Laura Bush pressured to resign over Guantanamo Bay scandal

Laura Bush pressured to resign over Guantanamo Bay scandal - President withholds decision
POSTED: 2:35 pm PDT July 16, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Former presidential candidate John Kerry said Saturday "Laura Bush ought to be fired."

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., a possible 2008 presidential contender, nodded in agreement when the two appeared together on Capitol Hill.

Also Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said the matter of leaking a recipe from her cookbook "rises above politics and is about our national security."

Leading White House critic Representative John Conyers added, “All we know is that it was a chicken-based dish. It’s not important whether it was the honey-glazed chicken, baked chicken breast in broth, tandoori chicken, or bayou chicken breast. We need to clean up this mess.”

House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in response to media inquiries about Laura’s plate: “We’re positive that no ingredients for mustard dill baked fish, noodles Jefferson, lemon baked fish, Lyonnaise rice, spicy baked fish or rice pilaf was ever passed along. They’re off the table.”

Newsweek has obtained an e-mail by a Time reporter who was threatened with jail for not naming his sources in the culinary caper. According to the e-mail, Laura told reporter Matthew Cooper that the combined ingredients "apparently work" for the Gitmo cooks.

The White House said two years ago that Laura wasn't involved in the leak. But Laura's lawyer has admitted that Laura spoke with at least one reporter about her cookbook's role at the prison camp before she was identified in a newspaper column.

Federal prosecutors hunting down leakers inside the Bush administration have the e-mail.

President George W. Bush had promised last year to fire anyone who leaked the recipe's identity to the media. He didn't respond when a reporter asked him directly Tuesday if he'd fire his adviser.

For two days, White House spokesman Scott McClellan also refused to answer questions about Laura. But he made it clear that Bush continues to have confidence in Laura, as does anyone who works at the White House.

Have ya seen this one?

First Sergeant Paul Joseph and the 983rd Engineer Battalion, Camp Ramadi, Iraq which has now been renamed Club G'itmo East.

Camp Ramadi Renamed Club G'itmo East
July 11, 2005

RUSH: Got a great e-mail here to share with you, folks. "Dear Rush: Greetings from Camp Ramadi in Iraq again." This is the guy who sent us a picture, sent a great e-mail in; we sent him some Club G'itmo gear. We sent him a whole bunch of Club G'itmo gear. He says: "Greetings from Camp Ramadi here in Iraq again. We received your generous shipment of Club G'itmo apparel and Jihad Java coffee mugs in fine order here today. Suffice to say these items were used to officially inaugurate the grand opening of Club G'itmo East here in Iraq. I've enclosed with my e-mail a picture of our opening ceremony complete with soldiers, both on duty and off, enjoying some of the finer elements of life that many Americans partake in back home: Organized softball -- although we play in a real sandlot -- one-hole golf course complete with all the punkers you can play courtesy of the incoming mortars that make the most wonderful craters to play out of. What a great joint venture the insurgents have done for us by creating such a marvel with their measly bombs. It's a win-win situation.

He goes on to describe how serious the war effort is, though, and once again, thanks us for the Club G'itmo gear. This is First Sergeant Paul Joseph of the 983rd Engineer Battalion. Camp Ramadi in Iraq has now been renamed Club G'itmo East. He said PS: "Since we are championing freedom and the freedom of speech, feel free to use my name and the unit as needed. We are neither ashamed nor won't deny what the truth is ever. Also, it would appear that I cannot attach the picture of us in our Club G'itmo shirts on this e-mail so I'll go back to your web page and link it through your site wanting pictures. Just look for Club G'itmo East." So we will find and we'll post those on the website as soon as we get them. You have audio sound bites 16 and 17 yet, Mr. Broadcast engineer? By the way, before we get onto the audio sound bites, the general manager at Club G'itmo, the real Club G'itmo, has either been promoted to another hotel in the chain or he's been fired. I'm not sure which. (Story) "The commanding officer of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was relieved of his duties yesterday, after he was accused of inappropriate management practices, officials said. The officer, Captain Leslie J. McCoy, who had commanded Guantanamo since March 2003, was the subject of an investigation into inappropriate personnel and administrative practices unrelated to the base's detention camp for suspected terrorists. McCoy was relieved of his duties Saturday by Rear Admiral Annette E. Brown, the region commander, who had 'lost confidence in his ability to effectively lead.'" So our guests at Club G'itmo are going to get a new general manager.

Things keep hopping -- and, by the way, there's this. (Story) "Four dangerous enemy combatants have escaped from the main US base in Afghanistan." This is at Bagram Air Force Base. "A huge manhunt was launched north of the capital Kabul after the man escaped at about 0500." Five o'clock in the morning for those of you in Rio Linda. "The US says it's the first time any prisoner has escaped from Bagram." No doubt they are headed to Club G'itmo. They've heard about Club G'itmo and they've escaped Bagram and they're trying to get into Club G'itmo -- and I'm sure they'll find transport. They've heard of the Club G'itmo gear. They want their own Jihad Java coffee mugs and all the other goodies that guests at Club G'itmo receive -- absolutely free of charge, by the way, and I don't know if you knew this about Club G'itmo but the guests at that resort do not even pay for their lodging. You and I do. It's a great place. We're paying for their food and all of the amenities that they get at Club G'itmo, and it's not a surprise to me, ladies and gentlemen, that prisoners at US bases around the world would want to escape and get to Club G'itmo. It appears that's happened in Afghanistan.

(Check out the bumper stickers!)

Sam, 22 year Air Force vet -- Summerville, SC.

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