http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/01/18/scandal/

34 scandals from the first four years of Bush2's rule -- every one
of them worse than Whitewater

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/01/18/scandal/

34 scandals from the first four years of Bush2's rule -- every one
of them worse than Whitewater


The Scandal Sheet
By Peter Dizikes

Print it out, send it to Harry Reid, or just read it and weep.
Here are 34 scandals from the first four years of George W. Bush's
presidency -- every one of them worse than Whitewater.

Jan. 18, 2005

Once upon a time -- about five years ago -- conservative pundits
often talked about "scandal fatigue." Remember scandal fatigue? It
was an affliction supposedly either turning voters against
Democrats or, alternatively, a weariness in the body politic
preventing Republicans from pursuing even more grievances against
Bill Clinton. By any objective measure, however, after four years
of George W. Bush's presidency, the entire nation should be
suffering from utter scandal exhaustion.

Consider the raw materials of scandal that this administration has
produced: False claims about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass
destruction. Torture in Abu Ghraib. The virtually treasonous
exposure of a CIA agent by White House officials. And those are
just the best-known examples.

After all, how many citizens can name all the ongoing
investigations of Halliburton, Vice President ***** Cheney's old
firm? Who remembers that the administration illicitly diverted
$700 million from Afghanistan to Iraq? Or that, on Capitol Hill,
Senate Republicans stole strategy memos from Democrats, while a
House Republican said he was offered a bribe during a crucial
vote? Even a conscientious citizen cannot be expected to keep
score, so Salon has compiled a list.

If the next four years of Bush and the GOP running the federal
government are anything like the previous four, however, potential
scandals will lead to few political consequences for the
Republicans. Bush opponents will likely be disappointed if they
are waiting for a renewal of the supposed "second-term scandal
jinx" dogging Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Clinton.

After all, Washington Republicans are insulated by a rabidly
partisan Congress with no interest in investigating the executive
branch (and little taste for disciplining itself). By contrast,
presidents Nixon, Reagan and Clinton each faced an adversarial
Congress. As the late Senate Watergate Committee counsel Sam Dash
noted in 2003 about congressional oversight: "Although it worked
then, it doesn't mean it would work now."

Moreover, Congress allowed the independent-counsel statute, the
law that brought us Ken Starr, to expire as Bush assumed office.
And the right-wing media -- cable news, talk radio, several
newspapers -- are not about to replicate the drumbeat of scandal
they pounded out while Clinton held office. Thus scandals are not
a defining part of the GOP's current identity.

The Democrats, terminally cautious even in the minority, seem
unlikely to change this dynamic -- although Harry Reid, the
Democrats' new Senate leader, has announced his party will hold
monthly oversight hearings, beginning this January, on "unasked
and unanswered questions" about the Bush administration. Reid's
project, however, is an uphill battle. The Democrats cannot compel
anyone to testify, unlike standard congressional committees, and
memorable rhetoric is not a party strength. "This is about honesty
and accountability and reforming our federal government," Reid
said in the prepared statement the Democratic Policy Committee
released about its oversight plans.

Just think: Someone prepared that quote. To put it more bluntly
than Reid did: This is about the dozens of scandals occurring
while the Republican Party has enjoyed almost complete control
over the federal government. This is about the GOP's utter
disrespect for the laws of the United States. This is about
stopping greed, bribery and influence-peddling.

Indeed, here are 34 Republican scandals worthy of further
attention, gathered into one place. The list focuses on scandals
involving apparently illegal activity or violations of ethics
codes. Not everything that is politically, legally or ethically
scandalous constitutes a scandal. It is scandalous, for instance,
that House Republicans have further weakened their own ethics
committee. But that is not, properly speaking, a political
scandal. It is just contemptible governance.

This list is also limited to events of the past four years, or
those coming to light in that time. It covers both the executive
branch and the Congress, since the latter, especially the Senate,
is increasingly a mere adjunct to the White House. However, the
items are not arranged in terms of moral or historical gravity.
Abu Ghraib might create years of anti-American hatred abroad, but
it and some other headline-generating events appear near the end
of the list, to help familiarize readers first with lesser-known
or now-overlooked scandals. Recall how John Ashcroft broke the
law? Know why ***** Cheney wants to keep those energy task force
documents secret? Read on. You too, Harry Reid.

1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft

The scandal: From 2001 to 2003, Republican staffers on the Senate
Judiciary Committee illicitly accessed nearly 5,000 computer files
containing confidential Democratic strategy memos about President
Bush's judicial nominees. The GOP used the memos to shape their
own plans and leaked some to the media.

The problem: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act states it is illegal
to obtain confidential information from a government computer.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department has assigned a
prosecutor to the case. The staff member at the heart of the
matter, Manuel Miranda, has attempted to brazen it out, filing
suit in September 2004 against the DOJ to end the investigation.
"A grand jury will indict a ham sandwich," Miranda complained.
Some jokes just write themselves.

2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ's Bungled Terrorism Case

The scandal: The Department of Justice completely botched the
nation's first post-9/11 terrorism trial, as seen when the
convictions of three Detroit men allegedly linked to al-Qaida were
overturned in September 2004. Former Attorney General John
Ashcroft had claimed their June 2003 sentencing sent "a clear
message" that the government would "detect, disrupt and dismantle
the activities of terrorist cells."

The problem: The DOJ's lead prosecutor in the case, Richard
Convertino, withheld key information from the defense and
distorted supposed pieces of evidence -- like a Las Vegas vacation
video purported to be a surveillance tape. But that's not the half
of it. Convertino says he was unfairly scapegoated because he
testified before the Senate, against DOJ wishes, about terrorist
financing. Justice's reconsideration of the case began soon
thereafter. Convertino has since sued the DOJ, which has also
placed him under investigation.

The outcome: Let's see: Overturned convictions, lawsuits and
feuding about a Kafkaesque case. Nobody looks good here.

3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force

The scandal: A lawsuit has claimed it is illegal for ***** Cheney
to keep the composition of his 2001 energy-policy task force
secret. What's the big deal? The New Yorker's Jane Mayer has
suggested an explosive aspect of the story, citing a National
Security Council memo from February 2001, which "directed the
N.S.C. staff to cooperate fully with the Energy Task Force as it
considered the 'melding' of ... 'operational policies towards
rogue states,' such as Iraq, and 'actions regarding the capture of
new and existing oil and gas fields.'" In short, the task force's
activities could shed light on the administration's pre-9/11 Iraq
aims.

The problem: The Federal Advisory Committee Act says the
government must disclose the work of groups that include
non-federal employees; the suit claims energy industry executives
were effectively task force members. Oh, and the Bush
administration has portrayed the Iraq war as a response to 9/11,
not something it was already considering.

The outcome: Unresolved. In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court sent
the case back to an appellate court.

4. The Indian Gaming Scandal

The scandal: Potential influence peddling to the tune of $82
million, for starters. Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist and major
Bush fundraiser, and Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom
DeLay (R-Texas), received that amount from several Indian tribes,
while offering access to lawmakers. For instance, Texas' Tigua
tribe, which wanted its closed El Paso casino reopened, gave
millions to the pair and $33,000 to Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) in
hopes of favorable legislation (Ney came up empty). And get this:
The Tiguas were unaware that Abramoff, Scanlon and conservative
activist Ralph Reed had earned millions lobbying to have the same
casino shut in 2002.

The problem: Federal officials want to know if Abramoff and
Scanlon provided real services for the $82 million, and if they
broke laws while backing candidates in numerous Indian tribe
elections.

The outcome: Everybody into the cesspool! The Senate Indian
Affairs Committee and five federal agencies, including the FBI,
IRS, and Justice Department, are investigating.

5. Halliburton's No-Bid Bonanza

The scandal: In February 2003, Halliburton received a five-year,
$7 billion no-bid contract for services in Iraq.

The problem: The Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting officer,
Bunnatine Greenhouse, objected to the deal, saying the contract
should be the standard one-year length, and that a Halliburton
official should not have been present during the discussions.

The outcome: The FBI is investigating. The $7 billion contract was
halved and Halliburton won one of the parts in a public bid. For
her troubles, Greenhouse has been forced into whistle-blower
protection.

6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices

The scandal: In 2003, Halliburton overcharged the army for fuel in
Iraq. Specifically, Halliburton's subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root
hired a Kuwaiti company, Altanmia, to supply fuel at about twice
the going rate, then added a markup, for an overcharge of at least
$61 million, according to a December 2003 Pentagon audit.

The problem: That's not the government's $61 million, it's our $61
million.

The outcome: The FBI is investigating.

7. Halliburton's Vanishing Iraq Money

The scandal: In mid-2004, Pentagon auditors determined that $1.8
billion of Halliburton's charges to the government, about 40
percent of the total, had not been adequately documented.

The problem: That's not the government's $1.8 billion, it's our
$1.8 billion.

The outcome: The Defense Contract Audit Agency has "strongly"
asked the Army to withhold about $60 million a month from its
Halliburton payments until the documentation is provided.

8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza

The scandal: This may not surprise you, but an international
consortium of companies, including Halliburton, is alleged to have
paid more than $100 million in bribes to Nigerian officials, from
1995 to 2002, to facilitate a natural-gas-plant deal. (Cheney was
Halliburton's CEO from 1995 to 2000.)

The problem: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits U.S.
companies from bribing foreign officials.

The outcome: A veritable coalition of the willing is investigating
the deal, including the Justice Department, the SEC, the Nigerian
government and a French magistrate. In June, Halliburton fired two
implicated executives.

9. Halliburton: One Fine Company

The scandal: In 1998 and 1999, Halliburton counted money recovered
from project overruns as revenue, before settling the charges with
clients.

The problem: Doing so made the company's income appear larger, but
Halliburton did not explain this to investors. The SEC ruled this
accounting practice was "materially misleading."

The outcome: In August 2004, Halliburton agreed to pay a $7.5
million fine to settle SEC charges. One Halliburton executive has
paid a fine and another is settling civil charges. Now imagine the
right-wing rhetoric if, say, Al Gore had once headed a firm fined
for fudging income statements.

10. Halliburton's Iran End Run

The scandal: Halliburton may have been doing business with Iran
while Cheney was CEO.

The problem: Federal sanctions have banned U.S. companies from
dealing directly with Iran. To operate in Iran legally, U.S.
companies have been required to set up independent subsidiaries
registered abroad. Halliburton thus set up a new entity,
Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., to do business in Iran,
but while the subsidiary was registered in the Cayman Islands, it
may not have had operations totally independent of the parent
company.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Treasury Department has referred the
case to the U.S. attorney in Houston, who convened a grand jury in
July 2004.

11. Money Order: Afghanistan's Missing $700 Million Turns Up in
Iraq

The scandal: According to Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack," the
Bush administration diverted $700 million in funds from the war in
Afghanistan, among other places, to prepare for the Iraq invasion.


The problem: Article I, Section 8, Clause 12 of the U.S.
Constitution specifically gives Congress the power "to raise and
support armies." And the emergency spending bill passed after
Sept. 11, 2001, requires the administration to notify Congress
before changing war spending plans. That did not happen.

The outcome: Congress declined to investigate. The
administration's main justification for its decision has been to
claim the funds were still used for, one might say, Middle East
anti-tyrant-related program activities.

12. Iraq: More Loose Change

The scandal: The inspector general of the Coalition Provisional
Authority in Iraq released a series of reports in July 2004
finding that a significant portion of CPA assets had gone missing
-- 34 percent of the materiel controlled by Kellogg, Brown & Root
-- and that the CPA's method of disbursing $600 million in Iraq
reconstruction funds "did not establish effective controls and
left accountability open to fraud, waste and abuse."

The problem: As much as $50 million of that money was disbursed
without proper receipts.

The outcome: The CPA has disbanded, but individual government
investigations into the handling of Iraq's reconstruction
continue.

13. The Pentagon-Israel Spy Case

The scandal: A Pentagon official, Larry Franklin, may have passed
classified United States documents about Iran to Israel, possibly
via the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a Washington
lobbying group.

The problem: To do so could be espionage or could constitute the
mishandling of classified documents.

The outcome: A grand jury is investigating. In December 2004, the
FBI searched AIPAC's offices. A Senate committee has also been
investigating the apparently unauthorized activities of the Near
East and South Asia Affairs group in the Pentagon, where Franklin
works.

14. Gone to Taiwan

The scandal: Missed this one? A high-ranking State Department
official, Donald Keyser, was arrested and charged in September
with making a secret trip to Taiwan and was observed by the FBI
passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents in
Washington-area meetings.

The problem: Such unauthorized trips are illegal. And we don't
have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The outcome: The case is in the courts.

15. Wiretapping the United Nations

The scandal: Before the United Nations' vote on the Iraq war, the
United States and Great Britain developed an eavesdropping
operation targeting diplomats from several countries.

The problem: U.N. officials say the practice is illegal and
undermines honest diplomacy, although some observers claim it is
business as usual on East 42nd Street.

The outcome: Little fuss here, but a major British scandal erupted
after U.K. intelligence translator Katherine Gun leaked a U.S.
National Security Agency memo requesting British help in the
spying scheme, in early 2003. Initially charged under Britain's
Official Secrets Act for leaking classified information, Gun was
cleared in 2004 -- seemingly to avoid hearings questioning the
legality of Britain's war participation.

16. The Boeing Boondoggle

The scandal: In 2003, the Air Force contracted with Boeing to
lease a fleet of refueling tanker planes at an inflated price: $23
billion.

The problem: The deal was put together by a government procurement
official, Darleen Druyun, who promptly joined Boeing. Beats using
a headhunter.

The outcome: In November 2003, Boeing fired both Druyun and CFO
Michael Sears. In April 2004, Druyun pled guilty to a conspiracy
charge in the case. In November 2004, Sears copped to a
conflict-of-interest charge, and company CEO Phil Condit resigned.
The government is reviewing its need for the tankers.

17. The Medicare Bribe Scandal

The scandal: According to former Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.), on
Nov. 21, 2003, with the vote on the administration's Medicare bill
hanging in the balance, someone offered to contribute $100,000 to
his son's forthcoming congressional campaign, if Smith would
support the bill.

The problem: Federal law prohibits the bribery of elected
officials.

The outcome: In September 2004, the House Ethics Committee
concluded an inquiry by fingering House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
(R-Texas), saying he deserved "public admonishment" for offering
to endorse Smith's son in return for Smith's vote. DeLay has
claimed Smith initiated talks about a quid pro quo. The matter of
the $100,000 is unresolved; soon after his original allegations,
Smith suddenly claimed he had not been offered any money. Smith's
son Brad lost his GOP primary in August 2004.

18. Tom DeLay's PAC Problems

The scandal: One of DeLay's political action committees, Texans
for a Republican Majority, apparently reaped illegal corporate
contributions for the campaigns of Republicans running for the
Texas Legislature in 2002. Given a Republican majority, the
Legislature then re-drew Texas' U.S. congressional districts to
help the GOP.

The problem: Texas law bans the use of corporate money for
political purposes.

The outcome: Unresolved. Three DeLay aides and associates -- Jim
Ellis, John Colyandro and Warren RoBold -- were charged in
September 2004 with crimes including money laundering and unlawful
acceptance of corporate contributions.

19. Tom DeLay's FAA: Following Americans Anywhere

The scandal: In May 2003, DeLay's office persuaded the Federal
Aviation Administration to find the plane carrying a Texas
Democratic legislator, who was leaving the state in an attempt to
thwart the GOP's nearly unprecedented congressional redistricting
plan.

The problem: According to the House Ethics Committee, the
"invocation of federal executive branch resources in a partisan
dispute before a state legislative body" is wrong.

The outcome: In October 2004, the committee rebuked DeLay for his
actions.

20. In the Rough: Tom DeLay's Golf Fundraiser

The scandal: DeLay appeared at a golf fundraiser that Westar
Energy held for one of his political action committees, Americans
for a Republican Majority, while energy legislation was pending in
the House.

The problem: It's one of these "appearance of impropriety"
situations.

The outcome: The House Ethics Committee tossed the matter into its
Oct. 6 rebuke. "Take a lap, Tom."

21. Busy, Busy, Busy in New Hampshire

The scandal: In 2002, with a tight Senate race in New Hampshire,
Republican Party officials paid a Virginia-based firm, GOP
Marketplace, to enact an Election Day scheme meant to depress
Democratic turnout by "jamming" the Democratic Party phone bank
with continuous calls for 90 minutes.

The problem: Federal law prohibits the use of telephones to "annoy
or harass" anyone.

The outcome: Chuck McGee, the former executive director of the New
Hampshire GOP, pleaded guilty in July 2004 to a felony charge,
while Allen Raymond, former head of GOP Marketplace, pleaded
guilty to a similar charge in June. In December, James Tobin,
former New England campaign chairman of Bush-Cheney '04, was
indicted for conspiracy in the case.

22. The Medicare Money Scandal

The scandal: Thomas Scully, Medicare's former administrator,
supposedly threatened to fire chief Medicare actuary Richard
Foster to prevent him from disclosing the true cost of the 2003
Medicare bill.

The problem: Congress voted on the bill believing it would cost
$400 billion over 10 years. The program is more likely to cost
$550 billion.

The outcome: Scully denies threatening to fire Foster, as Foster
has charged, but admits telling Foster to withhold the higher
estimate from Congress. In September 2004, the Government
Accountability Office recommended Scully return half his salary
from 2003. Inevitably, Scully is now a lobbyist for drug companies
helped by the bill.

23. The Bogus Medicare "Video News Release"

The scandal: To promote its Medicare bill, the Bush administration
produced imitation news-report videos touting the legislation.
About 40 television stations aired the videos. More recently,
similar videos promoting the administration's education policy
have come to light.

The problem: The administration broke two laws: One forbidding the
use of federal money for propaganda, and another forbidding the
unauthorized use of federal funds.

The outcome: In May 2004, the GAO concluded the administration
acted illegally, but the agency lacks enforcement power.

24. Pundits on the Payroll: The Armstrong Williams Case

The scandal: The Department of Education paid conservative
commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote its educational
law, No Child Left Behind.

The problem: Williams did not disclose that his support was
government funded until the deal was exposed in January 2005.

The outcome: The House and FCC are considering inquiries, while
Williams' syndicated newspaper column has been terminated.

25. Ground Zero's Unsafe Air

The scandal: Government officials publicly minimized the health
risks stemming from the World Trade Center attack. In September
2001, for example, Environmental Protection Agency head Christine
Todd Whitman said New York's "air is safe to breathe and [the]
water is safe to drink."

The problem: Research showed serious dangers or was incomplete.
The EPA used outdated techniques that failed to detect tiny
asbestos particles. EPA data also showed high levels of lead and
benzene, which causes cancer. A Sierra Club report claims the
government ignored alarming data. A GAO report says no adequate
study of 9/11's health effects has been organized.

The outcome: The long-term health effects of the disaster will
likely not be apparent for years or decades and may never be
definitively known. Already, hundreds of 9/11 rescue workers have
quit their jobs because of acute illnesses.

26. John Ashcroft's Illegal Campaign Contributions

The scandal: Ashcroft's exploratory committee for his short-lived
2000 presidential bid transferred $110,000 to his unsuccessful
2000 reelection campaign for the Senate.

The problem: The maximum for such a transfer is $10,000.

The outcome: The Federal Election Commission fined Ashcroft's
campaign treasurer, Garrett Lott, $37,000 for the transgression.

27. Intel Inside ... The White House

The scandal: In early 2001, chief White House political strategist
Karl Rove held meetings with numerous companies while maintaining
six-figure holdings of their stock -- including Intel, whose
executives were seeking government approval of a merger.
"Washington hadn't seen a clearer example of a conflict of
interest in years," wrote Paul Glastris in the Washington Monthly.


The problem: The Code of Federal Regulations says government
employees should not participate in matters in which they have a
personal financial interest.

The outcome: Then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, spurning
precedent, did not refer the case to the Justice Department.

28. Duck! Antonin Scalia's Legal Conflicts

The scandal: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia refused to
recuse himself from the Cheney energy task force case, despite
taking a duck-hunting trip with the vice president after the court
agreed to weigh the matter.

The problem: Federal law requires a justice to "disqualify himself
from any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be
questioned."

The outcome: Scalia stayed on, arguing no conflict existed because
Cheney was party to the case in a professional, not personal,
capacity. Nothing new for Scalia, who in 2002 was part of a
Mississippi redistricting ruling favorable to GOP Rep. Chip
Pickering -- son of Judge Charles Pickering, a Scalia
turkey-hunting pal. In 2001, Scalia went pheasant hunting with
Kansas Gov. Bill Graves when that state had cases pending before
the Supreme Court.

29. AWOL

The scandal: George W. Bush, self-described "war president," did
not fulfill his National Guard duty, and Bush and his aides have
made misleading statements about it. Salon's Eric Boehlert wrote
the best recent summary of the issue.

The problem: Military absenteeism is a punishable offense,
although Bush received an honorable discharge.

The outcome: No longer a campaign issue. But what was Bush doing
in 1972?

30. Iraq: The Case for War

The scandal: Bush and many officials in his administration made
false statements about Iraq's military capabilities, in the months
before the United States' March 2003 invasion of the country.

The problem: For one thing, it is a crime to lie to Congress,
although Bush backers claim the president did not knowingly make
false assertions.

The outcome: A war spun out of control with unknowable long-term
consequences. The Iraq Survey Group has stopped looking for
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

31. Niger Forgeries: Whodunit?

The scandal: In his January 2003 State of the Union address, Bush
said, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein
recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

The problem: The statement was untrue. By March 2003, the
International Atomic Energy Agency showed the claim, that Iraq
sought materials from Niger, was based on easily discernible
forgeries.

The outcome: The identity of the forger(s) remains under wraps.
Journalist Josh Marshall has implied the FBI is oddly uninterested
in interviewing Rocco Martino, the former Italian intelligence
agent who apparently first shopped the documents in intelligence
and journalistic circles and would presumably be able to shed
light on their origin.

32. In Plame Sight

The scandal: In July 2003, administration officials disclosed the
identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative working on
counterterrorism efforts, to multiple journalists, and columnist
Robert Novak made Plame's identity public. Plame's husband, former
Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had just written a New York Times
opinion piece stating he had investigated the Niger
uranium-production allegations, at the CIA's behest, and reported
them to be untrue, before Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.

The problem: Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act it
is illegal to disclose, knowingly, the name of an undercover
agent.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department appointed special
prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to the case in December 2003. While
this might seem a simple matter, Fitzgerald could be unable to
prove the leakers knew Plame was a covert agent.

33. Abu Ghraib

The scandal: American soldiers physically tortured prisoners in
Iraq and kept undocumented "ghost detainees" in the Abu Ghraib
prison in Iraq.

The problem: The United States is party to the Geneva Conventions,
which state that "No physical or mental torture, nor any other
form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure
from them information of any kind whatever."

The outcome: Unresolved. A Pentagon internal inquiry found a lack
of oversight at Abu Ghraib, while independent inquiries have
linked the events to the administration's desire to use aggressive
interrogation methods globally. Notoriously, Gonzales has
advocated an approach which "renders obsolete Geneva's strict
limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners and renders quaint
some of its provisions." More recently, Gonzales issued qualified
support for the Geneva Conventions in January 2005 Senate
testimony after being nominated for attorney general. Army
reservist Charles Graner was convicted in January 2005 for abusing
prisoners, while a few other soldiers await trial.

34. Guant=C3=A1namo Bay Torture?

The scandal: The U.S. military is also alleged to have abused
prisoners at the U.S. Navy's base in Guant=C3=A1namo Bay, Cuba. FBI
agents witnessing interrogations there have reported use of
growling dogs to frighten prisoners and the chaining of prisoners
in the fetal position while depriving them of food or water for
extended periods.

The problem: More potential violations of the Geneva Conventions.

The outcome: An internal military investigation was launched in
January 2005.


---
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Guns don't kill people: Republicans kill people.

I believe that they have been decieved by the devil into believing

God doesn't exist and that his word is false. I've never needed

before to believe, why would I need it now? [Kenneth McAbee]