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FEBRUARY 20-12, 02 Archives

Jeffords plans to stump for Senate Democrats By Robert Schlesinger, Globe Staff, 2/20/2002 WASHINGTON - Senator James M. Jeffords's dramatic defection from the Republican Party handed Democrats control of the Senate last May, and next week he plans to start working to help them keep it. Jeffords, an Independent from Vermont, is scheduled to headline a major fund-raising dinner for Senate Democrats on Feb. 27 and has also pledged to hit the hustings to campaign for his Democratic colleagues, including some of the party's more embattled incumbents. www.boston.com

US militarism targets South American oil 20 February 2002 By Bill Vann Washington’s military intervention into Colombia’s four-decades-old civil war was initiated nearly two years ago by the Clinton administration with a $1.3 billion emergency military aid package dubbed Plan Colombia. The plan was justified in the name of waging a “war on drugs.” In the aftermath of September 11, the Bush administration has decided to dramatically expand US military involvement in the South American country. As in Afghanistan, the escalation is being carried out under the banner of the struggle against terrorism, while its real objectives center on securing US corporate control over the region’s strategic oil reserves. wsws.org

Ain't no stopping US now Wednesday February 20, 2002 The Bush administration sees no particular virtue in seeking global consensus in its war on terrorism, because it has limited respect for governments whose opinions differ from its own, writes Julian Borger. guardian.co

Britain Says Bush Climate Change Plan Too Little February 19, 2002 2:12 pm EST By Mike Peacock LONDON (Reuters) - The British government Tuesday criticized President Bush's plan to tackle global warming and said it remained committed to the Kyoto Protocol. Several developed nations have slammed the U.S. leader's rejection of Kyoto -- and his alternative -- but from Britain, often America's staunchest ally, criticism is rare. Bush unveiled proposals last week for a voluntary scheme to curb greenhouse gases, setting goals for gas reductions tied to U.S. economic growth and giving firms incentives to meet them. Last year he rejected the mandatory cuts demanded by the 1997 Kyoto treaty as harmful to the U.S. economy. news1.iwon.com

MEDIA ADVISORY: Pentagon Propaganda Plan Is Undemocratic, Possibly Illegal February 19, 2002 The New York Times reported today that the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Influence is (developing plans to provide news items, possibly even false ones, to foreign media organizations in an effort (to influence public sentiment and policy makers in both friendly and unfriendly countries. The OSI was created shortly after September 11 to publicize the U.S. government's perspective in Islamic countries and to generate support for the U.S.'s (war on terror. This latest announcement raises grave concerns that far from being an honest effort to explain U.S. policy, the OSI may be a profoundly undemocratic program devoted to spreading disinformation and misleading the public, both at home and abroad. At the same time, involving reporters in Pentagon disinformation puts the lives of working journalists at risk. fair.org

Bush's radical shift in military policy 2/19/2002 A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL GEORGE W. BUSH is widely regarded as the avatar of a conservative restoration, but he is the opposite. This presidency marks a radical overthrow of traditional American values and policies. Civil liberties are obviously at issue in the new regime of homeland security, but the most drastic shift involves American attitudes toward war. Now, a radically different assumption is undergirding American purpose, a repudiation of the experience of the last 55 years. With putative battlefields around the globe, war is all at once being defined as the essence of who we are, and nothing makes this clearer than the new Pentagon budget. boston.com

What is behind the Olympics figure skating furor? 19 February 2002 By David Walsh The most striking aspect of the furor over the Olympics pairs figure skating medal is the disparity between the intrinsic significance of the incident that sparked the flap and the media/political uproar it provoked. The affair has shed light on two interrelated phenomena: the degraded state of the Olympics and the poisoned state of international political relations. wsws.org

Bush's hard-nose stance worries Seoul February 19, 2002 By George Gedda / Associated Press. President's remarks on North Korea clash with the South's attempt at reconciliation WASHINGTON -- President Bush's visit to South Korea that starts today likely would be little more than a routine show of support for a valued ally were it not for a single sentence he included in his State of the Union address. The repercussions were felt all the way to Seoul when Bush said: "North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of mass destruction while starving its citizens." Bush's words seemed to clash with the four-year effort of South Korean President Kim Dae-jung to reach out to his northern neighbor. University students occupied the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Seoul, South Korea, for nearly three hours Monday, trashing furniture, breaking a window and tossing anti-American pamphlets from the 45th-floor offices. Thirty-two students were arrested. The government said it would increase security along the route of President Bush's motorcade in anticipation of further disruptions by protesters. detnews.com

Bush Administration Proposed Changes to BIA Threaten Due Process WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 / U.S. Newswire/ -- Following was released today by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): The Attorney General today issued a proposed regulation that would negatively impact how the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) functions by compromising due process and the independence of the immigration court system. The BIA is the highest administrative appeals body for immigrants and reviews decisions made by immigration judges and INS officials in individual cases. Board members make decisions that ultimately can determine whether someone who has been persecuted and tortured for his beliefs will live or die and whether U.S. families will be united or divided. "The BIA often is the court of last resort for the vast majority of people seeking review of decisions by immigration judges. It is vitally important that the BIA remain a robust and vigorous review body," said Jeanne Butterfield, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "It is puzzling that the Bush Administration would reach out to immigrants on the one hand and pull the appellate rug out from under them with the other." usnewswire.com

Federal Judge’s Ruling Brings Voting Rights Victory as Senate Considers Reform February 18, In a major victory for election reform advocates, a federal court has ordered the state of California to scrap its “hanging chad” voting machines by 2004—the first ruling that does away with the voting systems at the center of the 2000 presidential election debacle. aflcio.org

Bush Called `Incarnation of Evil' February 18,2002 By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter A ruling party lawmaker yesterday called U.S. President George W. Bush the ``incarnation of evil'' in the National Assembly interpellation session yesterday, one day ahead of Bush's visit to Seoul, sending a shockwave through the country. Rep. Song Seok-chan of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) made the remarks in his pre-published report, but he didn't read the name of Bush during his speech at the podium. Rep. Song called Bush the ``incarnation of evil'' while attacking Lee Hoi- chang, president of the opposition Grand National Party, at the interpellation session that was held to discuss political issues. korealink.co

Bushspeak puts Japanese market into spin Feb 18, 2002 US President George Bush is famous for his verbal gaffes and today one threw Japan's money market into panic. After meeting Japanese premier Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo, Bush said they had discussed devaluation. That was enough to send the troubled yen dropping against the dollar. White House officials moved quickly to repair the damage and said Bush had used the wrong word. What he had meant to say was that the two leaders had talked about deflation. icnetwork

Yen gaffe joins Bushism catalogue Monday, 18 February, 2002, 14:58 GMT Mr Bush is well known for his verbal slips By BBC News Online's Tom Housden By BBC News Online's Tom Housden To seasoned Bush watchers, a slip of the tongue is nothing new but the US president's mistake in Japan sent a shiver through jittery markets. The White House dismissed the president's reference to discussing the "devaluation issue" as a verbal gaffe but his words led to a brief rush to sell the Japanese yen on international currency markets. Aides hastily pointed out that he had meant to say "deflation". news.bbc

Bush relishes reactions to his rallying cry Feb. 18, 2002 David E. Sanger The New York Times WASHINGTON As a new and glaring rift emerges between the White House and America's allies over how to pursue the next phase of the war on terrorism, something odd has happened: President George W. Bush and his top aides now seem to welcome, even to egg on, the sharp differences prompted by Bush's determination to expand his battle against what he calls "evil" regimes. In private, his friends and closest aides report, Bush fumes about weak-kneed "European elites" and scared Arab leaders iht.com

Does Bush know what awaits the nation? Feb. 18, 2002 LLEWELLYN KING At this time of year, one waits for the first thrusting shoots of spring. They are a few weeks off, but something else is happening. The monolithic support that President Bush has enjoyed for five months is beginning to wilt. The shoots of dissent are growing quite slowly in the liberal garden. But they are showing through more clearly in the stonier ground of the conservative flower patch. On a recent TV interview, Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott seemed to find it difficult to say that the economy is being hurt by the death of the stimulus package proposed by Bush. miami.com

Nevada to fight Bush on nuclear waste site February 18, 2002 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nevada's governor said he will challenge President Bush's decision to endorse a proposal to store 77,000 metric tons of the nation's high-level nuclear waste in an underground facility in the state's Yucca Mountain. The Bush administration has not demonstrated the safety of the site, which the Energy Department submitted for a storage area, Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, a Republican, said Sunday. "The law is very clear, and that's why we're going to certainly move forward with a suit with the Department of Energy, Secretary [Spencer] Abraham and the president of the United States because they have made their decision on a false premise that the science is sound," Guinn said. cnn.com

Bush's Tough Talk on Iran Could Backfire Instead of fomenting dissent, it may unite anti-U.S. factions FEBRUARY 18, 2002 Beneath the domes of centuries-old mosques in the ancient Iranian city of Isfahan, the crowd of assembled protesters was more interested in buying colorful balloons and cake for their children than in screaming "Death to America!" Yet it was Feb. 11, the 23rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. So scream they did--all over the country, in bigger crowds than usual this year. The public outburst was a direct reaction to President George W. Bush's State of the Union address, wherein he named Iran--along with Iraq and North Korea--as part of an "axis of evil" sponsoring terrorism and developing weapons of mass destruction. businessweek.com

Political reaction and intellectual charlatanry: US academics issue statement in support of war February18, 2002 By David North A group of 60 right-wing academics and public policy experts influential in government and media circles has issued a statement entitled “Why We’re Fighting: A Letter From America.”[1] Purporting to present a philosophical and moral defense of the Bush administration’s “war on terrorism,” the authors succeed only in providing a devastating self-exposure of their own hypocrisy, dishonesty and aversion to essential democratic principles. wsws.org

Bush 2000 Adviser Offered To Use Clout to Help Enron By Joe Stephens Sunday, By Joe Stephens Sunday, February 17, 2002; Washington Post Staff Writer: Just before the last presidential election, Bush campaign adviser Ralph Reed offered to help Enron Corp. deregulate the electricity industry by working his "good friends" in Washington and by mobilizing religious leaders and pro-family groups for the cause. For a $380,000 fee, the conservative political strategist proposed a broad lobbying strategy that included using major campaign contributors, conservative talk shows and nonprofits to press Congress for favorable legislation. Reed said he could place letters from community leaders in the opinion pages of major newspapers, producing clips that Reed would "blast fax" to Capitol Hill. washingtonpost.com

Bush-Lay letters suggest close relationship February 17, 2002 Posted: 7:46 AM EST (1246 GMT) Former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay, right, had a friendly relationship with George W. Bush when the president was governor of Texas, correspondence indicates. Some two dozen letters written by Lay to then-Gov. Bush were among the 350 pages of Bush documents released Friday by Texas archivists in response to requests by news organizations and the nonprofit government watchdog group Public Citizen. The correspondence includes holiday greetings, birthday notes and get-well wishes. In one 1997 note, Bush teases Lay about his 55th birthday, adding "Laura and I value our friendship with you." cnn.com

Some religious leaders uneasy about Bush's plans to expand war, February 17, 2002 By ANA RADELAT Gannett News Service WASHINGTON -- President Bush's State of the Union vow to expand the U.S. fight against terrorism is making some religious groups -- already queasy about U.S. use of force -- even more nervous. While the public and Bush's political foes have strongly supported the president's war on terrorism at home and in Afghanistan, some major American churches and theologians have been quietly critical of the popular campaign. norwichbulletin.com

President Bush to push ahead with a nuclear waste dump in Nevada. February 17, 2002 Associated Press The decision prompted an immediate outcry in Nevada where Democrats accused Bush of breaking a campaign promise not to saddle them with 77,000 tons of nuclear waste that will remain dangerous for 10,000 or more years. The Republican governor filed suit challenging the approval process. Even former Vice President Al Gore weighed in after Bush announced he would go ahead and build the underground waste dump 90 miles from Las Vegas, calling Bush's decision on Yucca "a flat-out broken promise" from the 2000 campaign. For Republicans in Nevada — where virtually everyone agrees the dump ought to be somewhere else — the situation became especially precarious as they sought to distance themselves from the decision, but not alienate the GOP president. zwire.com

NAACP Denounces Pickering Confirmation During Press Conference at Annual Meeting NEW YORK, Feb. 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Kweisi Mfume, president & CEO, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said yesterday that the association stands firm in its absolute opposition to the confirmation of Judge Charles Pickering to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit at a press conference held here during the Annual Meeting. Mfume said, "We will continue to demand fairness on the part of those empowered to interpret the laws of our nation. We are opposed to the Pickering confirmation because we decry a judicial nomination process where civil rights and civil liberties, and equal protection under the law are forced to take a back seat to partisan politics and political affiliations." norwichbulletin.com

War Coverage Takes a Negative Turn Sunday, February 17, 2002; By Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer When U.S. soldiers conducted a raid north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Jan. 24, it was initially reported as an American victory."U.S. Special Forces got into a fight with the Taliban. . . . Fifteen Afghan fighters were killed and 27 taken into custody," said ABC's Peter Jennings."Army Special Forces stormed two Taliban compounds," said NBC's Jim Miklaszewski. Newspapers carried similar stories, adding such caveats as "Defense Department officials said." Days later, however, a few reporters in Afghanistan began challenging the official accounts, eventually prompting the Pentagon to acknowledge that those captured were not Taliban members after all. washingtonpost.com Sunday, February 17, 2002; By Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer When U.S. soldiers conducted a raid north of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Jan. 24, it was initially reported as an American victory."U.S. Special Forces got into a fight with the Taliban. . . . Fifteen Afghan fighters were killed and 27 taken into custody," said ABC's Peter Jennings."Army Special Forces stormed two Taliban compounds," said NBC's Jim Miklaszewski. Newspapers carried similar stories, adding such caveats as "Defense Department officials said." Days later, however, a few reporters in Afghanistan began challenging the official accounts, eventually prompting the Pentagon to acknowledge that those captured were not Taliban members after all. washingtonpost.com

America's nearly man comes back for more  February 16, 2002 Matthew Engel in Washington, The Guardian. On paper he is the frontrunner to challenge Bush in 2004, but many agree that Al Gore has a mountain to climb. Actually, it is not a bad beard: very neat, grey and mature. It softens his jowls and humanises him a little. However, Americans stopped sending bearded men to the White House shortly after the civil war. And it is typical of Al Gore's luck that he grew his beard immediately before a crowd of bearded men decided to attack the country. Nonetheless, the Gore beard has become prominent again. This week, the unluckiest loser in presidential history emerged from the shadows to start convincing the country that he might be a winner next time. It is an uphill battle, but not necessarily a long one. guardian

Website uses Enron scandal to 'poke fun at Republicans' 16th February 2002, A row has erupted over a website using the Enron scandal to ridicule the Republican Party of Texas. A lawyer for the party has demanded the site be shut down as it appears to suggest politicians accepted money from the company. But Democrat supporter Kelly Fero, who runs the website, says he has no intention of shutting it down. ananova.com 16th February 2002, A row has erupted over a website using the Enron scandal to ridicule the Republican Party of Texas. A lawyer for the party has demanded the site be shut down as it appears to suggest politicians accepted money from the company. But Democrat supporter Kelly Fero, who runs the website, says he has no intention of shutting it down. ananova.com

Bush administration confirms plans for war against Iraq February 16, 2002, By the Editorial Board In an appearance by Secretary of State Colin Powell before a Senate committee, as well as through selected leaks to the press, the Bush administration has confirmed plans to launch a war with Iraq in a matter of months. Powell’s statements to a Senate Budget Committee hearing Tuesday were the most categorical by any top US official and scotched any illusions—apparently common in European governments—that the secretary of state would serve as a restraining force on psychopaths like Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz. wsws.org

WWII veteran worried about Bush, Ashcroft  Feb. 15, 2002 Edwin Crisp, Asheville. Since President Bush declared war on International terrorism I have become concerned about his policies and those of Attorney General (John) Ashcroft. citizen-times.com

Letters Show Lay Urged Bush Support on Deregulation February 15, 2002   AUSTIN — Former Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay urged George W. Bush in repeated letters throughout his governorship to support restructuring the state's electric market, according to documents released Friday. In a Nov. 16, 1998, letter to Bush, Lay asked for continued support for electric deregulation, which would benefit the now-fallen energy giant. foxnews.com

Critics see health risk in Bush clean-air plan February 15, 2002 By Julie Deardorff, Tribune wire services. The proposed overhaul of air pollution laws by President Bush could have adverse health effects for Illinois residents and the nation as a whole, environmental and health groups said Thursday. Coal-fired power plants already contribute to an estimated 13,000 asthma attacks and 320 premature deaths in Illinois, according to a study published this month in the journal Atmospheric Environment. The report examined the health effects of emissions from nine of Illinois' 24 coal-fired power plants. chicagotribune.com

Bill Clinton: Less Defense, More Foreign Aid "Build A World With More Partners" February 15, 2002 By Jamie Herzlich And Christian Murray. Former President Bill Clinton, suggesting that the Bush administration is pouring too much money into defense, told Long Island business leaders Friday that more federal dollars should be spent on foreign aid. In his remarks Friday afternoon before the annual meeting of the Long Island Association business group at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, Clinton mainly focused on the U.S.'s war on terrorism in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. newsday.com

Bush's Biggest Donors Had Links to Enron February 15, 2002 by Huck Gutman, Common Dreams, Enron contributed $736,800 to George W. Bush over the past eight years, his single largest contributor. Many are looking for a smoking gun that will link Enron, directly, to specific favors. They want to see what specific decisions Enron bought. It is possible that such decisions will be uncovered, the evidence supplied. But there are different ways in which influence manifests itself, and not all are direct. Influence can create a community of interest in which the priorities are unspoken but nonetheless shared. Whether by shaping goals and determining what should be undertaken to achieve them, or by establishing that various parties jointly desire a particular outcome, a community of interest can be a powerful thing. commondreams.org

European foreign ministers attack Bush’s policy By Peter Schwarz 15 February 2002 Two weeks after President Bush’s State of the Union speech an open conflict has erupted between the US and the European Union over international policies. While at first only the European media voiced somewhat muted criticism of Bush’s address, and politicians exercised diplomatic restraint, now more and more leading European politicians are sharply criticising US foreign policy, with the media following suit. wsws.org

"The poor's sense of class superiority over the rich is getting out of hand" Feb. 14, 2002, Ann Coulter said about Sen. Robert Byrd's dressing down of Bush cronie Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, She continues, "At a Senate Budget Committee hearing last week, Sen. Robert Byrd, who was named after a bridge in West Virginia, viciously attacked Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill for having made a success of himself. Claiming to speak for worthless layabouts, Byrd snippily informed O'Neill: "They're not CEOs of multibillion-dollar corporations. ... In time of need, they come to us, the people come to us." jewishworldreview.com

Statement by Al Gore - Response to Bush Environmental Overtures. | Thursday, February 14, 2002 t r u t h o u t - I am deeply disappointed in what the Administration has proposed as an alternative to the Kyoto agreement. Instead of accepting an accord endorsed by over 170 nations, President Bush has put forward a plan that falls far short of the needs of both America and the world. He has tried this type of approach before - in Texas - and it failed. I am also particularly troubled by his plan from a national security perspective. It is now more than abundantly clear that our country is dangerously dependent on oil. A strong policy on climate change would lessen that dangerous dependence and move us to a clean and safe energy future. By contrast, this policy, like the Administration plans to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, keep us tied to the dangerous global oil politics that pose a grave threat to our national well-being. truthout.com

House Passes Campaign Finance Bill February 14, 2002; 6:46 AM Thursday, By Juliet Eilperin and Helen Dewar Washington Post.  The House early today approved long-stalled legislation aimed at squeezing special interest money out of politics, marking a critical step toward enactment of the most far-reaching overhaul of campaign finance laws in a quarter-century.The bill, which would curb unlimited "soft money" contributions and restrict electioneering ads by outside groups, now goes to the Senate, which passed a somewhat different version of the legislation last year. washingtonpost.com

House Passes Campaign Finance Bill February 14, 2002 By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Morning Editor - They did it: Following a 16-hour debate, the U.S. House of Representatives early Thursday morning passed a bill that would change the nation's campaign finance laws - for the better, said supporters; and for worse, said critics.The vote was 240-189, with 41 Republicans and one independent voting for the Shays-Meehan bill, 12 Democrats voting with 176 Republicans and one independent against it. cnsnews.com

House passes campaign finance bill Posted on Thu, Feb. 14, 2002 WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives passed the most sweeping change in campaign finance law in nearly 30 years, overwhelming Republican leaders by methodically knocking down obstacles intended to derail it. The legislation would limit the ability of unions, corporations and wealthy individuals to finance the political parties and would restrict how interest groups pay for political ads in the final weeks before an election. In exchange, it would increase the ability of individual candidates to raise money for their campaigns. miami.com

Bush Plan to Combat Greenhouse Gasses Called 'Fundamentally Deceitful' February 14, 2002 By Marc Morano CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer (CNSNews.com) - President George Bush's alternative plan to combat greenhouse gasses is "fundamentally deceitful," according to skeptics of global warming and a "Valentine's Day present for the coal and oil industry," according to environmentalists who believe global warming is a real danger. cnsnews.com

Bush's green plans "unworkable"February 14, 2002 President George Bush's plans to tackle global warming have been branded unworkable by the British Government.Mr Bush caused international outrage when he rejected the Kyoto Protocol setting legally-binding targets on greenhouse gas emissions. He has proposed a series of tax cuts to encourage businesses, farmers and individuals to reduce greenhouse gases in its place. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs welcomed the proposals, and "US recognition that climate change is a serious problem". But a spokeswoman said: "The UK maintains that the Kyoto Protocol with its legally-binding targets and timetables remains the only workable basis for taking forward international action on climate change. thisislondon.com

Offstage Bush to be revealed Book, film expose president’s quirks. Published Thursday, February 14, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - George W. Bush mugs for the camera. He pats a reporter’s bald head and, mimicking a preacher, intones, "Heal." He sticks his fingers in the ears of another. "The coolest thing of all was to light up a butt," he confides, fondly recalling the days before he quit smoking. Hardly the kind of images the White House would consider presidential. Bush’s aides are bracing for the release of two behind-the-scenes accounts of the president’s 2000 presidential campaign - one a book, the other a documentary film - that reveal a wisecracking, prankish side rarely seen in public. The book is "Ambling Into History: The Unlikely Odyssey of George W. Bush," by New York Times reporter Frank Bruni. The film is "Journeys with George," by former NBC news producer Alexandra Pelosi. Both are due out early next month. Both Bruni and Pelosi covered Bush’s presidential campaign, and both portray the candidate as a relaxed but often culturally challenged cutup. showmenews.com

U.S. judge orders White House to keep energy records Thursday, February 14, By Peter Kaplan, Reuters 2002 WASHINGTON — A federal judge Tuesday directed the White House to preserve records from meetings of its energy task force, which critics suspect was heavily influenced by Enron Corp. and other major energy companies. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, overseeing a public interest law firm's lawsuit seeking task force details, also admonished government lawyers for not doing enough to back their arguments that specifics of the meetings be kept secret. "I get the feeling the government's underestimating the seriousness and the importance of this case," Sullivan said during a conference with lawyers from both sides. enn.com

Al Gore urges Bush to tackle roots of terror Feb 13, S Ali in New York Former United States vice president Al Gore made a forceful plea to the Bush administration for a 'bold, far-reaching vision to address the causes of terrorism'. He said poverty, disease and environmental damage form an 'evil axis', forcing many to take to terrorist activities. While supporting US President George W Bush's efforts to expand the fight against terror by focusing on Iraq, Iran and North Korea, Gore however, criticised the Bush administration for showing 'impatience and disdain' toward its allies in the war in Afghanistan. "We may be the world's sole remaining superpower but (in the war on terror) we are going to need allies," Gore said on Tuesday night in his address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. indiabroad.rediff.com

All of the republicans, who are against campaign finance legislation are obviously corrupt and want payoffs by corporations and special interests to continue.
Decision Day for a Score of Undecided Republicans Feb. 13 — By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM WASHINGTON,  Most of the two dozen or so House Republicans who profess to be undecided about how to vote on the campaign finance legislation on Wednesday were not talking today, at least not publicly. But at least one who had been on the fence, Representative Jack Quinn of New York, jumped off today. In an interview this afternoon, Mr. Quinn, whose district includes downtown Buffalo, said he had decided to vote for the Shays- Meehan campaign finance bill and against any amendments that would reduce its chances of becoming law. The pressures from his party's leaders to vote against the bill were intense, Mr. Quinn said. nytimes.com

Campaign Reform Clears GOP Hurdles
Wed Feb 13,10:47 PM ET By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) - The most sweeping overhaul of campaign spending rules in a generation eased past a series of obstacles Wednesday in marathon House debate, clearing the way for a post-midnight vote on passage. Republican leaders battled to the end against the bill designed to reduce the role of money in politics, arguing it was stacked against their party and unconstitutional as well. But a bipartisan coalition led by Reps. Christopher Shays and Martin Meehan trumped them routinely on key test votes. story.news.yahoo.com
Wed Feb 13,10:47 PM ET By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) - The most sweeping overhaul of campaign spending rules in a generation eased past a series of obstacles Wednesday in marathon House debate, clearing the way for a post-midnight vote on passage. Republican leaders battled to the end against the bill designed to reduce the role of money in politics, arguing it was stacked against their party and unconstitutional as well. But a bipartisan coalition led by Reps. Christopher Shays and Martin Meehan trumped them routinely on key test votes. story.news.yahoo.com

Turner on Terror Irks the White House 2/13/02 Ted Turner is famous for his big mouth — but yesterday, even the White House bristled over comments he made at Brown University this week.In a question-and-answer session after a rambling speech at his alma mater, the media mogul called the Sept. 11 terrorists "brave" but "a little nuts" and asked for students who would be willing to be suicide bombers for the U.S.A. to raise their hands.There were no takers. When the Bush administration heard about Turner's remarks, White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan snapped: "The President believes the people who flew the planes were terrorists who committed acts of evil." nydailynews.com

Goodman Seat Goes to Democrat After 33 Years February 13, 2002 By JONATHAN P. HICKS In a hard-fought State Senate race, Liz Krueger, a Democrat and longtime head of the Community Food Resource Center, defeated Assemblyman John Ravitz yesterday, winning a seat on Manhattan's East Side that had been held by a Republican for more than three decades. The special election was to determine the successor to former Senator Roy M. Goodman. Mr. Goodman, a Republican, resigned to take a position in the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. Ms. Krueger and Mr. Ravitz are both widely seen as moderates. nytimes.com

White House working to kill finance reform measure But GOP is trying to protect Bush from any political backlash February 12, Washington -- The White House is working through the Republican Party to scuttle campaign finance legislation before the House this week while still protecting President Bush from any political fallout, advisers to Bush said yesterday With White House consent, the Republican National Committee is lobbying to defeat the stringent campaign finance overhaul that would ban the large unlimited political donations known as soft money. An internal memorandum includes a "target list" compiled by the Republican Party that identifies 33 Republicans who voted for the bill in the past but are undecided about how to vote this time -- and might be persuaded to back amendments that would ultimately weaken the legislation or kill it outright. sfgate.com February 12, Washington -- The White House is working through the Republican Party to scuttle campaign finance legislation before the House this week while still protecting President Bush from any political fallout, advisers to Bush said yesterday With White House consent, the Republican National Committee is lobbying to defeat the stringent campaign finance overhaul that would ban the large unlimited political donations known as soft money. An internal memorandum includes a "target list" compiled by the Republican Party that identifies 33 Republicans who voted for the bill in the past but are undecided about how to vote this time -- and might be persuaded to back amendments that would ultimately weaken the legislation or kill it outright. sfgate.com

Silent Lay Savaged by Senators Over Enron Tue Feb 12,11:49 AM ET By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Enron Corp. chairman and presidential friend Kenneth Lay was the target of blistering attacks by lawmakers on Tuesday, when he declined to testify about the energy giant's collapse amid dubious business dealings and questionable accounting. news.yahoo.com
Tue Feb 12,11:49 AM ET By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Enron Corp. chairman and presidential friend Kenneth Lay was the target of blistering attacks by lawmakers on Tuesday, when he declined to testify about the energy giant's collapse amid dubious business dealings and questionable accounting. news.yahoo.com

Bush Rhetoric Derails Quests for Freedom in Iran Pezhvak of Iran, Shahbaz Taheri, Chief Editor, Feb 12, 2002 We do not think calling Iran as an axis of evil is appropriate. Let's make one thing clear, the Iranian government is not a popular government in Iran, and because of its nature which is being governed by a bunch of backward fanatics and anti human rights clergyman, it is not the choice of Iranian people and not supported by majority of Iranian population. ncmonline.com

An Enron War On Terrorism February 12, 2002 Jim Lobe, AlterNet If former Enron boss Kenneth Lay were put in charge of the U.S. war on terrorism, he would probably conduct it in much the same way as his fellow Texas oilman and beneficiary of Enron largesse, George W. Bush. Like the bankrupt energy giant, the Bush administration has a predilection for secrecy and deregulation and a penchant for being indiscriminate when it comes to making potentially costly investments -- mainly in the form of new military entanglements -- in unstable partners around the globe. alternet.org