... But the VEEP is WORSE!

A rogue vice president: Cheney exempts his own office from reporting on classified material

Posted on Sunday, April 30 @ 09:15:48 EDT
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Mark Silva, The Contra Costa Times

WASHINGTON - As the Bush administration has dramatically accelerated the classification of information as "top secret" or "confidential," one office is refusing to report on its annual activity in classifying documents: the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.

A standing executive order, strengthened by President Bush in 2003, requires all agencies and "any other entity within the executive branch" to provide an annual accounting of their classification of documents. More than 80 agencies have collectively reported to the National Archives that they made 15.6 million decisions in 2004 to classify information, nearly double the number in 2001, but Cheney continues to insist he is exempt.

Explaining why the vice president has withheld even a tally of his office's secrecy when such offices as the National Security Council routinely report theirs, a spokeswoman said Cheney is "not under any duty" to provide it.

That is only one way the Bush administration, from its opening weeks in 2001, has asserted control over information. By keeping secret so many directives and actions, the administration has precluded the public - and often members of Congress - from knowing about some of the most significant decisions and acts of the White House.

Lawbreaker-In-Chief

According to the Boston Globe, Pres. Bush has claimed authority to disobey over 750 laws since taking office.

President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.

Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush's assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government. The Constitution is clear in assigning to Congress the power to write the laws and to the president a duty ''to take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Bush, however, has repeatedly declared that he does not need to ''execute" a law he believes is unconstitutional.
...
Many legal scholars say they believe that Bush's theory about his own powers goes too far and that he is seizing for himself some of the law-making role of Congress and the Constitution-interpreting role of the courts.
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Bush administration spokesmen declined to make White House or Justice Department attorneys available to discuss any of Bush's challenges to the laws he has signed.

Instead, they referred a Globe reporter to their response to questions about Bush's position that he could ignore provisions of the Patriot Act. They said at the time that Bush was following a practice that has "been used for several administrations" and that "the president will faithfully execute the law in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution."

But the words "in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution" are the catch, legal scholars say, because Bush is according himself the ultimate interpretation of the Constitution. And he is quietly exercising that authority to a degree that is unprecedented in US history.

Bush is the first president in modern history who has never vetoed a bill, giving Congress no chance to override his judgments. Instead, he has signed every bill that reached his desk, often inviting the legislation's sponsors to signing ceremonies at which he lavishes praise upon their work.

Then, after the media and the lawmakers have left the White House, Bush quietly files "signing statements" -- official documents in which a president lays out his legal interpretation of a bill for the federal bureaucracy to follow when implementing the new law. The statements are recorded in the federal register.

In his signing statements, Bush has repeatedly asserted that the Constitution gives him the right to ignore numerous sections of the bills -- sometimes including provisions that were the subject of negotiations with Congress in order to get lawmakers to pass the bill. He has appended such statements to more than one of every 10 bills he has signed.

"He agrees to a compromise with members of Congress, and all of them are there for a public bill-signing ceremony, but then he takes back those compromises -- and more often than not, without the Congress or the press or the public knowing what has happened," said Christopher Kelley, a Miami University of Ohio political science professor who studies executive power.

Follow the link above for the full story ... and be prepared! It is shocking.

Rush is Innocent?

It's an old trick -- a public figure comes away from a brush with the law proclaiming he has been "found innocent."

There is no such legal determination. There is only "guilty" or "not guilty." The latter means that there wasn't sufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, or that some other technicality stood in the way of a guilty verdict.

However, in the Rush Limbaugh "doctor shopping" case, Rush is crowing that he is innocent when he has been treated by the court as if he were guilty.

Not many innocent people are:

Ø Sentenced to treatment with a medical doctor.

Ø Place on probation for 18 months.

Ø Fined $30,000 and an additional $30 per month to monitor his compliance with probationary terms.

If Rush is a good boy, his record will be expunged at the end of his 18 month probation. Millions of other drug abusers go through the same court-ordered program, and it is called "Diversion."

However, Limbaugh calls it "Innocence."

The deal also allows Limbaugh "to save face," said Michael Seigel, a University of Florida law professor and former federal prosecutor.

"Given the high profile nature of this, it's an indication to me that if Rush Limbaugh thought he could win the case and be vindicated, he would go to trial," Seigel said. "He's not asking for his day in court."

At Least Now They Admit It ....

Since they discovered that nothing will happen to them when they break the law, the government is revealing how much they abuse their power.

According to an AP story:

The FBI secretly sought information last year on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents from their banks and credit card, telephone and Internet companies without a court's approval, the Justice Department said Friday.

It was the first time the Bush administration has publicly disclosed how often it uses the administrative subpoena known as a national security letter, which allows the executive branch of government

Bush Signs Law That Never Passed House

From The Washington Post:

WASHINGTON - For anyone who took fifth-grade social studies, how legislation turns to law always seemed pretty simple: The House passes a bill, the Senate passes the same bill, and the president signs it.

But last month, Washington threw all that old-fashioned civics stuff into a tizzy when President Bush signed into law a bill that never passed the House. The bill -- in this case, a major budget-cutting measure that will affect millions of Americans -- became a law because it was ``certified'' by the leaders of the House and Senate.

After stewing for weeks, Public Citizen, a legislative watchdog group, sued Tuesday to block a law that aims to cut $40 billion over five years, charging that Bush and Republican leaders of Congress flagrantly violated the Constitution when the president signed it into law knowing that the version that cleared the House was $2 billion different from the Senate's version.

The issue is bizarre, with even constitutional scholars saying they could not think of any precedent for the journey the budget bill took to becoming a law. Republicans are evoking an obscure Supreme Court ruling from the 1890s to suggest that a bill does not actually have to pass both chambers of Congress to become law.

God To Pat Robertson: Ask About Her Sex Life!

Transcript from ABC NEWS SUNDAY MORNING April 9

Rita Braver interviews Pat Robertson:

RB:
--you say you were personally involved in. You tell the story of-- being on a trip to the Holy Land, and some people coming to you and asking you if you can help a woman with severe asthma.
PR:
That's right.
RB:
And you say-- that God spoke to you and--
PR:
Well--
RB:
--told you--
PR:
--well it wudn't (PH) quite that way. Well-- well anyhow, they thought she was demon possessed. And these women are in the conference, and they said, "Go cast demons out of her." And I ignored it and ate dinner and went on to the meeting.

And then the next night, they had moved this poor woman out of the hotel. She was crying out for mercy and saying, "Oh God, help me," because she had such bad asthma. So-- I had to go see her. But fortunately I had my wife with her, so we went to another hotel-- in the heart of Jerusalem and knocked on the door.

And here, this haunting woman, she looked like-- she really looked like she was terrified-- very attractive-- striking brunette, 45 years old, you know thin, 5'8" kinda thing. And-- she had this look in her eyes. And-- so I went in, and my wife was with me. And they took the two chairs and I sat on the bed.

And I said, "Tell me about your problem." And she said, "I've got this asthma." And I said, "Have you been to the (LAUGHTER) doctor?" And-- and she said, "Yes. The doctor said my asthma was caused by praying with nuns." And I said, (LAUGHTER) "A doctor?"
RB:
That sounds--
PR:
"A doctor?"
RB:
--that sounds like-- (LAUGHTER) you should've advised her, "Maybe go see another doctor."
PR:
There was-- (LAUGHTER) well see-- the-- "A doctor told you this?" (UNINTEL) said, "Yes, that's what my doctor told me." And I says, "There is no way that praying with nuns is gonna cause you-- asthma." And then I prayed. And I said, "Lord, what's wrong with her?" I just prayed silently. And the Lord said, "Ask about her sex life." And--
RB:
The-- the Lord said that to you?
PR:
Yes, He said that to me. And I said, "There's no way I'm going to ask a strange woman about her sex life." So I said-- (COUGHS) "Excuse me for-- being personal, but would you tell me about your marriage."

She said, "Oh, I have a wonderful marriage." I said, "You do?" She (UNINTEL PHRASE), "A wonderful husband, wonderful marriage. It's just absolutely marvelous." I said, "You do?" She said, "Yes." So I prayed again. (LAUGHTER) I said, "Lord, what's the matter?" And she-- He said, "Ask her about her sex life."
RB:
I-- it's hard to imagine the Lord--
PR:
The-- the--
RB:
--saying this to you--
PR:
--the Lord say-- well He did. And I-- and I said-- "You know, please forgive me if I'm being personal, but tell me about your sex life." And she said, "I don't have any." And I said, "Well, I thought you had a wonderful marriage." And she said-- "I do, but I don't have any sex life."

And I said, "How long has that been going on?" And she said, "Two years." And I said-- "And that's when your asthma started, isn't it?" And she said, "Yes." And I said, "Well it's obvious that you're blaming yourself-- for this condition. What's the problem?" And she said, "My husband's impotent."

And I said, "You think it's your fault." And she said, "Yes. It's-- I think it's my fault." And I said, "Well it isn't your fault. And it may be that he's working too hard. He may be having a physical impairment. But-- there's something in his life, that this isn't your fault." And she said, "It's not?"

I said, "Absolutely not." And I said, "Okay, now let's pray for your asthma. And she said, "Okay." And we prayed. And God healed her asthma just like that. And--
RB:
You-- you know that--
PR:
There's--
RB:
--that's a tough one for people to swallow.

Cheney-- Ever Vigilant

Getty images caught Vice President Dick Cheney napping as other administration officials left a briefing by President Bush and Chinese leader Hu Jintao.

The New York Post featured the image prominently in today's edition, with a caption explaining, "The veep's people later insisted he was reading his notes, but if you ask us, it sure looks as if he's dreaming of quail hunting - and maybe bagging some birds this time."

"The veep's people later insisted he was reading his notes, but if you ask us, it sure looks as if he's dreaming of quail hunting - and maybe bagging some birds this time."

Profits, Not Crude Oil Prices Or Ethanol, Are Driving Pump Price Spike

Is this a case of stating the obvious?

Santa Monica, CA -- The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights released a new study today of rising gasoline prices in California that found corporate markups and profiteering are responsible for spring price spikes, not rising crude costs or the national switchover to higher-cost ethanol, as the oil industry claims.

Click here to download and read the study.

Independent petroleum consultant Tim Hamilton analyzed gasoline price increases from January to April to find that:

Increases in the "spot" market price of crude oil -- which is the highest price a major oil company would pay for crude oil -- accounted for only 12 cents per gallon. California's percentage sales tax increased fuel prices by another four cents per gallon. More than 40 cents of the 60-cent increase in gasoline prices over 3 1/2 months is attributable to increased refinery and marketing profit margins for the oil companies;
Neither the MTBE phaseout nor the substitution of ethanol is a serious part of the increase. If the MTBE phaseout or ethanol blending specifically increased costs for oil companies in California, other states in the West using conventional unblended gasoline should be much less affected. Yet Washington State, which uses only conventional gasoline and has similar refinery capacity and crude oil sources, mirrored California's increase;
The profit increase of 42 cents, on top of record profits last year, means California gasoline will cost consumers approximately $546 million more in April 2006 than in April of last year.
"While oil companies continue to blame crude oil prices and ethanol additives for the recent gasoline price spikes in California, the chief cause is increased profiteering by oil companies that have previously posted world record profits," said Hamilton.

"Oil companies are opportunistically using the rising world price for crude oil as an excuse to excessively raise gasoline prices and pump up their profits, even though the spot market price for crude has gone up far more slowly than gasoline prices," said FTCR President Jamie Court. "In addition, the spot price is higher than most oil companies pay, since they either harvest their own crude or pay more stable and often much lower contract prices.

"This study should be a wake-up call for California voters who will vote in November on a ballot initiative to tax windfall profits by oil companies so the state can develop alternatives to the petroleum economy."

Bad Gas

Not satisfied with excessive profits from overpriced gasoline, Shell refinery sends watered-down gas to NJ service stations

CBS) PATERSON, NJ Darnell Greene had a bone to pick today with this Delta gas station attendant in Paterson, all due to yesterday's ten-dollar fill-up.

The problem? Watered down gasoline, part of a bad shipment. A big shipment - totaling tens-of-thousands of gallons of fuel supplied by the Shell Oil Company and distributed out a Newark refinery.

Darnell told us as soon as he "pulled out of the lot, the car started sputtering, and backfiring."

Darnell had a feeling the gas might be the culprit. His suspicions were confirmed when his mechanic siphoned the gas out of his gas tank. The gas was a big difference from what regular gas is supposed to look like.

The bad gas got into the tanks of *nine* different gas stations across New Jersey.

There are three generic branded stations, and six shell stations, including one in Jersey City where a crew pumped almost 10-thousand gallons of tainted gas out of the underground tank.

And at close to three bucks a gallon for watered down gas that led to a $240 repair bill and with that Darnell Greene says he feels like he's being taken for a ride.

OPEC believes oil prices are too high

Reuters quotes an OPEC spokesman who believes oil prices are too steep. And most American consumers would tend to agree as gas pumps are charging over $3/gallon in many places.

Crude oil set newrecord highs at $71 a barrel, and the rise is not justified by market fundamentals, the OPEC delegate.

"OPEC believes strongly that prices are too high and nobody wants to see these prices," the delegate told Reuters. "(But) it has nothing to do with fundamentals."

"Geopolitics are riding the price," the OPEC delegate said, stressing that there was no shortage of crude in the market. Fears that the US will nuke Iran and disrupt that country's oil flow seem to be blamed for the rise in prices.

Indefinite Stay For "Evil Doers"

John Negroponte says accused Al-Qaeda members will remain in secret prisons as long as 'war on terror continues'

TIME MAGAZINE

Is Wolf Blitzer A Paid Shill For The White House?

MEDIA MATTERS observes:

CNN's Wolf Blitzer and two Washington Post articles downplayed and even mischaracterized the loud, sustained chorus of boos that greeted Vice President Dick Cheney as he emerged from the dugout for the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' home opener against the New York Mets and continued until he left the field.

In covering Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' home opener against the New York Mets on April 11, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and two Washington Post articles downplayed and even mischaracterized the loud, sustained chorus of boos that greeted Cheney as he emerged from the dugout and continued until he left the field. The Post attributed the boos to Cheney's pitch, which bounced in the dirt, despite the fact that the crowd began booing Cheney before he threw the ball. Blitzer attributed the boos to Democratic partisanship, ignoring the fact that Cheney has markedly low favorability ratings in national polls.

Yet Another Cover-Up Outed

Now it is shown that the claim, "We've found the weapons of mass distruction" were not only a lie, but the President knew it was a lie when he said it.

The Washington Post reports today that:

On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile “biological laboratories.” He declared, “We have found the weapons of mass destruction.”

The claim, repeated by top administration officials for months afterward, was hailed at the time as a vindication of the decision to go to war. But even as Bush spoke, U.S. intelligence officials possessed powerful evidence that it was not true.

A secret fact-finding mission to Iraq – not made public until now – had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons. Leaders of the Pentagon-sponsored mission transmitted their unanimous findings to Washington in a field report on May 27, 2003, two days before the president’s statement.

But are they at least Compassionate?

Although conservatives control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court, conservative values seem in short supply.

WASHINGTON - Government spending hit an all-time high for a single month in March, pushing the budget deficit up significantly from the red-ink level of a year ago.

So, of course, they must be spending all that money on helpful programs to benefit the citizens. They wouldn't squander all that money on a war and paying no-bid contracts for supplying the war, would they?

Dick Cheney -- bouncer

Dick Cheney took time off from his post as the guy who is really running the country to open a Washington Nationals baseball game:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cheney ... tossed a pitch that reached Nationals catcher Brian Schneider on one bounce.

The vice president, whose popularity is slumping along with that of President Bush, walked out on the field to cheering and booing from the near-sellout crowd. The boos appeared to be little louder than the cheers at RFK Memorial Stadium.

In addition, he displayed some of his war trophies:

On the field with him were three U.S. servicemen, two of whom had been wounded in Iraq and a third who was injured in Afghanistan.

For some reason he must have forgotten to bring the guy he shot in the face.

Sound Familiar

This almost promises an attack:

Bush: Iran attack reports 'wild speculation'
While White House is still warning Iran about its uranium enrichment, which Washington and its allies believe hides a nuclear weapons program, administration goes out of its way to play down reports of planning for military strikes
AFP
The United States wants to settle the Iran nuclear crisis through diplomacy, President George W. Bush said on Monday, describing reports of plans to attack the Islamic Republic as "wild speculation."

Admitting Mistakes

Powell: U.S. mistakes hurting Iraq now

CHICAGO, April 10 (UPI) -- U.S. mistakes in the invasion of Iraq led to the current insurgency and sectarian fighting, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says.

"We made some serious mistakes in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Baghdad," Powell told the National School Board Association's annual conference in Chicago. "We didn't have enough troops on the ground. We didn't impose our will. And as a result, an insurgency got started, and ... it got out of control."

The retired general said as a result, the United States is morally obliged to "stick with the people of Iraq" for as long as it takes to restore order, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.