9/11 Commission report released : July 22, 2004

The official government investigation of the events of Sept. 11

The panel, created by Congress in September 2002 after initial opposition from President Bush, completed 18 months of work with an urgent plea to appoint an intelligence czar, create a national counterterrorism center, overhaul U.S. spy agencies and strengthen the congressional committees that oversee them.

"The United States is faced with one of the greatest security challenges in our long history," former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, the commission's chairman, told reporters. "We do believe we are safer today than we were on 9/11. But we are not safe."

Kean and former Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana, the panel's vice chairman, briefed Bush on the report in an Oval Office meeting before the commission released it at a news conference. Stepping into the Rose Garden with them, Bush praised the panel for "making very solid, sound recommendations about how to move forward." "I assured them that where government needs to act, it will," Bush said.

Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said Kean and Hamilton briefed him on the 600-page report by phone in Detroit, where he was campaigning. "This report carries a simple message about our current state of security for every American who remembers that dark September day," Kerry said in a statement. "We can do better. We must do better. And it's time to act ... now."

Democratic Party Platform released : July 20, 2004

Focuses on Homeland Security

The platform is highly critical of the war in Iraq, saying "The administration badly exaggerated its case, particularly with respect to weapons of mass destruction and the connection between Saddam's government and al-Qaida." The draft reflects Kerry's strategy, which has been to criticize handling of the war in Iraq but not appear soft on national security.

About half the platform focuses on national security, up from about 20 percent in the past. Kerry is trying to establish his credentials as a potential commander in chief. The platform calls for adding 40,000 new troops to maintain commitments abroad and doubling Special Forces that often are the first fighters in a war. It calls for strengthening America's position abroad, a Democratic swipe at a Bush foreign policy that has isolated the United States and angered allies.

The platform also wades into the contentious issue of gay marriage, opposing a constitutional amendment the president favors banning such unions, but not going as far as some gay, lesbian and transgender voters had hoped. It would continue letting states define marriage.

George W. Bush on Environment : July 15, 2004

Former Republican EPA director: "Bush's policy is polluter protection"

In 1988, Train was co-chairman of Conservationists for Bush, an organization that backed the candidacy of George W. Bush's father. Train spoke at an event organized by Environment2004, which opposes Bush's environmental record. He accused Bush of weakening the Clean Air Act and said the president's record falls short of those set by former Republican presidents, from Theodore Roosevelt, who advocated creating national parks and forests, to George H.W. Bush, who supported revised standards for clean air.

The Bush-Cheney campaign defended the president's record, saying states such as New Hampshire benefit from the president's Healthy Forests Initiative. They also argued that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions have dropped during the Bush administration.

John McCain on gay marriage : July 14, 2004

No Consitutional ban

McCain also said the amendment "will not be adopted by Congress this year, nor next year, nor any time soon until a substantial majority of Americans are persuaded that such a consequential action is as vitally important and necessary as the proponents feel it is today. The founders wisely made certain that the Constitution is difficult to amend and, as a practical political matter, can't be done without overwhelming public approval. And thank God for that," he said.

The proposed amendment will likely die Wednesday in the Senate if GOP leaders cannot muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a procedural hurdle that would allow them to move it to the floor. With most Democrats and a number of moderate Republicans opposed, clearing that hurdle is considered unlikely. McCain said he would side with opponents of the amendment on the procedural vote in order to make clear to his constituents that he is against the amendment itself.

Bush, who defeated McCain for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, has championed the amendment, saying it is necessary to defend the institution of marriage from "activist judges." Social conservatives have been pushing hard for the measure since May, when Massachusetts' highest court legalized same-sex marriages in the Bay State. But McCain argued on the Senate floor that there are "far less draconian" remedies, including the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act -- which defined marriage for purposes of federal law as a union between a man and a woman and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states -- and state constitutional amendments limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. "What evidence do we have that states are incapable of further exercising an authority they have exercised successfully for over 200 years?" McCain said. "We will have to wait a little longer to see if Armageddon has arrived."

Ashcroft: Patriot Act is laser-guided weapon : July 14, 2004

Dems question whether Patriot Act should be sunsetted

But some Democrats in Congress -- including those who helped write the legislation -- said there remains too little oversight to prevent abuses of civil liberties. Others expressed concern that many of the crimes that have been uncovered via the new powers were not associated with terrorism; instead, law enforcement has frequently used the act to bring charges such as child pornography and kidnapping. "The attorney general's report is no substitute for thoroughgoing Congressional oversight," Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. "The real issue now is how the Patriot Act should be improved to satisfy civil liberty concerns while keeping our country safe." The Patriot Act was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support following the 2001 attacks, but opposition to some of its provisions has grown since its passage. Republicans in Congress last week narrowly defeated a second attempt in the House of Representatives to overturn the provision that allows the federal government to review library records, a power that has alarmed privacy advocates.

In a Capitol Hill news conference, Ashcroft said the 29-page report shows how effective the Patriot Act has been: helping uncover terrorist cells in upstate New York and Oregon; leading to the indictments of individuals involved with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group; uncovering a case in Florida involving money laundering for a leftist terror group in Colombia; and a money-laundering case in New Jersey involving attempts to sell shoulder-fired missiles. "The Patriot Act has been our laser-guided weapon to prevent terrorist attacks," Ashcroft said. "This report is an unprecedented compilation of dozens of real life cases from across the country in which the FBI and other law enforcement officials have the tools of the Patriot Act to protect America's families and communities, and even to save lives."

Democrats were quick to say that many of their outstanding concerns about the act remained unanswered by the report. The report, for example, did not address some of the more controversial aspects of the law, such as the FBI's ability to obtain library records or "sneak and peek" search warrants, in which agents are not required to immediately inform suspects that their home or business has been searched. Representative John Conyers of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused the Justice Department of selectively releasing information that portrays the act in a positive light. "Coupled with the department's consistent record of exaggerating their record about terrorism, this entire report is suspect," he said in a statement.

Senate Intelligence Committee: No Iraqi WMDs : July 10, 2004

Bipartisan Committee says prewar estimates "unsupported"

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the leading Democrat on the 18-member panel, said that "bad information" was used to bolster the case for war. "We in Congress would not have authorized that war with 75 votes if we knew what we know now," the West Virginia Democrat said. "Leading up to September 11, our government didn't connect the dots. In Iraq, we are even more culpable because the dots themselves never existed."

Roberts listed several points emphasized in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate that were "overstated or "not supported by the raw intelligence reporting." Among these were that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear program, had chemical and biological weapons, and was developing an unmanned aerial vehicle, probably intended to deliver biological warfare agents.

Rockefeller said that the "intelligence failures" will haunt America's national security "for generations to come." "Our credibility is diminished. Our standing in the world has never been lower," he said. "We have fostered a deep hatred of Americans in the Muslim world, and that will grow. As a direct consequence, our nation is more vulnerable today than ever before."

Rockefeller said the administration's position was that Iraq stockpiled weapons and actively pursued a nuclear weapons program and that it "might use its alliances with terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, to use these weapons to strike at the United States." Rockefeller said that "no evidence existed of Iraq's complicity or assistance in al Qaeda's terrorist attacks, including 9/11."

Roberts said President Bush and Congress sent the country to war based on "flawed" information provided by the intelligence community. He said the panel concluded that the intelligence community suffered "from what we call a collective group think, which led analysts and collectors and managers to presume that Iraq had active and growing WMD programs." Roberts said this "group think caused the community to interpret ambiguous evidence, such as the procurement of dual-use technology, as conclusive evidence of the existence of WMD programs." Over and over, the report noted, analysts had exaggerated what they knew and left out, glossed over or simply dismissed dissenting views.

John Kerry picks John Edwards as running mate : July 6, 2004

Announces choice first by email

You are the heart and soul of our campaign. You've shattered records and expectations every step of the way. Every time someone said you couldn't do it, you proved them wrong. Because of your incredible grass roots energy and commitment, I wanted to make the first official announcement of my decision to you -- more than one million online supporters at johnkerry.com.

I want you to know why I'm excited about running for president with John Edwards by my side. John understands and defends the values of America. He has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class. In the Senate, he worked to reform our intelligence, to combat bioterrorism, and keep our military strong. John reaches across party lines and speaks to the heart of America -- hope and optimism. Throughout his own campaign for president, John spoke about the great divide in this country -- the "Two Americas"that exist between those who are doing well today and those that are struggling to make it from day to day. And I am so proud that we're going to build one America together.

In the next 120 days and in the administration that follows, John Edwards and I will be fighting for the America we love. We'll be fighting to give the middle class a voice by providing good paying jobs and affordable health care. We'll be fighting to make America energy independent. We'll be fighting to build a strong military and lead strong alliances, so young Americans are never put in harm's way because we insisted on going it alone.

John Kerry: Life begins at conception : July 5, 2004

But don't legislate that personal belief

''Vatican II is very clear. There is something called freedom of conscience in the Catholic Church," Kerry said. ''I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception. But I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist... who doesn't share it. We have separation of church and state in the United States of America."

While Kerry, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, has previously mentioned his personal discomfort with abortion, a database search of newspaper stories failed to find any previous reference to him saying that he believed life began at conception. A campaign spokeswoman said she also was unaware of him making the comment previously. It is that belief among conservatives both in and out of his church that leads them to oppose not only abortion, but also stem cell research -- which Kerry has said he favors and which Bush supports only in a limited fashion.

''John Kerry's ridiculous claim to hold 'conservative values,' and his willingness to change his beliefs to fit his audience, betrays a startling lack of conviction on important issues like abortion that will make it difficult for voters to give him their trust," said a Bush-Cheney spokesman.

David Cobb nominated as Green for President : June 30, 2004

Beats out Nader and Camejo

"I look forward to doing for the next four months what I've been doing for the past 8 months -- working to build and grow the Green Party, supporting local candidates and registering more Green voters," said David Cobb. Pat LaMarche, noting that the Cobb-LaMarche ticket features two candidates registered in the Green Party -- unlike the 2000 campaign -- said, "I'm proud that we have a Green Party ticket with Green candidates advancing a Green agenda."

"The six-month Green primary has produced a truly Green ticket," said the co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. "While a year ago, few predicted that a grassroots Green would emerge from the ranks of the party, David Cobb has proven that the party has developed a high level of political maturity and self-confidence. We look forward to working with the Cobb-LaMarche ticket in challenging voters to cast their votes for a better America."

Pat LaMarche nominated as Green for Vice President : June 30, 2004

Hints she may vote for Kerry

LaMarche, who won 7 percent of the vote when she was the Green Independent candidate for governor of Maine in 1998, said she'll vote for whoever has the best chance of beating Bush. But "if Bush has got 11 percent of the vote in Maine come November 2, I can vote for whoever I want," she said in an interview with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. And if the state is, as it is now, a toss-up between Bush and presumptive Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry? She could well vote for the Democrat.

"I love my country," she said. "Maybe we should ask them that, because if (Vice President) Dick Cheney loved his country, he wouldn't be voting for himself." A spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign said the vice president is certain to vote for his and Bush's re-election.

LaMarche rejects what she calls an incorrect perception that Nader cost Gore the presidency. She said 6 million Democrats voted for Bush, and there were many irregularities in the 2000 vote. "There are a million things that are rotten about that last election cycle," she said. When her party chose to run a candidate this year, she felt compelled to support the decision. "What we need right now is to make sure that the Green Party grows," she said.

Kerry touts higher education plan : June 29, 2004

One million more college graduates

About 2 million students will earn bachelor's and associate's degrees this year, according to Education Department statistics, and the number of students attaining those degrees each year is forecast to increase by almost 100,000 by 2010. Kerry's pledge would increase those gains tenfold. Kerry has already promised to increase college enrollment by 1.5 million students within five years of taking office.

Kerry often tells voters that tuition rates have gone up during Bush's presidency, making it harder for average American families to get by. Kerry has been seeking minority support for his campaign. Kerry's education plan emphasizes support for minority enrollments in college. He would require colleges to report to parents and students annual data on the number of minority, low-income and middle-income students enrolling and graduating.

Kerry says he'll make a special push to encourage students to study math, science and technology by spending $100 million more annually on scholarships for those fields and $20 million more than Bush requested to spend this year on programs in those areas at colleges with large minority enrollment.

Money for those programs would come from Kerry's plan to raise $30 billion, which he announced last week, by speeding the transition to digital television and auctioning off the space created on broadcast airwaves, his campaign said. Kerry says he will divide a $100 million incentive fund among colleges that increase graduation rates of low-income students receiving Pell Grants. And he says he'll offer $10 billion in federal relief for states they commit to keep tuition increases at or below the rate of inflation for two years.

Gore: "Bush intentionally misled America" : June 25, 2004

Calls for Bush to admit truth: no Saddam-al Qaeda connection

Gore accused both Cheney and Bush of deliberately misleading the public about the connections between Al Qaeda and Hussein. "If Iraq had nothing to do with the attack or the organization that attacked us, then that means the president took us to war when he didn't have to," Gore said. The president, he added, "is now intentionally misleading the American people by continuing to aggressively and brazenly assert a linkage between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein."

The president, Gore said, plays on Americans' fear of global terrorism to justify "his reinterpretation of the Constitution in ways that increase his personal power at the expense of Congress, the courts and every individual citizen." Gore reserved his most scathing remarks for what he called the "curious question of why Bush continues" to claim that "there was a working cooperation between Iraq and Al Qaeda." Citing the Sept. 11 commission staff's findings that no meaningful relationship existed, Gore described the president and the vice president as either lying or incompetent. "They dare not admit the truth, lest they look like complete fools for launching our country into a reckless, discretionary war against a nation that posed no immediate threat to us whatsoever," Gore said. "Whenever a chief executive spends prodigious amounts of energy convincing people of lies, he damages the fabric of democracy and the belief in the fundamental integrity of our self-government."

Jack Ryan withdraws from IL Senate race amid sex scandal : June 25, 2004

IL GOP seeking new opponent for Barack Obama

It is clear a vigorous debate on the issues could not take place if I remain in the race. What would take place rather is a brutal scorched-earth campaign, the kind of campaign that has turned off so many voters, the kind of politics I refuse to play.

Bill Clinton's My Life released : June 21, 2004

Instant best-seller at 957 pages

My Life is more likely to appeal to readers who want to celebrate a president who rose from modest roots, survived an abusive, alcoholic stepfather and developed an insatiable intellectual curiosity. At 957 pages, it's short on personal revelations, but long on every campaign Clinton waged, from Boys Nation to the White House. Everywhere he goes he makes friends and learns valuable lessons.

My Life is occasionally funny but rarely brief. (Its wisdom depends on your politics.) Clinton describes growing up among great storytellers, including his resilient mother and his uncle Buddy who "taught me that everyone has a story." But does Clinton have to tell them all? With Lewinsky he avoids details. He labels his behavior "immoral and foolish." He repeatedly argues that his impeachment had nothing to do with morality and everything to do with a right-wing grab for power. As angry as his wife was with him, he writes, she was angrier at special prosecutor Ken Starr. He also writes that "in politics, if you don't toot your own horn, it usually stays untooted."

There's much tooting here, from Clinton's economic success to the warning he describes giving President-elect Bush about Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Clinton adds, "He listened to what I had to say without much comment, then changed the subject to how I did my job."

I haven't listened to the abridged 6½-hour audio, read by Clinton, but I suspect that with skillful editing, it could be better than the overwritten book.

CT Governor John Rowland resigns : June 21, 2004

Avoids impeachment on corruption charges

State and federal authorities have been investigating the allegations, and a special House committee also has been considering whether to recommend Rowland's impeachment. The committee was scheduled to begin its third week of hearings later Monday but may now end those hearings, the co-chairman said Monday. The news comes several days after the state Supreme Court ruled that the legislative panel could compel the governor to testify.

Rowland was once the nation's youngest governor -- he was 37 when first elected in 1994 -- and considered a rising star in the GOP. He is a former chairman of the Republican Governors Association and was rumored to be considered for several positions in the Bush administration. But 2003 began badly for Rowland and rapidly descended into nightmare. Last March, Rowland's former deputy chief of staff, Lawrence Alibozek, pleaded guilty to federal charges he steered state business to certain contractors in exchange for gold and cash. That plea -- and the governor's subsequent acknowledgment that a federal grand jury had subpoenaed stacks of documents relating to several major projects and a politically connected contractor -- set the stage for a spring and summer of embarrassing revelations about discounted vacations he had taken at homes owned by people doing business with the state. In mid-December Rowland admitted he had lied about who paid for improvements to a one-story, lakeside cottage he purchased in 1997. Asked Dec. 2 about who paid for the work, Rowland insisted he and his wife, Patricia, had taken out several loans to cover the bills. Ten days later he issued a statement apologizing to the Capitol press corps and admitting friends, employees and some state contractors had paid for renovations, including a new heating system, a hot tub, work on the kitchen, ceiling and deck. But he said those helping him got nothing in return.

Only seven governors in U.S. history have been impeached and removed from office.

Kerry: Hike minimum wage to $7 : June 18, 2004

Focus on improving the financial standing of families

Kerry's proposal returns his attention to fiscal policies as the economy is rebounding under President Bush. In the midst of a two-week campaign swing focusing on ways to improve the financial standing of American families, Kerry cites statistics like rising bankruptcy rates and dropping wages as a share of national income. Yet he can no longer point to rising unemployment as the main evidence that Bush's economic leadership is failing. So far this year, 1.2 million jobs have been created, although there is still a net job loss of more than 1 million jobs since Bush took office.

Nader excluded from presidential debates : June 17, 2004

Debate commission "should be stripped of their non-profit status"

However, only candidates who score at least 15 percent support in an average of five national polls by the time of the first debate will be invited. Nader's current support is at about half the required level, making it likely that he will be excluded, as he was in 1996 and 2000, when he was the Green Party candidate. "This commission is a political organization designed to support the two major parties and shut out third party and independent candidates," Nader said in a written statement. "We need to reinvigorate our democracy by having real debates -- not joint press conferences designed to limit the voices heard by voters."

In May, a group of former third-party presidential candidates, including Nader and Pat Buchanan, and three small political parties sued the Federal Elections Commission, demanding that it decertify the Commission on Presidential Debates. The FEC was sued because it earlier dismissed a similar complaint filed by the excluded candidates, who argued that the commission is a partisan group designed to further the interests of Democrats and Republicans. Nader said the debate commission "should be stripped of their non-profit status, and television networks who work with them should realize they are working with a political organization, not an educational organization."

Under the schedule released Thursday:
• The first presidential debate would take place September 30 at the University of Miami in Florida, focusing on domestic issues.
• The vice-presidential candidates would be up next, debating October 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
• The second debate among presidential hopefuls, at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, October 8, would take on a town hall format.
• The third and final presidential debate would focus on foreign policy. It would be held October 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

9/11 Panel: No al Qaeda, Saddam link : June 15, 2004

Bin Laden sponsored anti-Saddam Kurds

"The Sudanese, to protect their own ties with Iraq, reportedly persuaded bin Laden to cease this support and arranged for contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda." A senior Iraqi intelligence officer reportedly made three visits to Sudan, finally meeting bin Laden in 1994.

Bin Laden is said to have requested space to establish training camps, as well as assistance in procuring weapons, but Iraq apparently never responded. "There have been reports that contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda also occurred after bin Laden had returned to Afghanistan, but they do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship," the report said.

"Two senior bin Laden associates associates have adamantly denied" any relationship, the report said. The report also found that there was no "convincing evidence that any government financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11" other than the limited support provided by the Taliban when bin Laden arrived in Afghanistan. It found that Saudi Arabia was a rich fund-raising ground for al Qaeda, but that it had found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior officials within the Saudi government funded al Qaeda.

The commission, which is scheduled to release its final report on the attacks at the end of July, is holding its last hearings Wednesday and Thursday. Commission chairman Thomas Kean told CNN that the panel would focus on learning more about bin Laden's terrorist network. "We want to know why these people hate us so much. We're going to follow some of these conspirators from one step to the other as they plan the attack. Then we're going to turn to the response. What did our leaders do? What decisions did they have to make? How did they get planes in the air? How did they do all those things? Mistakes were made on both sides," Kean said.

Bush stands by al Qaeda, Saddam link : June 15, 2004

Cheney too: Saddam had "long-established ties" with Al Qaeda

Vice President Dick Cheney, in a speech Monday in Florida, raised eyebrows by reasserting claims that Saddam "had long-established ties with al Qaeda." Bush said Tuesday that Saddam also had ties to Palestinian militant groups and was making payments to the families of suicide bombers in Israel. "We did the absolute right thing in removing him from power, and the world is better off with him not in power," he said. Bush has tried to portray the war in Iraq as the "central front" in the war on terrorism that began with al Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

John Kerry: Support stem cell research : June 12, 2004

Bush/Cheney: "Build the culture of life"

The Bush-Cheney campaign defended the president's record on stem cell research as ensuring that it is conducted "in ways that respect human dignity and help build the culture of life." A campaign spokesman said, "Under President Bush's thoughtful leadership, for the first time federal dollars are supporting human embryonic stem cell research consistent with the ethical guidelines" he put in place. Bush signed an executive order in August 2001 that limited federal help to financing stem cell research on 78 embryonic stem cell lines then in existence. Because day-old embryos are destroyed when stem cells are extracted, the process is opposed by some conservatives who link it to abortion.

Kerry said stem cells "have the power to slow the loss of a grandmother's memory, calm the hand of an uncle with Parkinson's, save a child from a lifetime of daily insulin shots or permanently lift a best friend from his wheelchair." Shortly before Reagan's death, Kerry and 57 other senators asked Bush to relax the restrictions, and Mrs. Reagan has long argued that using stem cells from embryos could lead to cures for a number of diseases. "If we pursue the limitless potential of our science, and trust that we can use it wisely, we will save millions of lives and earn the gratitude of future generations," Kerry said.

Powell: Government terrorism report was incorrect : June 11, 2004

Terrorism attacks and victims rose in 2003; report said they fell

The finding however was criticized by academics and intelligence analysts, who said a number of terrorist attacks were omitted, including attacks in Turkey and Chechnya that claimed several hundred lives. Mr. Powell denied accusations that the data had been manipulated for political gain. The secretary said mistakes by a new terrorism data collection office contributed to an undercount of attacks.

Ashcroft memo approved some prisoner torture : June 9, 2004

"Ban on torture does not apply to war on terror"

[Situations like the prisoner torture at Abu Ghraib prison] "is what directly results when you have that kind of memo out there," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. "And it's all because of executive authority and executive power."

Republicans, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah, endeavored to praise Ashcroft and defend the president while avoiding any tacit endorsement of torture as a legitimate means of interrogation. "We live in a dangerous world and our commander-in-chief must have the proper amount of authority to act decisively to protect the public," said Hatch. "As well, we need more discussion about where and by whom the line should be drawn between permissible aggressive interrogation techniques, and when interrogation becomes torture and whether torture is ever justified."

the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, charged that Ashcroft simply wants more power for "increasing secrecy and lessening accountability" at the Justice Department, and he said the advice on the permissibility of torturing terrorist suspects demonstrates the continuing pattern of trampling on civil liberties. "Interrogation techniques approved by the Department of Justice have led to abuses that have tarnished our nation's reputation and driven hundreds, if not thousands of new recruits to join our enemies, the terrorists," said Leahy.

Ashcroft said because the al-Qaida terrorist network is not a "high contracting party" to the international treaties known as the Geneva Conventions that prohibit physical abuse of prisoners of war, the treaties' protections do not apply to members of the militant Islamic group.

But Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, retorted that "there's a reason why we sign these treaties -- it's to protect my son in the military" in the event he is ever captured by enemy forces. Several Democrats said Aschroft's refusal to show the torture policy memos to members of the congressional panel charged with Justice Department oversight bordered on contempt of Congress, which if prosecuted and convicted can result in punishment of up to one year imprisonment and/or a $1,000 fine. "Y'all better come up with a good rationale [not to release the memos] or otherwise it's contempt of Congress," Biden warned Ashcroft.

Ronald Reagan dies : June 6, 2004

Bush announces national mourning

We are blessed to live in a Nation, and a world, that have been shaped by the will, the leadership, and the vision of Ronald Reagan. With an unshakable faith in the values of our country and the character of our people, Ronald Reagan renewed America's confidence and restored our Nation. His optimism, strength, and humility epitomized the American spirit. He always told us that for America the best was yet to come.

Ronald Reagan believed that God takes the side of justice and that America has a special calling to oppose tyranny and defend freedom. Through his courage and determination, he enhanced America's security and advanced the spread of peace, liberty, and democracy to millions of people who had lived in darkness and oppression. As America's president, Ronald Reagan helped change the world. President Reagan has left us, but he has left us stronger and better. We take comfort in the knowledge that he has left us for a better place, the shining city that awaits him.

In honor and tribute to the memory of Ronald Reagan, and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the flag of the United States be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all buildings, grounds, and Naval vessels of the United States for a period of 30 days from the day of his death. I do further appoint Friday, June 11, 2004, as a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States.

Reinstate the draft? : June 1, 2004

Rumsfeld says No, some legislators say Yes

"I don't know anyone in the executive branch of the government who believes it would be appropriate or necessary," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said again recently. Recent polling indicates four out of five Americans surveyed oppose resuming the draft, which would appear to seal its fate as a dead issue during an election year.

Still, lawmakers keep questioning whether perhaps a draft may be needed, even as proposed legislation on it goes nowhere. Analysts say there are two main reasons the idea keeps coming back. One is that even with its 1.4 million active-duty volunteers and thousands more reservists, the United States seems to have too few troops for the wars it is fighting. The other is a kind of guilt that the cost of the wars is being paid by very few Americans.

Rumsfeld says the high amount of military activity now probably is temporary — "a spike." But even if most troops come out of Iraq within several years, the war against al-Qaeda and other terror networks could last decades. And there is no predicting how many more sizable military campaigns there might be over that time.

"If we in fact, as the president says and I agree, are in a generational war here against terrorism, it's going to require resources," says Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel. "The mission must match the resources."

And there is also the question of who bears the burden. That's a point repeatedly made by another draft supporter, Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription. "Who is doing all of the fighting?" Hagel asked. "Should we continue to burden the middle class who represents most all of our soldiers, and the lower middle class ... burden them with the fighting and the dying if in fact this is a generational — probably 25-year war?" "It's not a shared burden," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., noting that most Americans have sacrificed little through the Afghan and Iraq wars.

Al Gore speaks out on Iraq War : May 27, 2004

Calls for Rumsfeld's resignation

Besides calling for the defeat of President Bush and Vice President Cheney this November, Gore called for the immediate resignation of six top administration officials: National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, CIA Director George Tenet, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, along with top Rumsfeld deputies Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, and Stephen Cambone. Altogether, Gore accused the administration of implementing "twisted values and atrocious policies at the highest levels of our government."

In response, the Republican National Committee released a statement saying Gore had been vice president for eight years in which "Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States five times and terrorists killed U.S. citizens on at least four different occasions." The statement continued: "Al Gore's attacks on the president today demonstrate that he either does not understand the threat of global terror, or he has amnesia."

Finally, Gore singled out one non-government official for attack: conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. The former vice president called on President Bush to "condemn" Limbaugh, whom Gore called "perhaps [the president's] strongest political supporter."

Limbaugh, speaking on his radio program, said he found it odd to be included among the administration officials named by Gore. "I have never seen a media figure targeted much the same way the president of the United States is being targeted," Limbaugh said, "and now the president of the United States, who's got really important things to do, has been told or challenged by Gore to condemn me."

Kerry's Energy Plan : May 25, 2004

$10B for fuel-efficient vehicles

Bush emphasizes increased drilling for domestic oil and gas to help wean the country from reliance on foreign energy sources and has proposed billions of dollars in tax incentives to accelerate the development of hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles. The president also supports opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling; Kerry opposes that.

A Bush spokesman said Kerry has voted against proposals that would lower gas costs and in favor of higher gas taxes. Kerry's campaign said Bush's mishandling of the war in Iraq has contributed to the increase in gas prices.

Bush 5-step plan on Iraq : May 25, 2004

Transfer sovereignty; bring in UN; elections in 2005

• The first of these steps will occur next month when our coalition will transfer full sovereignty to a government of Iraqi citizens who will prepare the way for national elections. On June 30, the coalition provisional authority will cease to exist and will not be replaced. The occupation will end and Iraqis will govern their own affairs.

• The second step in the plan for Iraqi democracy is to help establish the stability and security that democracy requires. Coalition forces and the Iraqi people have the same enemies: the terrorists, illegal militia and Saddam loyalists, who stand between the Iraqi people and their future as a free nation. Working as allies, we will defend Iraq and defeat these enemies.

• The third step in the plan for Iraqi democracy is to continue rebuilding that nation's infrastructure so that a free Iraq can quickly gain economic independence and a better quality of life. Our coalition has already helped Iraqis to rebuild schools and refurbish hospitals and health clinics, repair bridges, upgrade the electrical grid and modernize the communications system. And now a growing private economy is taking shape. A new currency has been introduced. Iraq's governing council approved a new law that opens the country to foreign investment for the first time in decades. Iraq has liberalized its trade policy. And today an Iraqi observer attends meetings of the World Trade Organization. Iraqi oil production has reached more than two million barrels per day, bringing revenues of nearly $6 billion so far this year, which is being used to help the people of Iraq.

• The fourth step in our plan is to enlist additional international support for Iraq's transition. At every stage the United States has gone to the United Nations: to confront Saddam Hussein, to promise serious consequences for his actions and to begin Iraqi reconstruction. Today the United States and Great Britain presented a new resolution in the Security Council to help move Iraq toward self-government. Despite past disagreements, most nations have indicated strong support for the success of a free Iraq. And I'm confident they will share in the responsibility of assuring that success.

• The fifth and most important step is free national elections to be held no later than next January. A United Nations team headed by Karina Pirelli is now in Iraq helping form an independent election commission that will oversee an orderly, accurate national election. In that election the Iraqi people will choose a transitional national assembly, the first freely elected, truly representative national governing body in Iraq's history. This assembly will serve as Iraq's legislature and it will choose a transitional government with executive powers. The transitional national assembly will also draft a new constitution, which will be presented to the Iraqi people in a referendum scheduled for the fall of 2005. Under this new constitution Iraq will elect a permanent government by the end of next year.

Hillary Clinton on Iraq : May 23, 2004

Send in more troops

U.S. SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM, R-SC: Well, send in more troops, absolutely. I think we need more people in the military. When I went to Iraq last year, you could see that there was a lot of ammo dumps that needed to be guarded. Forty percent of the people, by the end of the year, are going to be Guard and Reserve members. And we're moving people out of Korea. So I thought for a long time that we needed more people, but when your combat commanders tell the secretary of defense we have enough, then, you know, what's the secretary of defense to do? But it's clear to me, not just Iraq, but when you look at Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea and all of the obligations of this country, we're putting too much pressure on the men and women in uniform. We need more of them, sooner rather than later.

U.S. SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, D-NY: And I agree with that 100 percent. And, you know, I reached the same conclusions when I was there last year. And a number of us on the Armed Services Committee have been sounding this alarm, not only asking that we get more troops in Iraq, and in Afghanistan I would add, but that we have to face the fact we need a larger active- duty military. We cannot continue to stretch our troops, both active- duty, Guard and Reserve, to the breaking point, which is what we're doing now.

Q: 25,000 more troops, 50,000? Give me a scale of order.

CLINTON: Well, the way I would talk about this is that, at this point, General Abizaid has asked for additional troops, and we're going to see those troops brought in, some from Korea. We're going to end up with what the last number was, 140,000. That's fine, but it's still late, and it's been a little slow. I'm supporting an effort to increase the end strength of the Army, increase the size of the military. This is a big decision for our country to make. It is expensive, but I don't think we have any alternatives. We talk a lot about the global war on terrorism. We have faced some very difficult times in Iraq. We did not go in with enough troops, in my opinion. I might have a slight disagreement with my colleague that I think that there was such a clear message from the top of the Pentagon, "Don't ask for more troops," that our commanders are very resourceful, they're incredibly professional, they did the best they could with what they had. But many people with a lot of experience, like John McCain and others, from the very beginning have been saying we can't do this mission with the numbers we have.

Kerry: no abortion litmus test for judges : May 20, 2004

Roe v. Wade litmus test only applies when Court is 5-4

On the Supreme Court, Kerry said he has voted in favor of "any number of judges who are pro-life or pro-something else that I may not agree with," some of whom were nominated by Republican presidents. "Do they have to agree with me on everything? No," Kerry said. Asked if they must agree with his abortion-rights views, he quickly added, "I will not appoint somebody with a 5-4 court who's about to undo Roe v. Wade. I've said that before. But that doesn't mean that if that's not the balance of the court I wouldn't be prepared ultimately to appoint somebody to some court who has a different point of view. I've already voted for people like that. I voted for Judge Scalia."

Aides said later that "some court" was not a reference to the Supreme Court, only lower federal benches. In his clarifying statement, Kerry said, "I will not appoint anyone to the Supreme Court who will undo that right" to an abortion. But a Bush spokesman said Kerry was trying to have it both ways. He noted Kerry's promise during the primaries to nominate to the high court only those individuals who support abortion rights. "John Kerry's reversal today on appointing pro-choice judges shows a startling lack of conviction on an issue that someone seeking the presidency should approach with principled clarity," the Bush aide said. Kerry said he regrets his vote for Scalia, saying he didn't see at the time of the vote in 1986 "such a level of ideology and partisanship" that he now sees in the justice.

Mass. Gov. Romney on same-sex marriages : May 19, 2004

No out-of-state gay marriages allowed

The legal strategy emerged as Romney demanded copies of marriage license applications issued in Provincetown, Somerville, Worcester and Springfield, the four cities municipalities that are defying his order. A Romney spokeswoman said only that "marriages performed outside the law will be null and void." Romney, for the second day in a row, kept an extremely low profile yesterday.

Romney has interpreted a 1913 law as prohibiting the granting of marriage licenses to residents of states that do not permit gay couples to marry. Lawyers said yesterday that Romney could use the forms as evidence to prosecute clerks, for knowingly issuing the applications to out-of-state residents even though, as he interprets the 1913 law, those applications are not legal. Or he could use them to instruct the state Registrar to refuse to record the marriages of out-of-state couples, making it difficult for them to apply for benefits associated with marriages in their home states, such as health insurance and Social Security benefits. Under the 1913 law, the state cannot grant marriage licenses to couples if their marriages would be "void" in their home states. Reilly has interpreted that law to apply only to residents of the 38 states which have specific prohibitions on gay marriage. Romney has interpreted it to apply to residents of all 49 other states, since none of them specifically permit gay marriage.

Supporters of gay marriage say the 1913 law has been dusted off by Romney specifically to block gay marriages, and that it is being improperly and unfairly applied in this case. "Someone should tell him he's the governor of Massachusetts, not of the United States," said the chair of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus. "This is grossly inappropriate, to waste his time and taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt against gay people." Meanwhile, gay and lesbian couples continued to go to city and town halls today to apply for licenses, but they did so in far fewer numbers and with less fanfare than yesterday, the first day of legalized gay marriage in the state.

Kerry-Dean ticket? : May 18, 2004

Dean says No, will instead help Kerry and "Dean Dozen"

Dean has put a lot of effort in recent months into his latest project - Democracy for America, formerly Dean for America. The new project is about empowering people, Dean said, much like his campaign for presidency intended. Democracy for America endorses the "Dean's dozen," a list of candidates from all over the country running grassroots campaigns that Dean feels will help bring the government back to the people.

The first thing that's going to happen if Kerry wins, Dean said, is balancing the budget and passing a health insurance bill, guaranteeing coverage for all Americans. Dean is also confident that Kerry will solve the situation in Iraq. Dean would not state with any specificity what his plans for the future are, but said, "Whatever I do will be consistent with the goals of Democracy for America, which is about empowering people. Action is always better than apathy."

Kerry-McCain ticket? : May 18, 2004

McCain says No, Kerry offers Secy of Defense post

McCain, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and in line to take over the Senate Armed Services panel in two years, endorsed Biden's call for bridging the political gap between Democrats and Republicans. ''There's too much partisanship in America, and there's too much partisanship in the Senate," he said. ''And we're not doing our job as our constituents expect us to do." ''I will always take anyone's phone calls," McCain said of any call he might get from Kerry, a fellow decorated Vietnam War veteran. ''But I will not, I categorically will not do it."

Kerry said Wednesday that McCain would be his first choice to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld, President Bush's secretary of defense. Rumsfeld is now wrestling with the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal

Kerry: US schools still 'separate and unequal' : May 17, 2004

Bush: US schools still 'not equal in opportunity and excellence'

Both candidates agreed that more needs to be done to reach the goal of educational opportunity for all. On the campaign trail, Kerry advocates more federal spending on education; Bush stresses his support for standardized testing and local control of schools. "While our schools are no longer segregated by law, they are still not equal in opportunity and excellence," Bush said. "Justice requires more than a place in a school. Justice requires that every school teach every child in America. The habits of racism in America have not all been broken," he said. "The habits of respect must be taught to every generation. Laws against racial discrimination must be vigorously enforced in education and housing and hiring and public accommodations."

Kerry told his audience that Bush deserves part of the blame for inequality in education. He criticized the president for failing to push for full funding to carry out the 2002 No Child Left Behind law. "You cannot promise no child left behind and then pursue policies that leave millions of children behind every single day," Kerry said, calling the new law "a promissory note to all of America's families that must be paid in full. Today, more than ever, we need to renew our commitment to one America," Kerry said. "We should not delude ourselves into thinking that we have reached our goal."

Powell: Evidence presented to UN was deliberately misleading : May 17, 2004

"I was misled by CIA on Iraq"

The elaborate United Nations presentation, where Powell, backed by CIA Director George Tenet, alleged that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction, has tarnished the former four-star general's legacy and credibility. Among the now-discredited intelligence Powell was assured was accurate was a discredited defector's insistence that Saddam had mobile weapons factories. After freezing Powell out for much of the decision-making in Iraq, the administration in recent weeks has increasingly turned to him to help clean up the ever-increasing mess.

Kerry Again Opposes Same-Sex Marriage : May 15, 2004

On eve of his state's first same sex marriage, Kerry says No

Yet Kerry has taken several positions on the issue: He voted against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union only of a man and woman, saying it amounted to gay-bashing. Kerry has opposed President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage but said in February that he favors such a ban in Massachusetts.

"If the Massachusetts legislature crafts an appropriate amendment that provides for partnership and civil unions, then I would support it, and it would advance the goal of equal protection," he told the Boston Globe. Kerry's careful line is likely to come under increasing scrutiny as Massachusetts becomes the first state to sanction gay marriages, under a ruling by the state's Supreme Judicial Court. Massachusetts's capital, Boston, is also the site of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in late July.

Kerry's apparent discomfort with the issue showed at a news conference yesterday at his campaign headquarters in Washington. Asked by a reporter what he would say "on a personal level" to same-sex couples married in his state, Kerry said: "It's not my job to start parceling advice on something personal like that. I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and in extending our rights under the Constitution in a nondiscriminatory manner." Asked if he would offer his congratulations to the newly married, Kerry replied: "I obviously wish everyone happiness. I want everyone to feel fulfilled and happy in their lives. The way to do that is by respecting every citizen's rights under the Constitution."

Republicans are likely to tie worldwide publicity over the state's action to Kerry in an effort to paint him as a northeastern liberal who is out of touch with the values of the rest of the country. Polls show a majority of Americans, including many Democrats, opposed to granting full marital status to same-sex couples. Yesterday, Bush campaign officials said Kerry's statements reinforce their portrait of him as inconsistent on major issues. "This represents his typical pattern of confusing and contradictory statements," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. Gay and lesbian groups, however, said they enthusiastically support Kerry after meeting with him yesterday. "His commitment to equality and fairness to all Americans, including gay and lesbian Americans, is real," said one participant

Rep. Nadler: Inequality for same-sex partners is "gratuitous cruelty" : June 2004

Rep. Smith: Same-sex marriage is unhealthy and unnatural

The subcommittee chairman is Lamar Smith (R, TX), whose views on homosexuality aren't a secret. He recently wrote that "same-sex marriage, and the lifestyle that accompanies it, should not be endorsed because it is unhealthy and unnatural."

Nader Wins Endorsement From Reform Party : May 12, 2004

Party of Perot and Buchanan ensures ballot status in 7 states

Nader has struggled to win ballot access in some early states, such as Texas, where a deadline passed Monday without him collecting enough signatures to appear on the ballot. Nader filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging the signature requirement in Texas. Nader also missed an early opportunity to get on Oregon's ballot, although he has time to try again. In Florida, Nader faced the daunting task of collecting more than 92,000 signatures to gain ballot access. If he runs as the Reform Party's candidate, he will not need any signatures.

The Reform Party claims more than 1 million active members, but has been plagued by infighting and lost membership since it was founded by billionaire Ross Perot in 1992. Perot won 19 percent of the vote when he ran for president in 1992 and 8 percent in 1996. In 2000, conservative maverick Pat Buchanan and rival John Hagelin both claimed the party mantle at competing national conventions. Buchanan was declared the true nominee after a legal challenge, but garnered less than 1 percent of the vote nationally. Some accused Buchanan of trying to bend the party's politics to the right and the party lost membership, with some large groups splintering into other organizations.

Nader had courted Reform Party leaders since March, a spokesperson said. Six other lesser-known candidates sought the party's nod. Nader also would consider gaining ballot access through other third-party political organizations that might endorse him.

Bush imposes sanctions on Syria : May 11, 2004

No exports and no flights: Syria labeled terrorist state

Syrian exports to the United States are not banned by the president's order, but State Department officials said American oil companies would be hard-pressed to keep operating in Syria because they would not be able to import equipment from their American factories. Syria is not a major producer, but exploration for oil and natural gas is a priority because its known reserves are running out. Diplomatic relations with Syria were not severed. One reason, State Department officials said, was to keep the door open to any prospect of Syria participating in Middle East peacemaking. Trade with Syria already was limited by sanctions imposed because Syria is one of seven countries branded supporters of terror by the State Department. Bush's order will cut even deeper.

The president chose not to take other, more drastic action under the Syria Accountability Act, such as economic sanctions that would have barred U.S. companies from doing business in the Middle Eastern country. The act bars U.S. exports to Syria of dual-use items that could have military applications. It also requires Bush to choose at least two of six possible economic or diplomatic sanctions. From the list, Bush chose the export ban and the prohibition on flights. The United States is sending "a loud and clear message to the leaders of Syria that we will no longer turn a blind eye to their transgressions," said Rep. Eliot Engel, who co-authored the legislation with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. "The ball is now in Damascus' court."

Syria provided the United States with intelligence on al-Qaida after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Though some U.S. officials have played down the importance of that, the cooperation probably discouraged the administration from imposing sanctions that would have reduced diplomatic contacts. Despite its criticism of Syria, the Bush administration initially saw the legislation as a restraint on its diplomatic options. Even after a provision was included that enabled Bush to waive any penalties, the president demonstrated his lack of enthusiasm by signing the bill without any fanfare.

Bush: $6B available for education funds for states : May 10, 2004

Kerry: Establish $200B education trust fund

Signed in 2003, the No Child Left Behind education law was the centerpiece of Bush's domestic policy agenda. It mandated tough testing and gives all students until 2014 to become proficient in reading and math. The legislation had bipartisan backing initially, but has run into opposition from Democrats who claim Bush is enforcing the law on the cheap by holding schools accountable for big gains without enough money to succeed. Administration officials dispute that, saying states and school districts had not tapped some $6 billion in education funding that was available at the start of the year. Last month, the administration announced it was easing some testing and other provisions of the law that required teachers to have a degree or be certified in every subject they teach.

Kerry, a Massachusetts senator who voted for No Child Left Behind, now says he sees problems with the legislation and wants changes, mainly in the way student progress is measured. During a three-day education tour of his own last week to Minnesota, New Mexico and California, Kerry vowed that 1 million more students would graduate high school if he is elected. Kerry wants to roll back Bush's tax cuts for people making more than $200,000 a year and use some of the money to create a $200 billion education trust fund over 10 years. Kerry says about half the money would be used to fully fund No Child Left Behind. He also pledged to channel $30 billion over 10 years to improve teacher pay as well as raise teaching standards, including bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who teach math and science or work in high-need schools.

Bush visited El Dorado, Ark., last month to advocate other education changes. He called for broad changes to a $1 billion vocational training program, and for the creation of $5,000 grants for poor students who emphasize math and science, a $100 million annual program to be paid for by imposing new restrictions on Pell Grants and by tapping private foundations. Bush also proposed requiring high-school seniors in every state to take national math and English tests that currently are mandated only for fourth- and eighth-graders.

Response to Iraqi prison torture photos : May 10, 2004

Senators from both parties criticize Rumsfeld

As they spoke, a series of new photographs came to light of U.S. military personnel using German shepherd guard dogs to threaten and apparently attack a naked Iraqi prisoner last December at Abu Ghraib prison, where other publicized cases of abuse were photographed and videotaped. Although no pictures depicting murder have become public, military investigators are looking into at least two apparent slayings by prison guards since December 2002 and 10 more Iraqi deaths, as well as 10 assaults, at detention facilities under the control of Central Command.

Particularly tough criticism of the Pentagon's actions came from two Republicans on the armed services and intelligence committees, Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.). Graham said that "it's clear to me that we had systemic failure" within the military and that "we just don't want a bunch of privates and sergeants to be the scapegoats here." Hagel said that "it's still in question whether... Rumsfeld can command the respect and the trust and the confidence of the military," because of the continuing prison abuse revelations.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John W. Warner (R-Va.) made clear that officials face additional grilling. He plans to chair a hearing tomorrow at which the Pentagon's top intelligence official and Central Command officers who oversee the conflict in Iraq are to testify. An Army report on the abuses said the guards were pressured into harming the Iraqis by military intelligence officers. Warner also said he expects the Pentagon to surrender today or tomorrow a full copy of the military's scathing internal report. The report, completed in February, was classified "Secret/No Foreign Dissemination". Annexes to the report, which contain testimony about the abuses and documentary evidence, have remained classified and inaccessible to anyone outside the military. Warner said he was "not able to answer" questions about when the data will be made public.

Neither Graham nor any other Republican lawmaker called yesterday for Rumsfeld to resign, but their statements of support were guarded. Warner said: "I want to support our president. The president says he's going to stay." Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that he thinks "it would be terribly premature to call for his resignation at this time." At the same time, McCain castigated those who wrongly, in his view, blurred the distinction between terrorists and detained Iraqis. "I think there was some blurring there that may have accounted" for the abusive actions by U.S. military personnel against Iraqis, he said. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) expressed unalloyed support for Rumsfeld, saying that "you can't give a person who is managing a 2.5 million-member armed forces across the world the responsibility for what happens at 2:30 in the morning in a remote prison in Iraq."

Many Democrats, including Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.), the presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), have said Rumsfeld should go. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), a member of the intelligence panel, said that Rumsfeld, "for the good of this nation, needs to step forward and say, 'As an important act to show we are changing courses... I am stepping down.' That would be an act of patriotism." A similar statement was made by retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark, a former Democratic presidential aspirant who also said the Iraqi people are likely -- due to these abuses and other problems -- to force a "catastrophic early end to this mission." But two other Democrats who have criticized the administration's handling of the conflict -- Sen. Carl M. Levin (Mich.) and Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.) -- said they worried that Rumsfeld's resignation, by itself, would make little difference because, they believe, the administration's policies are so flawed.

Bush asks for $25 billion more for War on Terror : May 6, 2004

Brings total cost to $191 billion

Bush included no war funding in his fiscal 2005 budget, and he had hoped to avoid such a request until after the November election, fearing a divisive debate over the war's conduct and future, Republican congressional aides said. Congress has approved two wartime emergency spending laws totaling $166 billion -- including $149 billion for Iraq. But in recent weeks, military officials publicly stated that U.S. forces were experiencing financial problems and would be likely to run out of money even before Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The White House conceded yesterday that the $25 billion it is seeking is likely to be only the first installment. "We will pursue a full FY 2005 supplemental request when we can better estimate precise costs," Bush said. House and Senate budget negotiators already agreed to include $50 billion in the budget blueprint for 2005, but defense experts say even that amount will fall short. Rep. David Obey (Wis.), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said that with the cost of securing embassies and building a new embassy in Iraq, the cost would reach $75 billion. Indeed, Republican and Democratic aides on the Appropriations committees said yesterday that the big fight will be over holding the request to the president's level. For weeks, Republicans and Democrats have been imploring Bush to send up a war request before the military is forced to juggle different accounts to fund combat operations.

Kerry unveils education plan : May 6, 2004

"A Great Teacher for Every Child"

This is what John Kerry will offer:
• Recruit great teachers by raising pay where we need them the most, as well as scholarships and loan forgiveness through a new teacher corps;
• Retain teachers through better preparation and support, including holding schools of education accountable for improved results, and offering more mentoring on the job; and
• Increase parental involvement using new technology and proven successes.

This is what John Kerry will ask:
• Require all new teachers to pass rigorous entry tests;
• Require fair, fast procedures for improving or replacing teachers who do not perform;
• Require greater pay for teachers who excel in participating schools, including excellence that is demonstrated through improved student performance.
• Provide more support for schools to turn around and more rewards when they do.

Nader on Corporate Crime : May 6, 2004

Twelve steps for a corporate crime crackdown

1. Increase Corporate Crime Prosecution Budgets
2. Ban Corporate Criminals from Government Contracts
3. Crack Down on Corporate Tax Avoidance
4. Democratize Corporate Governance
5. Expand Corporate Disclosure
6. Rein in Excessive Executive Pay
7. Fix the Pension System
8. Restore the Rights of Defrauded Investors
9. Regulate Derivatives Trading
10. End Conflicts of Interest on Wall Street
11. Track the Extent and Cost of Corporate Crime
12. Foster a National Discussion on Corporate Power

Nader on marijuana legalization : May 5, 2004

License US farmers to grow industrial hemp

Nader on Government Reform : May 3, 2004

Allow 16-year-olds to vote

Film about Bush's role in Sept. 11 banned : May 6, 2004

Disney won't release "Fahrenheit 911"

Moore said media companies such as Disney must allow all voices to be heard. "We live in a free and open society where dissent is not to be stifled or silenced. They have violated that trust," he said. The documentary maker said he hoped to find a new distributor so the film, entitled "Fahrenheit 911," could be released in the United States this year. "The good news is that internationally we already have distributors in much of the world. So it will be seen outside of America for sure some time this year," Moore told CNN. "But I hope it doesn't happen where an American film maker makes a film about America and it can't be seen in America.

The film -- which links Bush with powerful Saudi families, including that of Osama bin Laden -- is set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival in France later this month. In a written statement, Disney said "Moore has had and continues to have every opportunity to either find another distributor or distribute the film himself."

Moore won an Oscar for best documentary feature at last year's Academy Awards for his film "Bowling for Columbine." His acceptance speech, in which he lit into Bush, the 2000 election and the Iraq war, earned applause as well as boos.

Bush and Cheney provide restricted testimony about 9/11 : April 29, 2004

No recordings, no transcripts, no oath required

The panel will quiz Bush and Cheney on a wide range of topics, including whether the administration could have done more to combat al Qaeda in early 2001 and whether it should have been better prepared for a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, according to commission officials. Bush and Cheney are also expected to be questioned closely about the events of the day of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, several commission officials said. Panel investigators have discovered evidence that casts doubt on several official narratives that emerged about that day. One focuses on early White House statements that Bush initially did not return to Washington on Sept. 11 because he was told the White House received a phone call saying that Air Force One was a target. The caller is said to have used a classified code word, "angel," for the aircraft. The investigators have looked into the story and found no evidence of any such call, according to a source familiar with the staff findings who asked for anonymity because the information was not supposed to be disclosed.

Panel investigators have assembled a list of questions for Bush and Cheney that commission members have agreed to ask, according to several commission officials. Panel members will be free to ask questions on their own, officials said. "It's essentially the same set of questions that we asked President Clinton with one exception, which is just what happened on the day of September 11th," said commissioner Bob Kerrey, a former Democratic senator from Nebraska. "What was your strategy before, what was your strategy on September 11, and what allowed the FAA to be so surprised by a hijacking?" Commissioners said another central topic will be the President's Daily Brief delivered to Bush on Aug. 6, 2001. One article in the brief, titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US," warned that the FBI had observed "patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks." Bush, who declassified the memo on April 10, has said it did not provide any "actionable intelligence" or specific threat.

Kerry hydrogen plan: 100 mpg cars by 2020 : April 28, 2004

Hydrogen Fuel cell cars by 2020

A Plan to Use Hydrogen Throughout the Nation By 2020:
• John Kerry has outlined an energy plan that will reduce our dependence on Mideast oil, assure that American industries and ingenuity will lead the new energy economy, and protect our environment. Americans spend more than $20 billion each year on oil from the Persian Gulf -- often from nations that are unstable and hostile to our interests and our values. Kerry believes that we must end this dangerous dependence because it leaves American security and the American economy vulnerable. Kerry’s plan will reduce oil dependence by two million barrels of oil a day, as much as we currently import from the Middle East.
• While John Kerry believes our nation needs a strategy to reduce dependence on oil today, he knows we can harness technological innovation and ingenuity to develop a hydrogen-based economy for the future. Hydrogen has great promise as a clean, domestic, and reliable energy source for the future. It has the potential to power our cars at 100 miles per gallon without pollution and, with the right technology, can be produced efficiently from natural gas and coal. Eventually, John Kerry believes that we can build a truly clean and secure economy based on hydrogen -- a clean fuel that we can eventually get entirely from renewable sources from our farms, the wind, solar energy, hydropower and geothermal sources.
• John Kerry believes that America needs a national market for electricity produced from renewable energy, such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and hydrogen. Kerry supports a national goal of producing 20 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020. This standard will encourage the market to respond by finding the most efficient and effective way of meeting that goal through a credit trading system.

Bush announces $1.2 billion hydrogen fuel initiative : Jan. 28, 2004

Fuel cell "FreedomCAR" by 2020

Under the President's hydrogen fuel initiative, the first car driven by a child born today could be powered by fuel cells. The hydrogen fuel initiative complements the President's existing FreedomCAR initiative, which is developing technologies needed for mass production of safe and affordable hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles. Through partnerships with the private sector, the hydrogen fuel initiative and FreedomCAR will make it practical and cost-effective for large numbers of Americans to choose to use clean, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2020. This will dramatically improve America's energy security by significantly reducing the need for imported oil, as well as help clean our air and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

John Kerry rescinds term "atrocities" in describing Vietnam : April 25, 2004

See our archive of Kerry's original 1971 statements

A Kerry campaign spokesman called the comments "misleading," adding that "we will stand toe-to-toe with [Bush] on our military service any day of the week." In an interview last week, Kerry said that his use of the word "atrocity" was "inappropriate" and that the language he had used "reflected an anger. It was honest, but it was in anger. It was a little bit excessive." He also said he never intended to cast a negative light on the soldiers with whom he served. In 1971, Kerry also testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and recited a litany of atrocities and war crimes he said had been reported to him by other soldiers.

During the presidential campaign, Kerry's comments from three decades ago have been fodder for conservative talk radio and have drawn fire from some of his fellow veterans, who say they can't forgive the stigma attached to his words. Bush campaign officials -- who have had to handle persistent questions about the president's National Guard service during the war -- have largely steered clear of the topic [until now], preferring to focus on Kerry's Senate votes on national security issues.

The Bush aide also took exception to Kerry's actions during a protest in the early 1970s in which veterans opposed to the war threw away their medals. Kerry, who was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts in Vietnam, says he threw away only his ribbons, not the actual medals.

Clinton ordered killing of bin Laden in 1998 : April 26, 2004

Testifies in secret to 9/11 panel

Clinton told the panel he not only read every scrap of intelligence on the leader of al-Qaeda but became obsessed with bin Laden and wanted him dead after al-Qaeda terrorists bombed U.S. embassies in East Africa in August 1998, murdering 224 people. If Clinton was so focused on bin Laden, why did he fail so spectacularly in his efforts to catch him? The ex-President told the commission he lacked "actionable intelligence." Others suggest the real problem was that Clinton's takedown orders were slathered in legalisms. As the commission's staff members noted in a report, "CIA senior managers, operators and lawyers uniformly said that they read the relevant authorities signed by President Clinton as instructing them to try to capture bin Laden ... They believed that the only acceptable context for killing bin Laden was a credible capture operation."

CIA officers who would be leading the covert operations wanted ironclad, unrestricted language in presidential memos that killing bin Laden would be legal. Instead of a Bond-style license to kill, Clinton's memos would say things like, "apprehend with lethal force as authorized."

Clinton told the 9/11 panel he thought his order to kill bin Laden was unmistakably clear. After all, the Justice Department had ruled that the U.S. government's ban on assassinations didn't apply to bin Laden because he was a military target. Even the commission's chairman [former NJ GOP Governor Thomas Kean] was convinced that Clinton wanted to kill bin Laden and that the CIA balked over the slightest ambiguities in his orders [because of concerns over the legality of assassination].

The 9/11 panel quizzed Clinton in detail about a meeting he had with President- elect Bush during the truncated transition period after the 2000 election. Clinton said he told Bush in that meeting that bin Laden would be his No. 1 national-security problem. Richard Clarke, who recounts this episode in his book Against All Enemies, writes that the incoming Administration found this assessment "rather odd." Commissioners are planning to seek Bush's side of the story.

John Kerry discloses lobbyist meetings and military records : April 22, 2004

Met with 200 lobbyists over 15 years

Kerry is moving quickly to address criticism from President Bush and others that he is refusing to provide voters a fuller view of everything from his personal finances to his combat and medical records. "We released this information today," a Kerry spokesman said. "Now it's the Bush campaign's turn to release the list of oil company lobbyists in Cheney's secret energy task force that rewrote our energy policy." Kerry has been posting his military records on his Web site and promised additional medical information soon. The campaign also is rethinking its decision to keep secret the tax records of the candidate's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.

The lobbyists included Kip O'Neill, who said he brought issues to Kerry that ranged from banking to teaching hospitals to telecommunications (O'Neill represented AT&T during the 1996 Telecommunications Act fight). Kerry was a hard lawmaker to persuade, lobbyists said, and therefore he was not as beseeched as much as other lawmakers. "If your interests coincided he'd be a great advocate," Kip O'Neill said. "But he wouldn't carry anybody's water because he knew them or had a meeting with them." For example, O'Neill recalled, Kerry sided with the Baby Bell companies rather than AT&T in the debate over telecommunications legislation.

Bob Woodward's book about Iraq war : April 19, 2004

Watergate reporter tells "secret history" of Iraq war in Plan of Attack

President Bush: He was "prepared to risk my presidency to do what I think is right," Bush said, and by January 2003 didn't need to ask his top aides their opinions on whether to go to war. "I could tell what they thought," Bush said. [Woodward's book says] that in July 2002, Bush allowed Army Gen. Tommy Franks to use $700 million that had been authorized for military use in Afghanistan for Iraq-related expenses instead. "Congress was totally in the dark on this," Woodward told CBS.

Response:Military funding approved by Congress after 9/11 put no restrictions on how it could be spent, and Congress was aware of changes, an administration official said.

Secretary of State Colin Powell: The former Army general warned Bush that if he went to war with Iraq, "you're going to be owning this place." He believed in the "Pottery Barn" rule: "You break it, you own it." Bush did not consult with him before deciding to go to war. Powell, Woodward said on CBS, "told colleagues that 'Cheney has a fever. It is an absolute fever.'" Woodward reports that Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell barely speak to each other.

Response:Cheney and Powell are "more than on speaking terms," national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said. Rice denied that Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, was told about the decision to go to war before Powell was.

Vice President Cheney: Even before the Sept. 11 attacks, he was focused on Iraq. During the transition between administrations, he asked outgoing Defense Secretary William Cohen to arrange a briefing with Bush that would be a serious "discussion about Iraq."

CIA Director George Tenet: "It's a slam-dunk case," he told Bush before the war about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Later, Tenet told associates he should not have been so emphatic.

Response: A Bush adviser said the book debunks the idea that Cheney and Pentagon officials concocted and exaggerated intelligence to conclude that Saddam had chemical and biological weapons, but instead, those conclusions came from the CIA.

National security adviser Condoleezza Rice: "You have to follow through on your threat," she told Bush in January 2003 about his warnings to Iraq to give up weapons of mass destruction. She was the first person Bush told of his decision to go to war.

Nader on Government Reform : April 13, 2004

Impeach both Bush and Cheney

1. The unconstitutional war in Iraq. "The Inquiry should examine whether President Bush and Vice President Cheney have gone beyond the bounds of the Constitution, defied the rule of law, and if so, whether impeachment is the appropriate constitutional punishment," said Nader. The United States Congress never voted for the Iraq war. Congress voted for a resolution in October 2002 which unlawfully transferred to the President the decision-making power of whether to launch a first-strike invasion of Iraq. The United States Constitution's War Powers Clause (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11) vests the power of deciding whether to send the nation into war solely in the United States Congress. This can only be changed by a constitutional amendment.
2. Five Falsehoods that Led to the Iraq Quagmire: Making matters worse in this situation, the illegal first-strike invasion and occupation of Iraq was justified by five falsehoods. Nader calls for a second area for Impeachment Inquiry to examine: the "five falsehoods that led to war." In 1994 George W. Bush said: "All public policy should revolve around the principle that individuals are responsible for what they say and do." In 2000, he ran as the "responsibility " candidate. Manipulation or deliberate misuse of national security intelligence data, if proven, would be "a high crime" under the Constitution's impeachment clause.

John McCain on the Vice Presidency : April 13, 2004

"No" to Kerry V.P. slot; supports Bush

He raised eyebrows last month in an interview with ABC when he said that if Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, asked him to be his running mate, "Obviously, I would entertain it." McCain went on to say that he thought such a scenario was impossible because the Democratic Party would never accept his conservative views on abortion, trade and national security. He tried to quash the speculation raised by his comments by putting out a statement the same day saying he would not run. Nevertheless, the chatter has persisted, fueled by media reports quoting Kerry advisers saying they think a Kerry-McCain ticket would be an unbeatable combination against Bush.

But McCain said Sunday that he believes Bush "deserves re-election." "Have we agreed on every issue? Of course not. We didn't agree on every issue when we ran against each other in a primary," he said. "I am not embarrassed to say that John Kerry is a friend of mine, but I want George Bush to be re-elected president of the United States." McCain, 67, is running for re-election to his Senate seat.

John Kerry on Budget & Economy : April 12, 2004

"Misery Index" worsened by 13 points under Bush

A misery index became well-known during the Carter administration as an economic measurement used to express the combined effect of unemployment and inflation. Since then, it has taken on a broader meaning as a measurement of economic suffering. By invoking the phrase, Kerry is attempting to underscore one of his ongoing messages: that Bush's policies have made life harder for average Americans.

CIA warned of al Qaeda attacks within the US before 9/11 : April 11, 2004

PDB of 8/6/01: "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S."

The document, known as the president's daily brief [or "PDB"], was declassified and released by the White House yesterday after it became the focus of controversy during White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice's testimony to the commission last week investigating the 9/11 attacks. The memo included redactions made to protect the names of foreign governments that provided information to the CIA. As it released the document, the White House contended that it supported Rice's testimony that the briefing was primarily "historical" in nature and did not warn specifically of the 9/11 attacks.

But the newly released briefing is certain to provide fresh ammunition to administration critics who want to challenge the veracity of Rice's testimony and question whether Bush did everything possible to prevent the attacks. They are likely to focus on the warning of planned domestic attacks by bin Laden supporters, which according to the Aug. 6 document was given to the U.S. Embassy in the United Arab Emirates in May 2001, just three months before the briefing was delivered to Bush. That could call into question Rice's repeated insistence in statements over the past two years that the Aug. 6 briefing and other pre-9/11 intelligence contained no warning of domestic attacks. In her testimony to the commission, Rice qualified that statement somewhat, saying that "the vast majority" of the intelligence warned of overseas attacks.

The document - entitled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S." - said the al-Qaida leader had wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the United States since 1997, according to reports from foreign governments, clandestine sources and the media. It quoted a "clandestine source" as saying that in 1998 a bin Laden cell in New York was actively recruiting Muslim-American youth for such attacks.

The Veepstakes begins : April 5, 2004

Kerry considering Vice Presidential choice

• North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. Kerry's final major rival in the primary race is mentioned by virtually all after a relentlessly upbeat campaign that impressed many. Working against him is the difficulty of making an argument for change with two senators on the ticket. Edwards told reporters last week, "I don't think we ought to prejudge" a decision by Kerry.
• Bob Kerrey. The former Nebraska governor and senator is, like Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran. Though he has impressed many with his work on the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, Kerrey has said he's not interested in joining the ticket. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark would also burnish the ticket's military credentials.
• Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Adding gender balance to the list, she also is a moderate elected in a Republican state and could offer Kerry a bridge to groups like the Democratic Leadership Council.
• William Cohen. The Maine Republican served in the Senate, then as defense secretary under Clinton. His selection could be seen as a bold stroke and a nod toward bipartisanship.
• Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. A fresh face after winning election in 2001, Warner could help in important Southern states. Like all governors, he has struggled with budget problems, and his plan to close the deficit relies partially on tax increases.
• New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He would bring a Hispanic flavor and a nod to the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority. A former U.N. ambassador, Richardson also would provide foreign policy experience.
• Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. He is in the middle of his second term in a state that narrowly went Democratic in 2000. He has pledged not to seek a third term and has left little doubt about his interest in higher office.
• Rep. Dick Gephardt. The longtime Missouri congressman saw his bid for the nomination fade early, but he maintains strong ties to organized labor. There is pressure on his behalf.

Powell: Evidence presented to UN was wrong : April 4, 2004

WMD trailers, only solid evidence, never existed

Powell's dramatic case to the Security Council that Iraq had secret arsenals of weapons of mass destruction failed to persuade the council to directly back the U.S.-led war that deposed the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But it helped mobilize sentiment among the American people for going to war. As it turned out, U.N. inspectors were unable to uncover the weapons, but administration officials have insisted they still might be uncovered. David Kay, who led the hunt for the weapons, showed off a pair of trailers for news cameras last summer and argued that the two metal flatbeds were designed for making biological weapons. But faced with mounting challenges to that theory, Kay conceded in October he could have been wrong. He said he did not know whether Iraq ever had a mobile weapons program. Powell told reporters, "I'm not the intelligence community, but I probed and I made sure, as I said in my presentation, these are multi-sourced'' allegations, Powell said. The trailers were the most dramatic claims, "and I made sure that it was multi-sourced,'' he said. "Now, if the sources fell apart we need to find out how we've gotten ourselves in that position,'' he said.

The trailers were the only discovery the administration had cited as evidence of an illicit Iraqi weapons program. In six months of searches, no biological, chemical or nuclear weapons were found to bolster the administration's central case for going to war: to disarm Saddam of suspected weapons of mass destruction.

British Ambassador: Bush committed to Iraq war just after 9/11 : April 4, 2004

Pact for British help in Afghanistan and then Iraq

It was clear, Meyer says, 'that when we did come back to Iraq it wouldn't be to discuss smarter sanctions'. Elsewhere in his interview, Meyer says Blair always believed it was unlikely that Saddam would be removed from power or give up his weapons of mass destruction without a war. Faced with this prospect of a further war, he adds, Blair 'said nothing to demur'.

Details of this extraordinary conversation will be published this week in a 25,000-word article on the path to war with Iraq in the May issue of the American magazine Vanity Fair. It provides new corroboration of the claims made last month in a book by Bush's former counter-terrorism chief, Richard Clarke, that Bush was 'obsessed' with Iraq as his principal target after 9/11.

But the implications for Blair may be still more explosive. The discussion implies that, even before the bombing of Afghanistan, Blair already knew that the US intended to attack Saddam next, although he continued to insist in public that 'no decisions had been taken' until almost the moment that the invasion began in March 2003. His critics are likely to seize on the report of the two leaders' exchange and demand to know when Blair resolved to provide the backing that Bush sought.

FBI translator: US knew about airplane attacks : April 2, 2004

Says Condoleezza Rice telling an "outrageous lie"

She told The Independent yesterday: "I gave [the commission] details of specific investigation files, the specific dates, specific target information, specific managers in charge of the investigation. I gave them everything so that they could go back and follow up. This is not hearsay. These are things that are documented. These things can be established very easily." She added: "There was general information about the time-frame, about methods to be used ­ but not specifically about how they would be used ­ and about people being in place and who was ordering these sorts of terror attacks. There were other cities that were mentioned. Major cities ­ with skyscrapers."

The accusations from Mrs Edmonds, 33, a Turkish-American who speaks Azerbaijani, Farsi, Turkish and English, will reignite the controversy over whether the administration ignored warnings about al-Qa'ida. That controversy was sparked most recently by Richard Clarke, a former counter-terrorism official, who has accused the administration of ignoring his warnings. The issue ­ what the administration knew and when ­ is central to the investigation by the 9/11 Commission, which has been hearing testimony in public and private from government officials, intelligence officials and secret sources. Ms. Edmonds said said it was clear there was sufficient information during the spring and summer of 2001 to indicate terrorists were planning an attack. "President Bush said they had no specific information about 11 September and that is accurate but only because he said 11 September," she said. There was, however, general information about the use of airplanes and that an attack was just months away.

To try to refute Mr Clarke's accusations, Ms Rice said the administration did take steps to counter al-Qa'ida. But in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on 22 March, Ms Rice wrote: "Despite what some have suggested, we received no intelligence that terrorists were preparing to attack the homeland using airplanes as missiles, though some analysts speculated that terrorists might hijack planes to try and free US-held terrorists." Mrs Edmonds said that by using the word "we", Ms Rice told an "outrageous lie". She said: "Rice says 'we' not 'I'. That would include all people from the FBI, the CIA and DIA [Defence Intelligence Agency]. I am saying that is impossible." It is impossible at this stage to verify Mrs Edmonds' claims. However, some senior US senators testified to her credibility in 2002 when she went public with separate allegations relating to alleged incompetence and corruption within the FBI's translation department.