps and telling the reporter "No you may not," as he strode toward a set of double doors leading out of the room. The only problem was that they were locked. "I was trying to escape. Obviously, it didn't work," Bush quipped, facing reporters again until an aide rescued him by pointing to him toward the correct door. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/20/AR2005112000211.html

Dear Mr. Bush: I would like to extend my hand and invite you to join us, the mainstream American majority. We, the people -- that's the majority of the people -- share these majority opinions: 1. Going to war was a mistake -- a big mistake. (link) 2. You and your administration misled us into this war. (link) 3. We want the war ended and our troops brought home. (link) 4. We don't trust you. (link) Now, I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. Iraq was going to be your great legacy. Now, it's just your legacy. It didn't have to end up this way. This week, when Republicans and conservative Democrats started jumping ship, you lashed out at them. You thought the most damning thing you could say to them was that they were "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party." I mean, is that the best you can do to persuade them to stick with you -- compare them to me? You gotta come up with a better villain. For heaven's sakes, you had a hundred-plus million other Americans who think the same way I do -- and you could have picked on any one of them! But hey, why not cut out the name-calling and the smearing and just do the obvious thing: Come join the majority! Be one of us, your fellow Americans! Is it really that hard? Is there really any other choice? George, take a walk on the wild side! Your loyal representative from the majority, Michael Moore www.michaelmoore.com mmflint@aol.com

Intern. He needs fresh lips on his cock.

Americas summit protest turns violent Bush, Chavez keep their distance at photo session, dinner Saturday, November 5, 2005; Posted: 11:51 a.m. EST (16:51 GMT) MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (CNN) -- Protesters set a building on fire and threw objects at police in the streets of this resort city as the leaders of 34 nations met at the fourth Summit of the Americas. The summit wraps up Saturday afternoon after two additional working sessions, with trade, jobs and combating poverty on the agenda. President Bush then flies to Brasilia, Brazil, where he will meet with President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva before heading to his final stop Sunday and Monday in Panama. (Watch a video analysis of Bush's agenda -- 2:40) Friday's protests were not visible from the summit site, about a mile away. Small bands of demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails, set bonfires in the streets with items looted from stores, burned U.S. flags and set a bank ablaze. (Watch as protesters set a building on fire -- 1:25) Argentine police responded with tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who did not breach the security cordon set up around the hotel where the summit was taking place. Local media reported at least 20 injuries, but that number has not been independently confirmed. Eerie calm follows violence The demonstrators retreated after about an hour, and two hours later there was an eerie calm on the streets before sundown Friday. As night fell, the unrest appeared to be largely over. Sporadic vandalism also broke out Friday in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, about 250 miles from the summit site. A BankBoston branch and a Burger King restaurant were among the targets, and police made several arrests. The violent protests were not limited to Argentina. Associated Press photographers took images showing police battling demonstrators in Uruguay. Such demonstrations have become common at gatherings of world leaders, especially those with Bush in attendance -- a fact the U.S. president acknowledged when meeting with Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. "It's not easy to host all these countries, particularly not easy to host, perhaps, me," Bush said. "But thank you for doing it." Chavez leads protest Early Friday, thousands of protesters welcomed a train bringing a group of fellow demonstrators from Buenos Aires -- including Bolivian presidential hopeful Evo Morales. Chanting "Fascist Bush! You are the terrorist!" the protesters massed along the sides of the train, trying to shake hands with those inside, according to the AP. (Full story) After marching through the streets, thousands of protesters headed to Mundialista Stadium, where Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led a rally against Bush's policies. "Peoples of the Americas are rising once again, saying no to imperialism, saying no to fascism, saying no to intervention -- and saying no to death," Chavez yelled to the cheering crowd. Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona also participated in the protest, wearing a T-shirt accusing Bush of war crimes. Chavez, a left-leaning populist, routinely denounces Bush as "Mr. Danger" and refers to the United States as "the Empire." U.S. officials consider him to be a source of instability in the hemisphere. Bush vows to be 'polite' During the summit's traditional group photo session, Bush stood well away from Chavez. The two leaders reportedly didn't encounter each other at a formal state dinner Friday night. Bush said earlier at a news conference that he would be "polite" if the two leaders met. He also said he viewed his participation in the summit as an "opportunity to positively affirm our belief in democracy and human rights and human dignity." Bush said he was gratified by his meetings with leaders of several Central American countries, which he described as "young democracies" eager to implement a free trade agreement. Bush's first meeting Friday was with leaders of nations that joined the Central American Free Trade Agreement. CAFTA was narrowly approved by Congress in July after an intense push by the White House. (Full story) Economics on the agenda Bush wants to create a free trade zone throughout the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. He has argued that all nations involved will benefit economically. But leaders of several nations reject the notion, saying the United States would take advantage of smaller nations. Chavez is one of the most prominent critics. The International Monetary Fund is one of the top economic issues on Argentina's agenda. Argentina is seeking a new IMF loan agreement such as the one that helped the country out of a major economic crisis in 2002. Argentine leaders have complained that they're not getting the kind of deal they need now. "The president was quite firm in his belief that the IMF ought to have a different attitude toward Argentina," Bush said after his meeting with Kirchner. He did not express support for Argentina's position, instead sticking by previous assertions that he would leave that between Argentina and the IMF. Bush said Kirchner has made "wise decisions" that helped Argentina's economy change "in quite dramatic fashions." He added that the Argentine leader's economic track record makes it possible for him to "take his case to the IMF with a much stronger hand." CNN's Dana Bash, Alec Mirian, Lucia Newman and Elaine Quijano contributed to this report. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/11/05/bush.summit/

Your brother threatened my life and you have the nerve to say you don't wish death on anyone??

Translation: I was hoping you and obby got killed by Wilma. Oh well... Maybe the next one will finally put you two in your place. Fucking racist whitebred inbreeds.

Hypothetical situations. "33AD: Liberal Jewish hippie terrorist executed" "1775: Unpatriotic treasonous liberals rebel against King George (story repeated in 2003)" "1856: On O'Reilly Factor: Why slavery is essential for a healthy economy" "1939: Germans bring democracy to Poland" "1955: Good American Christian Police Arrest Black Anti American Rosa Parks For Refusing to Give Up Her Seat to a Patriotic White Man." "1955: Good Christian Southerners propose Constitutional amendment upholding sanctity of marriage by banning interracial marriage" "1956: America Hating Activist Judge Rules Segregation Illegal Attacking Decency in America." "1962: MLK: African-American or Anti-American?" "1963: Coloreds attack police, demand special rights" "1964: Anti God Leftist Heathens Grant Anti American Coloreds The Right to Vote by signing the ERA into law. "1965: Three Good Christian Patriotic Americans Gun Down, Kill America Hater Malcom X By Shooting Him 15 Times in a Manhatten Ballroom." "1969: Good Christian Southerner Kills Anti American MLK in Americas' Name. Heroic Effort Sparks rioting by America Hating Coloreds." "1970: Kent State National Guard fends off violent protestors"

Unlike you Fox News watching far right wing nut jobs..........I don't spew right wing racist hate on Rosa Parks and disguise it as sympathy.

A Message from Cindy Sheehan "If you believe in what you are doing, give me your stiffest sentence. If you don't, then resign." -- Gandhi Yesterday, started off with a "bang" when we went to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath in the section where the Iraq War dead are buried. In our group yesterday morning were 3 other members of Gold Star Families for Peace. Juan Torres was with us and his son, Juan, was murdered in Afghanistan. First of all, I was followed all morning by the Park Police. I guess because I am a very dangerous subversive. I would never hurt a flea, but what I am dangerous to is the lies and corruption of our government. Secondly, Juan, Beatriz Saldivar, and Julie Cuniglio who have all had loved ones killed in this war had brought pictures of their dead loved ones with them to Arlington. We were told by the administration of the cemetery that they couldn't take the pictures into the cemetery because they were "political statements!!" We were stunned that pictures of our children that have been killed for lies and betrayals and for purely political reasons can't be shown in a cemetery that supposedly honors those who have served, some making the ultimate sacrifice in war. We are living in a state that kills our children then calls them political statements. That speaks volumes to the chicken hawks who we are allowing to ruin our country. After Arlington, I met with Sen. Carl Levin from Michigan who has been a strong and outspoken critic against the war. The mess that George Bush has unleashed on our country and on the innocent world weighs heavily on his shoulders. He knows something needs to be done. Let's support him in doing so. Today, I will meet with Sen. Stabenow from the same state. We headed to the vigil at the White House for our hours long wait in the freezing cold. There was a man there who had several signs which among them said: "Saddam loves Cindy." This man didn't care that Rumsfeld (or Rumsfailed as I accidentally called him on an interview yesterday) was buddy, buddy with Saddam and gave him or sold him tons of WMD's before he became our enemy. I told this man that he didn't bother me, and he told me I don't bother him either. Well, if I don't bother him, why did he come down and make signs and march for hours screaming that I kill our soldiers? We found out why. He was making 60 dollars an hour to do so from some non-profit, right wing group. He said he would switch signs if we gave him more money. At 7:30 PM about 100 patriots symbolically died in front of the White House. Then 26 of us refused to get up and were arrested. As usual, the Park Police were very polite and efficient and many whisper words of support and encouragement to us. We are planning another die-in tonight at 7 PM. We need more Americans to come out and symbolically die with us here in DC…or do it in your own communities at relevant places, like a federal building, congressperson or senator's office. When I was being processed out the Lieutenant warned me if I got arrested again that I may have to stay in jail until January since this was my second arrest and I already have one under my belt that hasn't been resolved (which I plan on going to court for anyway). The Lt went to bat for me, he said, so the judge wouldn't keep me until my November court date this time. I appreciate the warning of the Lt., but I plan on doing Civil Disobedience again this evening. I cannot live freely in a country where people are allowed to commit murder and roam free to commit more mayhem while other people who are exercising their first amendment rights to free speech are locked up in jail. I cannot live freely in a country where others are allowed to lie to retaliate against a person who had the temerity to challenge previous lies. I cannot live freely in a country where bereaved family members aren't allowed to carry pictures of their murdered loved ones into a national cemetery. If I go before a magistrate tonight or tomorrow after my next arrest, I will tell him/her: If you believe in what you are doing, give me the stiffest sentence possible. If you don't, then resign. Peace soon.

OUT OF MANY, ONE Friday, October 28th, 2005 "If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration." --Scott McClellan, September 29, 2003 | (VIDEO) Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's left arm, has been indicted on five counts and has resigned. If you believe Dick Cheney (and why wouldn't you?), Scooter is a patriot who has served America "with great distinction." Patrick Fitzgerald, the special counsel investigating the CIA leak, says Libby lied repeatedly. The GOP, the White House and your Conservative Brother-in-law will all tell you that Libby's indictments are mere technicalities -- this excuse has no wings. The President's apologists will also claim that even if the White House provided Valerie Plame's name to reporters, they may have done so without knowing her covert status. This talking point is almost believable because it presupposes a shocking level of incompetence in the White House. They would have had to discuss a CIA officer's identity with reporters without first checking the covert status of that officer. (The right wing talking heads are also fond of saying that Ms. Plame's identity was not a secret but this, too, is whishful thinking: her employment was classified.) The idea that the White House acts without forethought or malice works well alongside the forged Niger documents Bush used to invade Iraq. Pushed into a corner, Republicans would rather you believe that the administration's actions are merely incompetent and not criminal, as though an incompetent presidency is nothing to worry about. While Scooter is, so far, the only person indicted, others are implicated and many are involved. Repeated lies are the hallmark of the Bush White House. Two years ago Scott McClellan uttered what may be the Bush administration's next big lie. He said: "If anyone in this administration was involved in [the leak], they would no longer be in this administration."Will George W. Bush turn McClellan into a liar? Or will those involved be fired? Dick Cheney is involved. According to the indictments, he told Libby that Plame worked for the spy wing of CIA: On or about June 12, 2003, LIBBY was advised by the Vice President of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the Central Intelligence Agency in the Counterproliferation Division. LIBBY understood that the Vice President had learned this information from the CIA. "Official A" is involved. According to the indictments, an unidentified official told Libby that Robert Novak was writing a story about Wilson's wife: "On or about July 10 or July 11, 2003, LIBBY spoke to a senior official in the White House (“Official A”) who advised LIBBY of a conversation Official A had earlier that week with columnist Robert Novak in which Wilson’s wife was discussed as a CIA employee involved in Wilson’s trip. LIBBY was advised by Official A that Novak would be writing a story about Wilson’s wife." Novak's story, of course, blew Plame's cover. So who is "Official A" and when will he "no longer be in this administration"? Fitzgerald won't provide the name, and the White House doesn't want to fire anyone, but it has been previously disclosed that Karl Rove spoke with Novak on July 8, 2003 regarding Plame's identity. Cheney's new chief of staff (Scooter's replacement) also seems to be involved in the leak. Will he be fired? An unnamed Under Secretary of State is involved in the leak. Who could that be and, if they're still in the administration, when will this person be fired? Having endured a targeted attack on his family, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson is not celebrating the Libby indictments: "Today is a sad day for America. When an indictment is delivered at the front door of the White House, the Office of the President is defiled. No citizen can take pleasure from that."George W. Bush vowed to restore honor and dignity to the White House. He said Americans were tired of the scandals. If you believe the truth, his administration has lied and lied viciously and repeatedly. If you believe the lies, his administration is simply incompetent and should not be held accountable for its mistakes or to its promises. Today's indictment of "Scooter" Libby is just the tip of the iceberg. The White House is taking on water and George W. Bush is arranging the deck chairs. As it says on the Presidential seal, "E Pluribus Unum": Out of many, one. I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is one. There are many more. Something to add? Drop us a line.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051028/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cia_leak_investigation Cheney Adviser Resigns After Indictment By JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press WriterFri Oct 28, 7:10 PM ET Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff resigned Friday after he was indicted on charges of obstructing a grand jury investigation and lying about his actions that blew the CIA cover of an Iraq war critic's wife. I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby became the first high-ranking White House official in decades to be criminally charged while still in office. A second key figure in the two-year CIA leak investigation, presidential strategist Karl Rove, was spared from criminal charges for the time being. Libby wasn't indicted specifically for the leak, but special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald left little doubt that he believed Cheney's top aide learned Valerie Plame's classified identity from the CIA, State Department and his own boss and then revealed it to reporters. "It's important that a CIA officer's identity be protected, that it be protected not just for the officer, but for the nation's security," the prosecutor said. "Mr. Libby was the first official known to have told a reporter." Though Cheney was one of the top government officials to tell Libby about Plame's secret work for the CIA before it was leaked to reporters, Fitzgerald said there was nothing wrong with that contact. "We make no allegation that the vice president committed any criminal act," he said. Libby promised to challenge the charges vigorously and said he was "confident that at the end of this process, I will be completely and totally exonerated." The 22-page indictment was the latest blow in one of the darkest weeks of the Bush presidency, which also saw the 2,000th U.S. military death in Iraq and the embarrassing withdrawal of Harriet Miers as Bush's Supreme Court nominee. Bush, whose approval rating is near the lowest point of his presidency, praised Libby's years of government service but acknowledged the "ongoing legal proceedings are serious." "In our system, each individual is presumed innocent and entitled to due process and a fair trial," the president said. Fitzgerald's investigation is nearing an end, and the grand jury he used for the past two years expired Friday. But he said, "It's not over," declining to address Rove's fate. The prosecutor is still weighing whether to charge Bush's closest adviser with false statements, lawyers said. Friday's charges stemmed from a two-year investigation into whether Rove, Libby or any other administration officials knowingly revealed Plame's identity in summer 2003 to punish her husband, Joseph Wilson, for his criticism of the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence on Iraq. In the end, like so many other Washington scandals, prosecutors zeroed in on an alleged cover-up. Libby, 55, was charged with five felonies alleging obstruction of justice, perjury to a grand jury and making false statements to FBI agents. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 30 years in prison and $1.25 million in fines. Fitzgerald suggested that proving Libby lied to the grand jury would be an easier case to make than showing he intentionally revealed a secret officer's cover. Specifically, the prosecutors alleged that Libby concocted a false story that he got Plame's name from reporters and passed it on to others when in fact he got the information from classified sources. "Mr. Libby's story that he was at the tail end of a chain of phone calls, passing on from one reporter what he heard from another, was not true. It was false," the prosecutor said. "And he lied about it afterward, under oath, repeatedly." Unlike figures in past scandals who resigned before they were criminally charged, Libby waited until moments after Friday's indictment before stepping down. He became the highest-ranking White House official to resign under indictment in the three decades since Vice President Spiro Agnew stepped down over a criminal case during the Watergate era. Cheney said he accepted the resignation with regret because Libby is "one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known." The closest to bright news Friday for the White House was word from Rove's attorney that the presidential confidant was not being indicted along with Libby. Fitzgerald has been looking for weeks at whether Rove gave false testimony during his four grand jury appearances. Rove's lawyer recently waged a furious effort to convince the prosecutor that any misstatements were unintentional or were corrected. "The special counsel has advised Mr. Rove that he has made no decision about whether or not to bring charges," attorney Robert Luskin said. "We are confident that when the special counsel finishes his work, he will conclude that Mr. Rove has done nothing wrong." Prosecutors identified Rove in the Libby indictment only as "Official A," recounting a conversation he had with Libby about Plame and Wilson in the days just before the CIA operative's identity was revealed. The mention could make Rove a witness at any Libby trial. Libby's indictment paves the way for a trial that could renew attention on the faulty rationale the administration used for going to war against Iraq — the erroneous assertion that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Libby is considered Cheney's alter ego, a chief architect of the war with Iraq. A trial would give the public a rare glimpse into Cheney's influential role in the West Wing and his behind-the-scenes lobbying for the war. The vice president, who prizes secrecy, could be called as a witness. Democrats suggested the indictment was just the tip of the iceberg. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the case was "about how the Bush White House manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to bolster its case for the war in Iraq and to discredit anyone who dared to challenge the president." Hoping to contain the damage, some Republicans distanced themselves from Libby. Others said the legal system should run its course. "It's time to stop the leaks and spin and turn Washington into one big recovery meeting where people say what they mean and mean what they say," said Rep. Jim Ramstad (news, bio, voting record), R-Minn. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said through a spokesman that the Senate won't investigate the CIA leak. Bush ordered U.S. troops to war in March 2003, saying Saddam's weapons of mass destruction program posed a grave and immediate threat to the United States. When no such weapons were found, the administration came under increased criticism for using faulty intelligence to make its case for war. It was during the height of that debate that Plame's identity as a covert CIA officer was leaked in July 2003. Her name was published just a little over a week after her husband, a former ambassador, wrote a newspaper opinion piece suggesting the administration had twisted prewar intelligence, and describing how he had gone to Africa in 2002 to check on claims Saddam had tried to buy nuclear materials. Wilson couldn't validate the uranium claim but Bush later used it anyway. Wilson alleged that the leak of his wife's name was retaliation for his criticism, and he said Friday, "When an indictment is delivered to the front door of the White House, the office of the president is defiled." The indictment alleges Libby began digging for details about Wilson well before the former ambassador went public July 6, 2003. Libby made his first inquiries about Wilson's travel to Niger in late May 2003, and by June 11, Libby was told by a CIA official that Wilson's wife worked for the agency and might have sent him on the trip. Libby also heard it from Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman, the indictment said. On June 12, 2003, the indictment alleged, Libby heard directly from Cheney that Plame worked for the spy agency. "Libby was advised by the vice president of the United States that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA in the counterproliferation division. Libby understood that the vice president had learned this information from the CIA," Fitzgerald said. A short time later, the indictment said, Libby began spreading information to reporters, starting with The New York Times' Judith Miller on June 23. The indictment said a substantial number of people in the White House knew about Plame's CIA status before the publication of Robert Novak's column on July 14, 2003 — the first public mention — including former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who was mentioned by title but not by name in the legal filing. Among the false statements Libby is accused of making is that he learned of Plame's identity from NBC reporter Tim Russert. In fact, Fitzgerald said, Libby knew it long before that conversation and Russert didn't even discuss it with him. One of the dramatic parts of the two-year investigation was Fitzgerald's successful attempt — which reached all the way to the Supreme Court — to force several reporters to reveal their confidential sources. Miller, in fact, spent 85 days in jail before agreeing to testify. Fitzgerald said Friday he wasn't spoiling for a "First Amendment showdown" with the news media but believed reporters were essential witnesses in this case. "I do not think that a reporter should be subpoenaed anything close to routinely. It should be an extraordinary case," he said. "But if you're dealing with a crime — and what's different here is the transaction is between a person and a reporter — they're the eyewitness to the crime."

Miers' Withdrawal Reignites Supreme Court Guessing Game Thursday, October 27, 2005 By Jane Roh Lawmakers and special interest groups started positioning themselves for President Bush's next pick for U.S. Supreme Court justice the same day a fumbled nomination ended in Harriet Miers (search) withdrawing from the confirmation process. Miers, who will remain as White House counsel, made a surprise announcement Thursday morning that she is withdrawing her name from consideration to replace Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (search), who announced over the summer that she wanted to retire from the bench. O'Connor agreed to stay on while her replacement was vetted through the confirmation process. In her withdrawal letter dated Thursday, Miers told the president that her pending confirmation hearings would likely be "a burden for the White House and our staff that is not in the best interest of the country." In withdrawing, Miers cited pressure by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the White House to produce documents pertaining to her work for the president. The White House has insisted the documents are protected under executive privilege. But it is unlikely Miers pulled out strictly on principle. Her Oct. 3 nomination initially stunned, then outraged Bush's conservative base. "In politics, for most major decisions there's a good reason and the real reason," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told FOX News. "The good reason is the White House is using their refusal to disclose documents. The real reason is Harriet Miers ran into withering criticism from the right wing of the Republican Party and the president decided to withdraw her nomination." While Democrats primarily withheld their fire after Miers was named, debate roiled among conservatives over her qualifications. Miers had never served as a judge, never argued a case before the Supreme Court and had no record of legal scholarship. Conservatives argued that in settling on Miers as the "most qualified" person in the land for a lifetime seat on the nation's highest court, Bush was thumbing his nose at those who voted for him in expectation that his nominees would steer the court rightward. Those same conservatives showed little restraint in containing their thrill with Miers' decision to bite the bullet and pull out. "We love President Bush. He made a mistake, the mistake is gone. Now, we love him again," said Ann Coulter, author of "How to Talk to a Liberal If You Must." "I am so glad to be back on his side again," she said. Elsewhere, Republican lawmakers who just days ago questioned Miers' qualifications praised her for having the "courage" to step aside. "Her decision to withdraw out of respect for the separation of powers, one of America's greatest founding principles, was a selfless act of courage that I commend," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said. But with the "unknown quantity" of Miers out of the picture, some Democrats who had also expressed reservations about her appeared to almost miss her on Thursday. "I expected us to have the hearings and make up my mind as we did with John Roberts," said ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont. "There was not one Democrat who said she should withdraw," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said. She was one of many Senate Democrats articulating that point on Thursday. "Democrats are coming out of this looking quite pure and innocent because they did not lead the charge," said Richard Davis, author of "Electing Justice: Fixing the Supreme Court Nomination Process." "What I think you will see on the next [nominee], particularly if the president gives the right wing someone that they want, the Democrats will still have ammunition" to battle it out, Davis said. With the pressure coming from Bush's base, expectations are high for the president to name a solid, well-documented conservative as his next choice to replace O'Connor. That could lead to the fight many expected but did not see during the September confirmation of John Roberts (search) to be chief justice of the court. Congressional aides said they expected Bush to name his next pick as early as Monday. But it's highly unlikely the nominee would make it through the confirmation process in time for the Nov. 30 arguments of two abortion-related cases before the court, as some Republicans were hoping for Miers. Ease of confirmation will probably be on Bush's radar as O'Connor, 75, is eager to spend more time with her ailing husband. While a best-case scenario gets the nominee confirmed by year's end, with holidays and vacations coming up for Judiciary Committee members that becomes an improbable timeline. And many lawmakers, especially Senate Democrats, have indicated that a breather is in order. "I don't see how you do this by the end of the year. Everyone is just too worn out. And there's no rush. They have Sandra Day O'Connor," Leahy said. Several names on the conservative short list were offered before Miers was nominated. Among those floated as reliably conservative but impeccably credentialed so as to appease moderate Democrats are J. Michael Luttig (search) of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Michael McConnell (search) of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Maura Corrigan (search) of the Michigan Supreme Court. Other names that have come up are 4th Circuit Court Judge Karen Williams (search), Judge Edith Jones (search) and Edith Clement (search) from the 5th Circuit and former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson (search). Court observers also point to Maureen Mahoney (search) as a potential win-win nominee for Bush. While never having served as a judge, Mahoney, like Roberts, clerked for the late William H. Rehnquist (search) and went on to work with the current chief justice in the solicitor general's office during George H.W. Bush's administration. Mahoney is now an appellate attorney with the Washington-based firm Latham and Watkins, and she has argued prominent cases before the high court, most notably, Grutter v. Bollinger, the 2003 affirmative action case. "She's a very good advocate, and argued the Michigan affirmative action case for the University of Michigan, so Democrats will love her, but she's clearly a Republican," Neil Devins of William & Mary Law School said of the woman often described as the female John Roberts. "If the president feels he has to appoint a woman or person of color ... who will get through and [perhaps anger] social conservatives but otherwise won't [anger] anyone else, it's obviously someone like her," Devins told FOXNews.com. If Bush appeases right-wing conservatives by choosing another Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas, Davis said the president would again run into obstacles, this time with moderates. "That is the problem the president faces — his core constituency as a group is not the majority of the country. The majority tends to be quite moderate," Davis said. And while Democrats may have benefited from a recent spate of scandals and policy troubles in Bush's administration and party, Miers' withdrawal likely spells a fight for them. "Democrats should certainly be wary — it's quite possible the president in reaction goes for a more extreme, conservative, ideological candidate like Edith Jones, Janice Rogers Brown or Priscilla Owen," said David Yalof, a judicial nominations expert at the University of Connecticut, referring to appellate court judges. Brown and Owen have already been caught up in the filibuster fight in the Senate, and were only confirmed after a deal was made among moderate senators. "You will see a battle on ideological grounds rather than procedural grounds or qualifications," Yalof said. Former Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming, a moderate Republican who often clashed with the far right during his years in Washington, hinted that the Miers debacle offered lessons on how to judge the next potential nominee. "You don't find out where they are on homosexual rights or abortion or affirmative action. That's not what you spend your time on," Simpson told FOXNews.com. "Are these good people? Are they going to interpret the constitution as a living document? These saliva tests of purity are a disaster." Miers herself must not have enjoyed her nomination much, either. A prominent attorney from Texas, the 60-year-old established many firsts as a woman in a male-dominated field, only to see her public image trampled by pundits and lawmakers during the most important job interview of her life. But in a roundabout way, Miers' ill-fated nomination may have been a sign of how far women have come, in that her gender for the most part did not factor into the debate. "What we're seeing here is a merit-based threshold you have to meet. The president was forgetting that — he brought forth someone who he could wink and nod and say, 'She's OK,'" Davis said. "You could say with Sandra Day O'Connor there was some of that, with Ruth Bader Ginsburg there was some of that as well, but with the third one you don't have that anymore." FOX News' Trish Turner contributed to this report.

igloo? logic? That's got to be the oxymoron of the century.

Your mom.

October 27th, 2005 3:03 am Mother of slain US soldier arrested in Iraq war protest WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US police arrested Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq who has become a prominent war opponent, along with two dozen people for demonstrating without authoritization in front of the White House. Sheehan and the other protestors staged a "die-in" in front of the the White House, lying on the ground to symbolize US soldiers killed in Iraq. Several dozen sympathizers applauded as Sheehan and others were taken away, while counter-protestors booed the group. "Cindy Sheehan has been arrested with about 25 other people because she was demonstrating without a permit in front of the White House," said lieutenant Phil Beck of the US Park Police. "They laid down on the sidewalk without a permit, they were advised three times to leave the area, they chose not to leave therefore they were arrested," Beck said. "Most of them will probably be released tonight," he said. They face a 75 dollar fine. Sheehan became an icon of the anti-war movement when she camped outside President George W. Bush's ranch in Texas during his August vacation, demanding he meet her for a second time. Sheehan had met the president earlier with a group of families of fallen soldiers. She had called Tuesday for civil disobedience around the country to demand the withdrawal of the 140,000 US troops from Iraq as the US military death toll hit 2,000. "There comes a time when we have to break a small law, like sitting down in front of the White House, in order to point out a greater law that's being broken," Sheehan said in a statement Wednesday. "I can't imagine a greater law being broken than a war being waged in our name, whose justifications have proven to be false, and yet goes on and on anyway, taking the lives of thousands of people," she said. Ann Wilcox, a protestor with the anti-war group Code Pink, called Sheehan "the Rosa Parks of our movement." Parks, who died this week at age 92, helped spark the civil rights movement nearly 50 years ago when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in segregated Alabama, an act that led to the black woman's arrest. "I think middle of the road people are starting to see the futility of this war," Wilcox said. "We are going to continue putting our bodies on the line and being arrested." Sheehan was arrested in front of the White House late last month along with 370 other protestors and then released.