Okay, honest this time, I may be WiFi free for the rest of the day. If so, play nicely among yourselves.
Anonymous says:
did the law school they go to suggest that some things aren’t crimes? is the ABA going to pull accreditation from the idiot law schools? if they don’t, we are going to get a lot more folks that aren’t going to pass the bar and are going to get jobs with people that will use them as q tips and further subvert democracy?
Anonymous says:
did the law school they go to suggest that some things aren’t crimes? is the ABA going to pull accreditation from the idiot law schools? if they don’t, we are going to get a lot more folks that aren’t going to pass the bar and are going to get jobs with people that will use them as q tips and further subvert democracy?
Anonymous says:
I appreciate the great reporting, honestly. It is just that I am getting battle fatique. It’s like having a client that complains incessantly about the alcoholic or abusive spouse. Yep, he’s a criminal. Yep, he’s abusive. Yep, he’s a bad guy. Now WHAT???
How do we interrupt their power and have we truly accepted how deep their power goes? There has been truly impressive reporting on these issues in the blogosphere but very few solutions offered. What do we do besides talk about, email our friends, write to our senators and vote like there is no tomorrow. What is the long term plan to remove these cockroaches from OUR democracy?? Voting alone won’t do it. Writing senators won’t do it. They have a kind of power that is criminal and that is fueled by the addiction of greed. There are too many americans getting rick on their heels and they will continue to support the enterprise that makes them rich. Their army is rich and powerful and extremely committed. How are we going to save our country from this very powerful shadow government?? Exposure is one part of the plan. Voting is one part of the plan. But what is the rest of the plan??
Anonymous says:
By designating Bennet, the Wolfie Gang has the shiny object for uncurious observers to latch onto, while the more serious issues of doctoring World Bank documents to reflect the wishes of the Christian right of this country are ignored, or at best, left ot the sidelines.
Anonymous says:
EW, long-time lurker & admirer here. Your mastery of so much of this info & your ability to pull it all together into powerful analysis is nothing short of mind-blowing.
This is a little OT, but it all fits under the giant ugly umbrella of the disembowelment of our DOJ, so here goes.
Two things for you.
One has to do with the Legal Times interview (www.law.com, 4/16/07 — don’t know best way to linky here) of retired Sr. Atty at DOJ, Daniel Metcalfe. I read thru most of it when it came out, but just got to the final sentence which I haven’t seen discussed anywhere else, and it instantly made me think of you. In response to the question whether he’d ever felt pressured (under Bush 43 or anyone else) to perform FOIA work to serve an administration’s political agenda, he said that there â€was a situation in which, rather than being asked to do something for purposes of a political agenda, I surely was asked to refrain from doing something quite ordinary for a reason that I later learned … was indeed very much a ’political’ type of agenda. That situation does stand apart in my government experience, but I will refrain from saying anything more about it here, other than that IT DID OCCUR DURING THE EARLY MONTHS OF 2005.†(emphasis mine)
For someone of Metcalfe’s experience to point to such an episode as â€standing apart†really pinged my radar. I wonder if it did yours, as well. And knowing your gift with timelines, I wondered if early ’05 stands apart for any particular reason.
The second thing is that, knowing your interest in the USA purge, I wanted to let you know I transcribed Rachel Paulose’s extended interview with Mpls-St Paul station KSTP. As far as the specifics of her appointment, etc., there’s no big smoking gun. However, it’s 50 minutes of fairly free discussion, so there’s a lot in there, esp her reporting on the DOJ’s â€six priorities†— again, my radar pinged, this time for the emphasis on â€Project Safe Childhood†vs internet porn. (Read: clamping down on the toobz.) It’s in a word doc, and if it would be helpful to you or anyone else, I’d be glad to share. Just don’t know where/how it would be most useful.
Sorry for OT and long, but HTH in your very good & important work.
Anonymous says:
For the benefit of commenters, here’s how to do a link:
and your word for the link here That’s how it’s done, and if a computer illiterate like me can do it, anyone can. Other helpful codes: text for bold and
text
(Note there can’t be spaces between the code and the text).
On Wolfowitz, you’d think that someone who is so vain as to be seen at Ferragamo buying shoes during Hurricane Katrina would be just a little ticked about Wolfie’s girlfriend getting more money than the Secretary of State, and that she’d complain to be best bud George. Shows Wolfie’s power.
Anonymous says:
Wooops, it did it as a link. Here it is again: *a href=â€â€*then put your text and /a. but replace the asterisks with and close with with /a in between.
Maybe someone else can explain it better.
Anonymous says:
World Bank was doing alot with the Fiji coup. There might be something there with the UN becoming active in the coup.
Anonymous says:
Thanks, Mimikatz. Straight HTML — there are so many different interfaces now, it escaped me to default to tradition!
Anonymous says:
So many dots connected, yet, I’ve still been looking for a corporate model from which to understand Bush. Finally, I found one that fits – organized mafia.
It would be in keeping with the neocon world-view for Wolfie to demand that the World Bank pay his legal fees. I hope they don’t. I hope he sues. I hope the court that hears it is in the Hague. It will get him that much closer.
Anonymous says:
IOKIYAR
I have reviewed the essential documents, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mr. Wolfowitz exercised good faith and that everything he did was in the best interests of the bank.â€
so somebody remind me why Bill Clinton was impeached ???
Bill Clinton exercised as much good faith as paul wolfowitz, and everything Bill Clinton did was in the interest of the country
maybe tokyo jodi the worm tongue can explain the disconect in this fucked up version of morality the repuglican party is wrapped up in
Anonymous says:
link to Financial Times, letter to the Editor, from former World Bank Staff, asking for Wolfie to resign:
As I said above, the gal pal affair is dispicable, but I think doctoring documents is much more serious for the world. Trying to instill the politics of the Christian right on the world is what should matter, not six-figure salaries or work place musical chairs. What documents where doctored and why? that’s the real story here.
Anonymous says:
Most CEO’s do not use a lawyer when pleading with their board to let them stay on as CEO. The use of a lawyer, let alone Bennett, says this is about PR within the US, and about demonstrating a willingness to punish each board member if he or she does their job and fires Wolfowitz.
Mr. Wolfowitz does not have a right to his employment, which his lawyer can help him enforce; surely, a staunch supporter of Mr. Bush’s labor â€ethics†would appreciate that. He has his job on good behavior and good performance. He’s shown neither, and should be shown the door.
Anonymous says:
As earl above writes, â€Most CEO’s do not use a lawyer when pleading with their board,†that alone should say volumes about the fact that there is much more to this story than Gal Pal. With an attorney comparing this with the Duke case, using it as an example of â€rush to judgement,†is ironic, in that the rush in that case was by a politician/prosecutor ignoring conflicting testimony. In that, Bennett is very much like Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.
Anonymous says:
I’m with you, Katie Jensen. There’s just so MUCH corruption it’s hard to keep up with. Day after day after day. And, with Libby as an example (of trying to get some justice), after all this, will he just get a pardon and walk? Will he ever serve a day in prison? Will any of them really ever have to answer? Abu Gonzales did EXACTLY what they wanted him to do. For them it wasn’t a poor showing….it was brilliant. You heard W. Cheney told Leahy, â€Go F**K yourself! As he has anyone trying to get hold of the records in his office. As W did in Texas as Governor. They just tell everyone to Go Fuck Yourselves! Investigations are something. Some of the truth gets out. But… Is there NO WAY to stop this? Will the Democrats REALLY never seriously consider impeachment proceedings? After all there is evidence now for? Shocking! Outrageous!
Anonymous says:
Katie Jensen and Sandy: I am with you! I am so sick of Republican this and Democrat that! In the end, all that matters is whether someone is a part of the problem or a part of the solution to restore our nation to some sense of sanity… Our elected representatives don’t seem to want to do anything. Maybe it is just because there does not appear to be any concerted effort that can get the attention of the Bushies or strike fear in their hearts.
I was ready to do cartwheels this morning when I read that a special counsel was going to begin investigating Rove — and then I read more and saw that it is a Bush appointee. Stupid! But, it is suddenly a way of life to question everything we hear and see. Maybe that is how life will be from now on. As I see it, there will not be much more to happen before we have our own insurgence within our country. All because of the greed and corruption…
I have long joked about the old slogan about Superman — standing up for truth, justice, and the American way! Sadly, they have all been hijacked by our lamebrain-in-chief and his sidekick, Shooter and their friends.
If there is anyone in DC with any integrity and ethics left (especially if they are Republican), I hope they can speak up and start beating back some of the BS that is being dished out. They can’t all be zombies! Someone has to know something somewhere — something that can pull the skids out from under this administration and make them all run for cover.
This is so sick!
Anonymous says:
How come her head hasn’t twisted off yet?
Anonymous says:
Nola Sue
Interesting point, I read that interview as well and failed to notice the significance of the last paragraph.
Second, candor compels me to acknowledge that there in fact was a situation in which, rather than being asked to do something for purposes of a political agenda, I surely was asked to refrain from doing something quite ordinary for a reason that I later learned (and earlier had surmised) was indeed very much a “political†type of agenda. That situation does stand apart in my government experience, but I will refrain from saying anything more about it here, other than that it did occur during the early months of 2005. Legal Times 4/16/07
Anonymous says:
Nola Sue
Yes, I did see that last line. But we’d need to collect a whole bunch of possible issues to figure it out (And I’d need a better idea of what he did, day-to-day). Though I am thinking about it…
Anonymous says:
By all accounts Mr. Wolfowitz bypassed normal channels to get his girlfriend classified clearance (though no one can find the documentation for that clearance). For a foreign national appparently that is very unusual. That alone would seem to be criminal.
Okay, honest this time, I may be WiFi free for the rest of the day. If so, play nicely among yourselves.
did the law school they go to suggest that some things aren’t crimes? is the ABA going to pull accreditation from the idiot law schools? if they don’t, we are going to get a lot more folks that aren’t going to pass the bar and are going to get jobs with people that will use them as q tips and further subvert democracy?
did the law school they go to suggest that some things aren’t crimes? is the ABA going to pull accreditation from the idiot law schools? if they don’t, we are going to get a lot more folks that aren’t going to pass the bar and are going to get jobs with people that will use them as q tips and further subvert democracy?
I appreciate the great reporting, honestly. It is just that I am getting battle fatique. It’s like having a client that complains incessantly about the alcoholic or abusive spouse. Yep, he’s a criminal. Yep, he’s abusive. Yep, he’s a bad guy. Now WHAT???
How do we interrupt their power and have we truly accepted how deep their power goes? There has been truly impressive reporting on these issues in the blogosphere but very few solutions offered. What do we do besides talk about, email our friends, write to our senators and vote like there is no tomorrow. What is the long term plan to remove these cockroaches from OUR democracy?? Voting alone won’t do it. Writing senators won’t do it. They have a kind of power that is criminal and that is fueled by the addiction of greed. There are too many americans getting rick on their heels and they will continue to support the enterprise that makes them rich. Their army is rich and powerful and extremely committed. How are we going to save our country from this very powerful shadow government?? Exposure is one part of the plan. Voting is one part of the plan. But what is the rest of the plan??
By designating Bennet, the Wolfie Gang has the shiny object for uncurious observers to latch onto, while the more serious issues of doctoring World Bank documents to reflect the wishes of the Christian right of this country are ignored, or at best, left ot the sidelines.
EW, long-time lurker & admirer here. Your mastery of so much of this info & your ability to pull it all together into powerful analysis is nothing short of mind-blowing.
This is a little OT, but it all fits under the giant ugly umbrella of the disembowelment of our DOJ, so here goes.
Two things for you.
One has to do with the Legal Times interview (www.law.com, 4/16/07 — don’t know best way to linky here) of retired Sr. Atty at DOJ, Daniel Metcalfe. I read thru most of it when it came out, but just got to the final sentence which I haven’t seen discussed anywhere else, and it instantly made me think of you. In response to the question whether he’d ever felt pressured (under Bush 43 or anyone else) to perform FOIA work to serve an administration’s political agenda, he said that there â€was a situation in which, rather than being asked to do something for purposes of a political agenda, I surely was asked to refrain from doing something quite ordinary for a reason that I later learned … was indeed very much a ’political’ type of agenda. That situation does stand apart in my government experience, but I will refrain from saying anything more about it here, other than that IT DID OCCUR DURING THE EARLY MONTHS OF 2005.†(emphasis mine)
For someone of Metcalfe’s experience to point to such an episode as â€standing apart†really pinged my radar. I wonder if it did yours, as well. And knowing your gift with timelines, I wondered if early ’05 stands apart for any particular reason.
The second thing is that, knowing your interest in the USA purge, I wanted to let you know I transcribed Rachel Paulose’s extended interview with Mpls-St Paul station KSTP. As far as the specifics of her appointment, etc., there’s no big smoking gun. However, it’s 50 minutes of fairly free discussion, so there’s a lot in there, esp her reporting on the DOJ’s â€six priorities†— again, my radar pinged, this time for the emphasis on â€Project Safe Childhood†vs internet porn. (Read: clamping down on the toobz.) It’s in a word doc, and if it would be helpful to you or anyone else, I’d be glad to share. Just don’t know where/how it would be most useful.
Sorry for OT and long, but HTH in your very good & important work.
For the benefit of commenters, here’s how to do a link:
and your word for the link here That’s how it’s done, and if a computer illiterate like me can do it, anyone can. Other helpful codes: text for bold and
(Note there can’t be spaces between the code and the text).
On Wolfowitz, you’d think that someone who is so vain as to be seen at Ferragamo buying shoes during Hurricane Katrina would be just a little ticked about Wolfie’s girlfriend getting more money than the Secretary of State, and that she’d complain to be best bud George. Shows Wolfie’s power.
Wooops, it did it as a link. Here it is again: *a href=â€â€*then put your text and /a. but replace the asterisks with and close with with /a in between.
Maybe someone else can explain it better.
World Bank was doing alot with the Fiji coup. There might be something there with the UN becoming active in the coup.
Thanks, Mimikatz. Straight HTML — there are so many different interfaces now, it escaped me to default to tradition!
So many dots connected, yet, I’ve still been looking for a corporate model from which to understand Bush. Finally, I found one that fits – organized mafia.
What’s valued: loyalty, profit, consistency, consensus
It would be in keeping with the neocon world-view for Wolfie to demand that the World Bank pay his legal fees. I hope they don’t. I hope he sues. I hope the court that hears it is in the Hague. It will get him that much closer.
IOKIYAR
so somebody remind me why Bill Clinton was impeached ???
Bill Clinton exercised as much good faith as paul wolfowitz, and everything Bill Clinton did was in the interest of the country
maybe tokyo jodi the worm tongue can explain the disconect in this fucked up version of morality the repuglican party is wrapped up in
link to Financial Times, letter to the Editor, from former World Bank Staff, asking for Wolfie to resign:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/866a5b…..10621.html
As I said above, the gal pal affair is dispicable, but I think doctoring documents is much more serious for the world. Trying to instill the politics of the Christian right on the world is what should matter, not six-figure salaries or work place musical chairs. What documents where doctored and why? that’s the real story here.
Most CEO’s do not use a lawyer when pleading with their board to let them stay on as CEO. The use of a lawyer, let alone Bennett, says this is about PR within the US, and about demonstrating a willingness to punish each board member if he or she does their job and fires Wolfowitz.
Mr. Wolfowitz does not have a right to his employment, which his lawyer can help him enforce; surely, a staunch supporter of Mr. Bush’s labor â€ethics†would appreciate that. He has his job on good behavior and good performance. He’s shown neither, and should be shown the door.
As earl above writes, â€Most CEO’s do not use a lawyer when pleading with their board,†that alone should say volumes about the fact that there is much more to this story than Gal Pal. With an attorney comparing this with the Duke case, using it as an example of â€rush to judgement,†is ironic, in that the rush in that case was by a politician/prosecutor ignoring conflicting testimony. In that, Bennett is very much like Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.
I’m with you, Katie Jensen. There’s just so MUCH corruption it’s hard to keep up with. Day after day after day. And, with Libby as an example (of trying to get some justice), after all this, will he just get a pardon and walk? Will he ever serve a day in prison? Will any of them really ever have to answer? Abu Gonzales did EXACTLY what they wanted him to do. For them it wasn’t a poor showing….it was brilliant. You heard W. Cheney told Leahy, â€Go F**K yourself! As he has anyone trying to get hold of the records in his office. As W did in Texas as Governor. They just tell everyone to Go Fuck Yourselves! Investigations are something. Some of the truth gets out. But… Is there NO WAY to stop this? Will the Democrats REALLY never seriously consider impeachment proceedings? After all there is evidence now for? Shocking! Outrageous!
Katie Jensen and Sandy: I am with you! I am so sick of Republican this and Democrat that! In the end, all that matters is whether someone is a part of the problem or a part of the solution to restore our nation to some sense of sanity… Our elected representatives don’t seem to want to do anything. Maybe it is just because there does not appear to be any concerted effort that can get the attention of the Bushies or strike fear in their hearts.
I was ready to do cartwheels this morning when I read that a special counsel was going to begin investigating Rove — and then I read more and saw that it is a Bush appointee. Stupid! But, it is suddenly a way of life to question everything we hear and see. Maybe that is how life will be from now on. As I see it, there will not be much more to happen before we have our own insurgence within our country. All because of the greed and corruption…
I have long joked about the old slogan about Superman — standing up for truth, justice, and the American way! Sadly, they have all been hijacked by our lamebrain-in-chief and his sidekick, Shooter and their friends.
If there is anyone in DC with any integrity and ethics left (especially if they are Republican), I hope they can speak up and start beating back some of the BS that is being dished out. They can’t all be zombies! Someone has to know something somewhere — something that can pull the skids out from under this administration and make them all run for cover.
This is so sick!
How come her head hasn’t twisted off yet?
Nola Sue
Interesting point, I read that interview as well and failed to notice the significance of the last paragraph.
Nola Sue
Yes, I did see that last line. But we’d need to collect a whole bunch of possible issues to figure it out (And I’d need a better idea of what he did, day-to-day). Though I am thinking about it…
By all accounts Mr. Wolfowitz bypassed normal channels to get his girlfriend classified clearance (though no one can find the documentation for that clearance). For a foreign national appparently that is very unusual. That alone would seem to be criminal.