The Fulcrum
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Vote? What Vote?
Tell me you didn't see this coming?
With just over two weeks until the Iraq election, the United States is lowering its expectations for both the turnout and the results of the vote, increasingly emphasizing other steps over the next year as more important to Iraq's political transformation, according to U.S. officials.Maybe they can put all those out-of-work WMD inspectors to work digging up votes.
The Bush administration played down voter turnout yesterday in determining the election's legitimacy and urged Americans not to get bogged in a numbers game in judging the balloting, a reflection of the growing concern over how much the escalating insurgency and the problem of Sunni participation may affect the vote.
Whips and Chains 'R' Us
It would have surprised everyone, I suppose, had they done otherwise, but BushCo. has decided that torture really is in our best national interest.
Honestly, how long before they get our Republican controlled, lap-dog congress to do the same thing with some national law enforcement bill? That everyone - Congress critters and citizens alike - are not screaming about this bodes poorly for the future of our civil rights. Eroded as they already are...
At the urging of the White House, congressional leaders scrapped a legislative measure last month that would have imposed new restrictions on the use of extreme interrogation measures by American intelligence officers, The New York Times reported Wednesday.The measure had previously been approved in the Senate 96 - 2. But apparently a little arm twisting by administration officials was enough to get it scrapped in the final version that came out of committee.
The defeat of the proposal affected one of the most obscure arenas of the war on terrorism, involving the CIA’s secret detention and interrogation of top terror leaders, according to the newspaper, citing congressional officials.
Honestly, how long before they get our Republican controlled, lap-dog congress to do the same thing with some national law enforcement bill? That everyone - Congress critters and citizens alike - are not screaming about this bodes poorly for the future of our civil rights. Eroded as they already are...
