Better than the day before, but not by much:
"Rice Says ‘Hole’ in U.S. Law Shields Contractors in Iraq" by JOHN M. BRODER
[From a woman who has a whole in her chest]
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice conceded on Thursday that there was a “hole” in United States law that had allowed Blackwater USA employees and other armed contractors in Iraq to escape legal jeopardy for crimes possibly committed there.
[Put there by L. Paul Bremer on his last day as Baghdad pro-consul]
In an appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Ms. Rice expressed reservations about proposals to bring contractors under the military justice system.
[But your "ally" Gates wants to do that! WTF?]
She deferred a number of other questions about problems, saying she planned to meet with Robert M. Gates, the secretary of defense, to try to come up with new rules to avoid episodes like the shooting by Blackwater gunmen on Sept. 16 that Iraqi investigators have said left 17 Iraqis dead.
Rice: “Obviously we need a better coordinated policy for all of them."
[Obviously!
How about NOT WARRING, how 'bout that, you cold heartless beeee-ach!]
Blackwater, meanwhile, under continuing siege in the courts, the news media and Congress, stepped up its public relations efforts this week with a mass e-mail message to its employees, suppliers, fellow security contractors and political allies, asking them to flood Congress with messages of support.
[Yeah, POOR BLACKWATER is "under siege!!"
Imagine how the Iraqis feel under their guns!
And a PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN has begun, huh?
That's what the war-profiting largesse, the tax breaks, and the campaign contributions are all about!]
The e-mail message noted that the Blackwater “family” was working vigorously to defend American interests.
[Awwww, their a "family." MURDEROUS, yet a "family."]
The message: “In this tumultuous political climate, [Blackwater] has taken center stage, our services and ethics aggressively challenged with misinformation and fabrications. While we can’t ask that each supporter do everything, Blackwater asks that everyone does something. Contact your lawmakers and tell them to stand by the truth.”
[Yeah, poor Blackwater!
FUCK OFF, Fascists!!!!]
It then suggests some talking points: Blackwater is saving taxpayers millions of dollars by providing temporary workers to take the place of full-time government or military employees; 30 Blackwater guards have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan but none of the American officials they guard have been killed or seriously wounded; and Blackwater’s work force is mainly military veterans and “mature law enforcement personnel.”
[This just a REGULAR REPUBLICAN OPERATION, huh!
Nice and organized, huh, until it comes time to track where the money went!]
The Blackwater message was sent by Constant Contact, an e-mail marketing firm:
“Expanding our communications effort starts with you. Pass the word — pass the truth.”
[This is my communication effort right here! ROOOAAAARRRRR!]
Blackwater’s spokeswoman, Anne Tyrrell, did not respond to requests for comment.
In response to questions, Ms. Rice acknowledged that there was rampant corruption in the Iraqi government, but said that the State Department was working to fix the problem:
“There’s a pervasive problem of corruption in Iraq. There is a problem in the ministries. There is a problem in the government. There are problems with officials. It is our job to put in place anticorruption efforts to help the Iraqis do so themselves, but I don’t know how to be more candid. I don’t know how to be less flattering.”
[But progress is being made -- for the fifth consecutive year!]
She said some of the money stolen from the Iraqi government was financing insurgent militias, particularly in the Shiite-dominated south. But she added that it would be unfair to confront senior Iraqi leaders with unproven accusations of wrongdoing.
[The rest went into corporate coffers!]
Rice: “To assault the prime minister of Iraq or anyone else in Iraq with here-to-date unsubstantiated allegations or lack of corroboration in a setting that it would simply fuel those allegations, I think, would be deeply damaging, and frankly, I think it would be wrong.”
[WTF? Who said anything about "assaulting" him, you manipulative witch?!
We just want to know WHERE the MONEY WENT!!
See how they fuck with the language?! Yet my mouth is dirty!
Well, I didn't order up a war based on lies, either, killing over a million people!
So there!
And, of course Condi doesn't want to look into the looting.
State has uncovered enough, huh, and you don't want to be bothered with it, anymore, do you, War Princess?]
Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland:
“Corruption funds terrorists who attack our troops. Corruption fuels sectarian divisions. Corruption stymies reconstruction efforts and certainly it erodes confidence in the Iraqi government.”
[Corruption is a staple of the Bush administration]
Representative Tom Davis of Virginia, the senior Republican on the committee, dismissed the three-hour hearing as a partisan effort to undermine the war:
“We should have no illusions about the subtext of these hearings. Unable to reverse course, the Democratic strategy seems to be to drill enough small holes in the bottom of the boat to sink the entire Iraqi enterprise, while still claiming undying support for the crew about to drown.”
[Yeah, so keep them on the Titanic! Let 'em die instead!
I find the noun "enterprise" to describe a war offensive, too!]
"Dems Accuse Rice of Blunders in Iraq" by Anne Flaherty/Associated Press October 25, 2007
WASHINGTON - House Democrats on Thursday accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of grossly mismanaging diplomatic efforts in Iraq and concealing information from Congress. The charges put a visibly frustrated Rice on the defensive.
At a hearing by a congressional watchdog committee, Democratic lawmakers said the State Department under Rice had been too lax with armed security contractors, ignored corruption at the highest levels of the Iraqi government and was sloppy in overseeing construction of the costly new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee:
"I think there was a huge gap between what she said and reality."
[So she's either a LIAR, an INCOMPETENT, or INSANE and not fit to hold office!]
Waxman, D-Calif., and other Democrats said they would not call on Rice to resign, but noted that their frustration is with the Bush administration's policies rather than Rice alone.
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., a committee member:
"If you just change the deck chairs, it's not going to change the policy.''
[It's all political theater, then. HOT FART MIST!
IMPEACH or get off the pot!]
Democrats used the hearing to hammer the administration on the war. The strategy did not go unnoticed by Republicans.
Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, the top Republican on the committee:
"[Democrats seemed to be trying] to drill enough small holes in the bottom of the boat to sink the entire Iraqi enterprise, while still claiming undying support for the crew about to drown.''
The usually unflappable Rice became frustrated at several points, including a tense exchange with Welch on whether al-Maliki was corrupt. When repeatedly pressed to say whether she thought al-Maliki was covering up fraud and abuse, Rice said she would not respond to rumors:
"To assault the prime minister of Iraq or anyone else in Iraq with here-to-date unsubstantiated allegations or lack of corroboration, in a setting that would simply fuel those allegations, I think, would be deeply damaging."
[Unflappable because she's brainless!]
After the hearing, Waxman said there was a gap between "her very smooth presentation'' and the facts.
[Well, she's like that, because again, she's either a LIAR, an INCOMPETENT, or INSANE and not fit to hold office!]
The hearing followed several weeks of wrangling between Waxman and the department, particularly on the public disclosure of U.S. corruption investigations in Iraq.
[Never exercised that subpoena over the nuclear charge against Iraq, didja, Henry?
Wimp!]
The department says such information should be classified because it could expose sources and hurt U.S.-Iraqi relations. Democrats counter that if Iraqi officials are stealing from their government and funding anti-U.S. militias, the department should make it public.
[And STEALING FROM US!!!]
Rice said militias are getting money in many ways, and corruption possibly could be one. But, she added, a bigger problem was financing from Iran."
[She always comes back to IRAN, notice that, readers?
And I heard that was down, too!]
