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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: willcousa who wrote (127208)	2/15/2001 11:22:36 AM
From: willcousa	Respond to of 769667

The dems want a trigger on tax cuts so that if the surpluses don't materialize the cuts will not be made. If they are so worried - how about across the board government layoffs if the surpluses do not materialize? now there is a real trigger!

To: willcousa who wrote (127208)	2/15/2001 11:22:43 AM
From: haqihana	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

willcousa, There was an article in this morning's paper saying that an Admiral that was forced to resign because of intemperate remarks regarding a rape case on Okinawa in 1995, arranged for the civilians to take a joy ride on the sub. Actually, there was a total of 16 civilians on the sub at the time of the incident. I don't know what past practice has been about civilians being involved in military hardware, but it sounds dangerous to me. What if the Army allowed a civilian to drive an M-1 tank, with all onboard weapons operable? Now, that really scares me!! ~;=;o --haqi

To: willcousa who wrote (127208)	2/15/2001 11:30:54 AM
From: jraz1	Respond to of 769667

Not funny in light of the results. Nine assumed dead, four of which were high school students. As a poster indicated earlier here, a sub's ascent is tricky business. The Captain of the sub is probably in pretty deep doo doo for allowing this to happen. Also some explaining to do as to why they had some 16 civilians on board in the first place.

To: willcousa who wrote (127208)	2/15/2001 12:13:53 PM
From: Patricia Trinchero	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

White House Has Jitters Nervous about names of civilians aboard submarine By THOMAS M. DeFRANK in Washington and CORKY SIEMASZKO in New York Daily News Staff Writers he White House has the names of the civilian joyriders who were aboard the U.S. submarine that sank a Japanese trawler — and is so worried, it's given the task of handling any fallout to Vice President Cheney, sources said last night. A Navy boat carrying civilians who were aboard submarine Greeneville entering Pearl Harbor on Saturday after collision with Japanese fishing boat. "There's a tremendous amount of nervousness at the White House about who these guys are," a source said. The Navy, which reversed course yesterday and announced it was investigating whether two of the civilians seated at the controls of the Greeneville figured in the catastrophe, has refused to reveal their identities. But as Democratic legislators pressed the Pentagon for their names, Republicans tried to counter rumors that one of the civilians is a GOP fat cat with connections to President Bush. "This is not a Lincoln Bedroom deal," said one prominent Republican closely allied with the White House. "It's a real reach to think anybody knowingly put donors on the submarine." Adding to the Navy's embarrassment, Democratic sources said last night that a disgraced former admiral, Richard Macke, arranged for the civilians to be on the Greeneville. The USS Greeneville is photographed as it leaves the site where it collided with a Japanese fishing boat February 9. Macke, who was forced to retire after saying U.S. servicemen who raped a 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirl should have bought a prostitute instead, did not return numerous calls for comment. The fast-moving developments came as a Navy spokesman said the 16 civilians on the nuclear sub — including the two who were seated at the controls — may have been a distraction to the crew. The Coast Guard said last night it planned to end its search today for the nine sailors still missing from the trawler. "We have continued our effort beyond reasonable expectation," Rear Adm. Joseph McClelland, commander of the Hawaii Coast Guard district, told a news conference. The Navy is weighing whether to file criminal charges against the captain and crew as a result of the nine apparent deaths. "That's always a possibility in any such investigation — especially if death is involved," one official said. The captain and some senior officers have been advised to consult lawyers, a source close to the investigation said. Jay Friedheim, a Honolulu-based expert on maritime law, said the civilians ensnared in the tragedy should not expect any legal protection from the Navy. "Those people at the controls may be negligent independent of the U.S. government," said Friedheim. "Nobody forced them to sit at the controls." It is not unusual for the Navy to take well-connected civilians — politicians, journalists and businessmen — aboard its vessels. The Navy's abrupt change of tack came a day after Cmdr. Conrad Chun insisted that civilians were not steering the sub and played no role in the collision. He wouldn't say who was at the helm. The sub was conducting a drill in which it dived to about 400 feet and then made a rapid ascent. The captain was supposed to ensure nothing was above the vessel. The sub was 2 miles outside a Navy training area, the Coast Guard said yesterday. The National Transportation Safety Board, which also is investigating, said the sub's periscope was working. But for reasons still not clear, the Greeneville did not detect the presence of the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishing vessel. The Coast Guard rescued 26 members of the Japanese crew, and Tokyo has asked the Navy to try to salvage the ship. Original Publication Date: 2/15/01