Summary # 7,

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The US Air Force has begun moving heavily armed AC-130 aircraft - the lethal "flying gunships" of the Vietnam War - to a base in Iraq as commanders search for new tools to counter the Iraqi resistance, The Associated Press has learned.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6AA8AFC7-DE95-413F-9E0A-35E5480BD0FB.htm
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On Thursday, March 2, Ray McGovern and 15 others took action today in the halls of Congress. The 16 donned orange jumpsuits similar to those worn by detainees at Guantánamo Bay. They wore gags over their mouths decorated with one word - torture. McGovern, a 27-year veteran of the CIA, also returned his Intelligence Commendation Award medallion which was given to him for "especially commendable service." He delivered the medal to Congressman Pete Hoekstra along with the letter below.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0303-30.htm
Shocking Torture at Guantanamo Confirmed in Government Documents Revealed Today
Attorneys Respond to Interrogation Log and Call for Judicial and International Scrutiny of Interrogations at Guantánamo Center for Constitutional Rights and former Chief Judge John J. Gibbons Denounce Torture of Mohammed Al Qahtani
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0303-01.htm
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Bush visit to Pakistan will intensify Musharraf's crisis http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/paki-m04.shtml
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GOP Growing Increasingly Angry, Frightened by Bush's Misstepshttp://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=65516536&u=603128
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The contradiction between Hillary Clinton's public outrage over the sale of the port operating company to Dubai and her husband's close political and financial dealings with the Arab emirate is politically damning, but hardly unique.
The Clintons, the Doles and the Dubai port deal: political duplicity and class interest http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/duba-m04.shtml
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Brown Shouldn't Be Administration's Scapegoat, Experts Sayhttp://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=65516536&u=603131
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Like the melting Antarctic ice sheets, the ground on which George W. Bush has to stand just receded even more.
It has been demonstrated for some time now that the intelligence the president and other administration officials publicly referred to in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq was in every case wrong , questionable, or at best "weak." It has been shown that he had made the decision to invade Iraq months before March 2003, all the while claiming that his mind had not been made up. We know he never cared about U.N. inspections or U.N. permission to invade.
ADMINISTRATION
What Bush Was Told About Iraq
By Murray Waas , National Journal© National Journal Group Inc.Thursday, March 2, 2006
Two highly classified intelligence reports delivered directly to President Bush before the Iraq war cast doubt on key public assertions made by the president, Vice President Cheney, and other administration officials as justifications for invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein, according to records and knowledgeable sources.
http://hotstory.nationaljournal.com/articles/0302nj1.htm
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/03/03/bush_knew.php
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STATE DEPT INTELLIGENCE TRACKED RISING POPULARITY OF HAMAS
"The likely success of Hamas at the polls reflects the long-term rise of public trust in the party. The proportion in the January survey who say they trust Hamas matches the historic high of 27%, first seen in spring 2005, and represents a 6 point increase since November." The State Department intelligence assessment is marked "For Official Use Only." See "Hamas and Fateh Neck and Neck As Palestinian Elections Near," January 19, 2006: http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/inr/hamas.pdf
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Uruguay's Tabaré Vazquez: Pink Tide or Political Voice of the Center?
http://www.coha.org/NEW_PRESS_RELEASES/New_Press_Releases_2006/06.15_Uruguays_Vazquez_Assessment.html
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POLL: Bush Free Fall Continues in New Polls
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=m7kyitbab.0.afuyitbab.ruvvpabab.9014&p=http%3A%2F%2Fthinkprogress.org%2F2006%2F03%2F02%2Ffox-poll%2F
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What to do when the emperor has no clothes
Garrison Keillor, Tribune Media ServicesPublished March 1, 2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0603010138mar01,1,1576117.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed
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PATERNALISM BIG AND SMALL Times editorialists know what's best for the nation—and your kids
It's come to the point where the Arthur Sulzberger Jr./Gail Collins tandem at The New York Times has so degraded the daily with its intense hatred of every step George W. Bush takes that op-ed columnist Thomas Friedman is worth taking seriously.
http://www.nypress.com/19/9/news&columns/russsmith.cfm
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U.S. Plan to Eliminate Survey of Needy Families Draws Firehttp://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0302-06.htm
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Bush's Indian Nuclear Deal: "With one simple move, the president has blown a hole in the nuclear rules that the entire world has been playing by, and broken his own word to assure that we will not ship nuclear technology to India without the proper safeguards"
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=m7kyitbab.0.cfuyitbab.ruvvpabab.9014&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fworld%2Fla-030206bush_lat%2C0%2C3005734.story%3Fcoll%3Dla-home-headlines
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From Sam (Alito) to Jim (Dobson) with love -- Last Chance Democracy Cafe by Steven C. Day
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=m7kyitbab.0.ffuyitbab.ruvvpabab.9014&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lastchancedemocracycafe.com%2F%3Fp%3D64
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The Precipice, the Brink, the Abyss -- Iraq
George's Inferno
And Other Images from a No-Name War
By Tom Engelhardt
http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?emx=x&pid=65191
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Torture: from regress to redress
Neal Ascherson
A new Human Rights Watch book examines the return of torture as practice and doctrine. Its core theme is United States policy in the era of "war on terror", finds Neal Ascherson.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/faith-terrorism/torture_3314.jsp
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The Other Journalism with the Other Campaign has reported several times over these last weeks about the struggle of the indigenous Zapotec town of San Blas Atempa, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca
http://www.narconews.com/otroperiodismo/en.html
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America's Security Betrayed: A review of a United Arab Emirates-owned company's plan to take over a portion of operations at key U.S. ports never looked into whether the company had ties to al Qaeda or other terrorists, a key Republican lawmaker told CNN on Wednesday.
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=m7kyitbab.0.4euyitbab.ruvvpabab.9014&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2006%2FPOLITICS%2F03%2F01%2Fport.security%2Findex.html
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Pentagon Develops Brain Implants to Turn Sharks into Military Spies IMAGINE LLEEDS AS A SHARK WITH A BRAIN!http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0302-03.htm
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Dear Mr Bush…
Pierleone Ottolenghi 27 - 2 - 2006
The United States president is preparing to welcome Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, to address a joint meeting of Congress. A bad move, says George W Bush's fellow Harvard Business School alumnus, Pierleone Ottolenghi.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-newright/dear_3301.jsp
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'War on Terror' Trials Could Allow Evidence Obtained Through Torturehttp://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0302-05.htm
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Foer should edit TNR as if he's going to be fired tomorrow http://www.slate.com/id/2137226/
Slate "Because tomorrow always comes sooner than you think," says Jack Shafer. His advice for Franklin Foer, new editor of the New Republic: "Don't try to bring back the 'Kinsley era.'
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In The Notion, Marc Cooper
smacks Bill Clinton for advising Dubai on the ports deal.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?pid=65143
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Distracted By Ports Why are former Reagan officials showing more concern than leading Democrats are about Bush's illegal NSA spying program? http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=nkqpitbab.0.wj6wbtbab.tiniiyn6.149445&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tompaine.com%2Funcommonsense%2Findex.php
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SYDNEY, Australia - Human rights abuses in
Top of Form 1
Bottom of Form 1
Iraq are as bad now as they were under
Top of Form 2
Bottom of Form 2
Saddam Hussein, as lawlessness and sectarian violence sweep the country, the former U.N. human rights chief in Iraq said Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_human_rights;_ylt=AmR0XIJvoXMQ8o2MKPnMRbWs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
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Rick Steves The Real Threat to US Securityhttp://www.commondreams.org/views06/0302-25.htm
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Armed forces are put on standby to tackle threat of wars over water
By Ben Russell, and Nigel Morris
Published: 28 February 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article348196.ece
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Short Cuts
Thomas Jones: Cheney's Cavalier Way with a Shotgun
http://www.lrb.co.uk/12all/lt/t_go.php?i=113&e=NDUyNzg=&l=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n05/jone01_.html
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Intelligence Brief: Iran Tests Washington's Limits
Drafted By: http://www.pinr.com
Gonzales Seeks to Clarify Testimony on Spying
Extent of Eavesdropping May Go Beyond NSA Work
By
Charles Babington and Dan EggenWashington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, March 1, 2006; Page A08
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales appeared to suggest yesterday that the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance operations may extend beyond the outlines that the president acknowledged in mid-December.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801587.html
WASHINGTON - A group of Republican senators failed to reach an agreement Tuesday on legislation that would write the Bush administration's controversial eavesdropping program into law.


Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he formed the "informal working group" to craft legislation that will strengthen its legal basis. More than a half dozen senators left an hourlong meeting offering few details about progress.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060301/ap_on_go_co/eavesdropping;_ylt=ArbuxO51PR.hk.Y.z0xM6Sis0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-
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Intelligence agencies warned about growing local insurgency in late 2003
By WARREN P. STROBEL and JONATHAN S. LANDAY
Knight Ridder Newspapers
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/13984788.htm
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DUBAI: GREAT THEATER Robert Scheer, AlterNet. It's just a zany farce, with pompous Bush officials and their mass media courtiers asserting absurd -- but hilarious -- positions. http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/32960/
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Garrison Keillor: What to do when the emperor has no clothes. Impeach him and let the Senate hear the evidence.
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tr4rhtbab.0.ibkvhtbab.ruvvpabab.9014&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fchi-0603010138mar01%2C1%2C1576117.story%3Fcoll%3Dchi-opinionfront-hed
Bush's Gulag: A national disgrace. Scandalous state of affairs at Gitmo
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=tr4rhtbab.0.hbkvhtbab.ruvvpabab.9014&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fchi-0603010136mar01%2C1%2C789683.story%3Fcoll%3Dchi-opinionfront-hed
The Bush Redistricting Plan The reporting on the Texas redistricting case in front of the Supreme Court today omits one important detail: the White House was behind the plan from the get-go. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=q4rlhtbab.0.rikojlbab.tiniiyn6.149445&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tompaine.com%2Funcommonsense%2F
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* Hipsters Against the War:
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/themix//l32928
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A BLIGHT UNTO NATIONS Robert Parry, Consortium News. Bush has bounced us from the moral high ground but the press still doesn't get it. http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/32910/
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ATTENTION! Annalee Newitz, AlterNet. Watch out for the robber-barons of the attention economy. http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/32963/
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The Parade article serves as a kind of overture to Sunshine Week, March 13-17, which is an initiative by media organizations and others to focus public attention on the defects of unchecked government secrecy ( www.sunshineweek.org). See "Are They Taking Away Our Freedoms?" by Lyric Wallwork Winik, Parade, February 26: http://tinyurl.com/qyp2a
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Secretary Rice Out to Inoculate Latin America, but Chávez is all but Guaranteed a Clean Win
It was clearly a sign of the administration's ongoing delusions about Latin America when on February 16, Secretary of State Rice declared that she intended to pursue an "inoculation" strategy against Venezuela, and enlist the support of a "united front" of regional nations. But Rice didn't specify who would join that cohort, and indeed who beyond a couple of Central American banana republics, and maybe trade obsessed Chile, would be content to be a spear carrier in such an unlikely grand opera? But Washington soon learned that whatever hemispheric political capital it might once have held in its hand, has now run out, having been long since spent in a series of arrogant and ill-conceived campaigns against Chávez and other perceived bogeymen like Haiti's Jean-Bertrand Aristide, as well as on blatantly unbalanced free trade agreements.
http://www.coha.org/NEW_PRESS_RELEASES/New_Press_Releases_2006/COHA%20Opinion/COHA_Opinion_06.06_Rice_Inoculation.html
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Oil And Discontent Don't Mix by Rami G. Khouri, TomPaine.com Last week's failed attack raises a crucial question: how will Arab oil kingdoms deal with their disgruntled young men? http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=q4rlhtbab.0.4uamhtbab.tiniiyn6.149445&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tompaine.com%2Farticles%2F2006%2F03%2F01%2Foil_and_discontent_dont_mix.php
Lies, Damn Lies and Poverty Statistics
How an archaic measurement keeps millions of poor Americans from being counted
By
Christopher Moraff
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2513/