George W. Bush 'knew Guantánamo prisoners were innocent'

By GottaLaff

Tell me if you've heard this one before. Oh wait, you have, because it's exactly what I've been writing about for months regarding Lt. Col. Barry Wingard's client Fayiz al-Kandari.

The difference is, now Colin Powell's former aide Larry Wilkerson is saying it, right out loud:

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq and the broader War on Terror, according to a new document obtained by The Times.

The accusations were made by Lawrence Wilkerson, a top aide to Colin Powell, the former Republican Secretary of State, in a signed declaration to support a lawsuit filed by a Guantánamo detainee. It is the first time that such allegations have been made by a senior member of the Bush Administration.

Of course, the Obama administration would rather not look back, only forward. I have a feeling that may change one day soon, the way evidence has been mounting against BushCo. If they ignore this information, then we have a real problem.

Wilkerson's recounting of what happened is nearly identical to Fayiz's story:

[T]he majority of detainees — children as young as 12 and men as old as 93, he said — never saw a US soldier when they were captured. He said that many were turned over by Afghans and Pakistanis for up to $5,000. Little or no evidence was produced as to why they had been taken.

Bingo.

Cheney, Rumsfeld, and even Bush himself were in on it, per Wilkerson. Re: Cheney...

“He had absolutely no concern that the vast majority of Guantánamo detainees were innocent ... If hundreds of innocent individuals had to suffer in order to detain a handful of hardcore terrorists, so be it.”

He alleged that for Mr Cheney and Mr Rumsfeld “innocent people languishing in Guantánamo for years was justified by the broader War on Terror and the small number of terrorists who were responsible for the September 11 attacks”.

Just. Go. Read.

****

All my previous posts on this subject matter can be found here; That link includes one specific to only Fayiz al-Kandari's story here. Here are audio and video interviews with Lt. Col. Wingard, one by David Shuster, one by Ana Marie Cox, and more. My guest commentary at BuzzFlash is here.

Lt. Col. Barry Wingard is a military attorney who represents Fayiz Al-Kandari in the Military Commission process and in no way represents the opinions of his home state. When not on active duty, Colonel Wingard is a public defender in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

If you are inclined to help rectify these injustices: Twitterers, use the hashtag #FreeFayiz. We have organized a team to get these stories out. If you are interested in helping Fayiz out, e-mail me at The Political Carnival, address in sidebar to the right; or tweet me at @GottaLaff.

If you'd like to see other ways you can take action, go here and scroll down to the end of the article.

Then read Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side. You'll have a much greater understanding of why I post endlessly about this, and why I'm all over the CIA deception issues, too.

More of Fayiz's story here, at Answers.com.

H/t: Tosfm

Guess the Crush: "There’s just something about her… You have a little crush on her. It’s hard not to”

By GottaLaff

It's time to play Guess the Crush! I'll give you some hints:

Blonde.

Outspoken.

Ubiquitous.

Give up yet? More clues:

The quote is from this guy:

This guy is Michael Goldfarb.

Still guessing?

Another clue:

Daddy's little girl.

Clinically insane.

Not sure yet? I'll drop the answer down for those who are still playing Guess the Crush.










Here's the entire quote:

“I was excited about Palin; I’m more excited about Liz. The same sort of excitement you get when you hear her father, except she’s this petite blonde with five kids … There’s just something about her… You have a little crush on her. It’s hard not to.”

Yes, that Liz.

"There's just something about her."

"The same sort of excitement you get when you hear her father"??


So Goldfarb has a heart on for Dickless McHeartStent? Daddy Dearest gives him a chill up his leg the way Dickette does?

Um.

Irresistible.

[NY Mag via Andrew Sullivan]

Poll-itics: Obama Rated Higher on National Security

By GottaLaff

Eat your words, Dickless McHeartStent:

Greg Sargent flags a new Democracy Corps poll that shows President Obama is actually rated better than former President Bush on national security and the handling of terror suspects -- despite former Vice President Cheney's steady drumbeat that "by undoing Bush policies, Obama has made us less safe."

File this under "Neener Nanner".

Fear Factor: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the way the fear mongering and hypocrisy of the GOP. I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

Fear Factor

Liz Cheney, who branded lawyers who defended accused terrorists before the Supreme Court, as Al Qaeda sympathizers, seems to have forgotten the fundamental principle of our judicial system “innocent until proven guilty”. Attorneys are taught to defend their clients no matter what their own personal opinion may be.

The fact that the Justice Department hired some of the attorneys that represented terrorists during the Bush Administration didn’t seem to matter or occur to her.

Liz, like her father, loves to use fear words and tactics to rile their base and promote their right wing agenda. If one were to use Liz’s logic, Dick Cheney who believes in torturing terrorists, or as he calls it “enhanced interrogation“, is no different than Saddam Hussein.

Liz Cheney is receiving a lot of heat for her remarks, and rightfully so, even from conservatives within the Republican party; yet the use of fear seems to be in the Cheney’s genes and that of the Republican Party.

The “fear factor” has been part of the Republican strategy since 9/11, but now we have seen that this policy is officially part of their platform to get Republicans elected in 2010, from a Power Point presentation that was made by the Republican National Committee, in Boca Grande, Florida.

Bush and the GOP have used the “fear factor” to (a) get us into an un-necessary war in Iraq, (b) re-elect Bush in 2004, (c) fight Health Care reform, (d) fight the closing Guantanamo, and (d) fight the trying of terrorists in civilian courts.

This use of the “fear factor” since the election of Barack Obama, by the Republican Party and the right wing media, I believe, is one of the factors that has led to a significant increase in American hate groups.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published a report (Rage on the Right) this week that disclosed there was a 244% increase in the number of active Patriot Groups (militias and other extremist organizations) in 2009. Their numbers grew from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 in 2009. On March 5th we learned that the Obama Administration is considering trying the alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) in a military court instead of a civilian court in NYC.

For months the Republican Party and right wing media have been using the “fear factor” on the American public against having civilian trial for KHM. Like Liz Cheney’s undermining one of our basic legal principles, so is the Republican Party undermining the due process provision of our Constitution.

The fact that civilian trials were used to try terrorists during the Bush Administration doesn’t seem to matter to the GOP. The simple fact is, if Obama wants to do it, is enough reason for them to object. Hypocrisy at its highest level.

I beseech President Obama to support your Justice Department and bring KHM before an American civilian court to be tried for his accused crimes against humanity. To do otherwise is to play into the “fear factor” of the Republican Party and the right wing media, which will only embolden them and their supporters to continue their fear mongering methods.

Its time Mr. President to show Republicans and the right wing media that the “fear factor” doesn’t belong in American politics.

Many thanks again for another thorough, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

Karl Rove: Cheney 'squirmed' when offered VP spot

By GottaLaff

Oh goody. KKKarl wrote all about Dickless McHeartStent in his new book. I'm sure every word he's written is true and accurate.

Of the heartless, by the heartless:

The parts of the 516-page book that cover the selection of Cheney as Bush's running mate suggest that the longtime Republican insider was not comfortable when offered the position.

Neither were we.

"Bush surprised Cheney by asking him to think about becoming his running mate. Cheney said he'd consider it but wasn't certain it was a good idea for Bush or for him."

Oh yes, I'm sure that's just how it went down:

Bush: Whaddya say you run for president, DickHead?

Dickless: You mean vice president, don't you?

Bush: Hehheh, nope. But that'll be my new nickname for ya. Vice President DickHead. But we'll keep that to ourselves. We're like that, me and you. Sym-pat-ic-o. Kinda like conspirators, heheheh. Accessories under the fact.

"Some people have suggested that Cheney engineered his own selection. This is far-fetched. I saw the man squirm as Bush pressed him to accept," Rove writes.

Bush: Whoa, DickHead, yer gittin' all squirmy on me. What's up, a-mi-go?

Dickless: "Vice" president. Too many things wrong with that. F*** "vice".

Bush: Hold up there, chief. You'll be holdin' the reins. Yer the head honcho. Oo! Oo! I know what'll convince ya!

Dickless: For chrissake, George, STFU.

Bush: Nonono, yer gonna like this. Lissen up: I'll bomb Iraq. Ya got my word. To smithereens. And then we'll move on to Iran. Man, this is gonna be a blast! Hey, didja see what I did there? The little play on words? Blast? Bombs? Heheheheheheheh!

Dickless: Deal. ... And never, ever, call me amigo again... for your own good. Just thinking of you, junior. Need you to stay in one piece if I'm gonna be surreptitiously running the damn country.

Bush: What's shrubterishously mean?

Dickless: STFU.

"Cheney had a clear understanding of what John Nance Garner, FDR's first vice president, had said about the office - that it was 'not worth a bucket of warm piss.' Cheney was too much of a patriot to act on that knowledge."

Yeah, Cheney's too much of a patriot to avoid the "warm piss" reference. But not too much of a patriot to avoid telling Pat Leahy to f*** himself. What a stand up guy.

Fallujah birth defects blamed on US weapons; doctors told "not to embarrass Americans over the issue"

By GottaLaff

BushCo's fraudulent little war takes yet another turn for the worse:

Birth defects in the Iraqi city of Fallujah have soared in recent years, with doctors saying advanced US weaponry such as white phosphorous and depleted uranium shells may have caused a "massive, unprecedented number" of congenital health problems.

A BBC investigative report has found that the incidence of birth defects in Fallujah has reached a rate 13 times higher than that found in Europe. One doctor at a US-built hospital in the city says the number of birth defects has spiked from one or two per month prior to the Iraq war to two or three per day today. [...]

[BBC world affairs editor John] Simpson says the Fallujah doctors who raised the alarm about birth defects were "well aware that what they said went against the government version, and we were told privately that the Iraqi authorities are anxious not to embarrass the Americans over the issue." [...]

Simpson further reported that he had "heard many times" that women in Fallujah were being warned not to have children.

If this is true, and I believe it is, it's inexcusable. There was controversy over the weaponry at the time. Now we see the horrific consequences of actions taken in our name.

I (among many others) don't recall giving my approval, but Boy Georgie and his trainer Dickless McHeartStent were just a tad headstrong and didn't care. About anything. Except their own little power trip.

As for embarrassing Americans, BushCo managed to do that all on their own.

Rick Perry ahead in Texas elections

By GottaLaff

Governor GOP - Primary

237 of 8,236 precincts - 3 percent

• Rick Perry (i) 106,145 - 52 percent
• Kay Bailey Hutchison 61,357 - 30 percent
• Debra Medina 35,268 - 17 percent

It was reported more than once that Kay Bailey Hutchison was a goner. "Throw in the towel" were the words being bandied about.

Now ClapTrap McLenoGuest can bask in more ClusterFox schlock and awe over her obvious hypnotic effect over Texas voters.

How'd she know he'd win? Someone read her palm?

"Yoo, Bybee, Cheney and Bush have never suffered the burden of a conscience"

By GottaLaff

I've said this before, but I have no problem being redundant when it comes to torture: These thugs should be in prison.

Via the L.A. Times letters to the editor, Yoo asked for it:

Letting them off solves nothing

Re “Cleared but not vindicated,” Editorial, Feb. 23

The last line in your editorial reads: "They may not be disbarred, but they are disgraced."

In order for anyone to feel disgraced, they must have a conscience. It's been painfully obvious -- for some time now -- that John C. Yoo, Jay S. Bybee, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush have never suffered the burden of a conscience.

What is disgraceful is that so many of the Bush administration's transgressions will remain not only unpunished but uninvestigated.

*****

The "torture memo" and the horrors that sprang from it have discredited America and American ideals. The damage to our national security will take a generation to repair and, meanwhile, puts our nation and our citizens abroad at great risk. Yoo and Bybee could not have done more damage had they been undercover agents in the employ of an arch foe such as, oh, Al Qaeda.

Hmmm. Hmmm. If only there was a way to wring a confession out of them . . .

Hmmm. Hmmm. Indeed.

Kay Bailey Hutchison Throws in the Towel?

By GottaLaff

Last October 28, I put up a post called "Why Kay Bailey Hutchison Will Lose":

Who could imagine a more engaging campaigner than Dickless McHeartStent:

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will throw his support behind Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R-TX) campaign for Texas governor, the AP reports.

Hutchison is challenging Gov. Rick Perry (R) in a Republican primary.

Okay, maybe she won't lose... but only because Rick Perry is such an easy target.

The premise may have been correct, but my last line wasn't:

With polls showing her way behind in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) acknowledged to the AP that Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) "has succeeded at casting her as a Washington insider, hindering her effort to kick him out of the Texas governor's mansion."

Said Hutchison: "It definitely has made it more difficult for me. I didn't think that people would buy that because I've been so effective for Texas."

No surprise there, Kay. People have been buying lies, hypocrisy, the selective acceptance of those using the "R" word, secessionists, ignorance of the issues, gaffitude for a long, long time... but enough about Sarah Palin.

Speaking of Palin, she endorsed Perry. Their mutual admiration should ensure him a loss in 2010.

"Perry seems to be riding a national wave of frustration directed at Washington politicians - the same anger that has fueled the "tea party" movement and complicated the Democrats' plans to overhaul the nation's health care system. The long-serving governor who has campaigned as populist has repeatedly criticized Hutchison for pushing earmarks and voting for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout."

Nothing makes sense any more.

Former U.S. VP Dick Cheney hospitalized with chest pains

By GottaLaff

No mention of his heart... because there is none:

Former U.S. VP Dick Cheney hospitalized with chest pains

Details as I get them.

UPDATE:

Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, canceled her appearance at a Lincoln Day Republican dinner in Schaumburg Monday night in order to visit her father who is being hospitalized, event co-organizer Mary Alice Benoit said late Monday afternoon.

UPDATE:

Doctors at George Washington University Hospital say Dick Cheney is stable; former VP had an angiogram, may have treatment tomorrow - NBC

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.

O'Cheney's 'O'Biden' Verbal Tic

By GottaLaff



O'no! O'BrainFade McCan'tSpeak isn't the only one who can't seem to remember simple things like, you know, the vice president of the United States' name.

Presenting Dickless O'Cheney on This Week:

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised by my friend, Joe Biden," Cheney said. "...I'm glad he now believes Iraq is a success. Of course, O'Biden and Obama and Biden campaigned from one end of the country to another for two years criticizing our Iraq policy."

If he can't remember his own friend's name, how could he have remembered to rid the world of turrorists?

Oh that's right. He didn't.

Dick Cheney's "fairly large concessions"

By GottaLaff

I found it harder than usual to post a video of Cheney today, so I refrained. I didn't want to subject any of us to his face, his speech patterns, his lies, his offensive digs, or his nasty demeanor.

However, Greg Sargent posted a comprehensive recap of Dickless McHeartStent's appearance on ABC today. Here it is, in part, but please go read the whole thing.

And thank you, Greg, for saving me from the torture (pun intended) of having to sit through another one of his nauseating interviews:

Some real news in the Dick Cheney interview on ABC: First, Cheney basically endorsed repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

And second, he made fairly large concessions when it comes to his criticism of the current administration: He conceded that the shoe bomber could have been placed in military custody under Bush, but wasn’t. And he acknowledged that some in the Bush administration — not himself, obviously — saw trying terror suspects in civilian courts as an effective weapon against terrorism.

No question, Cheney repeated many standard attacks on Obama — he doesn’t view our hunt for terrorists as a war; he’s trapped in a pre-9/11 mentality; etc.

But Cheney struggled to explain why it’s fair game to criticize Obama’s use of Mirandizing and civilian trials when these techniques were used under his administration.

There now. That was relatively painless.

VIDEO- Joe Biden: Cheney is "not entitled to rewrite history"

By GottaLaff

Joe Biden hands Dickless McHeartStent his ass:

"Let me choose my words carefully [...]

I don't know where Dick Cheney has been! [...]

What is he talking about? [...]

He's factually, substantively wrong [...]

He's either misinformed, or he's misinforming."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MoJoe.

NSA adviser General James Jones suggests Cheney uninformed on national security

Oh this is pretty. Countdown to Mini Dick Lizzie coming to Pappy's rescue... 3...2...1...

Washington (CNN) – One of President Obama’s top national security advisers suggested Sunday that former Vice President Dick Cheney, a persistent critic of the Obama administration on national security issues, might not be informed enough to criticize the White House.

Asked on CNN’s State of the Union about Cheney’s criticism of the way Obama has chosen to fight terrorism and treat terrorism suspects, national security adviser James Jones replied, “Well, you know, if it’s informed, then that’s one thing.”

Jones, a retired Marine general, continued, “It’s important that people understand that we have a sitting vice president [Joe Biden] who’s very much involved in the day-to-day operations of our national security. He’s a member of the national security council. He has access to all of the information.”

Today's "What makes me steaming mad" moment

By GottaLaff

Brought to you by Greg Sargent:

Dems are making Cheney relevant by letting him drive the debate.

Here's what he's referencing.

Guess who Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama? Cheney & Ridge

By GottaLaff

It always starts with you-know-who:

It turns out that the criticism surrounding the decision to read Miranda rights to the attempted Christmas bombing suspect didn't originally come from any office-holding Republican.

Rather, it was pioneered by Tom Ridge and Dick Cheney in the days after Christmas, and only later picked up by members of Congress like Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO).

For a tick-tock, go here. These snakes stayed true to form.

Yes, Dickless McHeartStent strikes again... and his little dog, too!

H/t: Gr8RDH

VIDEO- CNN Poll-itics: Majority confident Obama can handle terrorism

By GottaLaff



Whoopsies! So much for the Cheney Fam's "Obama's Weak on Terrorism" efforts:

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday also indicates that the vast majority of Americans believe that full-body scanners should be used in airports across the country.

Nearly two-thirds of people questioned in the poll say they have a moderate or great deal of confidence in the administration to protect the public from future terrorist attacks, up 2 points from August. Thirty-five percent say they have not much or no confidence at all, down 1 point from August. [...]

The poll also indicates no increase in overall concerns about terrorism.

After all that relentless work, toiling as hard as they could, working their little hineys off to scare the pants off of America (as opposed to, say, blowing their pants off, a la Underpants Guy), the Cheneys have made no progress. None. Big. Fat. ScareFail.

Are Americans actually wising up to Dickless McHeartStent and Daughter Dearest (and other fear mongering punditiots)? Or do they just appreciate President Obama so much that they're no longer willing to swallow the buckets of lies that the aiding-and-abetting news dee jays continue to churn out on the Cheneys' behalf?

Or... they could simply be independent thinkers. How novel.

Either way, it's gratifying to see that the usual propaganda and smear tactics didn't succeed... this time.

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.

The Brainwashing of America: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My very caring, impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the propaganda and lies being spread about BushCo v. the Obama administration as it pertains to the so-called "War on Terrorism". I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

The Brainwashing of America

For the last year or so we have been bombarded by the likes of Peggy Noonan, Dick Cheney, Ron Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Ari Fleischer and many other prominent Republicans saying “ Bush kept us safe”.

Hearing that statement being made so many times I began to believe, the Bush/Cheney administration began on September 12, 2001 and the country had no President for the first eight months of the year. I guess subsequent events like the anthrax attack and the shoe bomber attempt to blow up an airplane aren’t dates you will find in a Republicans calendar.

But now the Republicans have started a more insidious program.

In the past couple of weeks we have read, heard and/or seen Republican strategist Mary Matalin, former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, and again Rudy Giuliani say that 9/11 didn’t happen under President Bush’s watch.

--Mary Matalin on CNN said “I was there, we inherited a recession from President Clinton, and we inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation’s history”

--Dana Perino FOX News analyst said "we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term”

--Congressman McCarthy on Hardball said “the 9/11 attack, I think it was a built up problem that you saw didn’t have the intelligence. And I think, to build an intelligence, you have to go much further back to find it was a lack thereof.”

In effect Congressman McCarthy is blaming the Clinton Administration for the 9/11 attack. He seems to forget the August 6, 2001 President’s Daily Briefing, that Bin Laden was determined to strike the U.S., or the warning given by counterterrorism coordinator Richard Clarke about an al-Qaeda threat.

--Rudy Giuliani on Good Morning America said “we had no domestic attacks under Bush. We had one under Obama.”

In some cases, the person making these inaccurate statements was challenged by the interviewer about their remarks, while others just let it slip by.

I don’t think it's any coincidence that well-known Republicans are making these outlandish statements. I believe this is a concerted effort by Republicans to brainwash the American people, and so far the main stream media (MSM) has yet to connect the dots as to what is going on.

The Republican Party is trying its best to rewrite history and have the American people believe the 9/11 terrorist attack was a non-existent event during the Bush Administration. Are we living in an Alice in Wonderland world?

It is the responsibility of the MSM to rebuke any Republican or political commentator who makes either remark, and if they don’t, then it's our responsibility as citizens to make the MSM own up to their responsibilities.

The reason I say we and the media have this responsibility is because we don’t want the propaganda theory of ‘if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually become to believe it‘ (Joseph Goebbels) to become a reality.

Many thanks again for another interesting, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.