Posted on 02/06/2006 6:08:53 AM PST by ken5050
Good Monday morning, once again, fellow political jinkies. The NFL season may be over, but the political season inside the Beltway is 24/7/365. So join us, if you can, as those wacky Dems on the Senate Judiciary committee reprise their pitiful efforts to once again smear President Bush and score political points..
There is a lot of hot air that blows around on this topic but no serious discussion about verifiable communist infiltration for mind control/agenda control via the media right here in the good ol' US OF A where every morning all the little children said the pledge and it seemed there was naught to worry about save the red button.
How close to the light can the bug get without getting burned? How on earth has America survived?
Only by the grace of God. We have been very fortunate considering how long this has been going on. But if we're going to continue to survive with our freedoms intact, it will take some thorough housecleaning. It makes a mockery of freedom of the press when the press is serving as the propaganda arm of a shadow party run by closet socialists.
David Halperin was senior policy adviser to Governor Dean's presidential campaign. He previously served on the staffs of the White House/National Security Council and the Senate Intelligence Committee.
October 04, 2004
"Last week's debate began the public unraveling of the Bush presidency. George Bush can insist over and over that he is strong and resolute, but actions speak louder than words. He has mismanaged the Iraq war, and the American people are paying in lives, in dollars, in rising instability and terrorist threat."
http://www.campusprogress.org/page/community/profile_picture/halperindavid/300/500
Halperin also has worked as a consultant and attorney, advising other organizations on policy, strategy, communications, organizing, and legal matters. These groups include Public Citizen, Greenpeace, Democracy for America, Consumer Project on Technology, and Community Rights Counsel.
Halperin previously worked as: senior policy advisor and speechwriter for Governor Howard Dean's presidential campaign (2003-04); founding executive director of the American Constitution Society (2001-03); Special Assistant for National Security Affairs and speechwriter to President Bill Clinton (1997-2000); fellow of the Harvard Law School Berkman Center for Internet & Society (1997); legal and policy advisor to Ralph Nader (1995-97); solo legal practitioner and legal associate to Professor Laurence Tribe (1991, 1994-97); co-founder of the Internet company Progressive Networks (now RealNetworks) (1993-94); counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee (1991-93); law clerk to U.S. District Judge Gerhard Gesell (1989-91); research assistant to Robert McNamara (1985-86); and research analyst at the Arms Control Association (1984-86).
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ABC News has left in place its Political Director Mark Halperin. ABC has done this despite the network’s acknowledgement that Halperin wrote a memo that to many seems to direct ABC reporters, anchors and producers to slant its coverage by downplaying the misstatements of Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry and by viewing negatively any misstatements by Republican candidate Bush.
Halperin’s directive reached ABC people on October 8, the very day that ABC “Good Morning America” co-host Charlie Gibson would be selecting questions for and moderating the second presidential debate between Bush and Kerry.
Mark Halperin’s idea of what is right may be what is Left. He was born in 1965 in Bethesda, Maryland, the red-diaper baby of hard-Left-connected controversial foreign policy specialist Morton Halperin.
Morton Halperin today is Senior Vice President of the left-wing Center for American Progress (CAP) and Director of the Open Society Policy Center established by eccentric billionaire international financier George Soros.
Leaving government in 1970, Halperin became a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, a liberal think tank.
http://tinyurl.com/d339b
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In 1998, Halperin became director of policy planning for the U.S. State Department. During his tenure 15 State Department laptop computers containing highly classified intelligence information disappeared, one of them checked out to Halperin’s office. Others were punished for this serious security breach, but Halperin was not.
Morton Halperin in February 2002 became Director of the Open Society Policy Center and has worked closely ever since with its creator, eccentric billionaire international financier George Soros, who committed tens of millions of dollars in 2004 to a variety of efforts to defeat President Bush. One of these Soros-funded political efforts is the Center for American Progress (CAP), launched in summer 2003, one of the “Seven Sisters” pillars of the left’s “Shadow Government.”
Morton Halperin today is Senior Vice President, second-in-command at CAP, where his son David is a Special Adviser on Campus Outreach. During the years 1997-2000, David Halperin worked as a speechwriter for President Clinton and the National Security Council. Among the Clinton White House email records that mysteriously disappeared when sought by investigators were ones to and from David Halperin, some of which might have involved his father.
This son of a famous and influential left-wing father joined ABC News in January 1988 as a desk assistant, then soon became researcher for “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.” For the next four years he worked with the investigative unit of “World News Tonight” and as a general assignment reporter in Washington. His father’s friends and contacts doubtless gave the rising young star advantages few others could match.
In 1992, Mark Halperin became a full-time off-air reporter traveling with then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton’s campaign. Liberal media insiders have seen Halperin’s confidential 1992 home movie Elvis and Us, which showed Clinton’s backstage clowning and antics during the campaign.
During the 1992 campaign, Halperin violated journalistic ethics by providing to Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos a copy ABC had obtained of Mr. Clinton’s youthful “I loathe the military” letter written to his ROTC commander, according to Tom Rosenstiel’s book about ABC Strange Bedfellows. Halperin thereby gave candidate Clinton days of advance warning to prepare his response before facing reporters’ questions about this letter Clinton had no reason to believe still existed.
Apparently it bothered neither ABC nor Halperin that this network’s White House reporter was the son of high-level Clinton appointee and controversial presidential advisor Morton Halperin. In 1997, the same year Mark Halperin was promoted to Political Director of ABC News, his brother David began a four-year stint as speechwriter to President Clinton.
http://tinyurl.com/d339b
Thanks, kc ... no doubt that their hands are filthy and bloody... and no wonder Jennings' commentaries were sprinkled with such anti-American subversiveness.
Center for American Progress & Campus Progress
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Soros-Podesta organization "to strengthen progressive voices on college and university campuses; counter the growing influence of right-wing groups on campus; and empower new generations of progressive leaders."
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Arm of billionaire George Soros-funded Center for American Progress
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Staff includes many Democratic Party and Clinton political operatives
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Has already committed $750,000 to buy de facto control of or to create "student" newspapers on several major university campuses
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Produces factually challenged hate profiles against conservative speakers and authors
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Encouraged disruption of conservative speakers on campuses
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Director is fortyish David Halperin, former Clinton speechwriter son of radical Morton Halperin and brother of ABC Political Director Mark Halperin
Campus Progress describes itself as "a brand-new effort to strengthen progressive voices on college and university campuses; counter the growing influence of right-wing groups on campus; and empower new generations of progressive leaders."
"In its first 3 months," said its May 25, 2005 press release, "Campus progress has held more than 50 campus speaking events; funded and supported student newspapers on 14 campuses; published hundreds of articles and multimedia pieces by students, journalists, officeholders, activists, and artists at the CampusProgress.org website; and promoted student advocacy on issues from Social Security to academic freedom, national security to judicial nominations."
Campus progress has ample money to wage such pro-left, anti-right propaganda warfare on America's campuses because it is a "project" of the Center for American Progress (CAP), which is heavily bankrolled by billionaire George Soros and other wealthy left activists and entities. Created in summer 2003 as a "progressive" left-liberal "think tank," CAP reported 2003 revenues of $11,738,685. CAP's tiny board of directors includes Carol Browner, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency during Democratic President Bill Clinton's Administration, as well as left-funding billionaire Peter B. Lewis and Aryeh Neier, the President of Soros' Open Society Institute and the Soros foundation network.
The President of the Center for American Progress is John Podesta, who served as President Clinton's White House Chief of Staff (October 1998-January 2001). Podesta was chosen to head CAP by George Soros and notorious Morton Halperin, who has had close ties to the leftwing Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and in February 2002 became Director of Soros' Open Society Policy Center. Halperin was a high-ranking White House advisor to President Clinton, but was so controversial that a Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate refused to consent to his appointment to a higher position in the government.
Since CAP's founding Halperin has been its Senior Vice President and, in concert with board member Neier, has been its main bridge to Soros money.
snip
(Another Morton Halperin son is ABC's Political Director Mark Halperin, David's brother, who violated journalistic ethics in 1992 by secretly giving a confidential ABC document to the Clinton campaign. In 1992 ABC assigned Mark Halperin as one of its reporters covering the Clinton White House, despite knowing that he had betrayed ABC to help Clinton win and that both Halperin's father and brother worked there in political positions for President Clinton. During the closing weeks of the 2004 election campaign, Mark Halperin wrote a memo ordering ABC reporters and producers to slant their coverage against President George W. Bush and in favor of Democratic presidential candidate Senator John F. Kerry. ABC did not fire Halperin for this blatant example of bias.
Political pundits generally regard CAP and its arms such as Campus progress as designed to support the left in general and Hillary Clinton's expected 2008 presidential candidacy in particular. Podesta, Browner, the Halperins and others employed by CAP have been Clinton operatives. Former President Clinton was scheduled as the keynote speaker at Campus progress's first National Student Conference in Washington, D.C. on July 13, 2005. CAP and the Clintons share many of the same financial supporters.
This National Student Conference's immediate aim is to identify, recruit, radicalize and advance the careers of young leftwing journalists and activists. Scheduled conference speakers included Democratic Party operatives such as Paul Begala and Donna Brazile as well as Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation and John Passacantando, Executive Director of the leftwing environmental group Greenpeace US. A major aim of Campus progress, according to the Washington Post, is "putting young journalists in touch with staffers for The Nation, a socialist magazine which supported the Communist adversaries of the United States during the Cold War and now opposes the War on Terror, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly and American Prospect." The Soros agenda is to integrate the hard left with the Democratic Party.
"We're not winning the battle of ideas on campus," David Halperin in February 2005 told Washinton Post staff writer Howard Kurtz, adding that conservatives "have this insurgency mentality, even though they run the world." Both ends of this statement are Halperin fantasies.
Working under David Halperin's direction, the Campus Outreach Coordinator for Campus progress is Emily Hawkins, a 2001 graduate of Wesleyan University.
In 2004 according to her CAP biography, Hawkins "served as a researcher and production assistant for [Michael Moore's company] Dog Eat Dog films where she provided political research and assisted with production and post-production of Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising Tour." The Slacker Uprising Tour was a campus political campaign in battleground states to get students to vote for John Kerry during the 2004 election.
http://tinyurl.com/cmjzw
"...if we're going to continue to survive with our freedoms intact, it will take some thorough housecleaning."
Dag. I don't mind housecleaning, so long as I don't get forced to do it alone : )
Thanks for the information. The only question I have is what is/can be done about this? I have no doubt that the Bush administration is fighting terrorism but have they engaged in this battle?
Rockefeller, it's speculated, leaked to the press. That's hardly the first option of someone genuinely concerned about both the security of this country and the constitutional issues in question. If it's him, we will have an object lesson into how to play politics with national security.
I was aware of the original Harmon statement. Maybe I'm missing something but it seems to me that it was an admission of incompetence. The right to limit the congressional briefings, at least as she describes the law, is not based on complex legal or constitutional issues.
looking here ... Sen Russ Feingold writes another diary at the Daily Kos
PATRIOT ACT UPDATE
by Senator Russ Feingold
Tue Feb 07, 2006 at 11:36:48 AM PDT
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/7/133648/8044
When a politician thinks he needs to post on a lefty lunatic moonbat website that doesn't say much about him or his 'ideas'. Middle America (where campaigns are won) will never vote for someone as stupid as that. At least, Bill Clinton tried to pretend to be one of us. I never bought it but many did.
LOL!
I can't believe an elected official is that stupid. To use such a leftist website to call the administration names and then, to post this: "It's time to stop playing politics with liberty." And even trying to compare Reno to this situation!
I wasn't accusing you of not reading the orginal statement. I was pointing out FR threads where readers said Harman flip-flopped, when the record shows otherwise.
Since she raised the issue of non-conformity with The National Security Act of 1947 in her December 21, 2005 statement, I take that your conclusion, "admission of incompetence," refers to Harman not raising the charge before the President confirmed the existence of the NSA program.
The right to limit the congressional briefings, at least as she describes the law, is not based on complex legal or constitutional issues.
Oh? Then provide your simple analysis of the NSA activity in light of the relevant statute.
TITLE 50 : CHAPTER 15 : SUBCHAPTER III - ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES
A first question (I think easily answered) is, "Is the NSA program 'covert,' as defined in the accountability to Congress statute?"
A tougher matter is construction of the phrase "To the extent consistent with due regard for the protection from unauthorized disclosure of classified information relating to sensitive intelligence sources and methods or other exceptionally sensitive matters"
What are his options? I concluded he was between a rock and a hard place in my post 2537 above.
As I said, the law as she described it, since I wasn't inclined to go study the statute. Let me just say, if I were the ranking member of a critical committee, particularly at a time of war and high tension with the executive branch, I'd make myself familiar with the laws outlining mine and the executive branches duties.
I concluded he was between a rock and a hard place
So it is your opinion that he made a reasonable effort to bring his concerns to the attention of the administration or even others involved in the briefings? That's certainly not my impression.
I acknowledge the legal and constitutional positions here, I think they are worthy of debate. When the Democrats show me that they were bullied, gagged and otherwise turned away from raising their concerns, I will be more sympathetic to the path its alleged they chose to have this debate.
I don't know what efforts he made "privately," or even if he delivered a copy of his handwritten "letter of concerns" to the VP. My point was that -IF- he believes the activity is out of statutory and/or constitutional boundaries, and is also sworn to secrecy by the briefer, he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. What possible action could he take, that doesn't run the risk of stopping the activity? What to do if it's a close legal call?
Not that Rockerfeller has a noble motive, I don't think he does, but a person could have a nobel motive and be concerned thatteh activity would not be legally useful in the short or long term, e.g., evidence tossed by court, risk of pissing off Congress. OTOH, all information is useful for extra-legal action, such as liquidation or removal of the target without access to courts.
Aa a parallel, I'd wave the President off the "AUMF is express authorization to engage in the NSA surveillance" argument - not becaue I disagree with the surveillance, but because I think the argument has too many holes in it.
When the Democrats show me that they were bullied, gagged and otherwise turned away from raising their concerns ...
I don't think any of that exists. To the extent concerns were raised, I think the adminstration said nothing more than "I hear you," with no intention of changing course. According to Gonzales, the administration didn't approach any member of Congress with the notion of a broader statute until 2004.
... I will be more sympathetic to the path its alleged they chose to have this debate.
The path they chose is clear. Leak existence of the program, then call "illegal" when the President confirms existence of the program. Without more, withut fleshing out "where to go from here," their path stinks. I don't have any sympathy for the follow-up, at all. At the same time, I think the leak itself is not very damaging, because all it amounts to is "not all secret surveillance by the government is prefixed with a secret warrant."
Given that revelation, I do wonder what action the government planned and plans to take with knowlege gained from secret surveillance obtained without a secret warrant. Arrest? Criminal charges? Military detention without arrest and charges?
LOL! He sure LOOKS like he could use an anger management class.
On this we completely agree. We are at such a disadvantage knowing so little about the program and what concerns may have been expressed. I do know that Hoekstra has claimed that Harmon didn't express any and the administration I believe has claimed the same thing regarding the members who were briefed. Regardless, your point stands.
I do wonder what action the government planned and plans to take with knowledge gained from secret surveillance obtained without a secret warrant. Arrest? Criminal charges?...
I found this to be one of the more interesting questions raised in the hearing. Again, without more information about the program it's hard to consider completely, of course that "more information" is probably the real critical operational aspect (ie, the use of the knowledge in the field).
The problem IS keeping surveillance secret. We have TWO enemies....the terrorists and the Dem Operatives. It couldn't be clearer.
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