"To What End?"

Prelude:Once again -we begin with and excerpt from history...today from the Republican National Convention - August 3, 2000. This is from George W. Bush's acceptance speech:

…For eight years, the Clinton/Gore administration has coasted through prosperity. And the path of least resistance is always downhill. But America's way is the rising road. This nation is daring and decent and ready for change. Our current president embodied the potential of a generation.

So many talents. So much charm. Such great skill. But, in the end, to what end?

So much promise, to no great purpose. Little more than a decade ago, the Cold War thawed and, with the leadership of Presidents Reagan and Bush, that wall came down. But instead of seizing this moment, the Clinton/Gore administration has squandered it. We have seen a steady erosion of American power and an unsteady exercise of American influence. Our military is low on parts, pay and morale. If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the Army would have to report ... Not ready for duty, sir. This administration had its moment. They had their chance. They have not led. We will…

International:

Stay The Course
A newly translated letter from al Qaeda’s leadership to its Iraq organization shows the Bush administration’s “stay the course” Iraq strategy is exactly what al Qaeda wants: "The most important thing is that you continue in your jihad in Iraq," the letter's author "Atiyah" writes, "Indeed, prolonging the war is in our interest." The letter was an internal communication, intercepted during the raid which killed Abu Musab Zarqawi. This summer, Bush administration officials repeatedly justified their Iraq policy of "stay the course" by pointing to al Qaeda propaganda.

For instance, White House counselor Dan Bartlett said, "It doesn't matter what we say. We should be taking the - the words of the enemy seriously. They think [Iraq is] the fight of the war on terror, so, we might as well." It remains to be seen whether the Bush administration will change its tune now that al Qaeda has endorsed "stay the course."

In Other International News:

The Iraqi Interior Ministry has suspended an entire Iraqi police brigade on suspicions that some members may have permitted, or even participated in, death squad killings. Death squads are the main cause of Iraqi deaths now.

British commandos in southeastern Iraq have "found nothing to support the Americans' contention that Iran is providing weapons and training in Iraq."

National:

Supporting Our Troops

The defense appropriations bill passed last week includes several provisions designed to increase oversight and improve the effectiveness of the Bush administration's stalled policies towards North Korea and Iran. The measures require the administration to appoint a North Korean policy coordinator to conduct a "comprehensive interagency review" of U.S.-North Korean policy, and requires the President to report to Congress twice a year with the latest intelligence estimates on North Korean nuclear and missile capabilities. Citing the accelerating Korean nuclear crisis, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said, "President Bush has not done what is necessary to halt the growing North Korean nuclear threat. This legislation compels the President to change course and take the necessary steps to keep America safe." The bill also requires the President to prepare a comprehensive report on his Iran policy for Congress and demands that National Intelligence Director John Negroponte provide an updated comprehensive national intelligence estimate on Iran. In the nearly five years since Bush's Axis of Evil speech, U.S. policy towards Iran has been plagued with missed opportunities and clumsy brinksmanship.

Foley, con't

"The source who in July gave news media Rep. Mark Foley's (R-Fla.) suspect e-mails to a former House page" says the documents came to him from a congressional aide who "has been a registered Republican since becoming eligible to vote," The Hill reports. Nevertheless, Speaker Hastert continues to assert: "When the base finds out who's feeding this monster, they're not going to be happy. The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros."

'I Did Nothing Wrong'
Defiant Hastert vows he'll get to bottom of Foley affair, and run again for House speaker. defiantly declared Thursday that he'd done nothing wrong relating to the growing Capitol Hill page scandal, and vowed to run again for speaker after the GOP wins back the House in next month's election.
"I'd like to run and presumably win in this election, and when we do, I expect to run for leader, for speaker," Hastert said. See the full story here.

Executive Power

A Congressional Research Service report states that Bush's frequent use of signing statements is "an integral part" of his "comprehensive strategy to strengthen and expand executive power" and is meant to "inure Congress, as well as others, to the belief that the president in fact possesses expansive and exclusive powers upon which the other branches may not intrude."

Domestic Spying

The government can continue to use its warrantless domestic wiretap program pending the Justice Department's appeal of a federal judge's ruling outlawing the program, an Appeals Court in Cincinnati ruled on Wednesday.

From The Right:

Today we read from an editorial by Suzanne Fields in which she elaborates on Michael Scheuer in his position as chief of the bin Laden Unit at the CIA's Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999. He was charged with finding the mastermind who would one day plot and direct 9/11. He's a harsh critic of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq, and he is unequivocal and unrelenting in his dispute of Bill Clinton's assertion that he never had opportunities to kill Osama bin Laden. Click here for the full scoop.

From The Left:

Today we read Lincoln Weeps by Bill Moyers. He dips into the House of Representatives and how it was known as "the people's house." No more. It belongs to K Street now. That's the address of the lobbyists who swarm all over Capitol Hill. There are 65 lobbyists for every member of Congress. They spend $200 million per month wining, dining and seducing federal officials. Per month! Click here for the article.

Thought To Ponder:

"When you trade your values for the hope of winning, you end up losing and having no values -- so you keep losing." Howard Dean

(Sources: West Point Combatting Terrorism Center, Library of Congress, US Senate, Whitehouse website, The Hill, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Reuters, USA Today, TownHall, Washington Post, FOXNews, NY Times, TruthOut)