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Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday he believes journalists can be prosecuted for publishing classified information, citing an obligation to national security. The nation's top law enforcer also said the government will not hesitate to track telephone calls made by reporters as part of a criminal leak investigation, but officials would not do so routinely and randomly. "There are some statutes on the book which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that that is a possibility," Gonzales said, referring to prosecutions. "We have an obligation to enforce those laws. We have an obligation to ensure that...

Writing on behalf of his One America political action committee, former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards sent an email Saturday seeking signatories in an effort to expand the powers of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate President Bush’s role in the strategic leaking of information related to Iraq. In the form letter on Edwards’ site, he writes, "I urge you to extend Mr. Fitzgerald’s charter to include the behavior of the President in this disgraceful affair." The letter to supporters, while unlikely to influence the investigation, signals that Edwards continues to remain active on the political scene, and could...

Immigration officers barred from key data Ex-official raises security concerns By Jerry Kammer COPLEY NEWS SERVICE March 7, 2006 WASHINGTON – Many immigration officers handling requests for green cards, citizenship and other immigration benefits do not have access to key law enforcement and national security databases, said a top federal security official who quit over the issue. The officers' access to the databases, which would allow them to check whether an applicant had a criminal record or was on the terrorism watch list, was cut off because the government has failed to complete required background checks on the immigration adjudicators....

ABOARD USS GONZALEZ (NNS) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), currently deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of maritime security operations (MSO), rescued six Iranian mariners Feb. 28 after they had been adrift for 10 days. Gonzalez’s bridge team first spotted the crippled dhow while conducting MSO in the Central Persian Gulf. Once the destroyer’s watchstanders identified the distressed vessel, the ship immediately changed its course to render assistance. The Iranians explained that their dhow’s engine and rudder failed Feb. 8. “Patrolling warships are sometimes called on for humanitarian interventions,” said Cmdr. Robert D. Randall, the ship’s...

MANAMA, Bahrain – Cmdr. Jack Noell, commanding officer of DDG Crew Sierra, turned over command of the guided missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) Feb. 21, to Cmdr. Robert Randall and DDG Crew Golf at an exchange of command ceremony here. Gonzalez is taking part in the Navy's Sea Swap program, which is designed to increase forward naval presence by keeping the ship continuously present in its area of operations while swapping crews at six-month intervals. The Sea-Swap initiative has enabled Gonzalez to remain forward deployed since March 25, 2005 conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the U. S. Naval...

Gonzales Calls NSA Eavesdropping 'Lawful' By KATHERINE SHRADER ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says the Bush administration's electronic eavesdropping program "may make the difference between success and failure" in stopping the next terrorist attack. But even before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Monday, Democrats accused the administration of depriving Congress of information about the program. Suggesting Republicans too may have tough questions for Gonzales, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., called Gonzales' legal explanations to date "strained and unrealistic." In a statement prepared for the hearing, Gonzales called the monitoring program "reasonable" and "lawful." He...

Gonzales Says NSA Criticism Misleading By PETE YOST ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended the Bush administration's domestic spying program Tuesday and suggested that some critics and news reports have misled Americans about the breadth of the National Security Agency's surveillance. Gonzales said the warrantless surveillance is critical to prevent another terrorist attack within the United States and falls within President Bush's constitutional authority and the powers granted by Congress immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. At a Georgetown Law School Forum, Gonzales said the nation needs "to remember that ... it's imperative for...

02.12.05 | Diplomatic sources in Caracas report about an opinion trend that appears to be gathering force. The "electoral boycott" hypothesis, peddled by Venezuela's officialdom and its OAS sidekicks, has it that the decision of opposition political parties to withdraw from Assemblymen elections on December 4 constitutes, at best, a "boycott" and at worse "an electoral coup." Chavez opponents also stand accused of having, irresponsibly, broken an agreement with the OAS whereby participation in the race was a given. Let me be real clear about the reason that prompted such a reaction by the opposition. On Wednesday 23 an audit...

ABOARD USS CLEVELAND, Arabian Sea (NNS) -- Members of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 are currently leading a group of six coalition ships conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. The strike group’s flagship, USS Tarawa (LHA 1) and the amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD 7) are joined by the guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79). The French ships Var (FS 608) and Lafayette (FS 710), and the Pakistani frigate Badr (PNS 181) round out the coalition task group. MSO are part of ESG-1’s regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th...

HOW TRADESPORTS AND OTHER OUTCOME STOCK EXCHANGES WORK Tradesports is a stock exchange which sells "shares" of "stocks," which can be traded just as if they were business stocks... except that rather than paying dividends, their value is based on the perceived likelihood of an outcome, and instead of business shares, the shares of possible outcomes to current events are sold. When one of several outcomes occurs, the stock of that outcome becomes worth 100 units (=$10). All shares of stock of other outcomes become worthless, once it is known that the outcome will not occur. The theory is that...

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August 8, 2005 — US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald got a vote of confidence from his boss Monday. There had been speculation Fitzgerald's aggressive investigations in Chicago and Washington might have angered important people and that Fitzgerald might not get reappointed. Patrick Fitzgerald makes a lot of powerful people squirm by aggressively prosecuting high-level political corruption in both parties and by forcing reporters to either reveal their sources in the CIA leak case or go to jail. So, there has been speculation that President Bush might be under pressure to replace Fitzgerald when his term expires in October. But if Monday...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT There was a breakfast meeting at the White House today, and the president came out and discussed it. His meeting was with -- Let's see, who did he meet? -- Arlen Specter, Harry Reid, Patrick Leahy and Bill Frist. Yeah. So he met with Specter, Leahy, Frist and Senator Harry Reid about the current vacancy and what might be an up-coming one. Just to set this up: last week, the president sort of smacked down some conservatives for daring to suggest that the attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, would be an unacceptable Supreme Court nominee because of substantive issues....

We have all heard that Alberto Gonzalez might be on Bush's short list of possible Supreme Court nominees. Conservatives don't trust him and expect him to be another O'Connor or worse, a David Souter. We are also aware that Rhenquist is expected to announce his retirement soon, too. And finally, Ginsburg is not in the best of health and Justice Stevens is 85 years old causing speculation that Bush could nominate FOUR Supreme Court nominees before his term ends. My thinking is this, Bush cuts a backroom deal with the 'Rats to allow his buddy Alberto Gonzalez into the Supreme...

President Bush will nominate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to be chief justice of the Supreme Court after William Rehnquist joins Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and announces his retirement, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol predicted on Sunday. "The chief justice will step down this week," Kristol, who accurately forecast last month that O'Connor would be the first to go, told "Fox News Sunday." "The president is planning to announce two nominations for those vacancies before he leaves for Crawford at the end of the month," he predicted. "I've been told that the White House has told certain people to keep their...

Edward Whelan makes a great point in National Review Online: appointing Alberto Gonzalez to the Supreme Court could prove to be disastrous in the War on Terror...

YEAS (60) REPUBLICANS (54) Alexander, L. (TN) DeWine (OH) McCain (AZ) Allard (CO) Dole (NC) McConnell (KY) Allen, G. (VA) Domenici (NM) Murkowski (AK) Bennett (UT) Ensign (NV) Roberts (KS) Bond (MO) Enzi (WY) Santorum (PA) Brownback (KS) Frist (TN) Sessions, J. (AL) Bunning (KY) Graham (SC) Shelby (AL) Burr (NC) Grassley (IA) Smith, G. (OR) Chafee (RI) Gregg (NH) Snowe (ME) Chambliss (GA) Hagel (NE) Specter (PA) Coburn (OK) Hatch (UT) Stevens (AK) Cochran (MS) Hutchison (TX) Sununu (NH) Coleman (MN) Inhofe (OK) Talent (MO) Collins (ME) Isakson (GA) Thomas, C. (WY) Cornyn (TX) Kyl (AZ) Thune (SD) Craig...

Factions line up for two Texas Hispanics By MICHAEL HEDGES Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The two Texas conservative Hispanics seen as among the front-runners for a U.S. Supreme Court nomination are drawing support from different ends of the political spectrum. Many conservative activists back federal appeals Judge Emilio Garza, while liberals and moderates see U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as a less extreme option. As President Bush examines a select list of possible nominees, there is speculation that he would make history by nominating a Hispanic for the first time. Garza, of San Antonio, tops the...

Welcome to Conflagration Central, otherwise known as Washington, D.C. We unfortunate denizens are beyond exhausted from observing repeat rounds of the low state of American politics' never-ending series of bar brawls. We will be all the more drained after we observe the pending battle between the fire-breathing, over-reaching, power-drunk far Right-ies and the limp, listless Left-ies. That, as each side seeks to destroy the other over the next U.S. Supreme Court nominee. It's come down to this in American politics: Do you want venal, overt prevarication or do you want inept, feckless incompetence? The former is today's GOP. The latter...

It's happened. Just this morning. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her retirement. Throughout her tenure, Justice O'Connor has been part of the razor-thin majority that has kept Roe v. Wade from being dismantled. Now, for the first time in over a decade, there's a vacancy on the Supreme Court. And unless we act quickly, it will be filled by a right-wing extremist bent on ending a woman's right to choose. We knew a retirement was coming, but if you're like me, today's announcement still came as a shock. Yes, this is a long weekend, but the next few weeks...