| Topic: |
Science > Abortion |
| User: |
"Mimi Cohen" |
| Date: |
01 Jan 2006 05:26:49 PM |
| Object: |
Big Lies of 2005 |
Big Lies
Who told the worst political untruth of 2005? It's a shame the list of
contenders is so long.
WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Eleanor Clift
Newsweek
Updated: 6:51 p.m. ET Dec. 22, 2005
Dec. 22, 2005 - Every holiday season, we on "The McLaughlin Group" hand out
news awards. Some categories, like "Biggest Winner," are easy (My choice
was
Chief Justice John Roberts, with the oil companies as runner-up). Others
are a struggle to fill, like who to insult with the "Overrated" award.
In compiling this year's list, I had the highest number of entries for the
category, "Biggest Lie." I chose the White House declaration that Karl Rove
and Scooter Libby had nothing to do with leaking the identity of a covert
CIA agent. They were the principal participants in the effort to discredit
former ambassador Joe Wilson because he had raised doubts about one of the
pillars of their argument for war, namely that Iraq had tried to buy
yellowcake uranium to make a bomb.
Another favorite-heard all the time from the White House-is that "everybody
saw the same intelligence we did." Members of Congress don't see the
President's Daily Briefing (one of them was the glossed-over pre-9/11
document that warned "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside the U.S."), and
they didn't see all the qualifying caveats about Iraq's alleged weapons of
mass destruction, or the doubts about the credibility of the sources the
administration was relying on.
Bush is good at stating the obviously untrue. "We do not torture," he
declared despite ample evidence to the contrary from Abu Ghraib to
Guantanamo to secret prisons in Eastern Europe. Vice President Cheney went
to Capitol Hill repeatedly to lobby for the U.S. right to torture,
capitulating only when the vote went against him 90 to 9. Sen. John McCain,
who was tortured when held prisoner during the Vietnam War, took on Bush's
No. 2 and stood up for democratic principles. It's a wonder Cheney has any
credibility left after assuring the country in May, "the insurgency is in
its last throes."
The revelation that President Bush authorized spying on American citizens
without warrants is a late entry to the year's "Biggest Lies" list. Bush
says he bypassed the law because of the need for speed. He may believe
that,
but the facts say otherwise.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 established a special
FISA
secret court designed to act expeditiously. The executive branch can tap
anybody's phone and not even get a warrant until 72 hours after the fact.
The FISA court isn't picky; it's only turned down five requests out of
19,000 in its quarter-century existence. Bush publicly and proudly says he
will continue to break the law. The Washington Post reported that one FISA
court judge has resigned in apparent protest, and the others are asking why
we have a secret court when it is ignored.
Bush's explanation is riddled with lies. He says our enemies are watching
and threatens The New York Times, which broke the spying story, with legal
action. It takes a vivid imagination to believe that Osama bin Laden and
his
buddies are keeping up with the niceties of FISA courts and would otherwise
have no idea their phones might be tapped. Bush says he talks to Congress
all the time and that there was plenty of congressional oversight. Not
true.
The Gang of Eight (leaders of both parties in the House and Senate, plus
the
chair and ranking members of the Intelligence Committees) were forbidden to
take notes or discuss what they were told with colleagues or staff.
Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller's hand-written letter to Cheney expressed
uneasiness about the program. Rockefeller couldn't have its legality
evaluated by staff. He couldn't even have the letter typed because of the
secrecy. That hardly qualifies as congressional oversight.
The cavalier attitude toward the checks and balance of a democratic society
is a pattern with this administration. Bush and Cheney regard Congress and
the judiciary as obstacles, not as equal branches of government. The polls
show that a majority of Americans no longer trust this team, which is why
Bush and Cheney are hitting back hard at their critics. If they lose this
round over spying, the spillover effect will be devastating for their war
policy and on any domestic agenda they hope to salvage. We have no
mechanism
to deal with a president who has lost the trust and confidence of the
American people and has three years remaining in office. Impeachment is a
nonissue; it's not going to happen with Republicans in control of the House
and Senate.
What will happen is more open insurrection on the part of senators-both
Democrats and Republicans. Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee
Samuel Alito are scheduled to begin the first week in January. In the weeks
since being named by Bush, there have been a series of stories about
Alito's
early writings as a member of the Reagan administration. Alito wants us to
believe he was a callow young thirtysomething who advocated far-right
positions to curry favor for a job. The White House is telling senators
that
Alito didn't mean all those things he wrote about disregarding privacy
rights and overturning Roe v. Wade-another big lie. No wonder this year's
list was so easy to put together.
.
|
|
| User: "Attila" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
01 Jan 2006 06:01:34 PM |
|
|
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
.
|
|
|
| User: "james g. keegan jr." |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
01 Jan 2006 06:36:57 PM |
|
|
In article <j9rgr193dvmjrp9mmrq3aomfomhn4a651m@4ax.com>,
Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
you'll understand after you've been reading the abortion newsgroups
for a few days.
oh wait, it's you, attila. never mind. you'll never understand.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Mimi Cohen" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
01 Jan 2006 08:19:34 PM |
|
|
james g. keegan jr. wrote:
In article <j9rgr193dvmjrp9mmrq3aomfomhn4a651m@4ax.com>,
Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
you'll understand after you've been reading the abortion newsgroups
for a few days.
oh wait, it's you, attila. never mind. you'll never understand.
:)
.
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "Gaia" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 01:43:46 AM |
|
|
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:01:34 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
You're a fucking moron, then.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Attila" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 06:03:13 AM |
|
|
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:43:46 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<0dmhr19v5ovsb9ud8c8dtp6hvbvlv8qtpe@4ax.com> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:01:34 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
You're a fucking moron, then.
No answer I see. Other than the expected name calling. You do that a
lot don't you? Are you that insecure?
.
|
|
|
| User: "Gaia" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 06:06:05 AM |
|
|
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:03:13 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:43:46 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<0dmhr19v5ovsb9ud8c8dtp6hvbvlv8qtpe@4ax.com> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:01:34 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
You're a fucking moron, then.
No answer...
It is, whether it's the one you were looking for is another matter.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Attila" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 12:16:33 PM |
|
|
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:06:05 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<po5ir1lr5vld3pjkvhq991v5urbo1n1ona@4ax.com> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:03:13 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:43:46 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<0dmhr19v5ovsb9ud8c8dtp6hvbvlv8qtpe@4ax.com> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:01:34 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
You're a fucking moron, then.
No answer...
It is, whether it's the one you were looking for is another matter.
I would not bother looking for anything from you.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Gaia" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 12:47:09 PM |
|
|
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 13:16:33 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:06:05 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<po5ir1lr5vld3pjkvhq991v5urbo1n1ona@4ax.com> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:03:13 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:43:46 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<0dmhr19v5ovsb9ud8c8dtp6hvbvlv8qtpe@4ax.com> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:01:34 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
You're a fucking moron, then.
No answer...
It is, whether it's the one you were looking for is another matter.
I would not bother looking for anything from you.
Good. That means you'll not be looking for my response when you carry
on your off-topic, off-topic whines.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Attila" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 07:30:51 PM |
|
|
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 13:47:09 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<78tir19s90952jhddukfpc4q1hv4vglkfm@4ax.com> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 13:16:33 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:06:05 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<po5ir1lr5vld3pjkvhq991v5urbo1n1ona@4ax.com> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 07:03:13 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 02:43:46 -0500, Gaia <starchaser@inorbit.com> in
alt.abortion with message-id
<0dmhr19v5ovsb9ud8c8dtp6hvbvlv8qtpe@4ax.com> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:01:34 -0500, Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:26:49 -0800, Mimi Cohen <mimiNOSPAMgal@cox.net>
in alt.abortion with message-id <QyZtf.3311$ZA5.2061@fed1read05>
wrote:
What does this have to do wit abortion or the Freedom of Choice?
You're a fucking moron, then.
No answer...
It is, whether it's the one you were looking for is another matter.
I would not bother looking for anything from you.
Good. That means you'll not be looking for my response when you carry
on your off-topic, off-topic whines.
I never look for your responses. I simply take them as they come.
In fact, I usually don't bother to even look at who posted the comment
to which I am responding.
.
|
|
|
| User: "james g. keegan jr." |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 08:45:44 PM |
|
|
In article <orkjr1hs2rclmfk6qocha9g9lnal6b5bbg@4ax.com>,
Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
In fact, I usually don't bother to even look at who posted the comment
to which I am responding.
*smirk*
.
|
|
|
| User: "Mimi Cohen" |
|
| Title: Re: Big Lies of 2005 |
02 Jan 2006 10:43:32 PM |
|
|
james g. keegan jr. wrote:
In article <orkjr1hs2rclmfk6qocha9g9lnal6b5bbg@4ax.com>,
Attila <prochoice@here.now> wrote:
In fact, I usually don't bother to even look at who posted the comment
to which I am responding.
*smirk*
or the comment itself apparently :)
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
