FBI Infiltrated U of Iowa Anti-War Group

The Des Moines Register reported an FBI informant and undercover police officer infiltrated a peace organization at the University of Iowa prior to the RNC convention in August 2008. It is reported that that surveillence began as early as the fall of 2007.

Confidential FBI documents obtained by The Des Moines Register show an FBI informant was planted among a group described as an "anarchist collective" that met regularly last year in Iowa City. One of the group's goals was to organize street blockades to disrupt the Republican convention, held Sept. 1-4, 2008, where U.S. Sen. John McCain was nominated for president.

The undercover Minnesota deputy who traveled to Iowa City was from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, which infiltrated a group known as the "RNC Welcoming Committee" that was coordinating convention protest activities in St. Paul.

The undercover officer accompanied two activists from the Twin Cities who attended the University of Iowa in April 2008 for a Midwest campus anti-war conference.

The Iowa City Police Department was not aware that an FBI informant was monitoring local anti-war activists last year, Police Chief Samuel Hargadine said. But he confirmed to the Register that he was notified by Ramsey County authorities last year that they were sending an undercover officer to Iowa City.

Read the entire story for me details. 

It is pretty amazing national security resources would go to monitor a peace group in Iowa. As one of the people in Iowa said, "There are not a lot of bomb throwers in Iowa City."

The Bush Mob Keeps Pulling Obama Back In

Image via Wikipedia

Frank Rich's column in the New York Times this morning is a must read.

To paraphrase Al Pacino in "Godfather III," just when we thought we were out, the Bush mob keeps pulling us back in. And will keep doing so. No matter how hard President Obama tries to turn the page on the previous administration, he can’t. Until there is true transparency and true accountability, revelations of that unresolved eight-year nightmare will keep raining down drip by drip, disrupting the new administration’s high ambitions. ...

There are many dots yet to be connected, and not just on torture. This Sunday, GQ magazine is posting on its Web site an article adding new details to the ample dossier on how Donald Rumsfeld’s corrupt and incompetent Defense Department cost American lives and compromised national security. ...

[Robert] Draper reports that Rumsfeld’s monomaniacal determination to protect his Pentagon turf led him to hobble and antagonize America’s most willing allies in Iraq, Britain and Australia, and even to undermine his own soldiers. But Draper’s biggest find is a collection of daily cover sheets that Rumsfeld approved for the Secretary of Defense Worldwide Intelligence Update, a highly classified digest prepared for a tiny audience, including the president, and often delivered by hand to the White House by the defense secretary himself. These cover sheets greeted Bush each day with triumphal color photos of the war headlined by biblical quotations. GQ is posting 11 of them, and they are seriously creepy. ...

I’m not a fan of Washington’s blue-ribbon commissions, where political compromises can trump the truth. But the 9/11 investigation did illuminate how, a month after Bush received an intelligence brief titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," 3,000 Americans were slaughtered on his and Cheney’s watch. If the Obama administration really wants to move on from the dark Bush era, it will need a new commission, backed up by serious law enforcement, to shed light on where every body is buried.

Arabic Translator Discharged from the Army because He's Gay

Dan Choi, an Arabic translator, was discharged from the Army because he is gay.

Choi, 28, who majored in Arabic language at West Point, announced he is gay during an appearance March 19 on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show." Soon after, the army made plans to fire him, saying he had "negatively affected good order and discipline in the New York Army National Guard."

Choi said he was disappointed and angry, and it took him only 30 minutes after receiving the letter to decide: "I'm fighting this."

The Daily Show explains...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Dan Choi Is Gay
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6 Years in Iraq Down 2 to Go?

Today marks the 6th anniversary of the war in and on Iraq. With US forces committed to the country for at least another two years and an escalation in Afghanistan under way, we should not forget the men and women who have had their lives put on the line, nor the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have died during this prolonged conflagration.

With concerns about the economy here at home, we should be doubly aware of the connection between our warring ways and the economic engine that runs it.

Tonight in Iowa City, a Candlelight Peace Walk will commemorate the anniversary of the Iraq War. The walk will begin at 7PM on the sidewalk in front of Old Capitol, on the west side of the intersection of Clinton St. & Iowa Ave. This night we will remember all those who have suffered and died in this humanitarian crisis. This includes U. S. and Coalition soldiers who have died, U.S. and Coalition forces injured, all those who have committed suicide as a result of their experience, as well as innocent Iraqis who have died, been injured, or displaced. And this includes all of their families and friends. Please bring your own candle. The walk will end at Old Brick where refreshments will be served, approximately 9 PM. For more information contact PEACE Iowa - (319) 354-1925.

According to United for Peace and Justice, the war in Iraq has led to:

• at least one million Iraqis killed
• 4.5 million Iraqis displaced and 5 million orphans
• over 4,000 U.S. service people killed, tens of thousands wounded
• more than $600,000,000,000 already spent
• $720 million spent each day
• estimates that in the end we will spend upwards of $3 trillion

The Voice of America probably has one of the more ironic stories stating "As Iraq enters its seventh year of war, he [Robert Gates] predicted the country will emerge much better off by the time U.S. troops finish their scheduled withdrawal at the end of 2011, nearly nine years after they arrived." I'm sure that the facts on the ground do not support that assessment.

Troops Out of Iraq in 18 Months

Marc Ambinder writes that the AP is reporting that President Obama is going to announce he is going to be bringing troops out of Iraq in 18 months.

President Obama plans to announce later this week that he will order all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by August 2010, roughly three months later than the timetable he proposed during the campaign, but, come to think of it, not all that different. A residual force of between 30,000 to 50,000 would remain in the country indefinitely.

Obama's Sensible Priorities

If you attended any political events leading up to the Iowa Caucuses you know about Iowans for Sensible Priorities. They are the ones that handed out the pens with the pull out charts, had the pie chart car, and passed out cookies with pie charts on them. There goals were to...

Increase funding to meet the needs of our children and children around the world (at no additional taxpayer expense) by reducing money spent on the Pentagon for Cold War weapons systems no longer needed to protect America.

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff, has recently said that the Obama administration plans to cut Pentagon spending...

Withdrawing from Iraq, and cutting $300 billion in other defense spending, would wipe out the increases in military spending under the Bush administration. It would even reduce military spending to a smaller percentage of the federal budget than it was during the Clinton administration.

It is great to have a President with sensible priorities.

The Surge Didn't Decrease Violence in Iraq

According to research done at UCLA, the surge didn't decrease violence in Iraq, ethnic cleansing did.

Studying satellite imagery of night light in Baghdad neighborhoods dominated by Sunni residents, they came up with an alternative conclusion: The Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims had largely stopped killing each other by the time the "surge" of U.S. troops arrived in 2007.

In other words, the remaining Sunnis, defeated, turned out the lights and left. And then the U.S. troops came in.

Fraudulent Private Contractors Better Watch Out, Grayson's on His Way to Congress

Alan Grayson, who ran this great campaign ad in July, won the Democratic primary in Florida's 8th district yesterday. Grayson now faces Republican incumbent Rick Keller, who barely held on against a primary challenge himself.

Grayson has fought against fraud by private contractors throughout the past 15-20 years. He is running for Congress to make sure taxpayer money isn't wasted by private contractors and our troops get the equipment they need to do their job.

Grayson has another outstanding ad about the fraud by private contractors in Iraq...

Remember Latham Voted Against Body Armor for Our Troops

Vote Vets ran this ad against in 2006 against George Allen, Conrad Burns, and Rick Santorum for voting against supplying the proper body armor to our troops serving in Iraq.

In the House, Tom Latham also voted against supplying the proper body armor to our troops serving in Iraq.



Becky Greenwald is running against Tom Latham and has been endorsed by General Wesley Clark.

“I’m endorsing Becky for Congress because her experience with the American Red Cross assisting wounded veterans returning home from the Vietnam War has shaped her strong commitment to our nation’s veterans,” said General Wesley Clark.

Tom Latham has voted to cut billions from Veterans programs in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. (HCR 95, Vote #78, 3/20/03)

“George Bush and Tom Latham have for too long cut funding for our troops returning from Iraq, and we need Becky in Congress to be a voice for our soldiers,” said General Clark.

Allen, Burns, and Santorum all lost in 2006. Latham will be running in 2008 and say that he supports the troops, but we all know better. All you have to do is look at his voting history against our troops.

Oh the Irony

John McCain talked about the Russia-Georgia yesterday had this to say...

In the 21st century, nations don’t invade other nations.

Has McCain forgotten about the Iraq invasion and occupation that has been taking place the last 5 years?

Now that's a Campaign Ad

Great campaign ad from Alan Grayson, a progressive Democrat running in Florida's 8th District.

Jane Mayer Author of "The Dark Side" on Letterman

The Right Time Frame for Withdrawal

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki talks about a time frame for withdrawal...

U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.

Right on.

Obama's Speech on Iraq Policy

On Tuesday, I posted a part from Barack Obama's speech on Iraq Policy. After reading more about the speech, there many more parts of the speech that are worth repeating. So instead of posting bits and pieces, here is video of the entire speech.

What does Success in Iraq look like?

Barack Obama gave a major foreign policy speech today where he discussed what success in Iraq looks like and said...

George Bush and John McCain don't have a strategy for success in Iraq - they have a strategy for staying in Iraq.

Obama then went on to lay out what success in Iraq looks like...

In fact, true success in Iraq - victory in Iraq - will not take place in a surrender ceremony where an enemy lays down their arms. True success will take place when we leave Iraq to a government that is taking responsibility for its future - a government that prevents sectarian conflict, and ensures that the al Qaeda threat which has been beaten back by our troops does not reemerge. That is an achievable goal if we pursue a comprehensive plan to press the Iraqis stand up.

McCain Takes Credit for Webb's GI Bill

John McCain is taking credit for the Webb GI Education Bill...

I'm happy to tell you that we probably agreed to an increase in educational benefits for our veterans that not only gives them increase in their educational benefits, but if they stay in for a certain period of time than they can transfer those educational benefits to their spouses and or children. That's a very important aspect I think of incentivizing people of staying in the military.

This is quite odd considering that McCain opposed the passage of this bill in the Senate...

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill.

Vote Vets put out this ad asking McCain to support the bill and support the troops.

Invest in America Again

This new ad for Al Franken for Senate successfully makes the connection that the Iraq War is hurting the economy and draining resources that should be invested in America.

Western Oil Companies to Get No Bid Contracts for Iraq's Oil

With high gas prices at the pump, politicians are talking about drilling in ANWR and lifting the ban on offshore drilling. However, there is a third option...

Imagine. At the precise moment when demand for oil was the highest in history, a recently democratized country with enormous reserves had the chance to sell extraction contracts to the highest bidder. This was a country that desperately needed the revenue to help rebuild its schools, power grid and water supply after a long internal conflict. So why did it hand out the contracts with no auction at all?

That is exactly what is happening as 4 Western oil companies are planning on getting access to Iraq's oil supply through no bid contracts.

Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.

The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations.

The no-bid contracts are unusual for the industry, and the offers prevailed over others by more than 40 companies, including companies in Russia, China and India. The contracts, which would run for one to two years and are relatively small by industry standards, would nonetheless give the companies an advantage in bidding on future contracts in a country that many experts consider to be the best hope for a large-scale increase in oil production.

Fallon Stood Up Against Iraq Invasion, Boswell Did Not

If you want to boil the Democratic primary race in the 3rd District down to one issue, it would be the Iraq War.

Ed Fallon has opposed the Iraq invasion from the start and has strongly opposed the war at every chance. When serving in the Iowa House, Rep. Fallon co-sponsored HR 17, along with 20 other Democrats, which called the President to not make a preemptive, unilateral attack against Iraq. Fallon had the judgement to know that invading Iraq would destablize the Middle East, hamper our efforts of bringing Osama bin Laden to justice, and would cost trillions of dollars and cause further federal budget deficits. Fallon has since signed on to the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.

Leonard Boswell, on the other hand, voted in favor of the war in Iraq and was a strong supporter of the Bush administration's failed policy up until he learned that Fallon was going to run against him. Boswell began to support an end to the war in Iraq in December, after it was becoming clear that Fallon was preparing to challenge him.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Boswell still uses Bush's untruthful arguments for going to war in Iraq.


On Tuesday, Democrats in Iowa's 3rd District have a choice. They can vote for someone to represent them who has the judgement to make the tough decisions and wants to bring new energy to Congress or they can vote for someone who clings to the past and only changes when they are forced to do so.

5 Years Since Mission Accomplished

This video is from Eric Massa, a candidate for Congress in New York's 29th District.