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"Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."-The Downing Street Memo, 7/23/2002
Another Update: Ashcroft Incredibly Cited Noncredible Source
I just can't get enough of this story.
In warning Americans to brace for a possible attack, Ashcroft cited what he called "credible intelligence from multiple sources," saying that "just after New Year's, al-Qaida announced openly that preparations for an attack on the United States were 70 percent complete... After the March 11 attack in Madrid, Spain, an al-Qaida spokesman announced that 90 percent of the arrangements for an attack in the United States were complete."
Not only has a senior U.S. intelligence official said that this particular group "has no known operational capability," but it "may be no more than one man with a fax machine." I hope this doesn't mean anyone with a fax machine will automatically be suspected of terrorism? It wasn't too long ago when Jihadists carried The Farmer's Almanac.
But terrorism experts tell NBC News there's no evidence a credible al-Qaida spokesman ever said that, and the claims actually were made by a largely discredited group, Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, known for putting propaganda on the Internet.
"This particular group is not really taken seriously by Western intelligence," said terrorism expert M.J. Gohel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, an international policy assessment group. "It does not appear to have any real field operational capability. But it is certainly part of the global jihad movement - part of its propaganda wing, if you like. It likes to weave a web of lies; it likes to put out disinformation so that the truth is deeply buried. So it is a dangerous group in that sense, but it is not taken seriously in terms of its operational capability."Senior intelligence and homeland security officials tell NBC News they were surprised by Ashcroft's claims and know of no credible intelligence that al-Qaida is 90 percent ready to attack. But all agree there is plenty of credible intelligence that al-Qaida has plans in the works, and they hope Ashcroft's use of questionable information doesnÂ’t undermine public trust.
So much for wishful thinking.
Update: Defense Agencies Out Of The Loop In Latest Alert
Here's an update on the latest Ashcroft scare tactic.
When Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the latest terror warning, the rest of the government -- including the Department of Homeland Security -- heard the details on television.
This explains why the Secretary of Homeland Security didn't raise the threat level which remains at a constant Burt Yellow
So, too, did America's mayors.
"The announcement itself wasn't something that we were given a heads up to,'' says Baltimore mayor Martin O'Malley.
Sources tell CBS News Correspondent Bob Orr the Justice Department did nothing to put other agencies in the loop before broadcasting "be-on-the-lookout" pictures of seven suspected terrorists.
The information was not shared with state and local police forces, or even with the FBI's field offices. It wasn't supposed to be this way after 9/11, said one administration official, who noted "the whole warning process was usurped by the Attorney General."
and why Ashcroft can't provide any details beyond his prophetic revelation. Probably, like Saddam's WMD's, the SPECIFIC intel about which Ashcroft is warning the American people doesn't exist. Unfortunately for the boy who cried wolf, the American people have caught on and as fellow citizen and Bush-made skeptic, Russell Chambers, remarks "I just think you've got to take (the warning) with a grain of salt."
Happy 145th Birthday
I am proud today upon receiving this information from a cousin via email. Proud of my family history. May 25th marked the 145th birth anniversary of Felipe Agoncillo my great great (give or take a few greats) grandfather and the first Filipino diplomat. He is the husband of Doña Marcela Marino Agoncillo who hand sewn the first flag of the Philippines that General Aguinaldo took back to the PI on May 19, 1898.
The fiercely patriotic couple Don Felipe Agoncillo y Encarnacion and his wife Doña Marcela Marino y Coronel exemplify the Heroes of 1896. They used their family wealth to help finance the libertarian struggle of the Filipino people and they never asked anything in return for all their personal and financial sacrifices.
Wow!
Don Felipe Agoncillo had the distinction of being the first Filipino Diplomat of our country. President Emilio F. Aguinaldo appointed him head of the Filipino Revolutionary Committee in Hong Kong which acted as a propaganda and procurement office for the Filipino government. When the war broke out in February 1899, he was commissioned as Minister Plenipotentiary of the Filipino government with powers to conclude agreements and treaties with foreign governments.
Before the Paris Peace Commissioners, he declared that the "Filipinos will not permit themselves or their homes to be bought or sold like merchandise; they will be prepared to the utmost in defense of their rights."
Over dinner last week, I was talking to my cousin who was in town from the Philippines and we were discussing how some of our very own family members have no knowledge or desire to learn our family history and our place in it. With new generations of Agoncillo's ever expanding, I hope that we, as a family, become aware and are proud of our contributions to history. One day, I'll put all this in my own website - ha! (Pink I know I'm a slacker)
Happy birthday Lolo. Your (and our) struggles for independence is still relevant today and we can only learn from history.
Don't Say They Didn't Warn Us
Attorney General John Ashcroft warned America today that there is a good chance that al Qaeda will carry out an attack, a big one, on our very own soil.
Credible intelligence, from multiple sources, indicates that al Qaeda plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months.
He adds:
This disturbing intelligence indicates al Qaeda's specific intention to hit the United States hard.
Here's the kicker, Ashcroft doesn't know how or when said terror organization plans to attack the U.S. Hmmm...Anyone suffering from paranoid delusions could have told us that. But then again, Ashcroft did issue the warning. Okay, people, something really bad is going to happen. I can't tell you what, when, or where. Just be cautious. How, you ask? I can't really tell you that either.
I find it difficult to fathom why the American people would equate this Administration as being strong on national security if in fact Ashcroft's warning does materialize. Excuse me, Mr. President, you swore you would protect our nation and you failed. Good bye.
Al Gore: No Honor In The White House
Thank God we have the passionate voice of Al Gore. I mentioned this about a decade's worth of blog entries ago. We need Al Gore to speak at the convention! With THAT off my chest, here's the link to the great speech he gave today at New York University calling for the resignations of Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and Condoleezza Rice among others. He even included George Tenet, a personal friend, in his quit list. I just saw a clip of his speech. His words and delivery could bring anyone who cares about "America" to tears. The subject of his speech was the Bush administration's mishandling of foreign policy, particularly the events that have unfolded in the eyes of the world with regard to Abu Ghraib.
How dare the incompetent and willful members of this Bush/Cheney Administration humiliate our nation and our people in the eyes of the world and in the conscience of our own people. How dare they subject us to such dishonor and disgrace. How dare they drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison[!]
Read more or visit c-span to watch.
Buried In The Back Pages...
FBI has American anthrax killer on the run...(right)
Tim Russert probed on CIA leak.
The fact that these two dangers to our nation's security are still on the loose makes one question the credentials of a man who touts his national security "accomplishments" for his [re]election. As Nancy Pelosi boldly pointed out, "the emperor has no clothes."
Spreading The Love
We can use more of it these days. If you happen to be in San Francisco, keep an eye out for several of these 5-foot sculptures. "Hearts in San Francisco" is scattering hearts all around the city, 130 of them. The project hopes to raise much needed funds for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Visit their website for more information.
Teleprompter President
Well I for one am looking forward to the Teleprompter President's speech tonight (NOT!). With his polling numbers down to a delightful 42% and falling with no end in sight, the Teleprompter President will give the country his reassurances that things are going very well in Iraq. Too bad his string of lies extend beyond 3-strikes that we've already lost count. About the only good thing that the Teleprompter President can do nowadays is to read speeches via a teleprompter. This is not your regular ad-lib President. Such a regular guy isn't he?
Update: Um Teleprompter President, Abu Ghraib is pronounced like this:
"ah-BOO" "grehhb"
Can you do nothing right nowadays? Kind of explains how clueless you really are.
Michael Berg: George Bush never looked into Nick's eyes
Nick Berg's dad wrote a commentary for The Guardian clarifying his criticisms of the Bush Administration. Here's a bit of it:
People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.
I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.
George Bush never looked into my son's eyes. George Bush doesn't know my son, and he is the worse for it. George Bush, though a father himself, cannot feel my pain, or that of my family, or of the world that grieves for Nick, because he is a policymaker, and he doesn't have to bear the consequences of his acts. George Bush can see neither the heart of Nick nor that of the American people, let alone that of the Iraqi people his policies are killing daily.
Donald Rumsfeld said that he took responsibility for the sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners. How could he take that responsibility when there was no consequence? Nick took the consequences.
Even more than those murderers who took my son's life, I can't stand those who sit and make policies to end lives and break the lives of the still living.
There's more. It's worth the read.
Fahrenheit 9/11 Wins Palme d'Or
And the controversy ensues. However, judging from the applause Moore received at the ceremony when he accepted the most coveted award of the festival, the audience was in unison that one, Moore's movie deserved the top prize and two, Bush has got to go. Anyone could have predicted that Tarantino et al would be accused of playing politics, but the more attention this movie gets the better. It didn't hurt Gibson.
Here's his acceptance speech from the Festival's site :
I can't begin to express my appreciation and my gratitude to the jury, the Festival, to Gilles Jacob, Thierry Fremaux, Bob and Harvey at Miramax, to all of the crew who worked on the film. [...] I have a sneaking suspicion that what you have done here and the response from everyone at the festival, you will assure that the American people will see this film. I can't thank you enough for that. You've put a huge light on this and many people want the truth and many want to put it in the closet, just walk away. There was a great Republican president who once said, if you just give the people the truth, the republicans, the Americans will be saved. [...] I dedicate this Palme d'Or to my daughter, to the children of Americans and to Iraq and to all those in the world who suffer from our actions.
To the Cannes website...
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