Former Congressman Robert Ney of Ohio last week created headlines, at least within Washington's insider media, by publishing his memoir, Sideswiped. The book recounts his political career, imprisonment for corruption, and efforts to redeem himself through Alcoholics Anonymous and otherwise.
Ney, a Republican, describes a process of political, selective prosecution -- sometimes with the media as complicit hitmen at the service of prosecutors seeking favorable news coverage from convictions. He alleges that the Bush Justice Department and White House used him as a scapegoat after the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal erupted in 2006. The reason? To appease reformers, thus sparing others who were better-connected in Washington but more deeply corrupt.
This kind of result-oriented justice is at the core of our Justice Integrity Project's investigative work. We could not research our leads, however, without evidence provided by insiders, as here.
As an appendix to his book, Ney protests the political frame-up of Democratic former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who is now serving a long prison term on trumped-up corruption charges. Ney describes the Justice Department's Siegelman prosecution as proof that the Department can orchestrate injustice without redress -- even when irregularities are thoroughly documented in court filings and investigative reports. Ney has never met Siegelman. Like many across the country, however, he is appalled at the evidence.
For such reasons, I found Ney's book engaging and enlightening, albeit worthy of much deeper analysis on my part about his allegations against core players in Washington's power structure.
My column today is the first of an extended treatment of Ney's allegations in future columns. Today's column is primarily a news account of his book launch and a brief commentary on the book and news coverage so far. My future columns will address his specific allegations more in depth.
Update March 15: I hedged in my initial coverage until I could reflect more fully on this book's revelations. I now feel more comfortable in heartily recommending it, particularly for those who care about a blunt, patriotic inside-Washington perspective, or anyone in the family of someone facing a complex and perhaps dubious white-collar federal crime prosecution. Initial news coverage, here and elsewhere, includes only with difficulty allegations of intrigue regarding multiple figures in government, law, and the media. Hence, the almost exclusive focus in news accounts on Ney's criticism of House Speaker John Boehner. However Boehner is merely one of many portrayed as compromised. In sum, learn about this book, or better yet: Buy and read it.
Ney took a hard shot at Boehner, a fellow Ohio Republican congressman whom Ney believes double-crossed him and the country. Another newsworthy element of the book is Ney's complex reaction to the recent reform advocacy by Abramoff, the GOP lobbyist whose intrigues toppled Ney.
I had the opportunity to discuss these topics at Ney's book launch party last week at The Monocle, a restaurant almost adjoining the U.S. Senate offices.
Before describing those matters, including a gaffe of mine captured by C-SPAN, I want to share two elements of what I found most valuable about Ney's book.
First, Ney alleges reprehensible conduct by government and media figures in what amounts to Washington's permanent power structure. He names names, which have been largely omitted from news accounts of his book. I skip most of the names and alleged misdeeds here, but intend to report on them in the future.
Second, Ney provides an unusually candid chronicle of how he entered politics in the early 1970s primarily as a way to find employment. A native of Bellaire, "a bustling town of 10,000" in the Appalachian section of Eastern Ohio, he advanced to high levels in the GOP by party loyalty, support for leaders, and close attention to constituents. Ney's account of the early career help he received from his political work is unusual for a successful politician. But his experience is worth understanding, especially because so much political dialogue is ostensibly about noble causes.
The six-term congressman won office in 1994 as part of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" victories. Ney was the first Republican in 55 years to win a seat in Ohio's 18th District, the state's largest in geography. Its small town populace is socially conservative, and heavily dependent on the coal and steel industries.
Ney became chairman of the House Administration Committee. As such, he could provide favors for allies and otherwise wield influence. He describes his downfall in going overboard in the power-game, including accepting a now-notorious golf junket to Scotland from Abramoff. Ney confesses that he violated the law, as he admitted in court. But he believes (as does Abramoff) that similar offenses are extremely widespread -- and go unexamined and unpunished for the most part.
Now a radio talk show host in Wheeling, West Virginia, Ney uses his book to call for reform.
Ney focuses his main criticism on Boehner, at left. Ney charges that his party's leader reneged on an agreement to help Ney if he resigned. Ney won his primary in 2006 with 69% of the vote but dropped out before the general election. He says Republican leaders told him they would give him no campaign money if he ran for re-election, but would guarantee him a good job in the private sector. They reneged, he alleges, in order to secure his conviction and thereby protect better-connected Republicans from public demands for prosecution. With a false promise for work and unable to mount a defense, Ney later pled guilty.
Ney described Boehner's life in Congress as, "A maintenance job…he was considered a man that was all about winning and money. He was a chain-smoking, relentless wine drinker who was more interested in the high life -- golf, woman, cigarettes, fun, and alcohol."
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel responded to the Washington Post about Ney: “This is a convicted felon with a history of failing to tell the truth making a lot of baseless accusations to try and sell books.”
At the book party last week, Ney told Time reporter Alex Rogers, “If he [Boehner] wants to deny it, I can prove it.” Ney added, “I’d be glad to sit down with him. I’d be glad to go on TV with him.”
At the scene with the Time reporter and others, I could see that Capitol Hill journalists would be exploring the Boehner allegations. Ney told a reporter from the tabloid Politico that he could have censored out dirt and preserved the chance for speaking appearances, “I didn’t choose that route," he said. "I could have done this a much safer way.”
My questions focused on Abramoff, whose reform lectures I have been covering since his release, and Siegelman.
I asked Ney if he thought Abramoff was sincere in his reformation. To encourage a candid response, I said I'd welcome his opinion off the record if he preferred.
Ney laughed, and pointed to a cameraman next to us. He told me that C-SPAN was recording our conversation, and so "off-the-record" was moot.
The former congressman proceeded to respond, in effect, that he had no way of knowing whether Abramoff is sincere in calling for reform, but that such advocacy is necessary and useful regardless of deep-down motivations. In his book, he says Abramoff could have gone much farther in providing specifics to illustrate his call for reform, but chose not to burn his bridges too much.
Abramoff, now an advocate also for congressional reform, told me at one forum that he helped raise $20 million or so to help defeat Siegelman, Alabama's most popular Democrat. This was primarily from Abramoff's casino clients but involved also a plan to activate anti-gambling crusaders, including the moralist and former Chistian Coalition leader Ralph Reed.
The Bush Justice Department targeted Siegelman in two corruption trials. Authorities prevailed in the second trial in a compromise verdict in 2006 acquitting him on most counts. Defense contracts played an important role behind the scenes in fomenting the prosecution against Alabama's governor from 1999-2003. Ostensibly, however, the convictions were for asking a wealthy man, Richard Scrushy, to donate in 1999 to an education non-profit and then reappointing the donor to a state board.
Our project has documented in many columns how the Bush Justice Department framed Siegelman using the Republican trial judge, Mark Fuller, who "hated" the former governor. The judge was rewarded with $300 million in Bush defense contracts for a company the judge secretly controlled as by far its largest shareholder, with up to 43.75% of shares. The prosecution has probably cost taxpayers $80 million so far. Thousands of articles and blogs by others have similarly documented irregularities in the case. That the Obama administration continues to claim that everyone agrees with its position shows how corruption envelops both parties in Washington.
The Obama Justice Department remains adament in new filings this month that not a single reasonable person in the United States could believe the Republican trial judge was unfair. This obvious untruth is required to meet a legal standard in the case mandating pretrial recusal of any judge whom a reasonable person might suspect as potentially unfair. The Justice Department claims compliance despite more than 50,000 petition signatures to the White House seeking Siegelman's pardon since last fall. Among other evidence, a Rove-linked ally testified she participated in GOP efforts to frame Siegelman. Earlier last year, an unprecedented petition to the Supreme Court by 113 former state attorney generals, the top law enforcers from more than 40 states, argued that Siegelman did not commit the crimes charged.
The scandal is vastly more serious than the recent "Fast and Furious" witch-hunt against Attorney General Eric Holder, left. But neither government officials nor the mainstream media take action because it implicates high-levels, and also embarasses the military-industrial complex.
Ney, whose background was compiled by the New York Times in News about Bob Ney, hosts the “Bob Ney Radio Show” on West Virginia radio station WVLY (AM). He dedicates his book to Ellen Ratner, a nationally syndicated radio host who helped him get a new start with a radio career. In a sense, it was a return Ney's roots. His father had been news photographer for WTRF-TV in Wheeling.
His book's full title is Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill. A significant part is devoted to his recognition, forcibly imposed by his prosecution, that alcohol and an excessive appreciation for his own power had led to a personal downfall beyond his court case.
This is a common story in Washington, where officials of a significance receive innumerable social and professional invitations virtually impossible to monitor, no matter what the laws. The late U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan of New York used to receive nearly a thousand speaking invitations a week, according to a former staffer. Although that is the extreme high-end of popularity, one can only imagine the overall impact of even five percent of such interest, along with other invitations and opportunities because of their power. Moynihan was a neighbor of mine before his passing, and I used to think about that 1,000-invitation-per-week figure when I occasionally saw him walking to work or coming home, usually by himself.
I'll close with an excerpt from the coverage of the Time reporter, Rogers:
Usually these kinds of books are filled with excuses and self edification. Glossing over the dark cloud to create a sort of silver lining.
Ney doesn't mount a white steed and take you through a fantasy land where he fights the forces of evil only to be crucified as a result. His honesty of his shortcomings was astonishing, and the insight to the inner workings of the Washington DC political machine was very unique. There were times I laughed, got infuriated and came close to weeping. Our system is broken, and you can sense the frustration by the author as he goes from idealism to cynicism to despair to personal redemption.
Ney tells Time that there would be a “gaping hole in the truth” in his story if he didn’t mention Boehner. But at least some readers of Sideswiped in Washington will only want to see the hand that slaps Boehner, not the one that reaches out to help others.
It is my goal to pursue Ney's allegations, and illuminate them beyond the brief "accuse-deny" format. Stay tuned.
Editor's Note: This column was revised and retitled on March 13 with updated material regarding Ney's accusations against the U.S. Justice Department.
Related News Coverage
Update:
Moneynews, Former Rep. Ney Speaks Out on Corruption, Robert Feinberg, Aug. 14, 2013. Former Rep. Robert Ney, R-OH, a former member of the House Financial Services Committee who spent nearly a year and a half in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges arising from the Jack Abramoff Native American lobbying scandal, believes the American political system "corrupt and broken." Now a radio commentator, Ney provided a rare glimpse into the dysfunctional workings of Capitol Hill in an hour-long interview with Brian Lamb, the founder of C-SPAN, who himself worked as a Senate staffer back in the 1970s. Ney's story is consistent with the view that prosecutorial decisions at the Department of Justice (DoJ), as with so much of policy made in Washington, often depends on the career needs of officials intent on advancing their careers. He blames a woman he calls "Pretty Alice Fisher," whose appointment as Assistant Attorney General for the DoJ's Criminal Division, according to Ney, was in trouble in 2006 after Sen. Carl Levin, D-MI, criticized her in a Senate speech. Ney recalls that House Speaker John Boehner, Ney's Republican colleague from Ohio, called and gave him 24 hours to pull out of his re-election race after Ney had won the primary. Ney alleges that Boehner offered him a job with comparable salary, plus help in funding his legal defense, but he warned that Ney must accept by the deadline or the offer would lapse. Evidently Boehner was eager to find a replacement candidate in time to meet the filing deadline. Ney complained bitterly that after he accepted the offer, he was never able to get through to Boehner's office regarding the commitments Boehner had made. Ney is forthright in admitting that he committed illegal acts, but he fingers others who engaged in the same or even worse abuses than his. When eating and drinking on Abramoff's tab, he recalls having to shove Bush White House staffers aside. He mentioned former Rep. Tom Delay, R-Texas, as a prime beneficiary of his own prosecution, on the theory that once Ney was nabbed, it fulfilled Pretty Alice's need and took Delay off the hook as far as a federal indictment was concerned. He alleges that a former Delay chief of staff received $1 million from Abramoff laundered through a foundation, and added an accusation that a gentleman named Ed Buckham was also paid. He noted that Abramoff told 60 Minutes that he spent $1 million on 100 members of Congress; Ney estimated $30,000 of this amount was spent on this. Another prominent name Ney mentioned as part of the Abramoff operation is Ralph Reed, former head of the Christian Coalition, whom Ney said was involved in a "secret plot" in which Reed was paid millions for acting like he was trying to close a casino that Abramoff would then rescue on behalf of the tribes. One gets the distinct impression Ney thinks Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is a phony. Ney noted that with the possible exception of rides on private planes, all of the abuses that were supposed to be curtailed under the McCain-Feingold so-called "reforms" are flourishing "on steroids" now.
Time, Swampland, Bob Ney, Sideswiped', Alex Rogers, March 8, 2013. Wednesday night Bob Ney, the only Congressman convicted in the 2006 Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, spoke two blocks from the Capitol at the old politicos hangout, the Monocle. A C-SPAN duo and crowd of twenty to thirty gathered around the 5’8’’ 58 year-old to hear about his new book, Sideswiped, which has recently attracted press from almost every major political media outlet for its portrait of Speaker of the House John Boehner. In the handout given to those present, next to a bar with free drinks and across from the table with some juicy shrimp and delicious chicken quesadillas, was a list of quotes from the book, the first three on Boehner. There are around 5000 first-edition copies, according to Ney’s publisher, Changing Lives Press, and they must know why the book will sell. Only about a quarter of the book involves Boehner, and Ney, a recovering alcoholic likened by GQ to Peter Russo of House of Cards, says the book is focused on self-help, not only for others but also for himself. He takes full responsibility for eating and drinking free at Abramoff’s expense and for flying over to Scotland with him on a private jet for a golf outing. After eleven months in jail (he was released in 2008), and over six years without having a drink, Ney says the book is “therapeutic” and is a “way to atone for my sins.” There are a few interesting topics Ney mentions: prison reform, an Iranian student exchange (he speaks Farsi and lived in Iran in his early twenties), and how corporate fundraisers through Citizens United and loopholes “you could drive a Mack truck through” have filled “the swamp” back up with the unethical actions Nancy Pelosi so famously tried to drain.
The Hill, Bob Ney rips Boehner in his new book, Bob Cusack, March 5, 2013. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) rips Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the George W. Bush administration and the press in his new book that focuses on the Jack Abramoff scandal that rocked the nation’s capital. In 2006, as the Abramoff scandal was intensifying around the then-radioactive Ney, the former Ohio legislator said Boehner had offered him a deal. “If you resign in the next day,” Ney quoted Boehner, “I will personally guarantee you a job comparable to what you are making, and raise legal defense money for you.” Ney took the deal, but alleged Boehner never lived up to his side of the agreement, writing, “The phone silence from Boehner was deafening.”
TJ Walker.com, Roxanne Roberts, March 5, 2013. Almost every political fall has a postscript, so it’s no surprise that former Rep. Bob Ney has written a memoir. What is a surprise is Ney’s unsparing profile of Speaker John Boehner.
Politico, Bob Ney: ‘Sideswiped’ isn’t about revenge," Patrick Gavin, March 8, 2013. If former Rep. Bob Ney was looking for a second act in Washington, D.C., his new memoir may have firmly shut that door. And Ney says he’s OK with that.“I don’t view it as my way to get back at people,” Ney, who resigned in 2006 and spent more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges, told Politico. “I view it as my way to really give the picture of the intricacies of what happened. Nobody’s going to die over this. Nobody’s going to melt down. I have nothing to lose at this time in my life, so I can tell my version, which I feel has accuracy to it. I’m not out at this point in my life to convince somebody.” Ney’s book is, in many ways, the opposite of the post-prison memoir of his one-time friend and lobbyist Jack Abramoff. That book adopted a more conciliatory tone and settled fewer scores. “I think Jack’s book was sterilized,” Ney said of Abramoff’s book, Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption from America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist. “He wanted to spare everybody. Jack didn’t have to butcher everybody but, Lord, what a sterile version.” And, if you think Ney’s book - which has some harsh things to say about Speaker John Boehner, among others - is a score-settler, the former Ohio Republican lawmaker thinks it’s actually quite tame. “If I really wanted to make a hot, salacious book, there’s a lot more I could have put in,” he said, without elaborating.
Huffington Post, John Boehner: Bob Ney Book Filled With 'Baseless And False' Accusations, March 6, 2013. House Speaker John Boehner, left, says former Republican colleague Bob Ney is a disgraced congressman who went to jail and that Ney's criticisms of Boehner in a new book are "baseless and false." Boehner was asked at a news conference Thursday about Ney's reported accusations in his book that Boehner was more interested in playing golf and drinking than making policy and that in 2006 Boehner had reneged on a promise to get him a job if Ney left Congress. Boehner says Ney is making false statements in order to sell his book. Boehner said, quote, "It's sad." Like Boehner, Ney is an Ohio Republican. Ney spent 11 months in prison for his involvement in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.
Montgomery Advertiser, Former GOP congressman Ney backs Siegelman in new book, Mary Orndorff Troyan, March 9, 2013. Former Gov. Don Siegelman’s prosecution on bribery charges was a “travesty of justice,” former Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio says in a new book. Ney, a Republican, served six terms in the House before being implicated in the corruption scandal involving former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Ney pleaded guilty to accepting gifts from Abramoff and spent 11 months in prison. His new book, Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill, is the latest insider-turned-felon account of Washington’s corrupting ways. Ney dedicates an appendix in the book to Siegelman’s case, saying it backs up his beliefs regarding political conspiracies. The former Alabama governor is being punished “for nothing more than being a popular Democrat in a Republican state,” Ney wrote. Ney said Siegelman’s case “underlines what I have written on these pages.” “While you have been reading this book, you may have doubted, discounted or disbelieved some of the things I have related regarding politics, judicial misconduct, and possible conspiracies,” Ney wrote. Citing commentary from others that Siegelman was unfairly targeted for actions that were not criminal, Ney wrote, “I rest my case!” Siegelman is serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence after a jury in Montgomery convicted him of bribery and other offenses in 2006. Outside the courtroom and while he was free on appeal,
CBS News, Former GOP Rep. Bob Ney no fan of Boehner, Jake Miller, March 6, 2013. Former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, alleges in a new book that House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, before assuming the speakership, offered him a private sector job and help with legal bills as Ney found himself increasingly embroiled in the 2007 Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal that eventually claimed his job and landed him in prison. "If you resign in the next day, I will personally guarantee you a job comparable to what you are making, and raise legal defense money for you," Ney quotes Boehner as saying.
Justice Integrity Project, GOP Former Congressman Decries Injustice for Siegelman, Andrew Kreig, Nov. 27, 2012. A Republican former congressman provided new momentum Nov. 26 for petition drive to free former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman from the unjust prison sentence he is serving. Former Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith, right, described Siegelman's seven-year sentence as a "political assassination" in a remarkable interview by Lila Garrett on KPFK, a Los Angeles-based radio show available nationwide.
Al.com, Richard Scrushy, out of prison but still fighting conviction; 11th Circuit hears appeal, Kim Chandler, March 19, 2013. More than six years after his conviction, and nearly eight months after being freed from prison, Richard Scrushy is still fighting to overturn his conviction in a government corruption case. A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments this morning in Scrushy's efforts to obtain a new trial. Scrushy's lawyers have argued the trial judge erred in denying Scrushy's motions without an evidentiary hearing as well as denying related discovery requests. “We’re entitled to a new trial,” Scrushy lawyer Art Leach said after the arguments “We’re hopeful that we will get a hearing and get discovery and the truth will come out and we will have a new trial,” Leach said. Here is the Scrushy brief to 11th Circuit. Scrushy, who now lives in Houston, did not attend the arguments in Montgomery federal court.
Justice Integrity Project, Siegelman Daughter: Lawyers Can't Protect Against Unjust Judge, Andrew Kreig, Nov. 30, 2012. Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's daughter, Dana, provided a powerful insight this week about a rarely spoken shortcoming in the nation's legal system. Even the best defense lawyers are no match for a trial judge determined to convict, as she told a radio interviewer. She is shown at left with her father. Alabama legal commentator Roger Shuler reported her remarks Nov. 30. Shuler has written hundreds of columns about the Siegelman conviction in 2006 on hoked-up corruption charges in a federal judge before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller of Alabama's middle district.
Legal Schnauzer, Dana Siegelman Makes A Profound Statement About The Perils We All Face From Corrupt Judges, Roger Shuler, Nov. 30, 2012. Making a joint radio appearance with GOP former Congressman Parker Griffith, Dana Siegelman cut to the core of her father's case -- and shed light on the issue of judicial corruption, which plagues our justice system at both the state and federal levels. Griffith called her father's trial judge "a weak individual," but Dana Siegelman went much farther -- and she illustrated the problem that corrupt judges can pose for all Americans. The issue came up when the radio host asked about possible recourse, considering that the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case, and noted that "a raft of lawyers" must be working on a case that involves such a clear injustice.
Washington's Blog, Alabama Judicial Scandal Could Taint Many Cases, Not Just Siegelman’s, Andrew Kreig, May 19, 2012. An Alabama newspaper has exposed a judicial sex scandal that deserves national prominence — which it’s not getting so far. The May 17 headline was “Federal judge’s lengthy affair with court worker is exposed.”
Washington’s Blog, Let's Listen To Reformers Buddy Roemer and, Yes, Jack Abramoff, Andrew Kreig, March 25, 2012. Presidential candidate Buddy Roemer and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff argue that influence-peddling reform must be radical to save the country. Roemer, for example, refuses to take contributions over $100. GOP leaders used his lack of big-dollar fund-raising as an excuse to keep him out of all 23 Presidential debates. Abramoff’s four-point plan goes far beyond those of most reformers. He seeks, for example, term limits plus a lifetime ban preventing former law-makers from joining what Abramoff calls, “The Influence Industry.” He defines that industry as vastly broader than the term “lobbyist.” He said lawmakers have defined the term to exclude many influence-sellers, such as those who manage working-level lobbyists. Upon close review, he said, "I probably wasn't a 'lobbyist.' It was astounding to me." Abramoff draws from his recent book, Capitol Punishment, whose cover is at left.
Justice Integrity Project, Abramoff Proposes Radical Reforms to Halt Lobbying Corruption, March 7, 2012. Jack Abramoff, the most famous Washington lobbyist of his era, this week described at the National Press Club his radical reform plan to thwart future corruption in the nation’s capital. Abramoff’s four-point plan goes far beyond those of most reformers. He seeks, for example, term limits plus a lifetime ban banning former law-makers from joining what Abramoff calls, “The Influence Industry.” He defines that industry as vastly broader than the term “lobbyist.” He said lawmakers have defined the term to exclude many influence-sellers. Upon close review, he said, "I probably wasn't a 'lobbyist.' It was astounding to me." Abramoff’s presentation on March 5 drew from his recent book, Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist, and was billed as his first-ever joint appearance with any other reform advocates. Endorsing his reform hopes in general were United Republic President Nick Penniman and Congress Watch Deputy Director Lisa Gilbert.
Catching Our Attention on other Justice, Media & Integrity Issues
Associated Press / Washington Post, US citing national security in censoring public records more than ever since Obama’s election, Staff report, March 11, 2013. The Obama administration answered more requests from the public to see government records under the Freedom of Information Act last year but more often than ever cited legal exceptions to censor or withhold the material, according to a new analysis by The Associated Press. It frequently cited the need to protect national security and internal deliberations. The AP’s analysis showed the government released all or portions of the information that citizens, journalists, businesses and others sought at about the same rate as the previous three years. It turned over all or parts of the records in about 65 percent of all requests. It fully rejected more than one-third of requests, a slight increase over 2011, including cases when it couldn’t find records, a person refused to pay for copies or the request was determined to be improper. The AP examined more than 5,600 data elements measuring the administration’s performance on government transparency since Obama’s election. People submitted more than 590,000 requests for information in fiscal 2012 — an increase of less than 1 percent over the previous year. Including leftover requests from previous years, the government responded to more requests than ever in 2012 — more than 603,000 — a 5 percent increase for the second consecutive year.
Agonist, “I told you so…,” Michael Collins, right, March 11, 2013. General Karl W. Eikenberry was right in November 2009 when he urged less support for an Afghanistan ruled by President Hamid Karzai. President Obama and Generals Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus all wanted a surge. The policy failed. The general won’t say it but he told them so in a second opinion solicited by Obama. Look at the facts. (Image: US Dept of State) The Bush administration hand-picked Hamid Karzai to be the first ruler of Afghanistan. Following the axiom, nothing good comes out of the Bush administration; is it any surprise that Karzai oscillated between less than effective and a near disaster? Lately, he’s gone nonlinear. On February 25, Karzai ordered United States Special Forces out of three provinces claiming that Afghan troops tied to the U.S. command were torturing their fellow citizens. As U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel arrived in Kabul on March 11, Karzai accused the U.S. of “colluding with the Taliban.” He added the odd notion that the Taliban sought a prolonged U.S. presence in Afghanistan. It didn’t have to be this way. (State Department photo at left.)
Consortium News, John Brennan’s Heavy Baggage, Ray McGovern, March 11, 2013. After a messy confirmation — which asked new questions about drone assassinations and old questions about enhanced interrogations — John Brennan has taken over at CIA. But his past may not be so easily forgotten in a world looking for accountability, writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. Given Brennan’s role as a senior CIA official during President George W. Bush’s “dark side” days of waterboarding detainees, renditioning suspects to Mideast torture centers and making up intelligence to invade Iraq, Brennan’s advisers are sure to remind him that he may be in as much jeopardy of being arrested as former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Legal Schnauzer, Did The Richest Prince In Oil-Soaked Saudi Arabia Play A Pivotal Role In The Don Siegelman Case? Roger Shuler, March 11, 2013. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the wealthiest man in Saudi Arabia, has made international headlines in recent days by griping about his place on Forbes' latest rankings of the world's billionaires. Sources tell Legal Schnauzer that Alwaleed might soon make news for a far more profound reason: his apparent role in corrupting the United States justice system, especially in the political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.Does that mean Alwaleed is a dreadful human being because he is petty or because he is corrupt--or because he is both? Let's consider the petty part first. In an article titled "The Richest People on the Planet 2013," Forbes has Alwaleed falling out of his usual place among the world's top 10. The prince, it seems, takes such lists seriously and was deeply offended to find himself ranked in a three-way tie for the 26th spot. See Inside the 2013 billionaires list, Luisa Kroll, March 4, 2013.
Consortium News, John Brennan’s Heavy Baggage, Ray McGovern, March 11, 2013. After a messy confirmation — which asked new questions about drone assassinations and old questions about enhanced interrogations — John Brennan has taken over at CIA. But his past may not be so easily forgotten in a world looking for accountability, writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. Given Brennan’s role as a senior CIA official during President George W. Bush’s “dark side” days of waterboarding detainees, renditioning suspects to Mideast torture centers and making up intelligence to invade Iraq, Brennan’s advisers are sure to remind him that he may be in as much jeopardy of being arrested as former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Washington Post, Ryan Budget would dismantle Obama's health-care program, David Brown and Sean Sullivan, March 10, 2013. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Sunday that the budget blueprint he plans to unveil this week will promote repealing President Obama’s signature health-care law. “Yes, our budget does promote repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a better system,” Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Legal Schnauzer, Did The Richest Prince In Oil-Soaked Saudi Arabia Play A Pivotal Role In The Don Siegelman Case? Roger Shuler, March 11, 2013. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the wealthiest man in Saudi Arabia, has made international headlines in recent days by griping about his place on Forbes' latest rankings of the world's billionaires. Sources tell Legal Schnauzer that Alwaleed might soon make news for a far more profound reason: his apparent role in corrupting the United States justice system, especially in the political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.Does that mean Alwaleed is a dreadful human being because he is petty or because he is corrupt--or because he is both? Let's consider the petty part first. In an article titled "The Richest People on the Planet 2013," Forbes has Alwaleed falling out of his usual place among the world's top 10. The prince, it seems, takes such lists seriously and was deeply offended to find himself ranked in a three-way tie for the 26th spot. See Inside the 2013 billionaires list, Luisa Kroll, March 4, 2013.
FireDogLake, Now That Brennan Is Confirmed, How Limitless Are President Obama’s Targeted Killing Powers? Kevin Gosztola, March 8, 2013. On first glance, it is a simple question to be laughed at or outright dismissed because someone with a lack of knowledge on the Global War on Terrorism would think it could never happen. That is how a number of people who consider themselves to be “serious” individuals reacted to the question of whether the president could authorize a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil, which Senator Rand Paul forced Attorney General Eric Holder to answer without equivocation.
OpEdNews, How Deregulation Resurrected American Economic Insecurity, Paul Craig Roberts, March 7, 2013. The US might not be in a Great Depression, but economic insecurity has nevertheless returned to America. Few people see the disconnect between the propaganda about the goodness of America and the evil that its government practices. The CIA official who revealed that the US government was torturing detainees in violation of US and international law, John Kiriakou, was subjected to wrongful prosecution and sentenced to prison. The elected officials who approved the torture and those who conducted the torture remain free of all charges to torture again. Bradley Manning, the US soldier who did his duty under the military code and revealed US war crimes that were ignored by his superiors had all of his constitutional rights violated and is now being tried on trumped-up and false charges.
Huffington Post, What Rand Paul & Ted Cruz Exposed About the Drone Strikes, Robert Naiman, March 7, 2013. If you're concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability of the policy of drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, you have to concede that Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz have done us a great service: Cruz with his questioning of Attorney General Holder in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Paul with his widely-reported filibuster on the Senate floor. Unfortunately, some Democrats don't want to acknowledge this contribution. That's a shame. It's a fact of life in Washington that people who are good on some issues that you care about are bad on other ones. You can see this all the time without leaving your own party.
OpEdNews, How Deregulation Resurrected American Economic Insecurity, Paul Craig Roberts, March 7, 2013. The US might not be in a Great Depression, but economic insecurity has nevertheless returned to America. Few people see the disconnect between the propaganda about the goodness of America and the evil that its government practices. Torture was banned. Its practice was made the act of a war criminal government. But the Bush and Obama regimes have resurrected torture as a defense of the state against citizens who reveal its crimes and against those who resist its aggression. The CIA official who revealed that the US government was torturing detainees in violation of US and international law, John Kiriakou, was subjected to wrongful prosecution and sentenced to prison. The elected officials who approved the torture and those who conducted the torture remain free of all charges to torture again. Bradley Manning, the US soldier who did his duty under the military code and revealed US war crimes that were ignored by his superiors had all of his constitutional rights violated and is now being tried on trumped-up and false charges.
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