In a striking departure from the Bush Administration, Ambassador Susan E. Rice, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called for an investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel in the recent Gaza fighting. While correctly noting such violations by Hamas, Rice noted that there are now credible accounts that need to be investigated. The question is now whether the Administration will apply the same standard to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes that are now clearly identified in the Bush Administration involving an official torture program.
Continue reading “Obama Administration Calls for War Crimes Investigation in Gaza War — But Remains Undecided on Any Prosecution of U.S. War Crimes Under the Bush Administration”
Category: Congress
Karl Rove is promising to defy the subpoena issued by John Conyers — citing instructions from Bush lawyers shortly before the end of the Administration. The statement may indicate that President Bush is preparing for a novel fight: asserting executive privilege against the position of the sitting president (who would presumably support Congress in this matter). In the interview, Rove compares himself to the Great White Whale in Moby Dick.
Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R., Mo.), the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has told The Washington Times that Eric Holder privately assured him that there would be no prosecution of Bush officials for torture or unlawful acts. The story is reminiscent of last week’s statement by Gen. Michael Hayden that he was assured by President Obama that there would be no investigations or prosecutions allowed for war crimes committed by the Bush Administration. I discussed this story and the recent ACLU demand for the release of the torture and surveillance memos on this segment of Countdown.
One of the items in the stimulus bill that has been overlooked is $100 million in grants for faith-based organizations. As I discussed this week in my column, Obama has pledged to not only continue but massively expand President Bush’s faith-based initiatives.
Continue reading “Obama Starts To Fulfill Faith-Based Promise With $100 Million in Stimulus Package”
This week, I testified again in opposition to the current legislation to create a new form of non-state voting member in the House of Representative for the District of Columbia. The hearing before the House Judiciary hearing was quite lively and it appears that the bill has the votes to pass. My testimony is linked below.
Continue reading “Congress Re-Considers D.C. Vote Legislation”
John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has subpoenaed Karl Rove to testify about the Bush administration’s firing of United States attorneys. The subpoena could force an interesting constitutional fight since President Obama would now be in a position to waive executive privilege and Attorney General nominee Eric Holder could allow the matter to go to a grand jury. I discussed this issue last night on Countdown in this segment.
Continue reading “House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Karl Rove in Critical Constitutional Showdown”
As we approach the one-week anniversary of the Obama administration, it is a bit early to judge the level of true change brought by the 44th president. However, it is becoming increasingly clear what is not going to change (at least for the better) in the Obama administration. With all of the euphoria of the inauguration, many supporters fought back a strange and long-lingering sensation: doubt. There was little room for doubt in the collective celebration of our first African-American president and a new course after a ruinous eight years under George W. Bush.
Continue reading “Faith-Based Part II: Obama’s Expansion of the Bush’s Faith-Based Programs”
Norman Hutchinson, 48, is a member of the Religion of Jesus Church who lives in Mexico, Maine. He has filed a lawsuit in the Oxford Courthouse in Paris Maine against the state, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Mexico Police Department to protect his right to use marijuana for religious reasons.
Continue reading “Mexico Man in Paris Sues State of Maine in Oxford Court Over Religious Use of Pot”
The truth is out. The inaugural classical piece by Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill was made to look live but was not. The music that America heard was a tape of a performance of “Air and Simple Gifts” by John Williams done days earlier. This version of a classical lip sync puts Ma and Perlman in the same category as Milli Vanilli and Ashlee Simpson.
President Barack Obama issued four executive orders Thursday, including one requiring that the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year. It was a widely anticipated move. The question remains, however, what to do about the war crimes committed at the facility. In the meantime, the Republicans are demanding that Holder promise not to investigate war crimes as a condition for their votes for confirmation.
Continue reading “Obama Moves to Close Gitmo Prison While Republicans Move To Delay Holder Nomination”
In what must be one of the most embarrassing moments for a Chief Justice, Chief Justice Roberts gave President Barack Obama the oath for a second time on Wednesday in the White House map room. After a day of researching the question, the President’s White House counsel appeared to agree that he had not technically satisfied the oath due to an error by the Chief Justice. As I discussed recently on NPR, Obama is now the third president to taken the oath twice — joining Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge.
Continue reading “Obama Re-Takes the Oath”
Washington is electric this morning. It is morning in America as literally billions around the world celebrate the Inauguration of our 44th President.
Continue reading “OUR 44TH PRESIDENT”
Now this is a story that fits perfectly in our bizarre category. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) previously said that al Qaida would “be dancing in the streets” if Barack Obama were elected president “because of his middle name.” Now, he is again drawing criticism after reportedly calling it “bizarre” that Obama will use his middle name — Hussein — in his taking of the oath. He has asked whether the name has become a “double-standard” on who and when it can be used.
Continue reading “Rep. Steve King Calls Obama’s Use of Middle Name at Inauguration “Bizarre””
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh testified today that the Marc Rich pardon was “corrupt” and that Attorney General-designate Eric Holder allowed himself “to be used” by the Clinton White House in January 2001. I discussed today’s testimony on Countdown in this segment.
There has been little attention to a shocking figure placed on the Obama Inauguration: $170 Million. At a time of millions without work and a crumbling economy, it is fair to ask if spending that record amount of money sound the wrong signal to the country. One group, however, insists that this figure is inflated.