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Posted by tgl on 2006-04-12 00:35:16 +0000

Just another Pol.

Bush, and apparently Cheney, have the ability to declassify information. Truman started it and the Supreme Court went along with it. Whether they can do that without memorializing it, i.e., let everyone else know they've declassified information, is open for debate. One thing that isn't open to debate is that Bush's image as a straight talkin' Texan who deals only in facts is a complete hoax. Maybe now I'll stop hearing the drivel about "at least I know where Bush stands". Please. Bush declassified information (the NIE), fed dubious portions as "key findings" to sympathetic press members, then turned the finger of blame on the intelligence community and whined about bad information, all in the name of trying to smear a critic. Let's also not forget the critic happens to be correct on this issue. Now the administration has the gall to claim they leaked the information in the public interest. There may be many things to admire about Bush personally; his ability to transcend politics and deal honestly with the public in a "take me or leave me" manner is not one of them. It all depends on what the definition of "leak" is.
Posted by dawnbixtler on 2006-04-12 02:41:43 +0000
There's a lot of stuff here: 1) The Executive branch has the power to classify information. From my understanding that doesn't inherently mean he (Bush) or they (Bush and Cheney) can DEclassify information. There's a lot of talk about this in the blogs. 2) The Executive has to file with the NEI when he wants to declassify. It isn't a word of mouth thing; Bush doesn't just say "blah" and something gets declassified. This we know, and there should be a paper trail if Bush or Cheney did in fact declassify. I have seen no eveidence of Bush doing this. 3) The world is coming closer to seeing Bush as the incompetent he is. And with the NH phone jamming convicts now tied to Bush AND the RNC, we have to hope the administration's poltical capital is now completely spent.
Posted by G lib on 2006-04-12 13:10:01 +0000
They also have the power to classify documents that had once been public. Isn't that crazy? Give me a mo. to find the link.
Posted by tgl on 2006-04-12 14:01:33 +0000
1) It's absurd to think that someone who can determine the efficacy of classifying information is then shackled by the inability to declassify information. I don't have a quibble with their ability to declassify information. In fact, I wish we had less classified information in general. Open flow of information is always better. 2) That's the memorializing part. It wasn't officially declassified until the NIE was given to the full press corps 10 days later. The manner in which this material was declassified makes it seem more like a smear, rather than an attempt to be open with the intelligence driving the decision. It's also sort of a red herring: Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent was a key finding of the NIE. The part of the NIE that was --wrongly-- promoted as a key finding is the Niger-uranium-yellow-cake conjecture. The real doubt on this issue displayed in the NIE is nowhere to be found in any of the adminstration's statements on this matter. 3) One can hope. It's a long wait for Jan. 2009.
Posted by jbcardinale on 2006-04-12 14:06:46 +0000
Cheney's no straight shooter. Veep chokes on mound WASHINGTON - Baseball fans in the nation's capital showered Vice President Cheney with a chorus of boos yesterday as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener. Cheney, who made headlines not long ago for shooting a fellow hunter, didn't have much better aim on the baseball diamond. Though he stood in front of the pitcher's mound, his toss toward home plate landed in the dirt. Nationals catcher Brian Schneider scooped it up. Cheney wore a red-and-blue Nationals jacket that seemed bulky, perhaps filled out by a bulletproof vest. Security agents ringed the top edge of the open-air stadium. Cheney's appearance brought no luck to the home team. The Mets went on to wallop the Nationals, 7-1. News Wire Services
Posted by tgl on 2006-04-12 16:26:55 +0000
I thought the mobile weapon trailer claim was debunked years ago. According the The Post it was, at least secretly. Must of been one of those classified documents that Cheney did not declassify for Bush, two days before Bush was making his claims about finding WMD. Or, it's just another example of Bush's willingness to say anything to get elected. A consummate politician. When will the press start reporting the truth as it happens, rather than 3 years after the fact?
Posted by Miriam on 2006-04-16 13:29:06 +0000
"The world is coming loser to seeing Bush as the incompetent he is." I think the world has know that from the start; it's America that's lagging behind on this one.
Posted by dawnbixtler on 2006-04-16 20:49:38 +0000
touche
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