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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (39799)	4/16/2004 2:29:28 PM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 793770

Kean Interest By The Prowler Published 4/16/2004 12:07:59 AM According to a Republican staffer on the 9/11 commission, growing public and pundit outrage over commissioner Jamie Gorelick's failure to disclose the existence of a Justice Department memo, had chairman Gov. Tom Kean asking Gorelick yesterday morning if she would think about stepping aside. "The word is she was asked whether she might consider it and she flat out shut him down," said the staffer. "We're in an extremely difficult spot on this." Gorelick's conflict of interest came to light on Tuesday afternoon, when a newly declassified 1995 Justice Department memo written by her when she was serving as Deputy Attorney General was presented to the commission by Attorney General John Ashcroft during public testimony. The memo, which mandated policy that, as it turned out, made it almost impossible for counter-terrorism investigators to pursue the 9/11 plot before it unfolded, surprised Gorelick's fellow commissioners and staff because, staffers said, she never disclosed its existence to any of them. Kean's quiet attempt to press the issue on Gorelick's situation comes at a time when there were mounting calls for the former Clinton political operative to step aside from not only the House Judiciary Committee chairman James Sensenbrenner but families of 9/11 victims concerned that the commission's report would be tainted by her presence. Those families were also calling for Gorelick to be called before the committee to explain her role in devising a legal impediment that contributed to the intelligence and law enforcement failures to combat and prevent terrorist acts. But according to former Clinton staffers, it's doubtful Gorelick will budge. "She's on that commission for a reason, and it isn't because of her brilliant legal mind," says a former DNC and Clinton White House staffer. "She's there to make sure Bush and his team look as bad as possible and to protect the Clintons and Reno." It isn't just Gorelick who is now in hot water. Based on their remarks on Wednesday and Thursday, both Kean and fellow commissioner, former Sen. Slade Gorton are taking heat from 9/11 families for telling critics during TV interviews to stay "out of our business." Those remarks came in response to questions about Gorelick's conflict of interest. "We've got to get these guys out of the limelight," says the Republican 9/11 staffer. "Kean has enjoyed the media spotlight a little too much. Remember, most of these guys are has-beens. They haven't experienced this much attention in years. In a matter of two days they have managed to undo six months of good work that was done under the radar screen. A few more days of this and the commission's work will be tainted." spectator.org

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (39799)	4/16/2004 2:32:53 PM
From: michael97123	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793770

RE: Language Not so wacky at all. English has become the language of technology and modernism. It is not a better language that french or german. Its just the US became the dominant economic power and folks had to learn english to compete. And of course most english speakers seem to have an aversion to learning other languages. Now fast forward to asia where english also has become the international language even to the point where indians who already speak english are being retrained in US english and/or the queens english because no one understands their native form of english. Time for the arabs to compete in the modern world. Keep islam but learn english would be a good first step. Next time you call a help line you may get "Hello this is Yasir Arafat, can i be of service?"

To: Mary Cluney who wrote (39799)	4/16/2004 2:46:54 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793770

Mary, by your answer you seem to say that an Islamist ideology is inherent to Islam, or you think that I think so. That is not what I mean at all. "Islamism" is a political movement whose core is totalitarian, but also exists as kind of a religious revival - we can beat the west by returning to the 7th century pure Islam, following a totalitarian version of Sharia, with guns and bombs. Islamism is not the same thing as Islam, the religion, and most Muslims are not Islamists. But Islamism lives and breathes in the mosques of the Arab world, because that is the one place where assembly and free speech (free if you don't attack your own rulers) is allowed. So this political movement is deeply mixed up with religion, as are many movements in Islamic countries.