Joe Wilson vs.Select Committee on Intelligence

CNN WOLF BLITZER REPORTS

Karl Rove and CIA Leak; Joe Wilson Interview; Aired July 14, 2005 - 17:00 ET

BLITZER: But, basically, you still hold to the notion that the whole idea of sending someone to Niger originated in the Vice President's Office?

WILSON: No, no, no, no, no. The idea of sending someone to Niger originated in response to a request from the Office of the Vice President. That's how I was briefed. That required an answer.

The decision was made by the operations people at the CIA, after a meeting that I had with the analytical community, to ask me if I would go and help answer some of the questions that still remained so that we would better understand the situation.

And let me also say that raising the question was perfectly legitimate. Indeed, it was an important question to raise. The vice president would have been derelict in not raising it.

Had, in fact, there been evidence of uranium sales from Niger to Iraq, it would have demonstrated conclusively that Saddam Hussein was attempting to reconstitute his nuclear weapons program. The fact that there wasn't evidence to that effect should have reassured the U.S. government that, at least on this side, there was no evidence.

BLITZER: All right. So at least you agree -- and I know you have in the past as well -- that the vice president never directly asked you to go or asked that anyone go, namely his staff just wanted some answers and it was the CIA's decision to then send -- dispatch -- someone to try to get some firsthand information?

WILSON: That's correct. And I've said that in my op-ed, and I've said it in an interview here, and I've said it every time since.

BLITZER: Now, the Senate Intelligence Committee report, as you well know, suggested this and I'll read to you what they say: "Interviews and documents provided to the committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip" -- Counterproliferation Division over at the CIA.

And you've denied that your wife was the one who came up with the idea to send you

WILSON: It's not so much that I've denied it. It was the CIA itself that denied it a week after the Novak article came out, well before I was ever in a position to acknowledge that my wife worked for the CIA.

And indeed, regrettably, the staff at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence did not call the CIA to find out their official position. But a year before, Newsday reporters, Knut Royce and Tim Phelps did, and this is what the CIA told them:

"A senior intelligence officer confirmed that Plame was a Directorate of Operations undercover officer who worked alongside the operations officers who asked her husband to travel to Niger. But he said she did not recommend her husband to undertake the Niger assignment.

"They -- the officers who did ask Wilson to check the uranium story -- "were aware of who she was married to, which is not surprising. There are people elsewhere in the government who are trying to make her look like she was the one who was cooking this up for some reason. I can't figure out who it would be."

FULL TRANSCRIPT Karl Rove and CIA Leak; Joe Wilson Interview

Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq 11. NIGER

B. Former Ambassador

Officials from the CIA’s DO Counterproliferation Division (CPD) told Committee staff that in response to questions from the Vice President’s Office and the -Departments of State and Defense on the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal, CPD officials discussed ways to obtain additional information.1-who could make immediate inquiries into the reporting, CPD decided to contact a former ambassador to Gabon who had a posting early in his career in Niger.

a) Some CPD officials could not recall how the office decided to contact the former ambassador, however, interviews and documents provided to the Committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip. The CPD reports officer told Committee staff that the former ambassador’s wife “offered up his name” and a memorandum to the Deputy Chief of the CPD on February 12,2002, from the former ambassador’s wife says, “my husband has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activitv.” This was just one day before CPD sent a cable -requesting concurrence with CPD’s idea to send the former ambassador to Niger and requesting any additional information from the foreign government service on their uranium reports. The former ambassador’s wife told Committee staff that when CPD decided it would like to send the former ambassador to Niger, she approached her husband on behalf of the CIA and told him “there’s this crazy report” on a purported deal for Niger to sell uranium to Iraq

FULL TRASCRIPT 11. NIGER Document Section 11. NIGER in PDF format, also FULL REPORT TRANSCRIPT Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq

more at Karl Rove or Rove or Joe Wilson and White House or Select Committee on Intelligence

London bombs, Trafalgar Square vigil

Fifty thousand people came together in Trafalgar Square on Thursday 14 July for a vigil in defiance of the terrorist attacks in London.

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was joined by prominent Londoners, different communities and London's representatives of the city's transport and emergency services in paying tribute to the victims, to the work of the emergency services, and to London through a series of readings and poems.

Ben Okri opened the vigil with a poem for London and Lord Seb Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 bid, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell, Brendan Barber from the Trades Union Congress and faith leaders from the Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian communities amongst others read poems, prayers and shared their thoughts on the tragic events of last week.

Speaking at the vigil the Mayor of London said:
‘Those who came here to kill last Thursday had many goals, but one was that we should turn on each other, like animals trapped in a cage, and they failed, totally and utterly.’

Source: london.gov.uk/ more at London or London Explosion or London bombing and London bomb

Stewart A. Baker, Tracy A. Henke, Homeland Security

Nominations Sent to the Senate

Stewart A. Baker, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security. (New Position)

Tracy A. Henke, of Missouri, to be Executive Director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, Department of Homeland Security, vice C. Suzanne Mencer, resigned.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, July 14, 2005

more at Homeland Security and Tracy A. Henke or Stewart A. Baker

pictures of Hasib Hussain released

Press conference - pictures of Hasib Hussain released

Speaking at a press briefing at the QEII Centre on 14.7.05 DAC Peter Clarke, Head of MPS Anti-Terrorist Branch said:

"Good afternoon.

It is now exactly one week since London was attacked by terrorists. The police investigation into those attacks has uncovered a vast amount of information, and we now have a much clearer understanding of what happened. This has beeen, and still is, a fast moving investigation with new leads emerging by the hour.

However, it is still in its early stages. We need to establish a number of things. Who actually committed the attack? Who supported them? Who financed them? Who trained them? Who encouraged them? This will take many months of intensive, detailed investigation.

So far, we have taken more than 500 witness statements. We have seized and are analyzing more than 5,000 CCTV tapes. This number will grow dramatically. The detailed forensic examination of the scenes of the attacks continues. Many vital clues have already emerged from that examination. We are also conducting detailed searches at premises in West Yorkshire and in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

All of this information is being assessed and investigated.

There has been enormous public interest as to the progress of the investigation. The media have obviously tried to meet that interest. Much of the reporting has been accurate, and some has been speculative. I would like to reassure the public that we will only officially release information when we are entirely sure that it is accurate. This can mean that some items of information appear in the media before we can officially confirm them.

I can this afternoon confirm the identity of a second man who travelled from West Yorkshire and who died in the explosion at Aldgate. He was Shahzad TANWEER, aged 22.

We believe that he is responsible for carrying out the attack.

In relation to the third man who travelled from West Yorkshire, the position remains that property in his name was found at the scene of both the Aldgate and the Edgware Road attacks, but we have not yet been able to gather forensic evidence to confirm that he died in any of the explosions.

We now believe that we know the identity of the fourth man who arrived in the group at King's Cross. We have just received forensic evidence which makes it very likely that he died in the explosion at Russell Square. Formal identification is of course a matter for the Coroner.

I would like to make a specific appeal in relation to the events leading up to and including the explosion to the Number 30 bus.

We have this afternoon released a CCTV image and a passport photograph of Hasib Hussain, aged 18, who died in the explosion on the bus in Tavistock Square. We now believe he was responsible for carrying out this attack which claimed the lives of 13 people.

The picture shows Hussain at Luton train station at approximately 7.20am on the morning of July 7. We know he travelled from West Yorkshire and that he arrived in London with three other men.

You can see from the CCTV image that he was carrying a rucksack.

We need to establish his movements between 8.26am at King's Cross and 9.47am on the no. 30 bus when the explosion occurred.

Did you see this man at King's Cross? Was he alone or with others? Do you know the route he took from the station? Did you see him get on to a No 30 bus? And if you did, where and when was that.

We are also keen to speak to everyone who was on that No.30 bus who may not yet have contacted us.

The bus started its journey at Marble Arch at 9 o'clock. By five past nine it was in Gloucester Place, and at ten past nine in the Marylebone Road. By 9.30am it was in the Euston Road near the junction with Gower Street, heading East. The closure of Kings Cross Station, because of the attack on the Underground, meant that the bus had to be diverted from its normal route , to travel south into Woburn Place and Tavistock Square.

The explosion occurred in Tavistock Square at 9.47am.

If you have any information I would urge you to contact the free confidential Anti-Terrorist branch hotline on 0800 789 321.

We estimate that there were approximately 80 people on the bus when the explosion occurred.

I would appeal to anyone who was a passenger on that bus, if they have either not contacted or been spoken to by the police, to contact the hotline.

Yet again, I would like to thank the public for their support.

We will give you further information as and when it's possible in the future. May I conclude by repeating the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch Hotline number of 0800 789321. Thank you."

Source: London Metropolitan Police Bulletin 0000000220, 14 July 2005 more at London or London Explosion or London bombing and London bomb or Hasib Hussain

Joe Wilson's Top Ten Worst Inaccuracies And Misstatements

Joe Wilson's Top Ten Worst Inaccuracies And Misstatements

1.) Wilson Insisted That The Vice President’s Office Sent Him To Niger:

Wilson Said He Traveled To Niger At CIA Request To Help Provide Response To Vice President’s Office. “In February 2002, I was informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney’s office had questions about a particular intelligence report. … The agency officials asked if I would travel to Niger to check out the story so they could provide a response to the vice president’s office.” (Joseph C. Wilson, Op-Ed, “What I Didn’t Find In Africa,” The New York Times, 7/6/03)

Joe Wilson: “[W]hat They Did, What The Office Of The Vice President Did, And, In Fact, I Believe Now From Mr. Libby’s Statement, It Was Probably The Vice President Himself ...” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 8/3/03)
Vice President Cheney: “I Don’t Know Joe Wilson. I’ve Never Met Joe Wilson. … And Joe Wilson - I Don’t [Know] Who Sent Joe Wilson. He Never Submitted A Report That I Ever Saw When He Came Back.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 9/14/03)

CIA Director George Tenet: “In An Effort To Inquire About Certain Reports Involving Niger, CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Experts, On Their Own Initiative, Asked An Individual With Ties To The Region To Make A Visit To See What He Could Learn.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release, 7/11/03)

2.) Wilson Claimed The Vice President And Other Senior White House Officials Were Briefed On His Niger Report:

“[Wilson] Believed That [His Report] Would Have Been Distributed To The White House And That The Vice President Received A Direct Response To His Question About The Possible Uranium Deal.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Reported That The Vice President Was Not Briefed On Wilson’s Report. “Conclusion 14. The Central Intelligence Agency should have told the Vice President and other senior policymakers that it had sent someone to Niger to look into the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal and it should have briefed the Vice President on the former ambassador’s findings.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

CIA Director George Tenet: “Because This Report, In Our View, Did Not Resolve Whether Iraq Was Or Was Not Seeking Uranium From Abroad, It Was Given A Normal And Wide Distribution, But We Did Not Brief It To The President, Vice-President Or Other Senior Administration Officials.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release, 7/11/03)

3.) Wilson Has Claimed His Niger Report Was Conclusive And Significant

Wilson Claims His Trip Proved There Was Nothing To The Uranium “Allegations.” “I knew that [Dr. Rice] had fundamentally misstated the facts. In fact, she had lied about it. I had gone out and I had undertaken this study. I had come back and said that this was not feasible. … This government knew that there was nothing to these allegations.” (NBC’s, “Meet The Press,” 5/2/04)

Officials Said Evidence In Wilson’s Niger Report Was “Thin” And His “Homework Was Shoddy.” (Michael Duffy, “Leaking With A Vengeance,” Time, 10/13/03)

Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “Conclusion 13. The Report On The Former Ambassador’s Trip To Niger, Disseminated In March 2002, Did Not Change Any Analysts’ Assessments Of The Iraq-Niger Uranium Deal.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

“For Most Analysts, The Information In The Report Lent More Credibility To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report On The Uranium Deal, But State Department Bureau Of Intelligence And Research (INR) Analysts Believed That The Report Supported Their Assessments That Niger Was Unlikely To Be Willing Or Able To Sell Uranium.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S.
Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

CIA Said Wilson’s Findings Did Not Resolve The Issue. “Because [Wilson’s] report, in our view, did not resolve whether Iraq was or was not seeking uranium from abroad, it was given a normal and wide distribution, but we did not brief it to the president, vice president or other senior administration officials. We also had to consider that the former Nigerien officials knew that what they were saying would reach the U.S. government and that this might have influenced what they said.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release 7/11/03)

The Butler Report Claimed That The President’s State Of the Union Statement On Uranium From Africa, “Was Well-Founded.” “We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence assessments at the time, covering both Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the statements on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa in the Government’s dossier, and by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, were well-founded. By extension, we conclude also that the statement in President Bush’s State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that: ‘The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.’ was well-founded.” (The Rt. Hon. The Lord Butler Of Brockwell, “Review Of Intelligence, On Weapons Of Mass Destruction,” 7/14/04)

4.) Wilson Denied His Wife Suggested He Travel To Niger In 2002:

Wilson Claimed His Wife Did Not Suggest He Travel To Niger To Investigate Reports Of Uranium Deal; Instead, Wilson Claims It Came Out Of Meeting With CIA. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Among other things, you had always said, always maintained, still maintain your wife, Valerie Plame, a CIA officer, had nothing to do with the decision to send to you Niger to inspect reports that uranium might be sold from Niger to Iraq. … Did Valerie Plame, your wife, come up with the idea to send you to Niger?” Joe Wilson: “No. My wife served as a conduit, as I put in my book. When her supervisors asked her to contact me for the purposes of coming into the CIA to discuss all the issues surrounding this allegation of Niger selling uranium to Iraq.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)

But Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Received Not Only Testimony But Actual Documentation Indicating Wilson’s Wife Proposed Him For Trip. “Some CPD, [CIA Counterproliferation Division] officials could not recall how the office decided to contact the former ambassador, however, interviews and documents provided to the Committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip. The CPD reports officer told Committee staff that the former ambassador’s wife ‘offered up his name’ and a memorandum to the Deputy Chief of the CPD on February 12, 2002, from the former ambassador’s wife says, ‘my husband has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.’” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

5.) Wilson Has Claimed His 1999 Trip To Niger Was Not Suggested By His Wife:

Wilson Claims CIA Thought To Ask Him To Make Trip Because He Had Previously Made Trip For Them In 1999, Not Because Of His Wife’s Suggestion. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Who first raised your name, then, based on what you know? Who came up with the idea to send you there?” Joe Wilson: “The CIA knew my name from a trip, and it’s in the report, that I had taken in 1999 related to uranium activities but not related to Iraq. I had served for 23 years in government including as Bill Clinton’s Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. I had done a lot of work with the Niger government during a period punctuated by a military coup and a subsequent assassination of a president. So I knew all the people there.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)

In Fact, His Wife Suggested Him For 1999 Trip, As Well. “The former ambassador had traveled previously to Niger on the CIA’s behalf … The former ambassador was selected for the 1999 trip after his wife mentioned to her supervisors that her husband was planning a business trip to Niger in the near future and might be willing to use his contacts in the region …” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

6.) Wilson Claimed He Was A Victim Of A Partisan Smear Campaign

Joe Wilson: “Well, I Don’t Know. Obviously, There’s Been This Orchestrated Campaign, This Smear Campaign. I Happen To Think That It’s Because The RNC, The Republican National Committee’s Been Involved In This In A Big Way …” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “But They Weren’t Involved In The Senate Intelligence Committee Report.” Wilson: “No, They Weren’t.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)

Senate Intelligence Committee Unanimously Concluded That Wilson’s Report “Lent More Credibility” For Most Analysts “To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Reports.” “Conclusion 13. The report on the former ambassador’s trip to Niger, disseminated in March 2002, did not change any analysts’ assessments of the Iraq-Niger uranium deal. For most analysts, the information in the report lent more credibility to the original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports on the uranium deal, but the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) analysts believed that the report supported their assessment that Niger was unlikely to be willing or able to sell uranium to Iraq.” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

Members Of The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence That Wrote The Unanimous “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq”:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)

Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH)

Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO)

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS)

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)

Sen. John Warner (R-VA)

(Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)

7.) A Month Before The Bob Novak And Matthew Cooper Articles Ever Came Out, Wilson Told The Washington Post That Previous Intelligence Reports About Niger Were Based On Forged Documents:

In June Of 2003, Wilson Told The Washington Post “The Niger Intelligence Was Based On Documents That Had Clearly Been Forged Because ‘The Dates Were Wrong And The Names Were Wrong.’” (Susan Schmidt, “Plame’s Input Is Cited On Niger Mission,” The Washington Post, 7/10/04)

However, “The [Senate Select Committee On Intelligence] Report … Said Wilson Provided Misleading Information To The Washington Post Last June [12th, 2003].” (Susan Schmidt, “Plame’s Input Is Cited On Niger Mission,” The Washington Post, 7/10/04)

Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “The Former Ambassador Said That He May Have ‘Misspoken’ To The Reporter When He Said He Concluded The Documents Were ‘Forged.’” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
8.) Wilson Claimed His Book Would Enrich Debate:

NBC’s Katie Couric: “What Do You Hope The Whole Point Of This Book Will Be? Joe Wilson: “Well, I - I Hope, One, It Will Tell - It Tries To Tell An Interesting Story. Two, I Hope That It Enriches The Debate In A Year In Which We Are All Called Upon As Americans To Elect Our Leaders. And Three, … That [It] Says That This Is A Great Democracy That Is Worthy Of Our Taking Our Responsibilities As Stewards Seriously.” (NBC’s “Today Show,” 5/3/04)

Wilson Admits In His Book That He Had Been Involved In “A Little Literary Flair” When Talking To Reporters. “[Wilson] wrote in his book, he told Committee staff that his assertion may have involved ‘a little literary flair.’” (Matthew Continetti, “‘A Little Literary Flair’” The Weekly Standard, 7/26/04)

Wilson’s Book The Politics Of Truth: Inside The Lies That Put The White House On Trial And Betrayed My Wife’s CIA Identity Has Been Panned In Numerous Reviews For Its Inaccuracies:

“On Page One Of Chapter One, He Quotes NBC Talk Show Host Chris Matthews, Who Told Him That, After Mr. Wilson Chose To Go Public: ‘Wilson’s Wife Is Fair Game.’ Later, He Bases His List Of Suspect Leakers On Conversations With Members Of The News Media And A ‘Source Close To The House Judiciary Committee.’” (Eli Lake, Op-Ed, “Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Mr. Wilson,” New York Post, 5/4/04)

“For Example, When Asked How He ‘Knew’ That The Intelligence Community Had Rejected The Possibility Of A Niger-Iraq Uranium Deal, As He Wrote In His Book, He Told [Senate Intelligence] Committee Staff That His Assertion May Have Involved ‘A Little Literary Flair.’” (Matthew Continetti, “‘A Little Literary Flair,’” The Weekly Standard, 7/26/04)

The Boston Globe: “In Essence, Much Of Wilson’s Book Is An Attempt To Portray The Bush Administration As A Ministry Of Fear Whose Mission In Pursuing War In Iraq Required It To Proclaim A Lie As Truth.” (Michael D. Langan, Op-Ed, “‘Truth’ Makes Much Of Bush Controversy,” The Boston Globe, 5/4/04)

Newsweek’s Evan Thomas Wrote In The Washington Post: “[W]ilson’s Claims And Conclusions Are Either Long Hashed Over Or Based On What The Intelligence Business Describes As ‘Rumint,’ Or Rumor Intelligence.” (Evan Thomas, Op-Ed, “Indecent Exposure,” The Washington Post, 5/16/04)

9.) Wilson Claimed The CIA Provided Him With Information Related To The Iraq-Niger Uranium Transaction:

“The Former Ambassador Noted That His CIA Contacts Told Him There Were Documents Pertaining To The Alleged Iraq-Niger Uranium Transaction And That The Source Of The Information Was The [Redacted] Intelligence Service.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

However, “The DO [Director Of Operations At The CIA] Reports Officer Told Committee Staff That He Did Not Provide The Former Ambassador With Any Information About The Source Or Details …” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)

10.) Wilson Claimed He Is A Non-Partisan “Centrist”:

Recently, Joe Wilson Refused To Admit He Is A Registered Democrat. NBC’s Jamie Gangel: “You are a Democrat?” Joe Wilson: “I exercise my rights as a citizen of this country to participate in the selection of my leaders and I am proud to do so. I did so in the election in 2000 by contributing not just to Al Gore's campaign, but also to the Bush-Cheney campaign.” (NBC’s “Today Show,” 7/14/05)

“[Wilson] Insist[s] He Remained A Centrist At Heart.” (Scott Shane, “Private Spy And Public Spouse Live At Center Of Leak Case,” The New York Times, 7/5/05)

Joe Wilson Is A Registered Democrat. (District Of Columbia Voter Registrations, Accessed 7/14/05)

Joseph Wilson Has Donated Over $8,000 To Democrats Including $2,000 To John Kerry For President In 2003, $1,000 To Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) HILLPAC In 2002 And $3,000 To Al Gore In 1999. (The Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 7/12/05)

Wilson Endorsed John Kerry For President In October 2003 And Advised The Kerry Campaign. (David Tirrell-Wysocki, “Former Ambassador Wilson Endorses Kerry In Presidential Race,” The Associated Press, 10/23/03)

“[Wilson] Admits ‘It Will Be A Cold Day In Hell Before I Vote For A Republican, Even For Dog Catcher.’” (Scott Shane, “Private Spy And Public Spouse Live At Center Of Leak Case,” The New York Times, 7/5/05)

Source: Republican National Committee more at Karl Rove or Rove or Joe Wilson and White House

Hurricane EMILY Public Advisory 07/14/05 2PM

000, WTNT35 KNHC 141741, TCPAT5 BULLETIN, HURRICANE EMILY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 15A, NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL, REAL TIME LOOP2 PM AST THU JUL 14 2005

Satellite Services Division REAL TIME LOOP 1 EMILY and REAL TIME LOOP 2 DENNIS

...EMILY CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN...NEARLY CATEGORY THREE...

...AT 2 PM AST...1800Z...THE GOVERNMENT OF VENEZUELA HAS DISCONTINUED THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM CUMANA EASTWARD. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN COAST OF VENEZUELA FROM CUMANA WESTWARD TO PUNTO FIJO...INCLUDING ISLA
MARGARITA AND THE OFFSHORE ISLANDS NORTH OF THE COAST AND WEST OF CUMANA.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR BONAIRE...CURACAO...AND ARUBA.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN COAST OF HISPANIOLA FROM PUNTA SALINAS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO PORT-AU-PRINCE HAITI.

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN CARIBBEAN SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF EMILY.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 2 PM AST...1800Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE EMILY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 12.9 NORTH... LONGITUDE 65.0 WEST OR ABOUT 490 MILES... 795 KM... SOUTHEAST OF SANTO DOMINGO IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

EMILY IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH ...30 KM/HR... AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED AND ARE NOW NEAR 110 MPH...175 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. EMILY IS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED...AND EMILY COULD BECOME A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE LATER TODAY.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 35 MILES... 55 KM... FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES...165 KM.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 972 MB...28.70 INCHES.

EMILY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS...NORTHERN VENEZUELA...AND THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES...WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. RAINFALL OVER THE WINDWARD ISLANDS IS DECREASING.

REPEATING THE 2 PM AST POSITION...12.9 N... 65.0 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 18 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 972 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 5 PM AST.

Source: NOAA FORECASTER FRANKLIN $$

more at Tropical Storm EMILY or noaa and EMILY or Hurricane DENNIS

Massacre in the Congo

Massacre in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

The United States condemns the brutal and cowardly massacre of civilians that took place on July 9 in Ntulumamba, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Initial reports indicate that about 40 people, mostly women and children, were deliberately murdered by armed men who forced the victims into buildings, which were then burned.

This attack underscores the need for Rwandan rebel forces operating in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to disarm and repatriate immediately. It is equally important that other armed militia forces disarm, in order to permit reestablishment of secure and stable conditions throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the authority and control of that nation’s government.

We fully support the United Nations Mission to the Congo’s decision to dispatch immediately a mission to the area to determine the facts about the attack and identify those responsible. The United States joins the international community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in calling for those guilty of such barbarous acts to be brought to justice.

Source: state.gov/ 2005/697 Press Statement, Tom Casey, Acting Spokesperson, Washington, DC July 13, 2005 the Congo and state department and department of state or Rwanda

Situation in Ethiopia

Situation in Ethiopia

The following is a joint Statement by the United States and the European Union:

The European Union and the United States commend the Ethiopian people for their peaceful and democratic expression of political will on May 15. The international community urges in the strongest terms that all parties to the elections and the government abide by their commitment to the June 10 and June 13, 2005 declarations. All parties should renounce all use of violence, inflammatory, defamatory or ethnic hate messages via the media or internet, and any other action that is likely to further increase tension in Ethiopia.

The European Union and the United States expect all political parties and the government to abide by the political process through parliamentary and onstitutional means to resolve this election crisis. We urge all parties to participate fully in the Complaints Investigation Panel Process. All dissenting views need to be registered and the personal safety of witnesses ensured. Where there are procedural or other problems, these need to be addressed swiftly and constructively.

We urge the nation's political leaders as well as those in the Diaspora to work together for political dialogue and support open communication towards reconciliation and a commitment to peace and non-violence. We note the announcement by the National Electoral Board on 8 July of the first set of final election results, and call on all sides to dedicate their efforts to ensure that the electoral process continues to be carried out in a transparent and fully open manner.

We expect all political parties including the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) to respect the political process with the National Electoral Board and continue working for the promotion of democracy and a vibrant society. We urge the government of Ethiopia to respect international principles of human rights by exercising due process and releasing detained party members and party supporters who are not going to be charged.

The European Union and the United States will assist Ethiopia as it meets these new democratic challenges.

Source: state.gov/ 2005/696, Released on July 13, 2005 Joint Statement, Tom Casey, Acting Spokesperson, Washington, DC more at Ethiopia or European Union and state department and department of state

Nicaragua, Millennium Challenge Compact

United States and Republic of Nicaragua to Sign $175 Million Millennium Challenge Compact

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Chair of the Board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, will make remarks at the signing of the Millennium Challenge Compact between the United States and the Republic of Nicaragua, on Thursday, July 14, 2005, at 4:15 p.m., in the Benjamin Franklin Room.

Republic of Nicaragua President Enrique Bolaños, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and Millennium Challenge Corporation Chief Executive Officer Paul V. Applegarth will also make remarks. Mr. Applegarth and Republic of Honduras Foreign Minister Norman Caldera will sign the Compact.

The $175 million, five-year Compact with Nicaragua aims to increase investment by strengthening property rights; reduce transportation costs and improving access to markets for rural communities; and increase profits and wages from farming and related enterprises in the region.

This event will be open to the press.

Pre-set time for cameras: 3:15 p.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.

Final access time for all press: 3:50 p.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.

Media representatives may attend this briefing upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification (driver’s license or passport).

Source; For further information, contact Davy Kong at (202) 521-3864. 2005/695, Released on July 13, 2005 Notice to the Press, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC

more at Nicaragua or Millennium Challenge Compact and Condoleezza Rice or Enrique Bolaños

AL QAIDA LEADERS CAPTURED IN IRAQ

KEY AL QAIDA LEADERS CAPTURED IN IRAQ

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Multi-National Forces conducted several raids here recently capturing more than 30 terrorists, including two reported high ranking Al-Qaida leaders with ties to its leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to a military spokesman.

Among those captured and close confidants to al-Zarqawi are Abdulla Ibrahim Muhammed Hassan al Shadad, or Abu Abdul Aziz and Khamis Farhan Khalaf Abd al Fahdawi, or Abu Seba. Aziz served Zarqawi as both a terrorist cell leader in Baghdad and as an operations officer for al-Qaida in Iraq and was captured here July 10.

According to authorities, Aziz is cooperating with Mutli-National Forces.

Coalition Operations in Ar Ramadi secured the capture of Abu Seba July 9 after intelligence provided information that led to his whereabouts. Seba served as a senior lieutenant of Al Qaida in Iraq, and is suspected in attacks against diplomats of Bahrain, Pakistan and the recent murder of Egyptian envoy, Ihab Salah al Din Ahmad al Sharif. Al Qaida ordered the attacks against Arab diplomats in an effort to reduce support for the government of Iraq according to a military spokesman.

During these raids vital information, evidence and equipment were recovered that implicate both Aziz and Seba as members of Zarqawi’s leadership cell.

Other information discovered included computer equipment, weapons, pornography, propaganda and documents.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER AT (703) 270-0279 / 0299 / 0321 / 0319 / 0273 / 0320.

-30-

Source: centcom.mil/ NEWS RELEASE, HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND, 7115 South Boundary Boulevard, MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101, Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 July 14, 2005, Release Number: 05-07-08, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

more at Iraq or al-Zarqawi and Al-Qaida or centcom

Democrats "Wild Thing" Web Video

Democrats "Wild Thing" Web Video Wild Thing by The Troggs - written by Chip Taylor Wild thing You make my heart sing You make everything groovy Wild thing Wild thing, I think I love you But I wanna know for sure Come on and hold me tight I love you Wild thing You make my heart sing You make everything groovy Wild thing Wild thing, I think you move me But I wanna know for sure So c'mon and hold me tight You move me Wild thing You make my heart sing You make everything groovy Wild thing Wild thing C'mon, c'mon, wild thing Shake it, shake it, wild thing ©1977 PolyGram Records, Inc. Source: RNC more at Democrats or Politics and Republicans

'One week anniversary' bombings appeal

'One week anniversary' bombings appeal

One week on from the four explosions in central London that killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds, the Metropolitan Police Service is renewing its appeals for witnesses and information.

At approximately 08:50 on Thursday July 7, there were three explosions on underground trains. Two were on Circle Line trains close to Aldgate and Edgware Road stations, and the other on a Piccadilly Line train near King's Cross. See larger version of the appeal poster

At 09:47 in Tavistock Square, WC1, there was a fourth explosion on a number 30 bus to Hackney Wick.

Anyone with information about the bombings or the people involved, which could be useful to the investigation, is urged to call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. Alternatively, pictures, footage and information can be submitted online at police.uk.

Recap

On Thursday July 7, four devices exploded in London.

Explosions on three Underground trains occurred within seconds of each other at approximately 0850.

The explosions were on:

Circle Line train travelling from Liverpool Street to Aldgate station. The device was in the third carriage of a train approx. 100 yards into the tunnel.

Westbound Circle Line train coming into Edgware Road station, approx. 100 yards into the tunnel. The explosion blew a hole through a wall onto another train on an adjoining platform. The device was in the second carriage, in the standing area near the first set of double doors.
Piccadilly Line train travelling from Kings Cross to Russell Square, approx 600 metres into the tunnel. The device was in the first carriage, in the standing area near the first set of double doors.

A number 30 bus travelling towards Hackney Wick. The explosion occurred at 09:47 in Tavistock Square, WC1.

The number of fatalities currently stands at 52. These are:

7 from the Liverpool Street/Aldgate incident

7 from the Edgware Road incident

25 from the Kings Cross/Russell Square incident

13 from the bus

Forensics officers are still examining all four scenes.

Around 700 people were injured, with 350 requiring hospital treatment. 53 people are still in hospital, eight of which are critical. 76 Family Liaison Officers have been deployed.

The following is a short summary of the progression of the body recovery and identification operation and the criminal investigation:

July 7
Casualty Bureau opened on the afternoon of Thursday July 7. Members of the public who were concerned that friends or relatives may have been affected by the explosions were asked to call us on 0870 1566 344. Calls reached their peak between 1500 and 1600, when we took more than 42,000 calls.

By Thursday night most of the roads closed by cordons around the four sites had been opened, with cordons remaining in place in Woburn Place, Tavistock Place, Burton Street, Flaxman Terrace, Edgware Road and Chapel Street.

Following the attacks, extra policing patrols were put in place across the capital, with officers from the MPS, City of London Police and British Transport Police providing visible reassurance, advice and support.

July 8
By 06.00 on Friday July 8, Casualty Bureau had taken 103,087 calls. More than 200 staff from 23 police services worked round the clock answering calls, using new technology that enabled forces other than the Met to answer calls.

Initial forensic investigation suggested each device contained less than 10 pounds of explosive and pointed to the devices on the Underground having been left on the floor.

An Identification Commission was established, chaired by the Coroner and consisting of the Senior Police Identification Manager, a Pathologist, a Orthodontist, a Home Office representative and anyone else who the coroner wishes to sit on it.

July 9
On Saturday July 9, a Family Assistance Centre was opened in Victoria staffed by Family Liaison Officers and trained staff from support agencies including the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Victim Support. The centre was set up to provide a central point of information for people searching for loved ones and to offer support and advice.

Evidence had established that the three explosions on the Underground happened within seconds of each other. The roof of the bus in Tavistock Square was taken away for forensic examination and fingertip search of the area begun.

As part of the UK's continuing close liaison with agencies across the world, a briefing was held for international members of the Police Working Group on Terrorism, together with London-based police liaison officers with whom the MPS has regular, established contact. Around 30 countries were represented.

July 10
An appeal is launched for any photos and video footage of the incidents. By Monday more than 250 emails had been received.

July 11
A temporary mortuary was opened at the Honourable Artillery Company, City Road, EC1. The first formal identification was confirmed and an inquest opened.

By 05.00 Casualty Bureau had received 115,663 calls.

By the afternoon, investigators had taken more than 200 witness statements, 1134 actions were raised, 2160 calls to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline had been received and 2,500 CCTV tapes collected.

A Field For Flowers was opened in Victoria Embankment Gardens at 1200, wherewell-wishers are welcome to leave floral tributes and sign a book of condolence.

More than 200 community representatives from across London met for a community reassurance event, 'Communities Together', hosted by the MPA, MPA and GLA.

July 12
Representatives of the Sikh community met senior MPS officers to address concerns raised at yesterday's 'Communities Together' event.

The Family Assistance Centre moved from Victoria to the Royal Horticultural Hall in Vincent Square, SW1P.

MPS officers, supported by officers from West Yorkshire Police, executed search warrants issued under the Terrorism Act 2000 at six addresses in West Yorkshire. A controlled explosion was carried out at one address to ensure safe entry. One man was arrested under the Terrorism Act and remains in custody at a central London police station.

MPS officers, assisted by officers from Bedfordshire Police, examined a vehicle in the car park of Luton railway station. Nine controlled explosions were carried out on material found in the car, following which the car was deemed to no longer present a danger to the public. It was then removed for further examination by the MPS.

By Tuesday, the investigation had led the MPS to have concerns about the movements and activities of four men, three of whom came from the West Yorkshire area. We are trying to establish their movements in the run up to last week's attacks, and specifically to establish if they all died in the explosions. Three of the search warrants were executed at home addresses of these three men.

CCTV footage showed the four men, each carrying a rucksack, at King's Cross station shortly before 08.30 on the morning of July 7. One of the men who set out from West Yorkshire was reported missing by his family to the Casualty Bureau shortly after 22.00 on July 7. We have established that he was joined on his journey to London by three other men.

Personal documents bearing the names of three of those four men have been found, close to the seats of three of the explosions:

Property belonging to the man reported missing was found on the Route 30 bus in Tavistock Square.

Property in the name of a second man was found at the scene of the Aldgate bomb. Property in the name of a third man was found at the scene of both the Aldgate and the Edgware Road bombs.

We have very strong forensic and other evidence that one of the men died in the explosion at Aldgate. This is subject to formal confirmation by the Coroner.

July 13
22 people have had their identity confirmed by the Identity Commission and we have been able to release details of 14 of these according to the wishes of families.

Source: London Metropolitan Police Bulletin 0000000219 14 July 2005 more at London or London Explosion or London bombing and London bomb

Bush Shouldn't Fire Karl Rove

Bush Shouldn't Fire Karl Rove, From The Hill, By Dick Morris, Op-Ed, July 14, 2005

The "gotcha" game is in full swing in Washington as the vultures circle slowly over the White House, hoping for Karl Rove's scalp. ...

Karl Rove did nothing wrong. ...

The law is designed to stop the likes of Philip Agee, whose 1975 book Inside the Company revealed secret CIA information to sell books. Rove's actions are a far stretch from those the statute was designed to cover.

Rove did not call Time magazine's Matt Cooper. Cooper called him. He did not mention Valerie Plame's name. He may not have even known it. He had no intent to reveal her identity. The context of the conversation was that Rove was trying to disabuse Cooper of the impression that CIA Director George Tenet had been the moving force in choosing former Ambassador Joe Wilson to investigate the nuclear dealings reported to be going on in Niger.

Rove said that it was not Tenet who pushed the appointment but that it likely stemmed from the fact that Wilson's wife "apparently works" at the CIA.

To call that conversation a deliberate revelation of an agent's identity designed to blow her cover is a far, far stretch of the statute's wording and intent.

But just as Rove did not intend to blow Plame's cover, so the Democrats demanding his head are not very interested in upholding the statute in question. Their motives are totally political. They want revenge against Rove for his successful role in piloting the Bush election and reelection campaigns...

Washington is a mean town where human sacrifice has been raised to an art form. But Karl Rove does not deserve this fate. He has served loyally and well, resisting enormous opportunities to leave midway and reap a bonanza of income in the private sector. He has shown himself to be a man of uncommon integrity and selflessness in serving this administration and this country. He should not be tossed to the partisan wolves. ...

Source: Republican National Committee For Entire Article Please Visit: thehill.com/Comment/DickMorris/

Thursday, July 14, 2005 more at Karl Rove or Rove or Dick Morris and White House

Karl Rove, Whistleblower

In Case You Missed It: Karl Rove, Whistleblower, From The Wall Street Journal

Review & Outlook July 13, 2005

Democrats and most of the Beltway press corps are baying for Karl Rove's head over his role in exposing a case of CIA nepotism involving Joe Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame. On the contrary, we'd say the White House political guru deserves a prize--perhaps the next iteration of the "Truth-Telling" award that The Nation magazine bestowed upon Mr. Wilson before the Senate Intelligence Committee exposed him as a fraud.

For Mr. Rove is turning out to be the real "whistleblower" in this whole sorry pseudo-scandal. He's the one who warned Time's Matthew Cooper and other reporters to be wary of Mr. Wilson's credibility. He's the one who told the press the truth that Mr. Wilson had been recommended for the CIA consulting gig by his wife, not by Vice President Dick Cheney as Mr. Wilson was asserting on the airwaves. In short, Mr. Rove provided important background so Americans could understand that Mr. Wilson wasn't a whistleblower but was a partisan trying to discredit the Iraq War in an election campaign. Thank you, Mr. Rove.

Media chants aside, there's no evidence that Mr. Rove broke any laws in telling reporters that Ms. Plame may have played a role in her husband's selection for a 2002 mission to investigate reports that Iraq was seeking uranium ore in Niger. ... But it appears Mr. Rove didn't even know Ms. Plame's name and had only heard about her work at Langley from other journalists.

On the "no underlying crime" point, moreover, no less than the New York Times and Washington Post now agree. So do the 36 major news organizations that filed a legal brief in March aimed at keeping Mr. Cooper and the New York Times's Judith Miller out of jail. ...

In short, Joe Wilson hadn't told the truth about what he'd discovered in Africa, how he'd discovered it, what he'd told the CIA about it, or even why he was sent on the mission. The media and the Kerry campaign promptly abandoned him, though the former never did give as much prominence to his debunking as they did to his original accusations. But if anyone can remember another public figure so entirely and thoroughly discredited, let us know.

If there's any scandal at all here, it is that this entire episode has been allowed to waste so much government time and media attention, not to mention inspire a "special counsel" probe. ...

Source: Republican National Committee For Entire Article Please Visit: opinionjournal.com/editorial/

more at Karl Rove or Rove

U.S. Soldier, Iraqi children killed in attack

U.S. Soldier, Iraqi children killed in attack

BAGHDAD — A Task Force Baghdad Soldier died July 13 from wounds sustained during a car-bomb attack at 10:50 a.m. in east Baghdad .

Three U.S. Soldiers were wounded in the attack, which also set a nearby house on fire.

A number of Iraqi children died in the explosion and other Iraqi civilians were wounded.

Iraqi Police and firefighters responded to the blaze and immediately began evacuating the wounded to nearby hospitals.

At least two critically wounded children were evacuated by U.S. forces to a U.S. Army hospital.

The Task Force Baghdad unit on the site reported that the vehicle, laden with explosives, drove up to a humvee before detonating. Many Iraqi civilians, mostly children, were around the humvee at the time of the blast.

The name of the deceased Soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The incident is under investigation. -30-

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT THE TASK FORCE BAGHDAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE AT TASKFORCEBAGHDADPAO@ID3.ARMY.MIL. July 13, 2005 Release A050713b

more at Iraqi or Task Force Baghdad

President to Welcome President Uribe of Colombia

President to Welcome President Uribe of Colombia to Crawford, Texas

President and Mrs. Bush will welcome President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and Mrs. Uribe to their ranch in Crawford, Texas on August 4, 2005. The President looks forward to continuing his dialogue with President Uribe on our shared efforts to protect and promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law, fight terrorism and drug trafficking, and promote prosperity through economic growth and opportunity.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, July 12, 2005

nore at Colombia or Alvaro Uribe and Bush or President Bush

Unconditional Release of Akbar Ganji in Iran

Statement on a Call for the Unconditional Releases of Akbar Ganji in Iran

Akbar Ganji, an Iranian journalist who since 1999 has been routinely sentenced to prison by the Iranian government for advocating free speech, is again in jail because of his political views. Through his now month-long hunger strike, Mr. Ganji is demonstrating that he is willing to die for his right to express his opinion. President Bush is saddened by recent reports that Mr. Ganji's health has been failing and deeply concerned that the Iranian government has denied him access to his family, medical treatment, and legal representation. Mr. Ganji is sadly only one victim of a wave of repression and human rights violations engaged in by the Iranian regime. His calls for freedom deserve to be heard. His valiant efforts should not go in vain. The President calls on all supporters of human rights and freedom, and the United Nations, to take up Ganji's case and the overall human rights situation in Iran. The President also calls on the Government of Iran to release Mr. Ganji immediately and unconditionally and to allow him access to medical assistance. Mr. Ganji, please know that as you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, July 12, 2005

more at Akbar Ganji or Iran and Bush or President Bush

anti-terrorism assistance for the Philippines

Memorandum for the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Presidential Determination, No. 2005-28

SUBJECT: Presidential Determination Regarding Drawdown Under Section 506(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act 1961, as amended, to Furnish Anti Terrorism Assistance to the Philippines

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, including section 506(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 2318(a)(2)(the "Act"), I hereby determine that it is in the national interest of the United States to draw down articles, services, military education, and training from the Department of Defense for the purpose of providing anti-terrorism assistance for the Philippines.

I therefore direct the drawdown of up to $10 million of articles, services, military education, and training from the inventory and resources of the Department of Defense for the Philippines for the purposes and under the authorities of chapter 8 of part II of the Act.

The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to report this determination to the Congress and to arrange for its publication in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH

# # # For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 12, 2005

more at war on terror or Philippines and Bush or President Bush and Foreign Assistance Act 1961

United States Trade Representative

Memorandum for the United States Trade Representative

SUBJECT: Delegation of Functions under Section 9 of the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004

By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to you the functions and authorities assigned to the President under section 9 of the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004 (19 U.S.C. 3701 note).

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH

# # # For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 12, 2005

more at United States Trade Representative and Bush or President Bush or African Growth and Opportunity Act

Nominations Sent to the Senate

Nominations Sent to the Senate

James Caldwell Cason, of Florida, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Paraguay.

Rebecca F. Dye, of North Carolina, to be a Federal Maritime Commissioner for a term expiring June 30, 2010. (Reappointment)

Patricia Louise Herbold, of Washington, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Singapore.

Keith A. Nelson, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, vice Vickers B. Meadows.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, July 12, 2005

Paraguay or Federal Maritime Commissioner and Housing and Urban Development and Bush or President Bush

Patricia Louise Herbold, Ambassador to Singapore

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate one individual to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate Patricia Louise Herbold, of Washington, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Singapore. Ms. Herbold practiced law with Taft, Stettinius & Hollister in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to that, she was Vice President and General Counsel of Bank One in Dayton, Ohio. Earlier in her career, Ms. Herbold served as Mayor of the City of Montgomery, Ohio. She received her bachelor's degree from Edgecliff College and her J.D. from Northern Kentucky University.

# # # For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, July 12, 2005, Personnel Announcement

more at Singapore or Patricia Louise Herbold and Bush or President Bush

LIVE Shuttle launch STS-114 STREAMING VIDEO

Watch Discovery Launch Discovery Launches! Space Shuttle Discovery successfully lifts off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla Live streaming of launch and 12 day mission coverage. FULL LIVE STREAMING VIDEO NASA TV

NASA Signs With Yahoo! and Akamai To Bring Shuttle Mission Online

NASA has signed innovative agreements with Yahoo! Inc. and Akamai Technologies, Inc. to help bring the Space Shuttle's return to flight mission (STS-114) to millions of Internet users through the NASA Web Portal.

Yahoo! Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., will provide live streaming of NASA TV mission coverage in Windows Media format and be the only other official online host of NASA TV footage beyond the NASA website. Akamai, of Cambridge, Mass., will stream NASA TV for RealPlayer and deliver all other Web content during the mission.

"We're very excited to be able to offer this expanded coverage to the public," said NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, William Readdy. "Internet users will be able to follow every event from launch through landing, including the spacewalks. Thanks to this agreement, they'll be able to do so at no additional cost to the taxpayers."

With a 12-day mission that includes three spacewalks, NASA expects to deliver more data to users than it has for anything but the Mars Exploration Rovers, which are still going strong after 18 months on the mysterious red planet.

Akamai's agreement with NASA builds on its existing role as the content-delivery provider for the Web portal. Akamai has agreed to expand the portal's available bandwidth by more than 30 times.

"We are pleased to play a role in NASA's awe-inspiring Shuttle mission return to space by bringing the event through the Internet to enthusiasts around the world," said Keith E. Johnson, vice president of public sector, Akamai. "This is another significant milestone for the Internet, and for organizations that take advantage of a globally distributed, on-demand computing platform that delivers Web content to users around the world."

NASA's agreement with Yahoo! is one of the agency's first online media partnerships. Under the terms of the agreement, Yahoo! will provide a co-branded Windows Media Player that will stream the mission's official online video on the Web sites of both NASA and Yahoo!.

Video for both sites will be streamed through Yahoo!'s servers and the company has secured more than 50 gigabits per second of available bandwidth for the event. Additionally, the video of the Shuttle mission will be promoted throughout Yahoo!'s network, including the Yahoo! front page, the most trafficked Web page in the world.

"The Space Shuttle's Return to Flight is an important event, worthy of putting the strength of the Yahoo! network and technology infrastructure behind it," said Scott Moore, vice president of content operations for Yahoo! "Making this event available at no cost to Yahoo!'s audience of nearly 400 million users will bring the Shuttle mission to millions of additional consumers."

The STS-114 mission is NASA's second major online event for July. It follows the highly successful coverage of the Deep Impact comet interception mission. More than 118,000 people watched the webcast of NASA TV mission coverage, and the portal served up 80 million Web pages. Peak traffic may go as high as nearly three times NASA's previous best during Deep Impact and 150 times normal operations.

The NASA Web Portal is jointly managed by the Office of Public Affairs and NASA's Chief Information Officer. eTouch Systems of Freemont, Calif., is the prime contractor. The NASA Web Portal is online at:
nasa.gov
For information about the STS-114 mission and NASA's Return to Flight, visit:
nasa.gov/returntoflight
For information about Yahoo! Inc. on the Web, visit:
yahoo.com For information about Akamai Technologies, Inc. on the Web, visit:
akamai.com

Brian Dunbar/Doc Mirelson Headquarters, Washington (Phone: 202/358-0873/1600) July 12, 2005 RELEASE: 05-182

more at Space Shuttle and Discovery or nasa and Space Shuttle Discovery

Briefing by Scott McClellan, July 12, 2005

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, FULL STREAMING VIDEO James S. Brady Briefing Room, 12:56 P.M. EDT

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. The President had a good visit this morning with four leaders of the Senate on the Supreme Court nomination process. It was a good bipartisan discussion that the President had with Senators Specter and Leahy, and Senators Frist and Reid. The President talked about the importance of moving forward in a dignified and civilized way during the nomination process. Today's meeting underscores the President's commitment to consulting closely with members of the Senate. The consultative process is an important part of the nomination process, and the President takes his responsibility very seriously.

The President spent a good bit of time visiting with the senators about the timing of moving forward on the hearings for a potential nominee. The President continues to visit with members of his senior staff and look over the backgrounds and rulings of potential nominees, and he looks forward to continuing to consult with members of the Senate. He wants to hear their views and their ideas as we move forward, and I think the consultations, you can expect, will continue even after he makes his decision and makes his nominee known.

We have now consulted with more than 60 senators; we've consulted with more than half the Democratic Caucus; we continue to reach out to others, and this process is something that continues.

Secondly, this afternoon the President looks forward to welcoming some bipartisan leaders to talk about passing comprehensive energy legislation. The House and the Senate have both moved forward on comprehensive energy legislation that will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy. And so the President will have the bipartisan leaders from the energy committees, as well as the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committee over this afternoon to talk about the importance of moving forward and resolving remaining differences and getting this to his desk by the August recess.

This is a high priority for the President of the United States. Our economy is strong. We continue to see sustained growth. We've had more than 3.7 million jobs created over the last 25 months. We have an unemployment rate that is now at its lowest since September of 2001, at 5 percent.

more at Karl Rove or Rove and Supreme Court or Scott McClellan and president bush

Tropical Storm EMILY Public Advisory 07/13/05 8AM

000, WTNT35 KNHC 131140, TCPAT5, BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM EMILY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 10A, NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL, REAL TIME LOOP 8 AM AST WED JUL 13 2005

REAL TIME SATELLITE IMAGE National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

...OUTER BANDS OF EMILY BEGINNING TO SPREAD OVER THE WINDWARD ISLANDS...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TOBAGO...GRENADA...THE GRENADINES...ST. VINCENT...AND ST. LUCIA.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FOR TRINIDAD.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR BARBADOS.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR A PORTION OF THE NORTHERN COAST OF VENEZUELA...FROM PEDERNALES WESTWARD TO CUMANA...INCLUDING ISLA MARGARITA.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MARTINIQUE.

A HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...RESPECTIVELY...ARE EXPECTED WITHIN 24 HOURS. A HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS...RESPECTIVELY...ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 36 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 8 AM AST...1200Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EMILY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 11.3 NORTH... LONGITUDE 57.2 WEST OR ABOUT 200 MILES... 320 KM... SOUTHEAST OF BARBADOS AND ABOUT 280 MILES... 450 KM...EAST-NORTHEAST OF TRINIDAD.

EMILY IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 20 MPH...32 KM/HR...AND A GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK THE CENTER WILL BE NEAR THE WINDWARD ISLANDS LATER TODAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH... 95 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND EMILY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME A HURRICANE BEFORE IT REACHES THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WILL BE IN THE CENTER OF EMILY VERY SHORTLY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM FROM THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 997 MB...29.44 INCHES.

EMILY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS THE WINDWARD ISLANDS AND PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN COASTAL AREA OF VENEZUELA...WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THESE RAINS COULD PRODUCE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF THE PATH OF THE CENTER.

REPEATING THE 8 AM AST POSITION...11.3 N... 57.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 20 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 60 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 997 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 11 AM AST.

FORECASTER FRANKLIN $$

more at Tropical Storm EMILY or noaa and EMILY