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	<title>Comments on: VIDEO: Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath</title>
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		<title>By: appletree &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Updates: Dept. Of Justice Scandal</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-2420772</link>
		<dc:creator>appletree &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Updates: Dept. Of Justice Scandal</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2007 02:05:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-2420772</guid>
		<description>[...] last year, Gonzales testified before the Senate, and Republican members of the Judiciary Committee refused to put him under oath. As it turns out, much of Gonzales&#8217; testimony was [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] last year, Gonzales testified before the Senate, and Republican members of the Judiciary Committee refused to put him under oath. As it turns out, much of Gonzales&#8217; testimony was [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=2420772', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: DoubleSpeak with Matthew and Peter Slutsky &#187; Gonzales Is A Liar</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-464062</link>
		<dc:creator>DoubleSpeak with Matthew and Peter Slutsky &#187; Gonzales Is A Liar</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Mar 2006 01:02:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-464062</guid>
		<description>[...] Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez sent the Senate Judiciary Committe a letter yesterday to &#8220;clarify&#8221; his testimony &#8212; you remember, when the committee&#8217;s Republicans voted not to swear him in &#8212; from last month. It&#8217;s a fantastic legalistic way of lying to Congress and the American people. Gonzales appeared to suggest yesterday that the Bush administration&#8217;s warrantless domestic surveillance operations may extend beyond the outlines that the president acknowledged in mid-December. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez sent the Senate Judiciary Committe a letter yesterday to &#8220;clarify&#8221; his testimony &#8212; you remember, when the committee&#8217;s Republicans voted not to swear him in &#8212; from last month. It&#8217;s a fantastic legalistic way of lying to Congress and the American people. Gonzales appeared to suggest yesterday that the Bush administration&#8217;s warrantless domestic surveillance operations may extend beyond the outlines that the president acknowledged in mid-December. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=464062', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Welcome to Elastic Heart&#8482; &#187; Blog Archive &#187;</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-443423</link>
		<dc:creator>Welcome to Elastic Heart&#8482; &#187; Blog Archive &#187;</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:12:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-443423</guid>
		<description>[...] You know, I was thinking, and in the time it took them to argue about swearing in Alberto Gonzales, they probably could&#8217;ve actually sworn him in like three times. The lunatics are definitely running the asylum. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] You know, I was thinking, and in the time it took them to argue about swearing in Alberto Gonzales, they probably could&#8217;ve actually sworn him in like three times. The lunatics are definitely running the asylum. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=443423', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Austoon Daily &#187; Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-443409</link>
		<dc:creator>Austoon Daily &#187; Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:02:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-443409</guid>
		<description>[...] This is really not a very good way to begin this hearing. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] This is really not a very good way to begin this hearing. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=443409', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Think Progress &#187; Washington Post: Gonzales Misled Congress Again</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-443405</link>
		<dc:creator>Think Progress &#187; Washington Post: Gonzales Misled Congress Again</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:59:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-443405</guid>
		<description>[...] This wouldnâ€™t be the first time Gonzales has misled the Judiciary Committee about the program. Perhaps, Gonzales needs to return to the committee to clarify his answers â€“ this time, under oath. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] This wouldnâ€™t be the first time Gonzales has misled the Judiciary Committee about the program. Perhaps, Gonzales needs to return to the committee to clarify his answers â€“ this time, under oath. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=443405', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: JML1129</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-443224</link>
		<dc:creator>JML1129</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2006 06:08:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-443224</guid>
		<description>Seeing this should hammer home the fact that the Dems need to win the mid-term elections if for nothing else to get subpeona power. See how these asshole Repugs like getting grilled under oath like they did to President Clinton.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Seeing this should hammer home the fact that the Dems need to win the mid-term elections if for nothing else to get subpeona power. See how these asshole Repugs like getting grilled under oath like they did to President Clinton.<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=443224', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Bring it On! &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Gonzales Ducks Question On Whether Warrantless Spying Pre-Dated Congressional Authorization Of &#8220;Necessary&#8221; Force</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-442084</link>
		<dc:creator>Bring it On! &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Gonzales Ducks Question On Whether Warrantless Spying Pre-Dated Congressional Authorization Of &#8220;Necessary&#8221; Force</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:22:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-442084</guid>
		<description>[...] Unfortunately, Gonzales wasn&#8217;t interested in answering it when he spoke &#8212; amazingly, not under oath &#8212; to the committee.  SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT): Attorney general, I understand. I was here when that attack happened, and I join with Republicans and Democrats and virtually every member of this Congress to try to give you the tools that you said you needed for us to go after Al-Qaeda, and especially to go after Osama bin Laden, the man that we all understood masterminded the attack, the man who is still at large. Now, back to my question, did you come to the conclusion that you had to have this warrantless wiretapping of Americans inside the United States to protect us before the president signed the resolution on September 18, 2001? You were the White House counsel at the time. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] Unfortunately, Gonzales wasn&#8217;t interested in answering it when he spoke &#8212; amazingly, not under oath &#8212; to the committee.  SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT): Attorney general, I understand. I was here when that attack happened, and I join with Republicans and Democrats and virtually every member of this Congress to try to give you the tools that you said you needed for us to go after Al-Qaeda, and especially to go after Osama bin Laden, the man that we all understood masterminded the attack, the man who is still at large. Now, back to my question, did you come to the conclusion that you had to have this warrantless wiretapping of Americans inside the United States to protect us before the president signed the resolution on September 18, 2001? You were the White House counsel at the time. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=442084', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Bring it On! &#187; Blog Archive &#187; If Bush Had &#8220;Inherent Authority&#8221; For Warrantless Surveillance, Why Did Justice Department Seek Congressional Approval?</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-442082</link>
		<dc:creator>Bring it On! &#187; Blog Archive &#187; If Bush Had &#8220;Inherent Authority&#8221; For Warrantless Surveillance, Why Did Justice Department Seek Congressional Approval?</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:16:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-442082</guid>
		<description>[...] &#8220;Whatever the limits of the presidentâ€™s authority given under the authorization of the use of military force and his inherent authority as commander in chief in a time of war, it clearly includes the electronic surveillance of the enemy,&#8221; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), while speaking (not under oath) on Monday to the Senate Judiciary Committee. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] &#8220;Whatever the limits of the presidentâ€™s authority given under the authorization of the use of military force and his inherent authority as commander in chief in a time of war, it clearly includes the electronic surveillance of the enemy,&#8221; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), while speaking (not under oath) on Monday to the Senate Judiciary Committee. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=442082', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Hancocrates</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-442043</link>
		<dc:creator>Hancocrates</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2006 14:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-442043</guid>
		<description>The very fact that Arlen Specter is presiding over any type of Judiciary Committee is a joke. Can anyone say &#039;magic bullet theory?&#039; Being from Texas, I can attest to Cornyn&#039;s status as village idiot. All he will ever do is tow the party line. Whether the man actually has a brain is debatable. And of course, AG Alberto. How clever of him to use Washington&#039;s name to justify criminality. I am sure the redneck conservative base is going around telling liberals that even George Washington would approve of wiretapping.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The very fact that Arlen Specter is presiding over any type of Judiciary Committee is a joke. Can anyone say &#8216;magic bullet theory?&#8217; Being from Texas, I can attest to Cornyn&#8217;s status as village idiot. All he will ever do is tow the party line. Whether the man actually has a brain is debatable. And of course, AG Alberto. How clever of him to use Washington&#8217;s name to justify criminality. I am sure the redneck conservative base is going around telling liberals that even George Washington would approve of wiretapping.<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=442043', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: MONICA RICKER</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-441771</link>
		<dc:creator>MONICA RICKER</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2006 02:33:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-441771</guid>
		<description>If Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is not obligated to testify under Oath, then how do we know he is telling the Truth??  And the question must be asked, &quot;Why is he not made to testify under Oath??  Sounds dishonest to me.  Does that mean we are to infer/imply that Attorney General Gonzales is not telling the Truth and was counseled not to testify under Oath as a coverup???  This is just as inexcusable as the issue itself, &quot;not going through the &quot;secretive&quot; FISA Court to obtain warranted domestic surveillance because this method would be &quot;exposed&quot; to the Terrorists.  May we examine this strange rationale?????</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is not obligated to testify under Oath, then how do we know he is telling the Truth??  And the question must be asked, &#8220;Why is he not made to testify under Oath??  Sounds dishonest to me.  Does that mean we are to infer/imply that Attorney General Gonzales is not telling the Truth and was counseled not to testify under Oath as a coverup???  This is just as inexcusable as the issue itself, &#8220;not going through the &#8220;secretive&#8221; FISA Court to obtain warranted domestic surveillance because this method would be &#8220;exposed&#8221; to the Terrorists.  May we examine this strange rationale?????<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=441771', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Hughes for America</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-441568</link>
		<dc:creator>Hughes for America</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:05:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-441568</guid>
		<description>&lt;strong&gt;Sham hearings, sham government...&lt;/strong&gt;

Monday wasn&#039;t a good day for democracy. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the Bush administration&#039;s warrantless wiretapping, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales did anything but, revealing the proceedings to be a...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Sham hearings, sham government&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Monday wasn&#8217;t a good day for democracy. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the Bush administration&#8217;s warrantless wiretapping, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales did anything but, revealing the proceedings to be a&#8230;<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=441568', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: RUSL</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-441406</link>
		<dc:creator>RUSL</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 22:54:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-441406</guid>
		<description>&quot;in a democracy...you can be spectators but not participants&quot;

-the Chomskie

Tell them they are fascists! Yell at that TV!

SLEEPERS AWAKE</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;in a democracy&#8230;you can be spectators but not participants&#8221;</p>
<p>-the Chomskie</p>
<p>Tell them they are fascists! Yell at that TV!</p>
<p>SLEEPERS AWAKE<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=441406', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: birdhaus</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-441364</link>
		<dc:creator>birdhaus</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 22:40:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-441364</guid>
		<description>This is utterly unbelieveable. Why didn&#039;t the Democratic members just walk out. If Gonzales had nothing to hide, why not swear him in---not that it would keep him from lying anyway.

&lt;blockquote&gt;The consequences for testifying under oath must be alot harsher than just lying to the American People. Religion, anyone?&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Heck, Mickey G., if there is a hell, these guys alreadfy had space reserved. Why should they care?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is utterly unbelieveable. Why didn&#8217;t the Democratic members just walk out. If Gonzales had nothing to hide, why not swear him in&#8212;not that it would keep him from lying anyway.</p>
<blockquote><p>The consequences for testifying under oath must be alot harsher than just lying to the American People. Religion, anyone?</p></blockquote>
<p>Heck, Mickey G., if there is a hell, these guys alreadfy had space reserved. Why should they care?<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=441364', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: RppPolyp</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440808</link>
		<dc:creator>RppPolyp</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 16:47:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440808</guid>
		<description>&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This is really not a very good way to begin this hearing.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/em&gt;

You can say that again, Arlen.  Why are you shocked that the Dems would find it fishy that one swears in baseball players but not AG&#039;s and price gouging oil executives?...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>This is really not a very good way to begin this hearing.</strong> </em></p>
<p>You can say that again, Arlen.  Why are you shocked that the Dems would find it fishy that one swears in baseball players but not AG&#8217;s and price gouging oil executives?&#8230;<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440808', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Smedley</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440751</link>
		<dc:creator>Smedley</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 15:59:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440751</guid>
		<description>Those who doubt that the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld team will attack Iran, while so conspicuously overextended in Iraq, are ignoring the subtleties of the administrationâ€™s Middle East strategy. 

&lt;strong&gt;Bush has no intention of occupying Iran. Rather, the goal is to destroy major weapons-sites, destabilize the regime, and occupy a sliver of land on the Iraqi border that contains 90% of Iranâ€™s oil wealth. Ultimately, Washington will aim to replace the Mullahs with American-friendly clients who can police their own people and fabricate the appearance of representative government. But, that will have to wait. For now, the administration must prevent the incipient Iran bourse (oil-exchange) from opening in March and precipitating a global sell-off of the debt-ridden dollar. There have many fine articles written about the proposed â€œeuro-basedâ€ bourse and the devastating effects it will have on the greenback. The best of these are â€œPetrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollarâ€ by William R. Clark, and â€œThe Proposed Oil Bourseâ€ by Krassimir Petrov, Ph.D. 

The bottom line on the bourse is this; the dollar is underwritten by a national debt that now exceeds $8 trillion dollars and trade deficits that surpass $600 billion per year. That means that the greenback is the greatest swindle in the history of mankind. Itâ€™s utterly worthless. The only thing that keeps the dollar afloat is that oil is traded exclusively in greenbacks rather than some other currency. If Iran is able to smash that monopoly by trading in petro-euros then the worldâ€™s central banks will dump the greenback overnight, sending markets crashing and the US economy into a downward spiral.

The Bush administration has no intention of allowing that to take place. In fact, as the tax-cuts and the budget deficits indicate, the Bush cabal fully intends to perpetuate the system that trades worthless dollars for valuable commodities, labor, and resources. As long as the oil market is married to the dollar, this system of global indentured servitude will continue.&lt;/strong&gt;

Battle Plans 

The Bush administrationâ€™s attention has shifted to a small province in southwestern Iran that is unknown to most Americans. Never the less, Khuzestan will become the next front in the war on terror and the lynchpin for prevailing in the global resource war. If the Bush administration can sweep into the region (under the pretext disarming Iranâ€™s nuclear programs) and put Iranâ€™s prodigious oil wealth under US control, the dream of monopolizing Middle East oil will have been achieved.

Not surprisingly, this was Saddam Husseinâ€™s strategy in 1980 when he initiated hostilities against Iran in a war that would last for eight years. Saddam was an American client at the time, so it is likely that he got the green light for the invasion from the Reagan White House. Many of Reaganâ€™s high-ranking officials currently serve in the Bush administration; notably Rumsfeld and Cheney.

Khuzestan represents 90% of Iranâ€™s oil production. The control over these massive fields will force the oil-dependent nations of China, Japan and India to continue to stockpile greenbacks despite the currencyâ€™s dubious value. The annexing of Khuzestan will prevent Iranâ€™s bourse from opening, thereby guaranteeing that the dollar will maintain its dominant position as the worldâ€™s reserve currency. As long as the dollar reigns supreme and western elites have their hands on the Middle East oil-spigot, the current system of exploitation through debt will continue into perpetuity. The administration can confidently prolong its colossal deficits without fear of a plummeting dollar. In fact, the American war-machine and all its various appendages, from Guantanamo to Abrams Tanks, are paid for by the myriad nations who willingly hold reserves of American currency. 

This extortion-scheme is typically referred to as the global economic system. In reality, it has nothing to do with either free markets or capitalism. That is just philosophical mumbo-jumbo. It is the dollar-system; predicated entirely on the ongoing monopoly of the oil trade in dollars.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Those who doubt that the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld team will attack Iran, while so conspicuously overextended in Iraq, are ignoring the subtleties of the administrationâ€™s Middle East strategy. </p>
<p><strong>Bush has no intention of occupying Iran. Rather, the goal is to destroy major weapons-sites, destabilize the regime, and occupy a sliver of land on the Iraqi border that contains 90% of Iranâ€™s oil wealth. Ultimately, Washington will aim to replace the Mullahs with American-friendly clients who can police their own people and fabricate the appearance of representative government. But, that will have to wait. For now, the administration must prevent the incipient Iran bourse (oil-exchange) from opening in March and precipitating a global sell-off of the debt-ridden dollar. There have many fine articles written about the proposed â€œeuro-basedâ€ bourse and the devastating effects it will have on the greenback. The best of these are â€œPetrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollarâ€ by William R. Clark, and â€œThe Proposed Oil Bourseâ€ by Krassimir Petrov, Ph.D. </p>
<p>The bottom line on the bourse is this; the dollar is underwritten by a national debt that now exceeds $8 trillion dollars and trade deficits that surpass $600 billion per year. That means that the greenback is the greatest swindle in the history of mankind. Itâ€™s utterly worthless. The only thing that keeps the dollar afloat is that oil is traded exclusively in greenbacks rather than some other currency. If Iran is able to smash that monopoly by trading in petro-euros then the worldâ€™s central banks will dump the greenback overnight, sending markets crashing and the US economy into a downward spiral.</p>
<p>The Bush administration has no intention of allowing that to take place. In fact, as the tax-cuts and the budget deficits indicate, the Bush cabal fully intends to perpetuate the system that trades worthless dollars for valuable commodities, labor, and resources. As long as the oil market is married to the dollar, this system of global indentured servitude will continue.</strong></p>
<p>Battle Plans </p>
<p>The Bush administrationâ€™s attention has shifted to a small province in southwestern Iran that is unknown to most Americans. Never the less, Khuzestan will become the next front in the war on terror and the lynchpin for prevailing in the global resource war. If the Bush administration can sweep into the region (under the pretext disarming Iranâ€™s nuclear programs) and put Iranâ€™s prodigious oil wealth under US control, the dream of monopolizing Middle East oil will have been achieved.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, this was Saddam Husseinâ€™s strategy in 1980 when he initiated hostilities against Iran in a war that would last for eight years. Saddam was an American client at the time, so it is likely that he got the green light for the invasion from the Reagan White House. Many of Reaganâ€™s high-ranking officials currently serve in the Bush administration; notably Rumsfeld and Cheney.</p>
<p>Khuzestan represents 90% of Iranâ€™s oil production. The control over these massive fields will force the oil-dependent nations of China, Japan and India to continue to stockpile greenbacks despite the currencyâ€™s dubious value. The annexing of Khuzestan will prevent Iranâ€™s bourse from opening, thereby guaranteeing that the dollar will maintain its dominant position as the worldâ€™s reserve currency. As long as the dollar reigns supreme and western elites have their hands on the Middle East oil-spigot, the current system of exploitation through debt will continue into perpetuity. The administration can confidently prolong its colossal deficits without fear of a plummeting dollar. In fact, the American war-machine and all its various appendages, from Guantanamo to Abrams Tanks, are paid for by the myriad nations who willingly hold reserves of American currency. </p>
<p>This extortion-scheme is typically referred to as the global economic system. In reality, it has nothing to do with either free markets or capitalism. That is just philosophical mumbo-jumbo. It is the dollar-system; predicated entirely on the ongoing monopoly of the oil trade in dollars.<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440751', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Nuala Kavanagh</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440590</link>
		<dc:creator>Nuala Kavanagh</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:06:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440590</guid>
		<description>What I want to know is, where are all the terrorists they have arrested in the four years since they started wiretapping.  Could it be possible they haven&#039;t bothered to pick any of them up, just like the two who were on the plane that hit the Pentagon.  Or - perish the thought - is it possible they actually haven&#039;t identified any al Quida yet, or then again they could be the victims of rendition.
Would we believe them anyway, even if they told us.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What I want to know is, where are all the terrorists they have arrested in the four years since they started wiretapping.  Could it be possible they haven&#8217;t bothered to pick any of them up, just like the two who were on the plane that hit the Pentagon.  Or &#8211; perish the thought &#8211; is it possible they actually haven&#8217;t identified any al Quida yet, or then again they could be the victims of rendition.<br />
Would we believe them anyway, even if they told us.<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440590', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: THE BLUE SPEAR &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440554</link>
		<dc:creator>THE BLUE SPEAR &#187; Blog Archive &#187; Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 04:53:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440554</guid>
		<description>[...] Think Progress has the video. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] Think Progress has the video. [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440554', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: MickeyG</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440546</link>
		<dc:creator>MickeyG</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 04:14:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440546</guid>
		<description>The consequences for testifying under oath must be alot harsher than just lying to the American People.  Religion, anyone?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The consequences for testifying under oath must be alot harsher than just lying to the American People.  Religion, anyone?<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440546', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: Current Era Blog &#187; Democrats sought â€” and failed â€” to have Gonzales sworn in</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440521</link>
		<dc:creator>Current Era Blog &#187; Democrats sought â€” and failed â€” to have Gonzales sworn in</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 03:25:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440521</guid>
		<description>[...] VIDEO: Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath      &#171; FEMA CONCENTRATION CAMPS: Locations and Executive Orders &#160; Italian Priest Wants Jackson on CD &#187; [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] VIDEO: Senate Conservatives Refuse To Put Gonzales Under Oath      &laquo; FEMA CONCENTRATION CAMPS: Locations and Executive Orders &nbsp; Italian Priest Wants Jackson on CD &raquo; [...]<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440521', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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		<title>By: WickyWoo</title>
		<link>http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/comment-page-4/#comment-440498</link>
		<dc:creator>WickyWoo</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 02:49:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/gonzales-under-oath/#comment-440498</guid>
		<description>Honestly, in a just world, Spectre would be arrested for obstruction of justice. I may not be able to prove conclusively that he&#039;s a criminal, unlike most Republicans, but he&#039;s certainly an enabler of them, and guilty of aiding and abetting.

We need Gonzalez under oath, so the second he conclusively lies he can be slapped in irons and tossed in a cell to rot until he&#039;s willing to squeal on his boss.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Honestly, in a just world, Spectre would be arrested for obstruction of justice. I may not be able to prove conclusively that he&#8217;s a criminal, unlike most Republicans, but he&#8217;s certainly an enabler of them, and guilty of aiding and abetting.</p>
<p>We need Gonzalez under oath, so the second he conclusively lies he can be slapped in irons and tossed in a cell to rot until he&#8217;s willing to squeal on his boss.<a href="javascript:void(0)" title=""  onmouseover="window.status=''; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true" onclick="ddrc_popup('http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/plugins/dd-report-comments/report.php?c=440498', 400, 400)"></a></p>
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