Powell stays, Democrat civil war breaks out, new al-Qaeda tape
by JohnHuang2
Call me clueless, but frankly I don't get what all the BBC-bashing is all about. Sure, it's government owned, but, it's cutting edge. Really cutting edge. What else would you call a network that hires "Gilligan" as a lead reporter? Could The Professor and Mary Ann -- famed castaways of the S.S. Minnow in Gilligan's Island -- be far behind? Don't think so. But cutting edge at the BBC goes beyond bold hiring practices; the artful network has a cunning nose for breaking news like no other -- even breaking news about breaking news. And uncovering cover-ups. Even media cover-ups. With that backdrop, can't say I was a bit surprised to read Monday's bombshell revelation:
"The US Secretary of State Colin Powell has, according to the Washington Post, decided to step down if President Bush wins a second term in next year's election," reports BBC world affairs correspondent, Paul Reynolds.
Everyone in Washington and his sister expected Powell would call it quits after one term, so everyone in Washington and his sister was naturally shocked to learn Powell would call it quits after one term.
In the latest sign of growing schisms within the Bush administration, "Mr. Powell would leave office, it is said, on 21 January 2005, the day after the Presidential inauguration. His deputy Richard Armitage is also reported to have indicated that he would go on the same day," writes Mr. Reynolds.
For details and the straight scoop, especially on bombshell stories, I naturally prefer the source, so I cruised on over to the Washington Post. Rather than the straight scoop, what I got was a major media cover-up. Washington Post "reporter," Glenn Kessler -- obviously a right-wing White House suck-up (see Eric Alterman) -- deliberately sexed down the Big Story here, writing it up as if Powell planned to "step down even if (italics mine) President Bush is reelected." A routine departure of a major Cabinet figure after a President's first term. No big deal, right? Ha! Revealing Powell's already widely-known plans to serve only one term was shocking enough, but, sorry Charlie, that wasn't the mother-of-all-bombshells here. Rather, the real eye-opener, quoting the BBC reporter, is that "Powell has...decided to step down IF (emphasis mine) President Bush wins a second term in next year's election." In other words, Powell will NOT STEP DOWN IF Bush is defeated, and will gladly serve a second term as Secretary of State -- but only under a Howard Dean or Dennis what-a-ma-call-it administration! See? Right-wing Kessler tried to pull a fast one by sneaking in the word "even," as in 'even if Bush is reelected, Powell leaves,' sexing down this bombshell development. But leave it to sleuths at the BBC to expose this right-wing media cover-up for what it is!
Admittedly, the Post story, citing unnamed "sources familiar" with a "conversation" Armitage allegedly had with Condi Rice, is completely bogus. The State Department Monday said "There is no basis for the story," that "there was no conversation between the deputy secretary and [the] national security adviser...concerning any plans for 'stepping down,'" Reuters reports, fueling media speculation on who will replace Powell now that the media knows he isn't stepping down. But that's not the point. Just because a "conversation" never happened is no reason not to report it, especially in August, when typically nothing happens in Washington. The point being that, even with bogus stories, if there's a pseudo-cover-up behind a pseudo-story embedded in a pseudo-scandal, the ever pseudo BBC sleuths will gallantly uncover it. Bogus-ly.
Bravo! Bravo, BBC! /S a r c a s m.
Meanwhile, pressure mounted on the Bush administration over the weekend as a top al-Qaeda leader joined senior Democrats and unbiased reporters at the New York Times in calling for humane treatment of al-Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In prepared remarks on human rights in a new audiotape purportedly from Ayman Al-Zawahri, bin Laden's top official sharply criticizes Bush's War on Terror, blasting U.S. policy which treats psychopathic killers as psychopathic killers. While Al-Zawahri did not mention Bush by name in the tape, top terrorist officials and senior aids left no doubt Al-Zawahri's strongly-worded comments were directed at the President.
"I swear by the almighty God...that crusader America will pay dearly for any harm done to any of the Muslim prisoners it is holding," said Al-Zawahri, reminding Bush of al-Qaeda's strong opposition to the use of Military Tribunals and application of the death penalty against Al-Qaeda prisoners, echoing growing criticism from Democrats, Harvard law professors, the Dixie Chicks, Hollywood and disgruntled editors at the New York Times.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont assails military tribunals as a "bypass of our civilian justice system," wondering provocatively, "What does it really gain us in the fight against terrorism?" With military courts, you're only making terrorists, already mad as hell at us, even madder, Mr. President. Former governor Howard Dean of Vermont, in a new TV spot airing in Texas and New Hampshire, assails Bush, wondering provocatively: "Has anyone really stood up against George Bush and his policies?" Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, assails Bush and his policies, accusing the White House of toppling dictators and killing thousands of terrorists, among other mischief. Sen. Teddy Kennedy, sharing Al-Zawahri's worry that special safeguards for al-Qaeda terrorists are lacking, denounced military tribunals, which "history has shown" to be ripe for abuse. Kennedy made his remarks between gulps of Jack Daniels. Al-Zawahri's views are given growing voice in many newspaper editorials, calling tribunals a 'travesty of justice' against al-Qaeda, which trains followers to dive-bomb planes into skyscrapers filled with civilians and other peaceful religious activities.
Bush's crushing al-Qaeda won't make us any safer, say Democrats. Democrats also strongly deny Bush's crushing al-Qaeda, asserting al-Qaeda is reconstituted and stronger than ever, despite thousands of battlefield deaths, scores of arrests, and U.S.-led campaigns ousting Saddam and the Taliban. The ranks of al-Qaeda are growing because of Bush's preemption policy and failure to rally U.N. support for military action in Iraq, say Democrats. Had Bush gotten U.N. Security Counsel endorsement to oust Saddam, al-Qaeda, which harbors serious reservations about U.S. unilateral action, would not be so mad at us!
Meanwhile, among Democrat '04 combatants, full-scale civil war has broken out, shattering a fragile, two month-old cease-fire. Fierce fighting raged on this past week between warlords Howard Dean, John F. Kerry and Joe Lieberman, the embattled party's Sunni Triangle. Prospects for a cease-fire or exit strategy were no where in sight as the growing wave of daily attacks, counter-attacks and ambushes grew angrier and more sophisticated.
"Old Democratic policies like higher taxes and weakness on defense are not the solution," said Lieberman, taking a swipe at Dean and Kerry. Dean struck back, saying, "Why should we be led by people who...voted to give the president unilateral authority to attack Iraq?"
Dean says the danger in Iraq is that the situation there has descended into full-blown Gorilla war, with some male Gorillas weighing up to 600 pounds. "Bush should've stationed troops to guard the Baghdad Zoo -- what the hell was he thinking?" he said. Asked how many troops are actively serving in the U.S. military, Dean said he still can't say precisely, but that aids will teach him well before being sworn in as president.
Lieberman says Dean's McGovernite instincts threatens to drive the party "back to the political wilderness," but Dean says he's no peacenik, calling on Bush to enter Liberia because it's falling apart and to quit waiting on the U.N. Dean also calls on Bush to exit Iraq because it's 'falling apart' and criticizes not waiting on the U.N. to finish weapons inspections before launching military action. Dean, whose bad back kept him from military service during Vietnam, courageously turned his bad back into a powerful tool of civic duty, skiing up and down the slopes of Vermont's snowy mountains, defending those snowy mountains gallantly from dangerous New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and other neighboring enemy states.
"'Real Democrats don't walk away from the middle class,' Mr. Kerry said in a speech in Dover, N.H. last Wednesday," the Washington Times reports this week. "'They don't take away a tax credit for families struggling to raise their children, or bring back a tax penalty for married couples who are starting out, or penalize teachers and waitresses by raising taxes on the middle class.'"
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The media says Dean's no liberal -- indeed, more like a real conservative, given he balanced budgets while governor of Vermont. The media says Bush's no conservative -- indeed, more like a flaming liberal, given he's not balanced budgets once while in the White House. Democrats and the media also accuse Bush of being too conservative.
Anyway, that's...
My two cents
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