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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (29271)	10/1/2003 4:54:15 PM
From: NOW	Respond to of 89467

Quote of the day: "Margaret Thatcher has savagely undermined Tony Blair's case for war against Iraq. In her first reported comment on the conflict, the Tory leader who took Britain to victory in the 1982 Falkland Conflict, has told friends that the war against Iraq was a 'mistake.' Baroness Thatcher has warned that British troops could be tied up in a mission without end for years. 'Britain should never have been involved and it will be very difficult to get our troops out in anything like the near future,' she told Tory peers at a private meeting last week. She also believes a judicial inquiry should be set up into the Iraq conflict rather than the 'tightly defined' Hutton inquiry." (The piece in full from the tabloid British Sunday Mirror, Chris McLaughlin, Maggie's Mauling for Blair) Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher denounces the war in Iraq? Who am I, but this seems like a bit of "news" to me. It's as if a not-yet-Alzheimer's Ronald Reagan, her old buddy, had suddenly emerging to denounce the war. (Of course, she's laying for Blair and the Labor Party, but still…) And here's another quote of the day: "Local witnesses described a fierce battle, with helicopters, fighter jets and tanks attacking suspected guerrilla positions, according to The Associated Press. The witnesses' account, though, said it had taken several hours for reinforcements to arrive, during which time the Iraqi attackers had run away

To: lurqer who wrote (29271)	10/1/2003 7:17:26 PM
From: Rascal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

washingtonpost.com Poll: Independent Investigation Favored Most Americans Suspicious of White House but Doubt Bush Knew of Leak By Dana Milbank and Claudia Deane Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 1, 2003; 5:26 PM Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe a special prosecutor should be named to investigate allegations that Bush administration officials illegally leaked the name of a covert CIA operative to journalists, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The poll, taken after the Justice Department announced that it had opened a criminal probe into the matter, pointed to several matters of concern for the White House as aides to President Bush decide how to limit the damage. The survey found that a large number of Americans -- 68 percent -- had heard of the allegations, and the vast majority of those -- 83 percent -- labeled it a serious matter. The Justice Department is investigating the disclosure to the press that the wife of a prominent Bush critic worked for the CIA. The critic, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, has accused administration officials of leaking the information in retaliation for his publicly raising questions about the administration's use of intelligence about Iraq. One focus of the inquiry is a July newspaper column by syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak, who named Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative, citing two senior administration officials. The results of The Post-ABC poll found a high degree of suspicion directed toward the administration over the allegations. Seventy-two percent thought it likely that someone in the White House leaked the operative's name. And, in what could be a politically significant finding, only 29 percent said the investigation should be handled by the Justice Department, while 69 percent favored a special counsel with autonomy from the administration. Still, a plurality of respondents -- 47 percent -- said it appeared the White House was cooperating with the investigation, as Bush has ordered. Most respondents did not hold Bush personally responsible for the matter. Only 34 percent thought it likely that he knew in advance about the leaks. Bush's overall support slipped to 54 percent from 58 percent in mid-September; the current level of approval is the lowest of his presidency, but is still respectable by historical measures. The view that this is a serious matter transcended party lines. Seventy-two percent of Republicans and 83 percent of independents joined the 90 percent of Democrats who said it was at least somewhat serious. In addition, 56 percent of Republicans found it likely that White House officials leaked the name, and Republicans, by 52 percent to 42 percent, favored a special counsel. Americans exhibited little tolerance of the classified leaks and those responsible. If a White House official is the culprit, 91 percent believe that person should be fired and 82 percent believe that person should face criminal charges. A total of 505 randomly selected adults nationwide was interviewed Tuesday evening for the Post-ABC poll. The margin of sampling error for the overall results is plus or minus 5 percentage points. washingtonpost.com Rascal @SomebodyHasToFallOnTheGrenade.com