December 7, 2007 – Capitol Hill Blue

Blackwater lies cost official his job

December 7, 2007

The State Department Inspector General who lied about his brother’s involvement with mercenary firm Blackwater Worldwide has resigned.

Howard Krongard first claimed his brother had nothing do with Blackwater, then admitted his brother had “attended a meeting” of the firm’s advisory board.

Further investigation, however, reveals Krongard’s brother was a highly-paid contractor with Blackwater, creating a clear conflict of interest for the man charged with overseeing the State Department’s contracts with the mercenary firm.

Krongard tried to stay on the job by recusing himself but sources say he is now under investigation by the Justice Department for violation of federal conflict of interest laws and other possible crimes.

Say what? Gennifer Flowers may vote for Hillary?

December 7, 2007

Gennifer Flowers, one of Bill Clinton’s many dalliances outside of his marriage, says she considering voting for Hillary Rodham Clinton for President.

Flowers, whose 12-year affair with Clinton that became an issue in the 1992 Presidential election, says she is not yet decided but supports the idea of a woman President.

Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.

More than a quick fix is needed

December 7, 2007

President George W. Bush’s band-aid fix for the home mortgage crisis isn’t fooling many people and critics are quick to point out his “deal” with lenders to freeze rates for sub-prime lenders in trouble is too little, too late.

The plan would not help the millions of Americans currently behind in their mortgages nor will it aid others headed for trouble.

Quick fixes seldom work in the long run and Bush’s quick fix may not even provide relief in the short term.

A really extreme makeover

December 7, 2007

Uncle Sam is spending $200 billion (yes that’s “billion” with a “b”) to remake its war machine.

It’s an old marketing trick. When a product fails (like it has in, say, Iraq), it’s time to remake the product and convince American taxpayers that all that money is worth the effort.

Behind every successful bomb is a woman

December 7, 2007

A female suicide bomber has killed 16 in a suicide attack in Iraq.

So much for the peace that the Bush administration claims exists in that civil-war torn country.

Female suicide bomber kills 16 in Iraq

CIA destroyed evidence of torture

December 7, 2007

First rule of a criminal conspiracy and coverup: Destroy the evidence.

Which is exactly what the Central Intelligence Agency did with videotapes showing torture of suspects. CIA Director Michael Hayden admitted Thursday the tapes were destroyed.

As evidence continues to mount that the Bush Administration not only sanctioned, but encouraged, torture of terrorism suspects in direct violation of the Geneva Convention accords, revelations that evidence of such torture were willfully destroyed will turn the issue into an election-season hot potato.

Military families oppose Bush’s war

December 7, 2007

Military families, long a source of support for wartime Presidents, have had it with George W. Bush’s illegal and immoral war in Iraq and want their husbands, wives, sons and daughters brought home before any more die in vain.

A new poll by The Los Angeles Times shows nearly sixty percent of military families don’t support Bush’s war, believe invading Iraq was a mistake, and want the conflict ended now.

Opposition to the war among families of military personnel is only slightly less than the overwhelming public anger towards Bush’s war, the poll found.