Gallup Poll and CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll - 1,003 persons over 18:

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?"

Disapprove: 51%
Approve: 46%
Don't Know: 3%

President Bush is resolved not to repeat what he thinks were the two fundamental blunders of his father's one-term presidency: abandoning Iraq and failing to vanquish the Democrats.

In one of several exclusive interviews with The Washington Times, Mr. Bush said his father had "cut and run early" from Iraq in 1991.

Mr. Bush also said Sen. John Kerry would "regret" disparaging the U.S.-led coalition that liberated Iraq, promising to use the Massachusetts Democrat's words against him in the election campaign. [...]

White House political strategist Karl Rove, in one of the lengthy interviews with The Times granted by senior administration officials, also detailed how the Bush campaign intends to paint Mr. Kerry as a condescending elitist, who is pro-tax, weak on defense and on the wrong side in the culture wars.

White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. described Mr. Kerry as a John F. Kennedy "wannabe," who lacks the mettle to be president. Mr. Card, who also worked for the first President Bush, said when it comes to running for re-election, the son is much more engaged and far less complacent than the father.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell predicted disaster for anyone who "misunderestimates" the president.

Miss Rice said she and other senior advisers still laugh over that quintessential "Bushism," which their boss famously coined on the eve of the election that made him president.

The Election Is Kerry's To Lose
By John Zogby

I have made a career of taking bungee jumps in my election calls. Sometimes I haven't had a helmet and I have gotten a little scratched. But here is my jump for 2004: John Kerry will win the election.

Have you recovered from the shock? Is this guy nuts? Kerry's performance of late has hardly been inspiring and polls show that most Americans have no sense of where he really stands on the key issues that matter most to them. Regardless, I still think that he will win. And if he doesn't, it will be because he blew it. There are four major reasons for my assertion:

First, my most recent poll (April 12-15) shows bad re-election numbers for an incumbent President.

Second, there are very few undecided voters for this early in a campaign.

Third, the economy is still the top issue for voters - 30% cite it. While the war in Iraq had been only noted by 11% as the top issue in March, it jumped to 20% in our April poll as a result of bad war news dominating the news agenda.

Finally, if history is any guide, Senator Kerry is a good closer.

The Misunderestimated Man
How Bush chose stupidity.
By Jacob Weisberg

The question I am most frequently asked about Bushisms is, "Do you really think the president of the United States is dumb?"

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is yes and no. [...]

George W. Bush has governed, for the most part, the way any airhead might, undermining the fiscal condition of the nation, squandering the goodwill of the world after Sept. 11, and allowing huge problems (global warming, entitlement spending, AIDS) to metastasize toward catastrophe through a combination of ideology, incomprehension, and indifference. If Bush isn't exactly the moron he sounds, his synaptic misfirings offer a plausible proxy for the idiocy of his presidency.

Bush may not have been born stupid, but he has achieved stupidity, and now he wears it as a badge of honor. What makes mocking this president fair as well as funny is that Bush is, or at least once was, capable of learning, reading, and thinking. We know he has discipline and can work hard (at least when the goal is reducing his time for a three-mile run). Instead he chose to coast, for most of his life, on name, charm, good looks, and the easy access to capital afforded by family connections. [...]

Bush's ignorance is so transparent that many of his intimates do not bother to dispute it even in public. Consider the testimony of several who know him well.

Richard Perle, foreign policy adviser: "The first time I met Bush 43 … two things became clear. One, he didn't know very much. The other was that he had the confidence to ask questions that revealed he didn't know very much."

David Frum, former speechwriter: "Bush had a poor memory for facts and figures. … Fire a question at him about the specifics of his administration's policies, and he often appeared uncertain. Nobody would ever enroll him in a quiz show."

Laura Bush, spouse: "George is not an overly introspective person. He has good instincts, and he goes with them. He doesn't need to evaluate and reevaluate a decision. He doesn't try to overthink. He likes action."

Paul O'Neill, former treasury secretary: "The only way I can describe it is that, well, the President is like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people. There is no discernible connection."

As the president says, we misunderestimate him. He was not born stupid. He chose stupidity. Bush may look like a well-meaning dolt. On consideration, he's something far more dangerous: a dedicated fool.

...As Patrick Goldstein's fawning profile of "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart points out ("Politics on a Skewer," April 27), for much of his life the comic was admittedly ignorant about the world beyond show business.

Then after the 2000 election, he and his writers "got religion" and took it upon themselves to start sharing their wisdom. What a shame.

Until then, I was a huge fan of "The Daily Show," going out of my way to recommend it to friends. But then the unrelenting Bush jokes began. Rarely funny, they were variations on "Bush is a moron" and "Bush is an uncouth, corrupt moron." It hurt to watch a once-funny show laid low by its own pretensions.

Stewart's supposed brilliance was essentially to reiterate Ben-Veniste's play but with added eye rolls and pregnant pauses. Yeah, brilliant.

A brilliant satirist might have pointed out that Rice had already testified for four hours to the commission, but that only five of the 10 commissioners had bothered to show up at that time. [...]

But then Stewart might not have been able to book 9/11 commissioner Bob Kerrey as a guest the night before Bush and Cheney's joint testimony to the commission. (Having serious players as guests surely stokes Stewart's sense of self-importance.) [...]

Since liberals espouse diversity, it's fair to ask why they can't open their minds to the notion that another viewpoint might hold merit. Many would strain to understand the position of a murderous jihadist but wouldn't spare five minutes to hear out the conservative living next door.

Chairman, partner leave Air America

In yet another sign of trouble for Air America Radio, the liberal talk network's co-founder and chairman, Evan Cohen, resigned Thursday along with his investment partner and vice chairman, Rex Sorensen.

The company also failed to make its scheduled payroll Wednesday, leaving its staff of roughly 100 writers and producers unpaid until Thursday.

The radio network has been on the air for only five weeks. On April 30, it was pulled off Chicago's airwaves because of a payment dispute.

"We're on a wild ride," said Jon Sinton, the network's president, acknowledging that Air America has suffered "the typical bumps and bruises faced by any start-up."

"But the bottom line," he said, "is that we are on the air to stay."

Sinton said Cohen was forced to resign by investors unhappy with the way he handled a clash with Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc., owner of Air America's Chicago and Los Angeles stations.

After an acrimonious and public dispute, the two companies severed their relationship, leaving the network off the air in two of the nation's top three markets. (Air America remains on the air in 16 markets, including New York City.)

"In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?"

Dissatisfied: 62%
Satisfied: 36%
No Opinion: 2%

Bush, wife to skip daughters' graduations

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush will skip their twin daughters' college graduations later this month to avoid creating a distraction at the respective schools, the White House said Thursday.

"There are no plans at this time to attend these ceremonies,'' said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for Laura Bush. "The Bushes felt the focus should be on the students, and not how long the lines are to go through the metal detectors.''

Jenna Bush is slated to graduate May 22 from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in English. Barbara Bush graduates May 24 with a bachelor's in humanities from Yale University.

The sisters were freshmen when their father was seeking the presidency in 2000. They have stayed out of the media spotlight, except for an underage drinking incident at an Austin bar when they were 19.

Mock the Vote
College students are discouraged from voting by local election boards

Like any good American citizen, young Han wanted to cast his ballot in the presidential primaries. So in October, the sophomore at Hamilton College walked into the office of the county election board in Utica, New York, to register to vote. Han couldn't make it back to his home state of Washington to participate in its caucuses -- they were being held in February, the same week Hamilton requires sophomores to declare a major -- so he decided to vote in the state where he actually lives.

But at the election office, a county official told Han that only "permanent residents" may register to vote. College students, she informed the clean-cut twenty-year-old, must vote where their parents live. "This is just how we've always done it," county election commissioner Patricia DiSpirito told Rolling Stone. "A dorm is not a permanent residence -- it just isn't."

In fact, DiSpirito is flat-out wrong. Federal and state courts have clearly established that students have the right to vote where they go to school, even if they live in a dorm. But interviews with college students, civil-rights attorneys, political strategists and legal experts reveal that election officials all over the country are erecting illegal barriers to keep young voters from casting ballots.

Moore admits Disney 'ban' was a stunt

Less than 24 hours after accusing the Walt Disney Company of pulling the plug on his latest documentary in a blatant attempt at political censorship, the rabble-rousing film-maker Michael Moore has admitted he knew a year ago that Disney had no intention of distributing it.

The admission, during an interview with CNN, undermined Moore's claim that Disney was trying to sabotage the US release of Fahrenheit 911 just days before its world premiere at the Cannes film festival.

Instead, it lent credence to a growing suspicion that Moore was manufacturing a controversy to help publicise the film, a full-bore attack on the Bush administration and its handling of national security since the attacks of 11 September 2001.

The Bush administration was well aware of the Taguba report, but more concerned about its exposure than its contents. General Richard Myers, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was dispatched on a mission to CBS news to tell it to suppress its story and the horrifying pictures. For two weeks, CBS's 60 Minutes II show complied, until it became known that the New Yorker magazine would publish excerpts of the report. Myers was then sent on to the Sunday morning news programmes to explain, but under questioning acknowledged that he had still not read the report he had tried to censor from the public for weeks.

President Bush, Condoleezza Rice and other officials, unable to contain the controversy any longer, engaged in profuse apologies and scheduled appearances on Arab television. There were still no firings. One of their chief talking points was that the "abuse" was an aberration. But Abu Ghraib was a predictable consequence of the Bush administration imperatives and policies.

Bush has created what is in effect a gulag. It stretches from prisons in Afghanistan to Iraq, from Guantanamo to secret CIA prisons around the world. There are perhaps 10,000 people being held in Iraq, 1,000 in Afghanistan and almost 700 in Guantanamo, but no one knows the exact numbers. The law as it applies to them is whatever the executive deems necessary. There has been nothing like this system since the fall of the Soviet Union. The US military embraced the Geneva conventions after the second world war, because applying them to prisoners of war protects American soldiers. But the Bush administration, in an internal fight, trumped its argument by designating those at Guantanamo "enemy combatants". Rumsfeld extended this system - "a legal black hole", according to Human Rights Watch - to Afghanistan and then Iraq, openly rejecting the conventions.

Private contractors, according to the Toguba report, gave orders to US soldiers to torture prisoners. Their presence in Iraq is a result of the Bush military strategy of invading with a relatively light force. The gap has been filled by private contractors, who are not subject to Iraqi law or the US military code of justice. Now, there are an estimated 20,000 of them on the ground in Iraq, a larger force than the British army.

CALLER: It was like a college fraternity prank that stacked up naked men --

LIMBAUGH: Exactly. Exactly my point! This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You of heard of need to blow some steam off?

LIMBAUGH: And these American prisoners of war -- have you people noticed who the torturers are? Women! The babes! The babes are meting out the torture.

LIMBAUGH: You know, if you look at -- if you, really, if you look at these pictures, I mean, I don't know if it's just me, but it looks just like anything you'd see Madonna, or Britney Spears do on stage. Maybe I'm -- yeah. And get an NEA grant for something like this. I mean, this is something that you can see on stage at Lincoln Center from an NEA grant, maybe on Sex in the City -- the movie. I mean, I don't -- it's just me.

One thing that I have not seen the press connect the dots with. 1 - General Richard Myers asked Dan Rather to hold the 60 Minutes II story, stating that it could endanger the lives of hostages in Fallujah. 60 Minutes held the story for two weeks. 2 - This last Sunday, General Myers was on This Week and stated that he had not read the Taguba Report submitted in February.

So we have the JCS Chairman knowing that a major story is going to break about torture, rape and abuse in Saddam's most notorious prision, and doesn't read the military's own report on these abuses? He said something to the effect that it was "working itself up the chain to him" as if he is helpless over what reports he can read.

The other thing that astounds me is that the International Committee of the Red Cross petitioned the military several times to stop the torture and was ignored.

I really want to support our military, but I have to think that this is a systemic problem and not just a few bad apples.

Bush Scolds Rumsfeld on Abuse Inquiry

A clash erupted Wednesday between the White House and the Pentagon over the handling of the Iraq prison abuse investigation, with President Bush telling Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that he felt personally blindsided by the scandal and should have been more fully informed about its severity.

Bush rebuked Rumsfeld during an Oval Office meeting, a senior administration official said Wednesday evening. Bush told Rumsfeld that the White House should have been informed about the photographs documenting some of the abuses, which began appearing in the news media late last week, the senior official said.

"The president wasn't satisfied when he saw those pictures on TV," the official said, referring to photographs of Iraqi prisoners stripped naked and being abused. "And he made that clear to Secretary Rumsfeld. They should have been brought to his attention, and he shouldn't have had to learn of them through the media."

a. (S) Punching, slapping, and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet;

b. (S) Videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees;

c. (S) Forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing;

d. (S) Forcing detainees to remove their clothing and keeping them naked for several days at a time;

e. (S) Forcing naked male detainees to wear women's underwear;

f. (S) Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being photographed and videotaped;

g. (S) Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them;

h. (S) Positioning a naked detainee on a MRE Box, with a sandbag on his head, and attaching wires to his fingers, toes, and penis to simulate electric torture;

i. (S) Writing "I am a Rapest" (sic) on the leg of a detainee alleged to have forcibly raped a 15-year old fellow detainee, and then photographing him naked;

j. (S) Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee's neck and having a female Soldier pose for a picture;

k. (S) A male MP guard having sex with a female detainee;

l. (S) Using military working dogs (without muzzles) to intimidate and frighten detainees, and in at least one case biting and severely injuring a detainee;

m. (S) Taking photographs of dead Iraqi detainees.

Indians Say They Were Held in Iraq by U.S.

COCHIN, India (AP) -- Four Indians said Wednesday they were held against their will by U.S. troops in Iraq to do menial work in an Army camp amid insurgent attacks.

The U.S. Embassy said it was investigating the report.

Aliyarkunj Faisal, Abdul Aziz Shahjehan, Haniffa Mansool and Hameed Abdul Hafiz told The Associated Press they signed up in August with a recruiting agency to work for a caterer in Kuwait.

When they reached the Kuwait airport, a U.S. soldier ordered them to board a bus that took them to a base near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, they said.

"There were some 20 Indians in the bus. Once we knew that we were inside Iraq, we protested," Faisal said. "But the Americans told us that they had paid a Kuwait agency $1,000 for each man and therefore it was a must that we work for them."

Disney 'blocks' Moore documentary

Controversial director Michael Moore has said film studio Disney is refusing to release his new documentary, which heavily criticises President Bush.
Fahrenheit 911 was to be distributed by Miramax, a division of Disney.

But Disney has "officially decided to prohibit" Miramax from distributing the film, the director said on his website.

Moore, who won an Oscar for Bowling for Columbine in 2003, questioned whether in a "free and open society" Disney should be making such a decision.

Fahrenheit 911 links Mr Bush with powerful families in Saudi Arabia, including that of Osama Bin Laden, and attacks his actions before and after 11 September.

Miramax, run by Hollywood moguls Harvey and Bob Weinstein, agreed to distribute the documentary but Disney signalled it was not happy with the deal.

Disney bought Miramax 10 years ago but retained the rights to block films it deemed against its interests, such as adult-rated films.

But the New York Times said Miramax did not agree this was a situation where that clause should be invoked.

"For nearly a year, this struggle has been a lesson in just how difficult it is in this country to create a piece of art that might upset those in charge," Moore said on his official site.

"Some people may be afraid of this movie because of what it will show. But there's nothing they can do about it now because it's done, it's awesome, and if I have anything to say about it, you'll see it this summer - because, after all, it is a free country."

Miramax spokesman Matthew Hilzik told the New York Times: "We are discussing the issues with Disney. We're looking at our options and look forward to resolving this amicably."

But Zenia Mucha, a Disney spokesman, said: "We advised both [Moore's] agent and Miramax in May of 2003 that the film would not be distributed. That decision stands."

According to today's edition of The New York Times, it might 'endanger' millions of dollars of tax breaks Disney receives from the state of Florida because the film will 'anger' the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush."

U.S. prisoner abuse scandal explodes with more cases in two countries

WASHINGTON (CP) - It has become the explosive turning point of the Iraq war, leading in all the wrong directions.

A scandal involving sadistic abuse and humiliation of prisoners by U.S. soldiers blew wide open Tuesday when the military acknowleged more than 20 cases of deaths and assaults are under investigation, not only in Iraq but Afghanistan, too.

Outraged U.S. politicians, who demanded to know how such rampant abuse could possibly have happened, worried even more cases will come to light.

And there's fear degrading, graphic pictures of Iraqi prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison that have infuriated the Arab world will embolden terrorists and lead to more bloodshed in the Middle East.

Despite the best efforts of U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to portray the assaults Tuesday as an "exception" among the actions of "wonderful" soldiers, the widening cases lend credence to long-stated Arab complaints about the behaviour of Americans.

"A picture's worth 1,000 words," said U.S. Representative Jane Harman, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives intelligence committee. "(They have) undone thousands of acts of kindness and courage," Harman told CNN. "It has changed the face of America in the world."

"I was stunned by all of it," said Rumsfeld, who called the incidents "totally unacceptable and un-American."

Senators demanded Rumsfeld appear on Capitol Hill before the armed services committee to answer some tough questions, including why he didn't receive an internal Pentagon report on abuse at Iraq's main prison that was completed in February or inform Congress of the magnitude of the problem.

"We need to have a hearing with (him) as soon as possible," said Republican Senator John McCain. "Congress should have been notified of this situation a long time ago."

Fort Worth ranks dead last in U.S. credit scores survey

Dallas-Fort Worth ranks dead last among major U.S. metropolitan cities in a recent survey of credit scores conducted by Experian, one of three national credit bureaus.

In a national sample of 2 million credit histories on file at the company based in the Costa Mesa, Calif., Dallas-Fort Worth residents had an average credit score of 653, behind Houston (655) and the study's top-ranked metro leaders in the study, Minneapolis (707) and Boston (705).

The national average of Experian's Plus credit score was 678. Texas also came in last among all states with a score of 652.

Your credit score is important because it helps determine what lenders charge in interest rates on mortgages, home equity lines of credit and car loans. It is also increasingly being used by potential employers, landlords and insurance agents to determine your financial health.

Texans' credit scores are being hurt because of late payments, said Charles Chung, vice president of consulting and analytics for Experian.

"Late payments in Texas are 50 to 60 percent greater than the national norm on average," Chung said. "They are the single biggest driver in Texas' credit score."

Bush's bus tour, which covered more than 225 miles in Michigan on Monday, took a few shortcuts on Tuesday. He flew to Toledo from Michigan and on to Dayton before resuming his spot at the head of an eight-bus caravan.

He promised a "positive, optimistic vision" for tackling problems, and said his tax cuts were already beginning to regenerate the economy and help Ohio reclaim the 225,000 jobs lost in the state during his presidency.

He said Ohio had gained 7,900 jobs in March, part of a nationwide increase of more than 300,000, and the state unemployment rate had dropped from 6.3 percent to 5.7 percent.

Bush ridiculed the Massachusetts senator for claiming foreign leaders supported him but refusing to name them.

He noted Kerry had said he might have met some of those foreign leaders in a New York City restaurant.

"I've got a hunch this whole thing might be a case of mistaken identity," Bush said, noting that not everyone in a fancy New York restaurant with an accent was a foreign leader.

O'Neill told NewsMax.com that the medals and their back stories were not the real issue being targeted by the organization, referring to the second paragraph of the letter to Kerry:

"It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us.) Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war."

But it is with regard to the latter sentence of the charge that O'Neill and others get vague.

When asked by NewsMax if they had in mind any potential smoking gun of distortion that might be revealed by an unfettered examination of Kerry's military records, there was no answer forthcoming.

What a bunch of baloney. So the U.S. soldiers abuse a bunch of Iraqis. Big deal. So they humiliated them. It beats killing them or stabbing them a hundred times, the way the Arabs killed an Israeli soldier and threw his body out a window, one of the torturers showing the world his bloody hands. How about the U.S. reporter they tortured and beheaded? Think his family wasn't and still isn't tortured by the way he died? I had a college frat initiation that was a worse torture than the Iraqis received.

Jack Feigin
Beverly Hills

East Texas man faces sentencing for cyanide cache

An East Texas man who had accumulated a massive amount of cyanide was described as a white supremacist and a student of militia-led revolt.

William Krar is scheduled to be sentenced in a federal court Tuesday after acknowledging that he possessed enough sodium cyanide to fatally gas everyone in a 30,000-square-foot building, such as a civic center or high school basketball arena. But investigators say they still don't know what Krar intended to do with the deadly materials.

Krar, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a dangerous chemical weapon in November. He faces up to life in prison, but officials have said that he's expected to get less than 20 years under federal sentencing guidelines.

Law officers said Krar was a supplier of explosives, dangerous chemicals and high-powered guns.

"If you had a McVeigh type and a Krar type come together, you might have had a very big explosion," assistant U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston, lead prosecutor in Krar's case, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Monday's editions.

SwiftVets.com is a tax exempt non-partisan public advocacy "527" organization consisting of, and limited to, former military officers and enlisted men who served in Vietnam on U.S. Navy "Swift Boats." or in affiliated commands.

We believe it is incumbent on ALL presidential candidates to be totally honest and forthcoming regarding personal background and policy information that would help the voting public make an informed decision when choosing the next president of the United States.

Now that Senator John Kerry is the presumptive nominee of his Party for president, numerous questions have been raised concerning Mr. Kerry's service in Vietnam and concerning his subsequent antiwar activities. Our mission is to provide solid factual information relating to Mr. Kerry's abbreviated tour of duty as a member of Coastal Division 14 and Coastal Division 11. Since many who are involved with Swiftvets.com themselves had swift boat duty and knew John Kerry personally, they are in a unique position to provide such information.

[O'Neill] is clearly contemptuous of Kerry's constant reference to his military service on the campaign trail.

"He appears in a flight jacket, which by the way we never wore in Vietnam because the temperature was 90 plus degrees," he said.

Former Military Colleagues: Kerry 'Unfit to Be Commander in Chief'

Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democrat nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is "unfit to be commander in chief." They will do so at a press conference Tuesday in Washington.

"What is going to happen on Tuesday is an event that is really historical in dimension," John O'Neill, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy as a PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) boat commander, told CNSNews.com. The event, expected to draw about 25 of the letter-signers, is being organized by a newly formed group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

"We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander in chief," O'Neill said.

O'Neill, an attorney in Houston, Texas, is no stranger to Kerry. O'Neill served in the same naval unit as Kerry and commanded Kerry's swift boat after Kerry returned to the United States.

Three years after Colson first brought him to the White House to meet with Nixon, who encouraged the young O'Neill to "get" Kerry and the protesters in Vietnam Veterans Against the War, he launched his legal career with a coveted clerkship in the United States Supreme Court. No doubt it was mere coincidence that O'Neill clerked with William Rehnquist, the controversial conservative who was Nixon's favorite justice and who went on to be appointed chief justice by President Reagan.

...his law firm boasts long-standing and powerful connections with the Bush White House.

With an oil and litigation practice focused on the defense of major energy and industrial firms, the dozen partners in Clements, O'Neill, Pierce, Wilson & Fulkerson have clout that exceeds their firm's small size. Their corporate clients include Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Reliant Energy, Koch Industries and Eastman Kodak. More important, among the name partners is Margaret Wilson, the former general counsel to George W. Bush during his second term as Texas governor. (She succeeded Alberto Gonzales, who currently serves as White House counsel.)

In 2001, Wilson went to Washington with the new president, who appointed her deputy general counsel in the Department of Commerce. During her tenure as Bush's counsel in Austin, she was implicated in the Service Corporation International funeral home scandal. State government whistle-blower Eliza May accused Wilson of participating in an effort to "intimidate" her from pursuing an investigation of SCI, a major Bush campaign donor.

Media Matters for America will document and correct conservative misinformation in each news cycle. Media Matters for America will monitor cable and broadcast news channels, print media and talk radio, as well as marginal, right-wing websites that often serve as original sources of misinformation for well-known conservative and mainstream media outlets.

Nine U.S. Troops Die, Falluja Command Still at Issue

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a bloody 24 hours for U.S.-led forces in Iraq on Sunday, and Washington said it was still deciding which former general from Saddam Hussein's army to appoint to restore order in Falluja.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he expected the Security Council to authorize a multinational force for Iraq to take over after the planned U.S. handover of power to Iraqis on June 30.

In the worst attack on U.S. forces on Sunday, six soldiers were killed in a mortar bombardment on a base in western Iraq. But U.S. civilian Thomas Hamill escaped from being held hostage for three weeks by gunmen. Top U.S. general Richard Myers accused media of "very bad" reporting on Falluja, saying U.S. forces had not withdrawn and that General Jasim Mohamed Saleh, a commander in Saddam's feared Republican Guard, was unlikely to take charge in the Sunni city.

Bush tour to tap 'regular guy' appeal
The president will travel by bus through the Midwest this week, taking common touch to key swing states.

WASHINGTON - When George W. Bush gets on a bus Monday to head into the American heartland for a series of "Ask the President" events and even a pancake breakfast or two, he will be making a deliberate statement to voters: I am not an imperial president.

Unlike all his fundraising trips around the country over the past many months, aimed at intersecting with as many wealthy donors as possible, the president's bus tour seeks to generate maximum media exposure and project a regular-guy likability that his campaign believes contrasts favorably with his Democratic opponent, John Kerry.

The four states he will visit - Michigan and Ohio early in the week, followed by Wisconsin and Iowa - represent 54 electoral votes, a fraction of the 270 he will need to win in November, but any one of those four states could spell the difference between victory and defeat.

Ironically, the populist technique of touring by bus was perfected by the man who defeated his father: Bill Clinton. And the current President Bush comes from just as privileged a background as his father, but with a Texas overlay that makes him more comfortable with regular folks than George H. W. Bush has ever seemed.

As U.S. leaves Fallujah, Iraqis proclaim victory

Masked men carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers and waving Iraqi flags rode through the deserted streets of Fallujah yesterday, claiming victory in the withdrawal this past week of U.S. Marines after a month-long siege of the city.

A day after the U.S.-led coalition announced it was handing over most security matters to a popular general from the former regime, Fallujah residents stepped from shuttered homes to find demolished buildings, uprooted trees, rows of shelled villas and car windows riddled with bullet holes.

They took comfort in what they did not see: Americans.

"The Americans have been pushed out by true soldiers, heroic men," said Shaker Adnan, 35, who wore the burgundy beret and dark camouflage of the Fallujah Brigade, the new proxy security force assembled by the coalition. "If the Americans were men, they would have never retreated. This triumph came from God."

Meanwhile, violence continued yesterday, exactly a year after President Bush stood aboard an aircraft carrier and declared that major combat in Iraq had ended.

SHAME OF ABUSE BY BRIT TROOPS
Rogue British troops batter Iraqis in mockery of bid to win over people

A HOODED Iraqi captive is beaten by British soldiers before being thrown from a moving truck and left to die.

The prisoner, aged 18-20, begged for mercy as he was battered with rifle butts and batons in the head and groin, was kicked, stamped and urinated on, and had a gun barrel forced into his mouth.

After an EIGHT-HOUR ordeal, he was left barely conscious and close to death. Bleeding and vomiting and with a broken jaw and missing teeth, he was driven from a Basra camp and hurled off the truck. No one knows if he lived or died.

The shocking pictures on this page were handed to us by one of the attackers and a colleague. We have agreed to protect their identities as they fear reprisals.

Last night, their damning testimony was in the hands of appalled ministers and Army chiefs who pledged an urgent investigation.

Chief of the General Staff General Sir Michael Jackson said: "If this is proven, the perpetrators are not fit to wear the Queen's uniform. They have besmirched the good name of the Army and its honour."

No 10 said: "The Prime Minister fully endorses the general's statement."

The outrage, which emerged the day after US troops were pictured torturing Iraqi prisoners of war, makes a mockery of the Army's attempts to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

One just can't help but notice the bitter irony. The people of Fallujah have been liberated from the liberators by the former oppressor who is greeted by the mythical flowers and candy supposedly meant for us. Is this FUBAR or what?

Deadline Hollywood: Dave the Brave
Stupid President Tricks can only be seen on Letterman

...as Stupid President Tricks has gained in popularity, it's become more controversial. Witness the March brouhaha between Letterman, the White House and CNN over the accuracy of footage of a Florida Republican organizer's kid hilariously yawning and squirming while standing behind Dubya at an Orlando campaign appearance. "It was one of those 'You're not going to see that anywhere else but on Dave' kind of moments," Burnett recalls. His team noticed that Bush had a speech scheduled and couldn't find anyone national covering it, so they went to the CBS affiliate in Orlando for the raw footage. Then a writer said, "Hey, look at the kid in the back."

After the video of Orange County, Florida, Chief Executive Rich Crotty's dead-on-his-feet son Tyler aired under the title "George W. Bush Invigorates America's Youth," CNN reported it had been told by the White House that the child was edited into the video by the Letterman show as a joke and was never standing directly behind the president.

Dave went Full Metal Jacket. He stared into the camera and called the White House assertion "an out-and-out lie" not once but twice. Then he warned his viewers, "When you cast your vote in November, just remember that the White House was trying to make me look like a dope!" Immediately, everybody backtracked, CNN apologized and the White House was cleared of ever having complained. But the Letterman folks still believe the Bushies did try to attack Dave. When Letterman made a stink about it, the White House turned and ran.

State Blocks Digital Voting

SACRAMENTO - California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley on Friday withdrew his approval of electronic voting machines throughout the state - a step that could force many voters to return to paper ballots in November.

Shelley's decision - which experts called the most significant setback yet in the nation's shift to computerized voting - allows 10 of 14 California counties that use electronic voting to reapply for certification if they meet 23 new security conditions.

The remaining four counties - San Diego, San Joaquin, Solano and Kern - are banned from using their touch-screen systems in November. Shelley, the state's top elections official, also called on California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer to investigate the company that made the equipment in those counties, Diebold Election Systems, for allegedly lying to state officials.

Across California, registrars of voters said they were surprised by Shelley's action, which was harsher than steps recommended by an advisory panel earlier this week.

"At this point in time, electronic voting doesn't appear to be an option," said Scott Konopasek, San Bernardino County's registrar of voters. "This really came out of the blue today."

Shelley, at a news conference in his office, said he was deeply concerned about a host of election day problems that prevented an unknown number of voters from casting ballots in March.

In San Diego County, for example, the Diebold AccuVote-TSx system malfunctioned, causing 55% of the county's polling places to open late and preventing an unknown number of voters from casting ballots, according to a report by the secretary of state.

In Orange County, thousands of voters were issued the wrong ballots on voting machines made by Hart InterCivic. As a result, some voters cast ballots in races in which they were ineligible and were prevented from voting in races that affected them. Orange County officials later blamed the problem on inadequate training of poll workers.

In the most drastic action announced Friday, Shelley banned Diebold's AccuVote-TSx from use in the November election, meaning that four counties that own the equipment - San Diego, San Joaquin, Solano and Kern - will have to find another way to collect votes in November.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)

August 17, 1996, Saturday, SOONER EDITION

David D. Smith, president and chief executive officer of Sinclair Broadcast Group, was arrested this week in his hometown of Baltimore and charged with a misdemeanor sex offense. Sinclair owns WPGH, the Fox affiliate in Pittsburgh, and programs most of WPTT.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Smith, 45, was arrested Tuesday night in an undercover sting at a downtown corner frequented by prostitutes.

On Thursday night, Sinclair issued a statement that Smith's arrest was unrelated to company business and ''The company will continue to operate under the direction of its current management.''

Prosser student's art prompts overreaction

Prosser administrators are getting schooled on the First Amendment after disciplining a 15-year-old art student for his anti-war drawings.

Hundreds of calls and e-mails from free speech advocates have reportedly flooded school and city offices after the Herald's article on the controversy was picked up by news wires and retold nationwide.

As much as Prosser officials want to define the incident as a school safety issue, their handling of the case serves only to reinforce that the boy's drawings were political expressions, the sort of commentary the First Amendment protects.

The most controversial drawing showed what appeared to be a Middle-Eastern man holding President Bush's oversized head on a stick, along with a caption calling for an end to the war in Iraq, according to a family friend of the student.

That's a violent image, and the school had a responsibility to determine that it didn't signal anything more serious than a frustration with the president's policies. No one should ever mistake high school for a democracy. Legal forms of expression -- wearing gang attire for example -- are routinely banned in schools because of safety or other concerns.

But Prosser police went further than checking out whether the student was a threat to school safety. They called in the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates threats against the president.

School officials said they have taken "relatively low-level" disciplinary action against the boy, although they haven't said what.

Any discipline is troubling.

A true threat against the president deserves criminal charges, not an afternoon in study hall. Barring evidence of an actual threat, all this appears to be is a kid crudely exercising his First Amendment rights. That demands no correction.

The drawings may be disrespectful and the message upsetting, but lacking political sophistication isn't a crime. For 15-year-olds, it's more than common.

In September 2001, Sinclair Broadcasting required its affiliates to air messages "conveying full support" for the Bush administration. At a Baltimore affiliate, WBFF "officials required news and sports anchors, even a weather forecaster, to read the messages, "which included statements such as "[the station] wants you to know that we stand 100% behind our President."
-----
In July 2003, Sinclair Broadcasting refused to allow WMSN TV - its FOX affiliate in Madison, WI - to air a DNC advertisement that featured a clip of President Bush making the false claim "Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" in his 2003 State of the Union Address.
-----
Sinclair Broadcasting has fired much of the staff for the local affiliates it owns, instead producing content for its local stations from a central facility outside Baltimore which it then airs on "local" news broadcasts. The centralized content features nightly commentary by Sinclair corporate communications chief Mark Hyman. Hyman regularly refers to the French as "cheese-eating surrender monkeys," the so-called liberal media as the "hate-America crowd," and progressives as "the lonely left" On one recent commentary, Hyman called members of Congress who voted against a recent resolution affirming the righteousness of the Iraq war "unpatriotic politicians who hate our military."

Arab television stations led their news broadcasts today with the photographs.

One network said the pictures were evidence of the "immoral practices" of American forces.

Many Arabs are already angry about the US-led occupation of Iraq and violence has being worsening in the country in recent months.

"This will increase the sense of dissatisfaction among Iraqis toward the Americans," said a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, Mahmoud Othman.

"The resistance people will try to make use of such painful incidents."

Mr Othman, whose council is the interim governing authority of Iraq appointed by the US, added: "This is a shame on the Americans. We used to criticise Saddam (Hussein) regime regarding the beating of detained people."

McCain Calls Nightline Nix 'Deeply Offensive'

The decision by Sinclair Broadcast Group to pre-empt tonight's Nightline show featuring a reading of the names of those killed so far In Iraq drew a new detractor today - Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona.

In a letter to the president of the group, Mr. McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam and is a leading congressional voice on military issues, called the decision to block the broadcast on the company's ABC affiliates "deeply offensive."

"There is no valid reason for Sinclair to shirk its responsibility in what I assume is a very misguided attempt to prevent your viewers from completely appreciating the extraordinary sacrifices made on their behalf by Americans serving in Iraq," Mr. McCain wrote. "War is an awful, but sometimes necessary business. Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war's terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail, is a gross disservice to the public, and to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves."

Officials of the group, one of the largest owners of television stations in the nation, have objected to the Nightline program, saying it was a veiled political effort to undermine the war. Mark Hyman, the vice president of corporate relations for Sinclair and a conservative commentator, told the New York Times' Bill Carter on Thursday that the Nightline broadcast represents biased journalism. "Mr. Koppel's reading of the fallen will have no proportionality," he said. The company intends to broadcast its own special on Iraq.

"I supported the president's decision to go to war in Iraq, and remain a strong supporter of that decision," Mr. McCain's letter said. "But every American has a responsibility to understand fully the terrible costs of war and the extraordinary sacrifices it requires of those brave men and women who volunteer to defend the rest of us."

Dear Senator McCain:

I am writing to respond to your letter to me regarding Sinclair Broadcast
Group's decision not to air this evening's episode of "Nightline."

Let me begin by saying that no organization more fully supports our
military than Sinclair. In no way was our decision intended to show any
disrespect to the brave members of our military, particularly those who have
sacrificed their lives in service of our country. To the contrary, our
decision was based on a desire to stop the misuse of their sacrifice to
support an anti-war position with which most, if not all, of these soldiers
would not have agreed. [...]

Sinclair's news coverage during the last year has reported on all aspects
of the war in Iraq, including the tragic loss of lives of military combatants.
In fact, we will be replacing "Nightline" this evening with a balanced report
addressing both sides of this controversy. It is worth noting that
"Nightline" and its host, Ted Koppel, have ignored repeated requests from
Sinclair to comment on their decision regarding the content of tonight's
program.

It is "Nightline's" failure to present the entire story, however, to which
Sinclair objects. "Nightline" is not reporting news; it is doing nothing more
than making a political statement. In simply reading the names of our fallen
heroes, this program has adopted a strategy employed by numerous anti-war
demonstrators who wish to focus attention solely on the cost of war. In fact,
lest there be any doubt about "Nightline's" motivation, both Mr. Koppel and
"Nightline's" executive producer have acknowledged that tonight's episode was
influenced by the Life Magazine article listing the names of dead soldiers in
Vietnam, which article was widely credited with furthering the opposition to
the Vietnam war and with creating a backlash of public opinion against the
members of the U.S. military who had proudly served in that conflict. [...]

I hope that this letter has adequately addressed your concerns and
explained why Sinclair has taken this action. I would welcome the opportunity
to discuss this with you in greater detail. In addition, if you are
available, we would be delighted to provide you with a chance to be part of
our program this evening discussing this issue.

Sincerely yours,

David D. Smith

Surge in Refining Profit Helps Lift ChevronTexaco Net 33%

First-quarter profit jumped 33% at ChevronTexaco Corp. (CVX, news) (CVX, news) as refining profit soared from a year earlier.

The oil and natural-gas company Friday reported net income of $2.56 billion, or $2.40 a share, up from $1.92 billion, or $1.81 a share, a year earlier.

The latest results included what the company called "special" charges of $55 million and income of $34 million, or three cents a share, from assets that were classified as discontinued operations because of their pending sale. The year- earlier period included "special" charges of $39 million and charges of $196 million, or 18 cents a share, for the adoption of new accounting standards.

Revenue climbed 9.1% to $33.57 billion from $30.76 billion.

Profit from U.S. refining and marketing operations jumped almost fourfold to $ 276 million from $70 million last year. ChevronTexaco (CVX, news) cited an increase in refined-product margins, higher sales volumes and lower operating expenses.

FLASHBACK: January 16, 2001:



CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NEWLY NAMED NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, RESIGNS FROM CHEVRON CORPORATION'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 16, 2001 -- Condoleezza Rice, a Chevron Corp. director since 1991, resigned from the company's board, effective Jan. 15. Rice was named President-elect George W. Bush's national security adviser-designate.

"Condi is extraordinarily capable," said Chairman Dave O'Reilly. "Her leadership skills and breadth of experience in government, academia and business have been a tremendous asset to Chevron and will serve her well in the new administration."

For the past two years Rice chaired the board's Public Policy Committee.

American Support for Iraq War Will Rebound, Powell Says

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says declining support among Americans for the war in Iraq will rebound once U.S. forces stamp out the surge of armed resistance.

Mr. Powell says the recent increase in the number of U.S. troop casualties in Iraq is bound to be reflected in opinion polls. He says he is convinced that support for the Bush administration policies will revive once standoffs in the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Najaf are settled.

Mr. Powell was responding to a new CBS television-New York Times poll indicating support among Americans for the war in Iraq has dropped in the last month by 11 points to 47 percent. Almost as many people -- 46 percent -- said the United States should have stayed out of Iraq.

One hundred and 20 American troops have been killed this month in combat in Iraq, making it one of the deadliest months for U.S. forces since the war began more than a year ago.

Wolfowitz comes up short on number of troop deaths

Capitol Hill-AP -- The number-two civilian at the Pentagon was asked today how many U-S troops have died in Iraq. And his estimate came up short -- by about 200 soldiers.

During a House subcommittee hearing, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said the number of U-S dead is "approximately 500" -- and that about 350 of those were combat deaths.

In fact, there are 722 U-S deaths through today -- including 521 from combat.

A spokesman says Wolfowitz simply "misspoke."

U.S. says terrorism down, excluding Iraq
State Dept. says line between insurgency and terrorism 'blurred'

WASHINGTON - The State Department reported Thursday there were fewer international terrorist attacks last year than any time since 1969 — but the figures don’t include most of the violence in Iraq.

Though Bush administration officials frequently refer to Iraqi insurgents as terrorists, most attacks in Iraq were not considered international terrorism because they were directed at combatants, the report said.

“Increasingly, the line between insurgency and terrorism has been blurred by anti-coalition attacks that have included suicide car bombings at police stations, an Italian military police base and the headquarters of the International Red Cross,” the State Department said in its annual report on terrorism.

The 181-page Patterns of Global Terrorism Report offered a country-by-country review of terrorist attacks and cooperation in fighting terrorism.

White House braced for latest assault by hardback
A former US ambassador will this week 'out' a government official who named his wife as a CIA operative. Andrew Buncombe examines the latest 'must-read' memoir tackling the Bush administration

The Bush administration is bracing itself for the latest memoir by a former insider. Joe Wilson, a former ambassador, will this week reveal the name of the government official who "outed" his wife - revealing her identity as a CIA operative in apparent revenge for his role in proving the White House made false claims about Iraq's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

But in what has increasingly becoming the habit during Mr Bush's presidency, Mr Wilson will not make his claims on television, at a press conference or even in a newspaper column but between the covers of a "must-read" book. His memoir, The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity, is published tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for Mr Wilson, a former ambassador to several African countries and a member of President Bill Clinton's national security council. For while the initial "scoop" will appear in his book, if precedent is any guide the revelation will quickly be devoured by all other media and Mr Wilson will likely be filling the airwaves and broadcasts that day.

Poll: Growing Doubts On Iraq

One year after the declared end of major combat in Iraq, Americans have new doubts about the war and doubts about what the Bush Administration has said about it.

Just 32 percent, the lowest number ever, say Iraq was a threat that required immediate military action a year ago.

Less than half, 47 percent, now say the U.S. did the right thing taking military action in Iraq, the lowest support recorded in CBS News/New York Times Polls since the war began.

There are growing concerns about the long-term impact of the war. 41 percent now think the war increased the threat of terrorism against the U.S. 71 percent say the Administration's policies have worsened the U.S.'s image in the Arab world.

...when asked whom they'd support if the November election were held today (though it is still six months in the future) they divide almost evenly: Kerry 46 percent, Bush 44 percent. Should Ralph Nader join the race, it becomes Bush 43 percent, Kerry 41 percent, and Nader 5 percent.

Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma freelance writer and a former US Army Public Information Officer. She is a proud member of the Order of Saint Barbara -- the Field Artillery's Patron Saint.

At a Pentagon press conference, Rumsfeld complained of US press coverage that highlighted a US attack on a mosque in Fallujah, showing a news photograph of a crowd of fighters armed with rocket propelled grenade launchers in a mosque.

"The photo of terrorists using a mosque in Najaf as a base for attacks against our forces is an example of what we're finding. There have been additional attacks taken from mosques in Fallujah," he said.

"There are two ways, I suppose, one could inform readers of the Geneva Convention stipulation against using places of worship to conduct military attacks. One might be to headline saying that Terrorists Attack Coalition Forces From Mosques. That would be one way to present the information.

"Another might be to say: Mosques Targeted in Fallujah. That was the Los Angeles Times headline this morning."

Lautenberg Calls Cheney 'Lead Chickenhawk'
Says V.P. Shrieks Like A Hawk, Has Backbone Of A Chicken

WASHINGTON (AP) Tossing a verbal egg at Dick Cheney's military record, Sen. Frank Lautenberg blasted the vice president Wednesday as the "lead chickenhawk," who squawks about John Kerry's Vietnam War record despite never serving himself.

"The chickenhawk has no idea what it means to have the courage to put your life at risk to defend this nation," Lautenberg said on the Senate floor. "But they are quick to disparage those who did sacrifice."

In his speech, Lautenberg, D-N.J., defined chickenhawk "as having the shriek of a hawk but the backbone of a chicken."

"We know who the chickenhawks are," he said. "They talk tough on national defense and military issues and cast aspersions on others, but when it was their turn to serve, they were AWOL from courage."

Bush To Iraqi Militants: 'Please Stop Bringing It On'

WASHINGTON, DC - In an internationally televised statement Monday, President Bush modified a July 2003 challenge to Iraqi militants attacking U.S. forces. "Terrorists, Saddam loyalists, and anti-American insurgents: Please stop bringing it on now," Bush said at a Monday press conference. "Nine months and 500 U.S. casualties ago, I may have invited y'all to bring it on, but as of today, I formally rescind that statement. I would officially like for you to step back." The president added that the "it" Iraqis should stop bringing includes gunfire, bombings, grenade attacks, and suicide missions of all types.

Shock jock Howard Stern, instead of losing out in a feud with President Bush, the Federal Communications Commission and the nation's largest radio chain, has garnered audience figures he hasn't seen since 1995.

On his Los Angeles affiliate, KLSX-FM (97.1), Stern averaged 3.9% of Southland listeners over the age of 12 in February. When the FCC proposed slapping its maximum fine on a Detroit station for a Stern broadcast, Stern began an on-air crusade against the agency and the president in response, and radio chain Clear Channel Communications pulled the shock jock from six of its outlets, citing indecency fears. After that, in March, Stern's L.A. audience share leaped to 5.4%, making him No. 1 in the market.

He was also first among listeners ages 25-54, with a 5.7% share - the first time he's topped the L.A. ratings in that demographic since the summer of 1995, according to Infinity Broadcasting Corp., which distributes Stern's show and owns KLSX.

He saw similar gains in his home market, New York, and in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and elsewhere.

And Stern's effect worked in the other direction, as well. At KIOZ-FM (105.3) in San Diego - one of the Clear Channel-owned stations that pulled Stern's program at the end of February - the audience share for its morning show went from 8.9% in February to .7% in March, according to Infinity. The fall was even greater among listeners ages 18 to 34 - from 20.6% to .8%.

"I must admit that I was surprised and disappointed that Mr. Cheney chose to step off the high ground and resort to Kerry-bashing for a large portion of his speech."

Dr. Lamkin received a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, an M.S. in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. His military education includes completion of the Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Command and General Staff College, and the Naval War College, where he was a distinguished graduate and winner of the Mittendorf Award for Best Student Research.

Prior to his appointment as Dean at West Point, Dr. Lamkin served in numerous command and staff positions in the Army, including battery command in Vietnam, battalion operations officer in Korea, and battalion command in Germany. While at West Point, he served as a department head and as Vice Dean prior to being appointed as West Point's tenth Dean. He retired from the Army as a Brigadier General to take his position at Westminster.

I've talked to a number of the enlisted men who served under Kerry on the swift boats he commanded. Although they didn't share Kerry's privileged background, most speak well of him. They considered him a leader who genuinely cared about them, a commanding officer who was brave but not reckless with his men's lives. "It took two or three days after he came on board the boat to know we had somebody special," says Jim Wasser, second in command on Kerry's first boat.

Nor have I heard anyone credibly suggest that Kerry wasn't a legitimate hero. Certainly James Rassmann thinks he was. He's the Green Beret a wounded Kerry plucked from the Bai Hap River in March of 1969. Del Sandusky, Kerry's number two at the time, says the rescue took place during "an intense firefight."

"Rassmann was bobbing up and down every 30 seconds," Sandusky says. The Viet Cong "would shoot at him and he would go back down and swim under water." Kerry, who had taken shrapnel in his left buttock and was suffering from a bruised right arm, directed Sandusky to steer the craft back to Rassmann, who grabbed a cargo net hanging from the bow.

"Rassmann couldn't pull himelf up -- he was too heavy, loaded with water and the flak vest -- so Kerry lay down on the deck and pulled him up," Sandusky says. "This is in the middle of a firefight. . . . He saved Rassmann's life."

That is the context that's missing -- and that demands consideration as the Republican campaign tries to paint John Kerry as a shifty, irresolute politician who simply can't be counted on in tough times.

From Allied to Alienated
A Shiite cleric who fled Iraq for the U.S. returned, euphoric, after American troops invaded. Today, he just wants them gone.

Ayatollah Sayed Mortada Al-Qazwini should be one of America's best friends in Iraq.

A tall, turbaned man with a candid manner and commanding presence, Al-Qazwini was one of the first Shiite Muslim religious scholars to speak out against Saddam Hussein. He lost 15 relatives to Hussein's brutality, and in 1971 he fled Iraq to escape a death sentence.

He settled in Diamond Bar [a suburb of the L.A. area] and built Shiite religious, cultural and educational centers in Pomona, Irvine, San Diego and Detroit over the next 18 years. All the while, he marveled at the freedom he enjoyed to practice the faith of his persecuted sect. After U.S. forces toppled Hussein a year ago, Al-Qazwini was ecstatic and went home to help.

"Ninety-nine percent of the people are so happy that Saddam has been put down. The coalition forces saved us," he said then.

Now, a year after his emotional homecoming, Al-Qazwini, 75, is deeply disillusioned. U.S. forces have worn out their welcome by failing to fulfill their promises for democracy, political empowerment and reconstruction, the ayatollah said. He wants them to leave Iraq as soon as possible.

Prices have soared, the streets are filled with trash, gasoline lines remain long and blackouts are still common, he said in a recent interview at his son's home in Rowland Heights.

"The coalition forces are not doing anything about it," he fumed. "With all their power and authority, they're staying silent.

"If the U.S. doesn't improve the situation soon, it's possible that powerful Shia scholars might tell people to resist," Al-Qazwini said. "Right now the Shias are choosing to cooperate, but patience has a limit."

Customers at three of the leading online services - iTunes, Musicmatch Inc.'s Musicmatch Downloads and RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody - buy about 10 times as many singles as they do albums. Offline, people buy 50 times more CDs than singles.

The shift to online shopping could be lucrative for the music industry if the flexibility and convenience lead people to spend more on tunes than they do today. But some industry executives and analysts fear the opposite result, with music lovers buying a few 99-cent singles instead of $15 CDs.

And, some industry veterans worry, moving to a singles-oriented business could lead to fundamental problems for artists and labels.

"There's no money to be made from singles," said entertainment attorney Gary Stiffelman, whose clients include hit rapper Eminem. "Unless you can sell an album you can't really afford to launch the artists. The whole economics are driven by some sort of critical mass of product."

From the beginning of his career in the U.S. Senate 20 years ago, Senator Kerry has repeatedly called for major reductions or outright cancellations of many of our most important weapons systems. In 1984, the middle of the Cold War, while we were confronted with an aggressive, well armed Soviet Union, the Senator issued a white paper on the defense budget during his first campaign for the Senate. He called for cutting up to $53 billion from the Reagan defense budget. And these cuts included the following: The MX missile, cancel; the B-1 bomber, cancel; anti-satellite system, cancel; strategic defense initiative, cancel; the AH-64 Apache helicopter, canceled; the Patriot air defense missile system, cancel; the F-15, cancel; the F-14A and F-14B, cancel; the Phoenix air-to-air missile, cancel; the Sparrow air-to-air missile, cancel.

As former Secretary of Defense, Vice President Cheney bragged about cutting defense spending. In February 1990, Cheney told Congress" since I became Secretary, we've been through a fairly major process of reducing the defense budget." Cheney stated that during his the first year of his tenure, he "cut almost $65 billion out of the five-year defense program" and that subsequent proposals would "take another $167 billion out."

Vice President Cheney tried to cut troop strength in the 1990's and cut pay for troops currently in Iraq. An August 4, 1991 New York Times article shows that Cheney tried "to reduce active-duty troop strength" from 2.2 million to 1.6 million while making "deep cuts in the Reserves and National Guard." And after criticizing opponents on military pay increases, the Bush administration last year tried to cut pay for 148,000 troops in Iraq by rolling back increases in monthly imminent danger pay and family separation allowances, according to the Army Times.

"Frankly, I must admit that I was surprised and disappointed that Mr. Cheney chose to step off the high ground and resort to Kerry-bashing for a large portion of his speech. The content and tone of his speech was not provided to us prior to the event - we had only been told the speech would be about foreign policy, including issues in Iraq.

"I want to make it clear to the Westminster community that, in the interest of balance and fairness and integrity, we will strongly encourage Senator Kerry to take advantage of this venue to make his views known as well. In fact, I have already stated this invitation publicly via members of the media immediately after Mr. Cheney's speech."

British diplomats turn on Blair

More than 50 former senior British diplomats have denounced Tony Blair's "doomed" policies on the Middle East and Iraq and criticised his close alliance with US President George Bush, in an unprecedented assault on the British Prime Minister's standing.

The 52 former envoys, including former ambassadors to Syria, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Nations, sent a joint letter to Downing Street condemning Britain for "abandoning" peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians and for invading Iraq without an exit strategy.

The diplomats, many of whom are likely to still reflect thinking at the British Foreign Office, called on Mr Blair to re-consider his recent support for Israel's plan to keep settlements on the West Bank while withdrawing from Gaza, despite US backing.

They described the new Israel-US plan as "one-sided and illegal, which will cost yet more Israeli and Palestinian blood", and attacked Britain's apparent abandonment of the so-called "road map" towards a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

"This abandonment of principle comes at a time when, rightly or wrongly, we are portrayed throughout the Arab world as partners in an illegal and brutal occupation in Iraq," the diplomats wrote.

"The conduct of the war in Iraq had made it clear that there was no effective plan for the post-Saddam settlement.

"We feel the time has come to make our anxieties public, in the hope that they will be addressed in Parliament and lead to a fundamental reassessment."

For George W. Bush's surrogates to question John Kerry's war record, as they have continued to do in recent days, requires a special Republican brand of super-high-octane gall. Why would the president want to draw additional attention to the most unflattering contrast between him and the Democratic challenger?

Perhaps Bush and his strategists believe that offense is the only way to play defense on his spotty National Guard record. Perhaps they think that with enough money and enough noise, they can erase Kerry's medals and heroism. And perhaps they expect the mainstream media to assist in defacing Kerry's character -- just as important media organizations smeared Al Gore four years ago with Republican spin points.

Whatever plan the White House is pursuing, Karen Hughes proved last Sunday that the highly personal attack on Kerry is coming directly from the top. No one can doubt that Hughes speaks for Bush, sometimes quite literally, as she did in "A Charge to Keep," the Bush "autobiography" she ghosted for him in 1999. She claimed to be "very troubled" by comments Kerry made in 1971 about atrocities he witnessed during the war and urged the press to "follow up some line of inquiry" about whether he was inventing and exaggerating those concerns -- or whether he might even have committed war crimes himself. "I wish we knew a little bit more about that," said the troubled Hughes, as if deeply concerned whether Kerry tossed his ribbons or his medals over a fence at the Pentagon during a 1971 demonstration.

She deserves to be challenged, however, about her own role in the concealment of Bush's actual service record. Although she is currently peddling her new bestseller, the most pertinent questions concern "A Charge to Keep," that slim promotional volume with Bush's name and likeness on the cover.

The gripping but brief account of Bush's training and service ends vaguely, with this sentence: "I continued flying with my unit for the next several years." That's false; he quit flying after less than two years. He and his ghostwriter don't mention that he quit flying no later than August 1972, after he missed a flight physical and was suspended. His disappearance into Alabama to work on a Republican Senate race, when he was supposed to be pulling duty, is also left out.

On that chapter's concluding page, Bush proclaims: "I am proud of my service. Yet I know it was nothing comparable to what our soldiers and pilots were doing in battle in Vietnam." Having written those words, Hughes should remember them whenever she feels the urge to demean Kerry, who still carries a piece of shrapnel in his left buttock. And should she open her mouth about this subject again, someone should ask her what the president did with his medals.

Explosion levels suspected chemical weapons building in Baghdad; fighting erupts in Fallujah

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A suspected chemical weapons warehouse exploded in flames Monday moments after U.S. troops broke in, killing two soldiers and wounding five. Jubilant Iraqis swarmed over the Americans' charred Humvees, waving looted machine guns, a bandolier and a helmet.

In Fallujah, U.S. troops battled insurgents in the latest violation of a tentative cease-fire for the besieged city. One Marine and eight insurgents were killed. [...]

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt did not say what sort of chemical munitions were believed to be produced at the Baghdad warehouse. After the blast, there was no sign of precautions against chemicals. ''Chemical munitions could mean any number of things,'' including smoke grenades, he said.

The cause of the blast was unclear. Kimmitt said a large number of explosives were in the building in the northern neighborhood of Waziriyah.

Asked about reports that the search team included members of the Iraq Survey Group the U.S. team looking for weapons of mass destruction Kimmitt said only: ''The inspection was by a number of coalition forces.''

He said the owner of the site was ''suspected of producing and supplying chemical agents'' to Iraqi insurgents, but did not elaborate.

U.S. Offers to Help N.Korea with Train Blast

The United States on Monday offered to help North Korea cope with a train blast that killed at least 161 people, despite a standoff over the communist state's suspected nuclear weapons programs.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States, already a major food donor to the impoverished nation, was coordinating with the United Nations to provide financial and possibly other support.

Any goodwill gesture while North Korea is in the spotlight over last week's explosion could take on diplomatic overtones as the United States tries to coax North Korea to soon hold working-level talks on ending its nuclear ambitions.

"We will be making an offer, some financial assistance, and we are waiting to see what the need is and what else we might be able to do," Powell told reporters. "We are making the United Nations aware of our willingness to participate in whatever relief efforts it might be appropriate for us to participate in."

'Idol' favorite takes high road in explaining her ouster

The nation may have been shocked when Jennifer Hudson got the boot this week on American Idol. But Hudson has her own theory.

Hudson and the other top contenders, LaToya London and Fantasia Barrino, were the bottom three on Wednesday's elimination show. Viewers were stunned. Immediately, fans were rushing to put the blame somewhere. Bad weather in Hudson's Midwestern fan base? Racism? Sabotage?

"I think people just take it for granted because it's Fantasia, Jennifer and LaToya, and we are the divas," Hudson said on AI host Ryan Seacrest's other TV show, On Air. "They just assume we'd be fine so they decided to help out somebody else . . . and just left us hanging."

Houston attorney John E. O'Neill, the Navy veteran who has emerged recently as a harsh and ubiquitous critic of John Kerry's military service, tells reporters that he has never really been interested in politics and isn't motivated by partisan interests. In the media, O'Neill is often described simply as a Vietnam vet still enraged by the antiwar speeches Kerry delivered more than 30 years ago. That was when O'Neill first came to public attention as a clean-cut, pro-war protégé of the Nixon White House's highest-ranking dirty trickster (aside from the late president himself), Charles Colson.

Colson, who went to prison for Watergate crimes, saw O'Neill as a perfect foil to Kerry, whom Nixon and his aides feared as a decorated, articulate and reasonable opponent of the war and their regime. Indeed, O'Neill was perfect -- a crewcut officer who had served on the same Navy swift boat that Kerry had commanded, although their stints in the Mekong Delta didn't overlap. In June 1971, Colson brought O'Neill up to Washington for an Oval Office audience with Nixon. His impressions live on in a memo filed later:

"O'Neill went out charging like a tiger, has agreed that he will appear anytime, anywhere that we program him and was last seen walking up West Executive Avenue mumbling to himself that he had just been with the most magnificent man he had ever met in his life."

Now O'Neill has emerged from those decades of silence, roaring denunciations of the man who will become the Democratic nominee for president this summer. "I saw some war heroes," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. "John Kerry is not a war hero." [...]

Three years after Colson first brought him to the White House to meet with Nixon, who encouraged the young O'Neill to "get" Kerry and the protesters in Vietnam Veterans Against the War, he launched his legal career with a coveted clerkship in the United States Supreme Court. No doubt it was mere coincidence that O'Neill clerked with William Rehnquist, the controversial conservative who was Nixon's favorite justice and who went on to be appointed chief justice by President Reagan.

Nixon is gone, but his political heirs possess the White House -- and no doubt the disgraced politician would be pleased and proud that they are harassing Kerry with the same zeal that first brought Karl Rove to the attention of Watergate investigators. The young veteran he once showcased is now 58 years old, but O'Neill seems just as eager to battle Nixon's old enemies as he was back then.

Bush Approval Hits a Low Point in State
His handling of Iraq gets poor marks. California would back Kerry, even with Nader in the race.

President Bush's popularity in California has dropped to the lowest level of his presidency amid rising public concern over his handling of Iraq and the economy, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll that found dislike of Bush driving support for his Democratic rival.

At a time of mounting American casualties in Iraq, the survey found a sharp turnaround in attitudes toward Bush's management of the war: 56% of California voters disapprove, up from 44% in July.

Most say the war is worth neither the lost lives of U.S. troops nor the cost to taxpayers. A solid majority of California voters believe Bush has no clear plan for Iraq. Two-thirds are concerned it will become another Vietnam.

The surge in public dissatisfaction with the Republican president on Iraq is among the starkest findings of a survey that illustrates the difficulties that Bush faces in trying to win California in the contest with Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry in November.

The poll affirmed the state's continuing tilt toward Democrats at a time when the country as a whole is almost evenly split between the two major parties.

Capturing the breach between California and Bush was poll respondent Roger Sack of Palo Alto, a Democrat who described himself as "uniformly negative" on the president.

"He represents a cultural kind of strain that I don't like — call it Texas, call it born-again, call it Southern — while at the same time, coming out of a country-club Republican background, and I think he's incompetent on top of all of that," Sack, a 62-year-old computer marketer, said in a follow-up interview.

Overall, the survey found, 54% of California voters disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job, while 44% approve.

On the economy, 53% disapprove of Bush's performance and 42% approve.

Bush's best showing came on his handling of terrorism — there, voters were split, but as in the other categories, his approval ratings slumped from past polls.

If the election were held today, the poll found, California voters would choose Kerry over Bush, 53% to 41%, in a two-way race. [...]

If Bush's news conference on Iraq last week was meant to buttress his position, it did the opposite among California voters, the poll found. Nearly two-thirds caught Bush's presentation, but 59% of them say he did not clearly explain his reasons for going to war. Also, 38% say the president's remarks made them view him less favorably, 14% say more favorably, and just under half say it made no difference.

Liberals Meet Unexpected Resistance

THOUGH MANY had anticipated a cakewalk for the media in undermining the war on terrorism, instead liberals are caught in a quagmire of good news about the war. Predictions that liberals would have an easy time embarrassing President Bush have met unexpected resistance. They're still looking for the bad news they said was there. Experts believe the media's quagmire results from severely reduced troops. The left's current force is less than half the size of the coalition media that undermined the Vietnam War.

It's been a tough few weeks all around for the anti-war crowd. On Sunday, the London Telegraph reported that documents had been discovered in Baghdad linking Saddam Hussein to Osama bin Laden. Hussein and bin Laden had a working relationship as far back as 1998, based on their mutual hatred of America and Saudi Arabia. As we go to print, it's Day Four of the New York Times' refusal to mention these documents.

Government documents have also been found in Iraq showing that a leading anti-war spokesman in Britain, Member of Parliament George Galloway, was in Saddam Hussein's pay. Scott Ritter, former U.N. arms inspector turned peacenik turned suspected pederast, immediately defended Galloway in a column in the London Guardian. With any luck, Tariq Aziz will now step in to defend Ritter.

At least Tariq Aziz knows he lost the war. American liberals are still hoping for a comeback. But the war was so successful, they don't have any arguments left. They can't even sound busy. In their usual parody of patriotism, liberals are masters of the long-winded statement that amounts to nothing. They can't go on TV and say nothing. But all they have are some broken figurines to complain about.

Voting panel recommends that California stop using touch-screen machines

California should ban the use of 15,000 touch-screen voting machines in the November election because the equipment malfunctioned in last month's primary, an advisory panel said Thursday.

The state Voting Systems and Procedures Panel said that the machines made by Diebold Election Systems did not perform well last month and that many voters in San Diego County were turned away.

The panel cited a litany of other problems, including fears that the systems are vulnerable to security breaches.

The decision affects machines only in San Diego, Solano, Kern and San Joaquin counties. If Secretary of State Kevin Shelley goes along with the recommendation, those counties will have to revert to paper ballots.

Machines made by Diebold and other manufacturers in 10 other counties were unaffected by the recommendation.

Policy easing to bring Baathists into new Iraq
From John King
CNN Washington Bureau

(CNN) -- The White House confirmed Thursday that the administration is moving to change a postwar policy that blocked members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from Iraqi government and military positions.

The sweeping ban was put in place by civilian administrator Paul Bremer, but he now wants to change the policy as part of an effort to convince Sunnis, who dominate the party, that they are welcome members of the postwar political transition in Iraq.

There also have been complaints that the ban has kept teachers, engineers, well-trained technocrats and experienced military officers out of the difficult postwar transition.

Saddam headed the Baath Party in Iraq for decades, and its members were allowed educational opportunities and to hold key posts.

Member, President's National Advisory Counsel on Supplemental Services and Centers, 1973-1974. Member, Federal Regulation of Securities Committee, Section of Corporation, Banking and Business Law, American Bar Association, 1978-. Law Clerk to Justice William H. Rehnquist, U.S. Supreme Court, 1974-1975.

General Counsel to Governor George W. Bush, 1998-2000

Up to 3,000 Casualties in N.Korea Rail Blast-Report
Thu Apr 22, 2004 10:11 AM ET

SEOUL (Reuters) - Up to 3,000 people were killed or injured in a huge explosion on Thursday when two goods trains collided in a North Korean station hours after leader Kim Jong-il had passed through, South Korea's YTN television station said.

Yonhap news agency also said there were thousands of casualties. Both Yonhap and YTN did not give a breakdown of deaths and injuries.

'Rough' Is Only Half of It

April 22, 2004

President Bush said to an annual meeting of newspaper editors Wednesday that the last few weeks in Iraq had been "really rough." That is a start on a realistic assessment, but the administration has to offer Congress and the public far more detail about U.S. difficulties and costs in Iraq than that vague statement.

As bombings grow more lethal and additional troops are ordered to Iraq, Congress is beginning to rouse itself to examine a war it never properly debated. The White House should pay sharper attention. It sent no one to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

Angry committee Chairman Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) read out loud a series of questions that he said the administration must answer in order to persuade Congress and the people that a transfer of power in Iraq could and would actually take place June 30. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) rebuked the failure of any official to appear as an "arrogant mistake."

The House Armed Services Committee, generally a bastion of hawks, proved little more friendly Wednesday. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) denounced the White House's refusal to acknowledge the growing fiscal costs of Iraq as "immoral" after Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified that the Iraq war probably would cost hundreds of millions more than already budgeted. Weldon estimates that at least $10 billion more will be needed for military costs in the next five months alone. The White House insists that it is not required to make a funding request that would put a dollar cost on the occupation until next year — after the election.

Scarcely more encouraging was Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz's appearance before the committee. Pressed for how the administration envisioned a transition, he declared: "Some say we have no plan. We have a plan." But he could not explain what it was.

The most hopeful sign for a transition is Bush's appointment of United Nations Ambassador John D. Negroponte to become ambassador to Iraq. Negroponte enjoys close relations with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. If given a clean slate, he could begin to reverse occupation head L. Paul Bremer III's foolish decision to dissolve the entire Iraqi army. He could follow the recommendation of U.S. generals to allow some former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to occupy government jobs. As in postwar Germany and Japan, such ex-party members are usually the ones who have experience in running a government.

But no matter how skillfully Negroponte performs, he can hardly turn Iraq around on his own. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) had it right Wednesday while speaking on NBC about how much the occupation was really going to cost: "Be honest with the Congress, be honest with the American people."

The anger evident across Iraq is more than a "really rough" moment. It is tipping toward full-scale insurrection, with no publicly delineated plan for stopping it — and no accounting of the cost of the attempt.

Grand jury indicts pop star Michael Jackson on charges that he molested a boy in February and March 2003. Details to come.

Air America Radio to Announce New Stations in Chicago and Los Angeles Shortly

We are in discussions to broadcast Air America Radio on strong signal stations in Chicago and Los Angeles. We'll have an announcement on these developments shortly.

In addition, Air America Radio will continue to add stations around the country. In fact, in the three weeks since our launch, we already have added 11 stations.

Air America Radio can currently be heard on the web at airamericaradio.com, XM Satellite Radio, Channel 167, Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 125, and the following stations: WLIB 1190 AM in New York; WNTD 950 AM in Chicago; KPOJ 620 AM in Portland, OR; KCAA 1050 AM in the Inland Empire, CA; WMNN 1330 AM in Minneapolis/St. Paul; and WCHL 1360 AM in Chapel Hill, NC.

Air America Radio recently announced new affiliations with KVT0 1400 AM and KVVN 1430 AM in the San Francisco Bay Area; KSQR 1240 AM in Sacramento, CA; WMTW 870 AM in Portland, ME; KBZC 1300 AM in Colorado Springs, CO; WJNO 1290 AM in West Palm Beach, FL; WTWK 1070 AM in Plattsburg, NY & Burlington, VT; and WKIZ 1500 AM in Key West, FL.

Listen to Air America Radio

In TV Coverage, Kerry Runs a Deficit
Bush Airtime Is Triple His Rival's

A review by The Washington Post, using a video monitoring service, finds that the cable news networks have covered more Bush events and stayed with them longer. From March 3, the day after the senator clinched the nomination, through Friday, they have devoted 12 hours and 11 minutes to live appearances by Bush -- including Tuesday's prime-time news conference, which was also carried by NBC, CBS and ABC. Kerry's live cable coverage during this period: 3 hours 47 minutes.

And there's only one path to safety and that's the path of action. Congress must act with the Patriot Act. We must continue to stay on the offense when it comes to chasing these killers down and bringing them to justice -- and we will. We've got to be strong and resolute and determined. We will never show weakness in the face of these people who have no soul, who have no conscience, who care less about the life of a man or a woman or a child. We've got to do everything we can here at home. And there's no doubt in my mind that, with the Almighty's blessings and hard work, that we will succeed in our mission.

U.S. Sees Terror Threats, Aims to Boost Security

The U.S. government believes it is vulnerable to a terror attack during this year's presidential election, party conventions and national holidays, and has launched a plan to beef up security, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said.

While there is no intelligence of specific threats, the number of high-profile political events this year are considered potential targets of a terrorist attack, and in a speech in Las Vegas on Monday Ridge vowed to increase vigilance and improve security.

"We soon enter a season that is rich with symbolic opportunities for the terrorists to try to shake our will," said Ridge, whose department is charged with trying to prevent another day like Sept. 11, 2001, when hijacked airline attacks left about 3,000 people dead.

Events viewed by the government as potential targets include national holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July, the G-8 summit in June, the Republican and Democratic party conventions this summer and the November presidential election.

Clampdown on 'bus sex'

THE MINISTRY of Transport and Works is threatening to revoke the licences and sub-licences of operators of public passenger vehicles which it said condoned sexual activity among school children and adults travelling on buses.

Minister of Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill made the disclosure at the launch of World Health Day held at the Excelsior Community College yesterday.

"The issue of adults and school children engaging in sexual intercourse in public passenger vehicles is a matter of concern. This issue is once again in the news and various proposals have been made with a view to terminate the practice," said the Minister.

"I have given particular instructions and licences and sub-licences will be revoked if illicit sexual practices are conducted on the buses."

Mr. Pickersgill explained that the Transport Authority is working with the Island Traffic Authority and the police to catch offenders particularly on Route 82 ­ Cross Roads to Waterhouse, which has generated the greatest number of complaints.

"As a result of operations carried out by these entities, tints were removed from 17 buses and musical equipment was removed from 11 buses. The public should know that investigations have revealed that the buses that are heavily tinted and feature loud, lewd music are the ones that tend to facilitate these illicit sexual activities," said Mr. Pickersgill.

GIs Battle 'Baghdad Boil'

Sgt. Eric DiVona didn't notice the small bumps on his face and left earlobe until he returned from serving nine months in Iraq. Nothing much, he thought, probably just a spider bite.

But soon those bumps erupted into open sores, one growing to the size of a half dollar. The left side of his face puffed up, a swelling that wouldn't go away. And he noticed he was not the only one in his unit with such symptoms.

"A lot of people started coming down with sores," he said, sitting at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with an IV taped to his right arm. "It was like, 'You ain't cool unless you got it."'

What DiVona thought was a spider bite was actually caused by a tiny sand fly with a fierce parasite stewing in its gut, an organism that causes stubborn and ugly sores that linger for months.

Scientists and doctors refer to the disease caused by the parasite as cutaneous leishmaniasis. But soldiers serving in sand-fly rich Iraq call it, with little affection, the "Baghdad boil."

The sores are not painful or contagious, but left untreated they can last up to 18 months and leave permanent, burn-like scars. Since the flies bite exposed areas, many soldiers have sores on their necks, faces and arms.

So, thousands of foreign terrorists, jihad warriors, Islamic extremists and would-be suicide bombers flock to Iraq and Afghanistan to gladly give their lives to maybe maim or kill a couple of U.S. soldiers. Or would you rather those same fanatics make their way to an American city — or Great Britain, or Spain, or France — to attack civilian "soft" targets?

No, I'd rather take them on in Afghanistan or Iraq, with the best force we can muster — the U.S. military. I say the president's got it right: "Bring 'em on!"

(Name and town not reproduced here)

White House Irked as Powell Airs Iraq Misgivings

For more than a year, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and his aides have tacitly acknowledged that he was concerned before the war about what could go wrong once American forces captured Iraq.

But Mr. Powell's apparent decision to lay out his misgivings even more explicitly to the journalist Bob Woodward for a book has jolted the White House and aggravated long-festering tensions in the Bush cabinet. Moreover, some officials said, the book has created problems for the secretary inside the administration just as the situation in Iraq is deteriorating and President Bush is plunging into his re-election drive.

Mr. Powell has not acknowledged that he cooperated with Mr. Woodward, but the book presents the secretary's reservations in such detail that it leaves little doubt. A spokesman for Mr. Powell said again Sunday that he would not comment on the book, "Plan of Attack."

Critics of Mr. Powell in the hawkish wing of the administration said they were startled by what they saw as his self-serving decision to help fill out a portrait that enhances his reputation as a farsighted analyst, perhaps at the expense of Mr. Bush. Several said the book guaranteed what they expected anyway, that Mr. Powell will not stay as secretary if Mr. Bush is re-elected.

Rice: U.S. Bracing for Terror Before Polls

The United States is bracing for possible terrorist attacks before the November presidential election, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Sunday.

The opportunity for terrorists to try to influence the election, as was the case last month in Spain, appears to be an opportunity that would ``be too good to pass up for them,'' Rice said.

"I think that we do have to take very seriously the thought that the terrorists might have learned, we hope, the wrong lesson from Spain,'' Rice told "Fox News Sunday.''

"I think we also have to take seriously that they might try during the cycle leading up to the election to do something,'' she said.

"We are actively looking at that possibility, actively trying to see - to make certain that we are responding appropriately,'' she said.

Spanish premier fulfills campaign promise and orders troops home from Iraq

MADRID, Spain (AP) The prime minister ordered Spanish troops pulled out of Iraq as soon as possible Sunday, fulfilling a campaign pledge to a nation still recovering from terrorist bombings that al-Qaida militants said were reprisal for Spain's support of the war.

The new Socialist prime minister issued the abrupt recall just hours after his government was sworn in, saying there was no sign the United States would meet his demands for staying in Iraq United Nations control of the postwar occupation.

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's party won the March 14 general election amid allegations that outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar had provoked commuter-train terrorist bombing, which killed 191 people three days earlier, by backing the war in Iraq.

Zapatero pledged to remove Spanish troops in his winning campaign. But his announcement a setback for the United States was a bombshell, coming just hours after his government was sworn in, and as his foreign minister planned to travel to Washington to discuss the dispute.

In a five-minute address at the Moncloa Palace, Zapatero said he had ordered Defense Minister Jose Bono to ''do what is necessary for the Spanish troops stationed in Iraq to return home in the shortest time possible.'

The liberation of its people.
The human rights violations.
To overthrow Saddam.
To build a democracy.
To make an example to other Arab or Muslim nations.
For what Saddam did in 1990.
For what Saddam did in 1986.
It was the right thing to do.
To show that we do not tolerate dictatorships.
To convince Libya to end its WMD programs.

To disarm Saddam.

U.S. Combat Death Toll in Iraq Rises to Over 500

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fierce fighting in Iraq over the weekend killed 10 U.S. soldiers, including five Marines in a day of bloody clashes against scores of heavily armed guerrillas near the Syrian border, the U.S. military said Sunday.

The deaths brought to 503 the number of American soldiers killed in action in Iraq since the start of the U.S.-led war in March last year to oust Saddam Hussein.

Since March 31, 104 have been killed in combat -- more than the number of U.S. combat deaths in the three-week war that toppled Saddam.

Cheney Says Kerry a Threat to Gun Owners

PITTSBURGH - Vice President Dick Cheney portrayed President Bush and himself as champions of the Second Amendment — and Democratic candidate John Kerry as a potential threat to gun owners — in a speech at the National Rifle Association's 133rd annual convention Saturday.

"John Kerry's approach to the Second Amendment has been to regulate, regulate and then regulate some more," Cheney said, citing votes against legislation that would protect gun makers from lawsuits and in favor of allowing federal authorities to randomly inspect gun dealers without notice.

Bush "has shown you respect, earned your vote and appreciates your support," Cheney said. [...]

Earlier in the day, Tom Mauser, whose son, Daniel, was killed with an assault weapon in the Columbine High School killings five years ago, tried to enter the convention hall where the NRA was meeting, seeking to urge Cheney to support extending the assault weapons ban.

Mauser was turned away by a security guard as several conventioneers applauded. A couple of conventioneers yelled "Get a life" and "Vote for Bush."

*sigh*
As always...
Why is the Left so incredibly bitter..?
So very angry..?
So without any hope that the future holds any promise..?
What the hell happened to you?
Who hurt you so badly..?
I'd apologize, but you need to look within, I'm afraid.
It's not my fucking fault.
Your pain is clearly your own. Deal with it.

Spurned Blair in plea to Bush
Prime minister urges US president to restore 'even-handed' approach over Middle East peace

Tony Blair will today attempt to restore British influence in Washington when he warns President George Bush that the Middle East "road map" remains the only viable option for achieving a lasting political settlement.

Less than 48 hours after Mr Bush spurned his plea for an "even-handed" approach to the Middle East, the prime minister will make clear in private that Britain cannot sign up to Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan which was all but endorsed by the president.

Poll: Kerry has double-digit lead in N.Y.
By Marc Humbert, Associated Press Writer | April 16, 2004

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Democrat John Kerry has a hefty double-digit lead over President Bush among New York state voters, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday.

The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found Bush's approval rating had slipped to 40 percent in New York, the lowest point yet for the Republican incumbent. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Bush's approval rating in New York had soared above 80 percent.

In the latest poll from the Hamden, Conn.-based institute, Kerry was favored by 53 percent of New York voters to 36 percent for Bush in a head-to-head matchup. In a November poll from Quinnipiac, conducted before the presidential primary began, Kerry led Bush, 50 percent to 42 percent.

Bush campaign losing financial advantage
By BILL STRAUB
Scripps Howard News Service
April 16, 2004

President Bush's re-election campaign, complicated by the turn of events in Iraq and new questions about his reaction to the terrorist threat, is losing its edge in a key area that few would have predicted - money.

While the Bush campaign still has plenty of cash on hand - it has raised about $180 million - more than $40 million was sunk into a massive television ad buy intended to turn the electoral tide in 18 tossup states. That expenditure, coupled with the recent fundraising success of his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, means the substantial monetary advantage the president once held has all but vanished.

Bush entered the spring with a distinct financial edge. About half of the money collected, $90 million, was targeted for a television ad campaign that, GOP operatives acknowledge, was intended to define Kerry before the Democrat had an opportunity to introduce himself to voters and, hopefully, deal an early knockout blow.

The strategy seemed to be working. The ad campaign started in March, shortly after Kerry won a string of primaries and became his party's presumptive nominee. On March 11, according to Rasmussen Reports, which is running a daily tracking poll of the presidential contest, Bush and Kerry were dead even, each receiving support from 46 percent of those polled.

By March 19, the survey showed Bush with a 47-43 lead. On March 22, Bush topped out at 48 percent.

"The ad campaign was effective," said Bill Schneider, veteran political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. "They convinced voters that Kerry was a flip-flopper and a tax raiser who would raise their taxes on gas by 50 cents a gallon."

But it was right about then that events - growing unrest in Iraq, rising gas prices, concern about the jobs picture - caught up with Bush and his edge began to dissipate. Kerry built a substantial lead at one juncture, Rasmussen had the challenger ahead 48-42 on April 2, and the two have traded the top spot since. Five of the seven polls released publicly in April show Kerry ahead.

Having reportedly gone through more than $40 million of the $90 million budgeted for its spring and summer media effort, the Bush campaign finds itself in no better position than when it started. And its once vaunted financial advantage, which had Democrats muttering nervously, is no longer quite so substantial.

Kerry set a new presidential campaign record by raising more than $50 million in the first quarter of 2004, including $38 million in March alone. He also is finding success in April, pulling in $6.5 million in one night in New York City. That means Kerry, who risked being buried in the Bush bombardment, expects to compete and respond to any attack.

Any amount is accepted. Give, Vote, Win.

Poll Shows College Vote Waning for Bush

President Bush's support on college campuses has dropped substantially in the past six months because of growing student dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, the weak job market and Bush's stance on gay marriage, according to a poll released Thursday.

The survey from the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics at Harvard University showed college students favoring Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, over Bush 48 percent to 38 percent. Independent candidate Ralph Nader drew the support of 5 percent.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you, sir. We will take three questions a side, and so why don't you ask one question to each of us.

You can start, Mr. Hunt.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, did you ask Secretary Rumsfeld to draw up war plans against Iraq in November, 2001, just as the military action was getting underway in Afghanistan? Why couldn't Iraq wait?

And Mr. Prime Minister --

PRESIDENT BUSH: No, I thought -- one question apiece. Not one question or one question apiece.

Kerry Firing Away at Bush's Reputation as Straight Shooter
Analysts say that all but calling the president a liar risks scrutiny of his reputation for wavering.

After months of attacking President Bush's policies, Sen. John F. Kerry is stepping up an assault on his rival's character, challenging Bush's credibility on everything from job creation to the war in Iraq.

Stopping just short of calling the president a liar, Kerry routinely accuses Bush of "running up a truth deficit" and compiling "a long list of broken promises."

"The American people have a right to the truth," Kerry said Wednesday, in a characteristic jab at a town hall meeting in New York City. Afterward, he questioned Bush's candor during Tuesday's prime-time news conference, which was dominated by discussion of Iraq.

"The American people are owed a directness and an honesty about how we protect our troops and how we stand up for our interests,'' Kerry told reporters.

His strategy is risky. By challenging Bush's truthfulness, the presumptive Democratic nominee invites scrutiny of his reputation for vacillation and seemingly contradictory stands, such as backing the president's decision on whether to go to war with Iraq but against continued funding for military operations and the country's reconstruction.

"They're swimming way upstream on this one," said Matthew Dowd, a top strategist for the president's reelection effort.

Air America sets Real Networks streaming record

There may be an audience for liberal network Air America Radio out there. The network, which had only three traditional radio stations at its launch, hit the online airwaves in record-setting fashion. RealNetworks announced that it delivered more than 2 million streams through airamericaradio.com during the network’s first week starting March 31. Air America officials reported that the launch was the largest non-news stream in Real Broadcast history. Air America includes left-leaning personalities on its daily line-up such as former “Saturday Night Live” writer Al Franken, actress Janeane Garofolo, and Lizz Winstead, co-creator of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

...we’re going to slam Liu’s head in a car door. Another metaphor.

Arthur Liu, owner of Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, which owns Air America affiliates WNTD-950 AM in Chicago and KBLA-1580 AM in Los Angeles, said Air America bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million.

"They bounced a check today," Liu said. "It's a default. They have paid only a very small portion of what they owe us." Liu declined to say how much Multicultural is owed, but did say he is holding $1 million in checks that Air America has asked the company not to cash.

"They've been saying, 'We're going to get you the money' for the past two months," Liu said, referring to a security deposit that he said Air America was supposed to have prepaid in advance of its launch. "They're not honoring our agreement."

"That is an outright lie," said Evan Cohen, Air America's chairman, in a statement. "Multicultural Radio Broadcasting's conduct in this matter has been disgraceful.... [I]t is a clear violation of their contractual obligations."

A Chicago source familiar with the situation said a Multicultural representative showed up at WNTD's offices this morning, kicked out Air America's lone staffer overseeing the network's feed to the station from New York, switched over to a Spanish-language feed, and changed the locks on the doors.

Liu said the same thing happened at KBLA in Los Angeles.

Randi [Rhodes] had [AAR President] Jon Sinton on to explain.

Seems the guy who owns the two stations in question was accepting payment from both AA and the broadcaster they replaced.

They are going to court today to get a temporary injunction.

Turns out this guy is a Repub contributor, who gave money to Rick Lazio against Mrs. Clinton. Imagine that.

Statement Regarding WNTD in Chicago and KBLA in Los Angeles

Statement of Evan Cohen, Chairman of Air America Radio:

"Air America Radio is temporarily unable to be heard on WNTD in Chicago and KBLA in Los Angeles, but Chicago and Los Angeles listeners can still hear our broadcast on the web at airamericaradio.com and on XM Satellite Radio (channel 167).

"MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting's conduct in this matter has been disgraceful. To shut off a broadcast that listeners rely on without warning and in the middle of discussions is the height of irresponsibility and a slap in the face of the media industry. In addition, it is a clear violation of their contractual obligations, and we are seeking legal remedies against them in court."

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

In the last campaign, you were asked a question about the biggest mistake you’d made in your life, and you used to like to joke that it was trading Sammy Sosa.

You’ve looked back before 9/11 for what mistakes might have been made. After 9/11, what would your biggest mistake be, would you say, and what lessons have learned from it?

BUSH: I wish you’d have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it.

John, I’m sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could’ve done it better this way or that way. You know, I just — I’m sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn’t yet.

I would’ve gone into Afghanistan the way we went into Afghanistan. Even knowing what I know today about the stockpiles of weapons, I still would’ve called upon the world to deal with Saddam Hussein.

See, I’m of the belief that we’ll find out the truth on the weapons. That’s why we sent up the independent commission. I look forward to hearing the truth as to exactly where they are. They could still be there. They could be hidden, like the 50 tons of mustard gas in a turkey farm.

One of the things that Charlie Duelfer talked about was that he was surprised of the level of intimidation he found amongst people who should know about weapons and their fear of talking about them because they don’t want to be killed.

You know, there’s this kind of — there’s a terror still in the soul of some of the people in Iraq.

They’re worried about getting killed, and therefore they’re not going to talk. But it’ll all settle out, John. We’ll find out the truth about the weapons at some point in time.

However, the fact that he had the capacity to make them bothers me today just like it would have bothered me then. He’s a dangerous man. He’s a man who actually not only had weapons of mass destruction — the reason I can say that with certainty is because he used them.

And I have no doubt in my mind that he would like to have inflicted harm, or paid people to inflict harm, or trained people to inflict harm, on America, because he hated us.

I hope — I don’t want to sound like I have made no mistakes. I’m confident I have. I just haven’t — you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I’m not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one.

Ashcroft at Center of Storm Over Sept. 11 Attacks

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told the Sept. 11 commission on Tuesday the Clinton administration bore most of the blame for the attacks because it allowed the nation's defenses to wither for eight years.

Facing charges he blocked counterterrorism funds in 2001 at a dramatic day of testimony on the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, Ashcroft found himself at the center of a storm over his actions in the months before they took place.

In two staff reports, the panel investigating the hijacked airliner assaults on New York and Washington also leveled stinging criticism at the Justice Department and FBI for failing to meet the growing threat from al Qaeda.

The commission cited a May 10 Justice Department document setting priorities for 2001. The top priorities cited were reducing gun violence and combating drug trafficking. There was no mention of counterterrorism.

When Dale Watson, the head of the counterterrorism division, saw the document, he "almost fell out of his chair," the commission report said. [...]

Ashcroft said the Justice Department was still operating under the Clinton administration's budget in 2001. He said President Bush had proposed the largest counterterrorism budget increase for five years and was moving urgently to upgrade the FBI's antiquated computer systems when the attacks took place.

He said that over the eight years of the Clinton administration, the FBI's technology budget was "starved for funds" and was $36 million below its 1992 level.

U.S. Forces Dispatched to Najaf to Confront Sadr
1 U.S. Solider Killed in Attack on Convoy; Helicopter Crashes Outside Fallujah

One U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb Monday night as a military convoy on its way to the holy city of Najaf came under attack, news services reported. Near Fallujah, a U.S. military helicopter was reported to have been shot down but the crew was uninjured.

The convoy, which was traveling from Baquba, was part of a growing U.S. force sent to Najaf to confront a militia loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada Sadr.

Ashcroft Said Not to See Terrorism as Top Priority

The Justice Department under Attorney General John Ashcroft failed in 2001 to treat counterterrorism as a top priority, the commission on the Sept. 11 attacks said on Tuesday, in its latest report detailing security breakdowns throughout the government.

The commission staff statement was issued before the start of two days of hearings on the failure of the FBI and other agencies to prevent the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed around 3,000 people.

It focused on a May 10 Justice Department document that set out priorities for that year. The top priorities cited were reducing gun violence and combating drug trafficking. It made no mention of counterterrorism.

When Dale Watson, the head of the counterterrorism division, saw the report, he "almost fell out of his chair," the report said.

"The FBI's new counterterrorism strategy was not a focus of the Justice Department in 2001," it added.

Then-acting FBI Director Thomas Pickard said he appealed to Ashcroft for more money for counterterrorism but on Sept 10, 2001, one day before the hijacked airliner attacks, Ashcroft rejected the appeal.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, testifying before the commission, said the bureau's counterterrorism operations were severely underfunded and understaffed in the years leading up to the attacks.

Freeh, questioned by Democratic commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste, later said intelligence services were aware of the danger that a terrorist might use a hijacked plane as a weapon.

He acknowledged steps were taken to protect the White House as well as special events, such as the 2000 Olympic Games and meetings of world leaders, against such a threat, but nothing was done to protect the country at large.

Bush's re-election effort is plagued with questions on whether his administration could have prevented the attacks, and holding the convention just minutes away from the World Trade Center, where nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001, could make matters worse, they said.

"It was the wrong place to go from the beginning," veteran Republican political consultant Roger Stone said.

"They wanted to highlight the president's strong leadership in the days after 9/11, which includes the conduct of the war, and now that is going to be a contentious, hard-fought issue," he said, adding that, "The backdrop here has the potential to dominate the story."

When the party chose New York for the convention scheduled to begin August 30, officials painted the move as a way to show off a city rebuilding from the attacks, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Bush White House.

But that picture has soured. The war in Iraq is deteriorating with some of the bloodiest fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden whose al Qaeda group is blamed for the September 11 attacks remains at large. And, some families of September 11 victims accuse Republicans of trying to politically exploit the tragedy.

Tips for writing good letters to the editor:
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Bush Says 'It's Hard to Tell' When Iraq Violence Will Ebb

President Bush, after Easter prayers for the safety of U.S. troops, acknowledged Sunday that it has been a "tough week" in Iraq and said it is difficult to know when the violence will subside.

Bush, on a trip from his ranch here to nearby Fort Hood, said he is praying daily for fewer casualties in Iraq, where nearly 50 Americans have been killed in an uprising over the past week. But Bush said he sees no need for more troops and characterized the violence in Iraq as the work of "a few people" and "violent gangs."

"It was a tough week last week, and my prayers and thoughts are with those who paid the ultimate price for our security," Bush told reporters after praying with families of soldiers in Iraq. Asked whether the violence would ebb soon, he replied: "It's hard to tell. I just know this: that we're plenty tough and we'll remain tough."

"Today, on bended knee, I thank the good Lord for protecting those of our troops overseas, and our coalition troops and innocent Iraqis who suffer at the hands of some of these senseless killings by people who are trying to shake our will," Bush told reporters.

"I pray every day there's less casualties," Bush said. "But I know what we're doing in Iraq is right. . . . And it's hard work."

Crawford, Aug. 6, 2001. U.S. president George W. Bush is on vacation. He wants to spend the whole month at his ranch in Texas. Every morning, however, he still receives his Presidential Daily Brief, or PDB, wherein the CIA informs the president about the country's security situation. On this morning, the report is straight from the CIA director. His PDB runs 11 and one-half printed pages, instead of the usual two to three, and carries the title, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." Therein the CIA chief explains that al Qaeda has decided to carry out attacks within the United States, and that presumably members of the terrorist organization have been in the country for some time. It is unclear whether the CIA director informed the president about the statements of arrested al Qaeda members. According to their confessions, the terrorist organization for some time has been thinking about hijacking planes and using them as missiles.

Bush Prays with Troops After 'Tough Week' in Iraq

FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush prayed with U.S. troops on Easter Sunday, acknowledged "a tough week" in Iraq and said it was hard to tell if the violence there would ebb soon.

Bush, his wife, Laura, his parents, the former President George Bush and Barbara Bush, his twin daughters and his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, attended services at the Fort Hood chapel. Fort Hood just learned 10 of its soldiers stationed in Iraq were killed last week.

"Our troops are taking care of business," Bush told reporters afterward. "Their job is to make Iraq more secure, so that a peaceful Iraq can emerge. And they're doing a great job, and it was a tough week last week. And my prayers and thoughts are with those who paid the ultimate price for our security."