writes his staff about the CIA leak.
Fox News Recruits Priest to Advise Bush On Weathering Scandals
Don’t think Fox News is worried about the impact that a Rove indictment could have on the Bush White House?
Yesterday, the network actually featured a Roman Catholic priest giving President Bush advice on how to “operate as a leader” in the midst of all the “rumors and scandals that are swirling around the White House.”
Among Fr. Jonathan Morrison’s pearls of wisdom:
Anytime I hear about leadership, I think of the locker room — those posters that say, “Lift Up Your Spirits,” “Think Big,” and all the rest. I think all of us say, that’s not it. That it’s not about doing something. It’s about being something. It’s about being a leader. … I think and I hope Bush has done that and prepared himself for these moments.
Bush Attacks Reagan’s Approach To Terrorism, Then Praises It
Today, President Bush chose to talk about terrorism at an event commemorating the new Air Force One exhibit at the Reagan library. He praised Reagan for “never backing down in the face of evil”:
[Reagan] recognized that freedom was opposed by dangerous enemies. And he understood that America has always prevailed by standing firmly on principals – and never backing down in the face of evil.
This contrasts with a speech Bush made in August in which he questioned Reagan’s response to the 1983 Marine baracks bombing in Beirut. Bush said:
[Terrorists] believe that democracies are inherently weak and corrupt and can be brought to their knees. They looked at our response after the hostage crisis in Iran, the bombings of the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the first World Trade Center attack, the killing of American soldiers in Somalia, the destruction of two U.S. embassies in Africa, and the attack on the USS Cole. They concluded that free societies lack the courage and character to defend themselves against a determined enemy. [V-J Day Speech, 8/30/05]
Looks like Bush was against Reagan’s response to terrorism before he was for it.
Fitzgerald sets up
a new website. (Via Froomkin)
1,992 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq.
“If U.S. troops continue to die at the pace they have so far this month, the American death toll in Iraq will reach 2,000 before the weekend is over.”
You’re still paying Mike Brown’s salary.
“Andrews confirmed that Brown is still on FEMA’s payroll as a consultant. She said he works from home, where he is ‘pulling all the documentation together’ to aid in the investigations into the government’s response to Katrina. His original 30-day contract was recently extended for another 30 days, she said.” (Via War & Piece)
BREAKING: DeLay’s Lawyer Lies About MoveOn
Tom DeLay’s attorney, Dick DeGuerin, claims that the judge presiding over DeLay’s criminal case in Texas, Bob Perkins, should be disqualified. A central part of his claim is that an organization that Perkins has donated to in the past, MoveOn, is selling t-shirts with Tom DeLay’s mug shot:
DEGUERIN: The latest thing on MoveOn.org’s website, they are trying to raise money by selling t-shirts with Tom DeLay’s mug shot on the t-shirts. And I just don’t think that it looks right for the judge sitting on Congressman DeLay’s case to have contributed to an organization such as that.
According to MoveOn’s Washington director Tom Mattzie, this claim is false. Mattzie told ThinkProgress this morning that MoveOn has “never sold any t-shirts with Tom DeLay’s mug shot” on their website or otherwise. You can go to their website and see that he’s right.
Nevertheless, the media is already picking it up DeGuerin’s comments as if they were true. From the Associated Press:
The judge, Bob Perkins, has been a contributor to Democratic causes. DeLay’s attorney pointed out Friday that those causes include MoveOn.org, which is now selling a T-shirt with DeLay’s picture on it.
Dick DeGuerin wasn’t immediately available for comment. We’ll update you if he gets back to us.
UPDATE: DeGuerin made a similar false statement in the courtroom: Read more
Contract Is No Carnival For Taxpayers
After Katrina, Bush told the nation, “Our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of those who had to flee their homes and leave all their possessions behind.”
FEMA’s solution? House evacuees on three Carnival cruise ships (the Ecstacy, the Holiday, and the Sensation) in a $236 million contract criticized by lawmakers for its exorbitant cost and impracticality.
Carnival’s main defense has been that the contract is profit-neutral because it has had to cancel reservations for regular passengers.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) yesterday sent a letter to DHS Secretary Chertoff, with new evidence calling into question Carnival’s assertion:
This financial data reveals that the federal government appears to be paying Carnival significantly more under the federal contract than the ships earned on their own, while Carnival’s expenses appear to be significantly less under the federal contract than the ships normally incur. The net result is a contract that looks lucrative for Carnival but exceptionally expensive for the taxpayer.
Carnival’s 2002 financial review reveals that its revenue was just $150 million for six months, meaning that the $236 million contract — even accounting for inflation — is significantly more than the company would ordinarily make. Moreover, the ships have 800 fewer employees than usual, creating more profits for the cruise line in salaries, accomodations, and meal costs it won’t have to pay.
Chertoff is a self-proclaimed “not a hurricane expert” and evidently, he is not a contract expert either.
