ThinkFast: September 25, 2006
In an “unprecedented” move, Army chief of staff Peter Schoomaker signaled his dismay over the Army’s lack of funding by withholding a “required 2008 budget plan from Pentagon leaders last month.” Without significant troop withdrawals from Iraq, the Army does not believe it can maintain its current level of activity “without billions in additional funding.”
Do-Nothing Congress update. Much is left undone with only one week to go before Congress recesses for the November elections. “At best, it appears that just 2 of the 11 required spending bills will pass, and not one has been approved so far, forcing a stopgap measure to keep the federal government open. No budget was enacted.” Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) said, “We have not accomplished what we need to accomplish.”
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) indicated that he vigorously disagrees with the “compromise” bill on military tribunals struck last week. He took issue with a provision that would limit legal counsel and a day in court to only those detainees selected by the Pentagon for prosecution.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) yesterday named several specific techniques — extreme sleep deprivation, forced hypothermia and waterboarding — that he says would be banned under his “compromise” bill on detainee policy. Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) said McCain’s disclosure “helps the terrorists.”
The Democratic Policy Committee will hold a hearing today on the planning and conduct of the Iraq war, taking the testimony of retired generals who have criticized Rumsfeld. Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton is expected to assess Rumsfeld as “incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically.” Despite his numerous failures, Rumsfeld is expected to soon become the longest-serving Secretary of Defense.
“Liberal bloggers in New Hampshire busted an aide to Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) who was posing as a liberal blogger on such blogs as Blue Granite, NH-02 Progressive and others.” Bass’s office said the staffer would be “appropriately disciplined.”
Wal-Mart is going green. The discount retailer has launched an “aggressive program to encourage ’sustainability’ of the world’s fisheries, forests and farmlands, to slash energy use and reduce waste, [and] to push its 60,000 suppliers to produce goods that don’t harm the environment.” Scott Burns of the World Wildlife Fund said, “They’re sending a very powerful signal that already is having effects on the way people produce products for them.”
Iraq moved a step closer to federalism as its parliament agreed Sunday “to consider amending the constitution and debate a bill establishing a federal state.”
Safia Amajan, a leading Afghan official working on women’s rights, has been killed. The BBC reports, “She may have been targeted by Taleban militants because of their opposition to women taking part in politics and education.”
And finally: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld plays hardball on the squash court. “He hits the ball well, but he doesn’t play by the rules,” said a fellow squash player and Pentagon employee. Rumsfeld has also suggested that “his ideas about transforming the military…were influenced by his squash playing.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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At best, it appears that just 2 of the 11 required spending bills will pass, and not one has been approved so far, forcing a stopgap measure to keep the federal government open.
I guess they want to wait until after the elections. That way the public won’t notice all the pork, tax breaks, and excess spending they attach to those bills.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:12 am#1
September 25th, 2006 at 9:31 amJoe,
Or they know they will lose the elections and the Dems will be forced to pass spending bill after spending bill in order to correct the ineptness of the Repug Congress. The Repugs will then try and use this as a point inthe 2008 elections…”See how they spend, spend, spend.”
Open questions for McCain, and anyone else: Why was a compromise on torture necessary? Didn’t the McCain Amendment passed a few months ago guarantee that the United States would not be torturing prisoners? How can you guarantee there won’t be another signing statement nullifying this compromise?
This compromise gives the President the authority to interpret the Geneva Convention any way he sees fit, how will this protect people from being tortured? The compromise prevents individuals from claiming the Geneva Convention as a source of human rights, how will this protect people from being tortured?
September 25th, 2006 at 9:43 amYet the talk is of maintaining and/or increasing troop levels. Our kids are fighting and dying and we’re going to do what, give them IOU’s for paychecks?
September 25th, 2006 at 9:45 amHmm, seeing that the McCain compromise is likely to pass, Specter states that he is not comfortable with it. Pretty safe.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:49 amThe so-called compromise was another sellout by McCain, Graham and Warner to Bushie. It was only a facade of negotiation. Rather than taking the high road, the US has reduced itself again to the low level of Bush&Co.
Before he’s gone, we won’t recognize the nation and all it has meant for more than 200 years.
The politicians have played Bush’s game, adopted his rules, and we all lose.
But high on the priority list are bills legalizing Bush’s warrantless wiretaps and insulating Bush and Company from being charged with the crime of torture.
Maybe there’s a brain-dead woman on life-support somewhere who can keep this Congress from going out to recess?
September 25th, 2006 at 9:49 amHmmm… Walmart appears to be going for a major image change. First the encouragement of its workers to vote (generally good, although it’ll depend how ‘neutral’ they are in their literature), and now willing to spend money for sustainability.
It’ll be interesting to see how things work out there.
September 25th, 2006 at 9:50 amfritzy = loves to help terrorist , these losers like fritzy of the brown shirts are the recruitment tool for terrorists
September 25th, 2006 at 10:03 amI just saw a clip on CNN on the NIE report and McCain - like Bush - conflated the 9/11 attack with the war in Iraq.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:04 amThe Democratic Policy Committee will hold their hearing today and agree that the occupation in Iraq is killing American soldiers and Marines unnecessarily and that they will continue to get blown up and maimed and crippled as long as the U.S. remains in that quagmire but will, despite articulating these obvious truths, still not call for the immediate withdrawal of those troops from that abattoir in Iraq. So much for supporting those troops and making sure that they return to this country in one piece.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:08 amRumsfeld has also suggested that “his ideas about transforming the military…were influenced by his squash playing.â€
Well now that explains a lot.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:24 amThe only thing he hasn’t been successful “squashing” is insurgents.
What a dickhead.
Good Morning Everyone…..
are insurgents….
September 25th, 2006 at 10:25 amgeesh!
Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) said McCain’s disclosure “helps the terrorists.†- - Seriously, don’t you wanna waterboard that priggish fop Frist for about 5 seconds?
September 25th, 2006 at 10:30 amBTW:
September 25th, 2006 at 10:30 amThe majority of morning shows today are suggesting Clinton was off base and report Wallace as saying,”Gee, I just asked a question.”
*yack*
actually, trueblue - you had it right…
September 25th, 2006 at 10:31 amgo back in time to sentence diagram: “…thing…is…”
just sayin’…
did I, Katy.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:39 amIt looked funny when I saw it.
But I guess Rumsfeld was the subject. Insurgents the object.
It’s too early in the morning for this… Coffee!!
#14 trueblue
September 25th, 2006 at 10:44 amI observed the same.
I think it’s a case of circling the wagons to “protect” one of their own innocent reporters.
Even C-Span had a raft of callers denouncing Clinton for his “lies,” conveniently overlooking the Bush lies, too numerous to count.
I was so angry at the O’Brien twit on CNN, I turned off the TV.
I wonder how many of the real news outlets will highlight Fox’s take on the show. How many other outlets have every advertised an interview with a president, past or present as Fox did with their Crazed Clinton descriptor? Was the recent Lauer interview with Bush labeled this way? Nope, because most major news outlets are not as openly biased.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:51 amMarie,
September 25th, 2006 at 10:54 amIt’s like they’re blaming Clinton for the question being asked!
heard on sam’s show (edited version):
If you want to know why the Media is f*cked up
And why Jon Meachem is justifiably facing my ire this morning then look at this.
Look no further than Newsweek’s cover this week by geographical region:
go to: rising-hegemon.blogspot.com
September 25th, 2006 at 11:16 amArlen always disagrees with the president before agreeing with him.
September 25th, 2006 at 11:36 am[…] Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, Mia Culpa […]
September 25th, 2006 at 11:40 amo man… i really wish TP would get the comment posting FIXED…
the “edited version” actually appeared at #20 before the original, which was taking so long to come up i put up the edited one… jeesh…
what, is someone in there having to read each comment before it’s posted? …just what is the problem? still? …
September 25th, 2006 at 11:53 amand now you’re thinking, “what the hell’s she talkin’ about? i only see #20″…
September 25th, 2006 at 12:07 pmtoo long a story… but i am not losing my mind…
:-)
Foreign jihadists seen as key to spike in Afghan attacks: Straight-out-of-Iraq’ tactics observed as revived Taliban increases assaults, by Anna Badkhen, Chronicle Staff Writer
September 25th, 2006 at 12:08 pmKaty, do you have an iMac.? I do and have had nothing but problem’s with the think progress site for nearly 2 month’s now…..Done everything possible to stop the problem’s from my end and now believe it is the filters or what ever TP is doing that have caused the problem’s not my computer…..Take’s forever for the post to show up…Many day’s a week I am shut out with the error page or a blank and can’t even get on the site…….It was a far better working site 3 month’s ago, quick posting, able to see a post and make corrections quickly and even though there was a lot of troll traffic the overall responses were far better…….Please fix the site T.P. otherwise many of us will just go else where to share our thought’s and get information……Blessings
September 25th, 2006 at 12:17 pmKaty–get over yourself.
September 25th, 2006 at 12:22 pmSo does this mean that Wal-Mart will stop trying to destroy a beautiful OLD park in my hometown of Gainesville, FL in order to build a super center? Or prevent them from building another supercenter that threatens clean water in a small city just outside of Gainesville? Or prevent them from building ANOTHER super-center in the eastside of the city, shutting out old mom and pop shops, and requiring the city to change traffic patterns to accomodate the new traffic flow in a city already extremely congested and underfunded (and out of space) for roads and traffic easing?
http://gainesville.about.com/ od/ politicalissues/ i/ SuperWalMart.htm
My guess is no. I applaud them for recognizing the issue and making a statement about it… However, I remain skeptical knowing their history. I will not truly be impressed until I see them actually change their ways and truly dedicate themselves to this. If they do, then I will eat my words GLADLY.
Maybe they could throw in some extra benefits or salary increases for their employees? I mean while we’re at it…
September 25th, 2006 at 1:12 pmWithout significant troop withdrawals from Iraq, the Army does not believe it can maintain its current level of activity “without billions in additional funding.
Instead, we are killing our young soldiers and billing their children.
September 25th, 2006 at 1:30 pmoh, BTW, sharon… i was having trouble with my imac, but it turned out to be the connection… replaced the coaxal/cable and all’s well now…
September 25th, 2006 at 1:32 pmi do need to add some RAM… christmas is coming… :-)
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