Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Rascal who wrote (29835)	10/9/2003 9:40:41 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

Debate tonight! Wesley Clark will participate in a debate with the other Democratic presidential candidates tonight in Arizona. It will be broadcast live on CNN at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT and rebroadcast at 11:30 PM ET / 8:30 PM PT.

To: Rascal who wrote (29835)	10/9/2003 9:46:40 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Columnist puts in a plug for leaks _______________________________________ By HELEN THOMAS HEARST NEWSPAPERS Thursday, October 9, 2003 seattlepi.nwsource.com WASHINGTON -- The Bush White House is one of the most secretive in modern history. But that doesn't stop administration officials from leaking insider information when it serves their purpose. There are many different kinds of leakers and of motives behind the leakers. Some leaks -- whistle-blower leaks -- have saved the country from abuse of power. This honor roll includes the publication of the top secret Pentagon Papers on the conduct of the Vietnam War and the "Deep Throat" revelations of the Watergate scandal, which forced President Nixon out of office. Other leaks are designed to boost a policy or settle an internal debate or flatter a friend or diss a foe. Readers and reporters usually can figure out the motive. Those of us who work to find out the secrets of government are eager for leaks as another source of information. That doesn't mean we have to write our stories or columns to make the leaker happy. And we shouldn't violate any laws in the process. The hottest story in Washington, D.C., today is the Justice Department's investigation of the outing of a CIA covert officer, the wife of retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, the diplomat who went to Niger on a government mission to find out whether Iraq had tried to buy uranium there. After his African journey, Wilson debunked the administration allegation that Saddam Hussein was trying to go nuclear. As a result, Wilson blew a hole in a key element of the president's argument for attacking Iraq. Frustrated administration officials later told columnist Robert Novak that Wilson was married to a covert CIA officer, Valerie Plame. After Novak published her name, Wilson accused the White House of leaking that information to Novak as a way of penalizing Wilson for his criticism of Bush's Iraq policy. Wilson first insinuated that Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser, was behind the leak, but he has since backed off. For his part, Bush indignantly criticized leakers in general, conveniently overlooking the fact that officials in his administration -- like all administrations -- leak when they think it will help them. Leakers are rarely caught. "Deep Throat" has yet to be identified 30 years later. Marlin Fitzwater, who served as White House press secretary in the Reagan administration and the first Bush administration, discouraged then-President Bush from tracking leaks on the basis that it was a futile exercise. A new book, "The Media and the War on Terrorism," edited by Stephen Hess and Marvin Kalb, quotes some former White House press secretaries discussing leaks. There is the trial balloon-- a leak to see whether a certain policy will fly when publicized. Dee Dee Myers, President Clinton's former press secretary, said the most frequent leak she encountered involved "people trying to push the president in one direction." She said press secretaries often give a scoop to a reporter to win favor or to "make the president look good." Ron Nessen, press secretary to President Ford, recalled that an enraged President Kennedy called press secretary Pierre Salinger to complain about a story based on an anonymous source and ordered Salinger to investigate. Salinger came back and reported: "I found out who the leaker was, Mr. President. It was you." Kennedy had a close relationship with several reporters. I believe the more leaks, the better. If we are to be an informed people, then we have a right to know much more than we are officially told by those doing the nation's business. The official version may have the facts. Often, those facts are selected to present a certain point of view or set a tone or image. The leaker may help us better understand because the leaker will provide more than just facts -- the leaker may provide the truth. ______________________________________________ Helen Thomas is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers. E-mail: helent@hearstdc.com. Copyright 2003 Hearst Newspapers.

To: Rascal who wrote (29835)	10/9/2003 9:41:14 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

talkingpointsmemo.com

To: Rascal who wrote (29835)	10/28/2003 7:39:09 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 89467

The General's Heavy Hitters ______________________________ Democratic Presidential candidate Wes Clark has launched a fund-raising blitz with the help of key party moneymen. Among them are: -- Eli Broad, who met the general through Clinton White House counselor Bruce Lindsey, now a Clark adviser. The philanthropist was scouting for someone to run the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Clark was a finalist. "He was very impressive," says Broad. "He's a centrist. He'll have big backing from Democrats who are in business." -- Norman Lear, who is defending Clark's beachhead in Hollywood. Days after Clark's entry, the longtime liberal activist wrote to 150 friends asking for donations. The result was a celebrity-studded Oct. 1 event at the producer's home, co-hosted by TV comic Larry David. Lara Bergthold, a Lear aide and a top Hollywood fund-raiser, will be thumbing through her Rolodex for the general. Other Celebs for Clark include Bette Midler, Jerry Seinfeld, and Michael J. Fox. -- Stanley S. Shuman, executive vice-president of New York investment firm Allen & Co., who has crucial ties to Wall Street money. He and venture capitalist Alan J. Patricof, who was finance chairman of Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign, plan to tap New York's deep-pocketed business community. "The money is coming on a very broad-based basis, quite spontaneously," Shuman says.