Dinner at the Powell's 31st May 2005
Posted on 09/03/2006 5:01:28 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
The Talk Shows
Sunday, September 3rd, 2006
Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:
FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa.; Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and his Democratic challenger, state treasurer Robert Casey.
FACE THE NATION (CBS): Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
THIS WEEK (ABC): Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.; Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., and his primary challenger, Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey; actress and animal rights activist Bo Derek.
LATE EDITION (CNN) : Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn.; Iraqi deputy prime minister Barham Salih; Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iranian representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency; Teamsters president James Hoffa and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao; former Clinton adviser Lanny Davis and former Bush campaign strategist Matthew Dowd.
I know. You and I have had this discussion before. Last time it was 'the official who sent Joe Wilson to Niger' who was allowing a boondoggle that 'everybody does.'
I recall the great cooperation from the Ambassador Yemen that the FBI got when it tried to investigate the USS Cole attack.
I would really like to believe your analysis. But then the next questionable act comes up, like boosting Saudi Arabian student's presence in the states, and suddenly I feel less secure again.
Dinner at the Powell's 31st May 2005
Do you have some specific examples?
Almost all of the people I know who were agency employees have been apolitical. The problems happen when we have a Plame or Armitage in positions where they change into partisans with an agenda. Every administration I have read about complains about the same things going on. Nor is it restricted to any one agency. Deep Throat, number two at the FBI proved that.
Armitage was a political appointee and Plame a career employee. In my experience very few political appointees are "apolitical." They are chosen for their political views and loyalty.
If a conservative leaks and betrays the country I have no problem going after them too, but it drives many of us nuts when liberals seem to get away with this behavior without being held accountable. Or, getting a simple slap on the wrist: Sandy Berger.
I blame the WH and DOJ on their treatment of Berger, not the career types.
My point exactly. There should be ways of getting rid of bad employees. OMHO, the government unions have replaced the old Boss system and are just as bad.
There are, but it is a long, protracted process for career employees. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 was enacted to end the "spoils system" and professionalize the government with personnel who obtained their jobs on the basis of merit and qualifications. It also insulated employees from capricious actions by the politicos. I agree that it should be easier to remove career civil servants. It is up to Congress to make such changes.
I cannot say because I don't know what Ms. Rice has done. I do know we are not hearing about the leaks and the opposition in the State Department that we heard about over and over during the Powell tenure. It also appears our State Department is more effective today, by comparison. For example, during the Israeli actions in Lebanon we did not hear any hangwringing coming from "sources" in the State Department. In years past, that would have been front page news.
There is no doubt that Powell was more liked and respected in the State Department than Condi. Powell was/is the consummate bureaucrat. Condi has done some things that have got the career-types upset and AFSA, the employee union, has been challenging some of things she has done on personnel matters. I suspect that the leaking is still going on and that there was some "handwringing" within the State Department on Israeli actions in Lebanon. But in such instances, AIPAC always wins no matter what the State Department does.
The State Department's "effectiveness" is more dependent upon the relationship of the Secretary to the President than anything else. Condi's good relationship with Bush is better than Powell's. Thus, the State Department gets a more receptive hearing on its views than previously. Usually, DOD and the intelligence agencies are far more effective in getting their views heard and adopted than the State Department, aka as the "striped pants cookie pushers." During my time [1972-2000], George Shultz was the best SECSTATE. He had the rare combination of foreign policy expertise, managerial ability, temperment, and close relationship with the President to be very effective. People actually listened to what the State Department had to say.
You make the apparently common fundamental error of confusing the Bush administration with "the Conservative movement," when any rational, objective observer can see there is little "conservative" about the politics and more importantly the actions of George W. Bush.
Oh, you want examples?
Let's start with his signing McCAin-Feingold,
and skip to his horrific Medi-Care entitlement program.
On come on, are you that ignorant? Read the indictment. He lied to the FBI and to the grand jury. He lied that he first learned about Wilson's wife working at the CIA from reporters, particularly from Tim Russert. Russert says he never discussed it with Libby and couldnt have because he was stunned when he read Novak's column because he didnt know. Libby also according to four or five White House, CIA and State department sources had been told by both State and separately by the CIA that Wilson's wife who worked at the CIA had recommended him for the trip to Niger. In fact, Armitage learned of Plame from being copied on the memo to Libby from the State Department.
Witneses plus Libby's own handwritten notes indicate that he knew, that he conducted several meetings to discuss what to do with the information that Wilson's wife had recommended him and that he had not been sent by the VP like he claimed. Just a few weeks prior to the Novak column he met with Ari Fleishcer and tried to get him to feed the information to the press. Then after all this activity, he mysteriosly learns about for the first time from Russert. Strains credibility that something so important to the adminstration and something he had worked on for months would disappear from his mind when he was questioned. It then became the press made me do it.
Santorum vr Casey poll. Santorum is currently up 67% to 33%
http://www.politicspa.com/BallotBox.htm
No, didn't know that. Did you knwo that Jennifer Oneal is pro-life and a Christian Lady?
As Brit so brilliantly pointed out that the Grand Jury can only request that you don't talk about your testimony. It is a guaranteed right that you can talk about your testimony if you want.
With the Firestorm that was going on about Plamegate, he chose to NOT talk about him being the leaker?? It seriously damaged Bush during his re-election as his credibility was damaged. This was not a decision but an absolute Coup attempt with Armitage/Powell/DNC and the press.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
War is won when you take away the ability and the will of the enemy to wage war
Fixed it for you. Almost never do wars end with the other side completely beaten into the mud. Other then the US South in our Civil War and Nazi Germany in WW2, I cannot think of any wars that ended with the losers "Ability to wage war" took away.
Kerry also claimed he would double the size of Special Forces. Dems totally miss the point...you don't just wave a magic wand and say *poof* you are a Green Beret...*poof* you are a Navy SEAL. Simply handing out a beret doesn't make someone Special Forces. It takes a certain type of individual, and lots of specialized training. When I hear dems make claims like that it just reiterates how out to lunch they are when it comes to the military.
:0) - I have just sent you a freepmail
Well said.
It is only 6:40 am here - so haven't read all the posts - fact very few (but I will by noon) so something may have been revealed that I don't know about yet, but.....
"How could Powell invite them to his home, after betraying President Bush like he did?"
I haven't always agreed with Powell, but I have always thought of Powell as an honest man. What with how the DBM mucks up whatever and whenever they want my faith is still with Powell.
I can't understand why Powell has not spoken out. But I don't want to believe Powell has his own agenda and would intentionally hurt America.
Housewives sitting at their computers are real people viewing the real world.
Professional politicians aren't and don't.
I love this girl after hearing how she went to Fort Bragg and put on a free concert for military families
If that is the case I would change my mind but I doubt it. If someone corrects their testimony while a grand jury is still in session they are typically not charged for perjury. I think the problem is that the record shows that Libby knew about Wilson's wife working at the CIA for several months but then Libby says he first learned of it from Tim Russert just prior to Novak's column. To have first heard of it at that point, he would have to be suffering from dimentia.
how about the Soviets in the Cold War?
Reagan outspent them so they just couldn't keep up ?
Yeah-"fiscal responsibility" the Dem term for "give us more money".
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