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

To: TigerPaw who wrote (44359)	4/30/2004 10:37:18 AM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

Kerry Concedes 'We May Yet Find' WMDs Just Weeks After Saying Bush 'Misled' About Them By Jimmy Moore April 30, 2004 SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Likely Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, who has been labeled a "flip-flopper" on a wide variety of issues, has now done so regarding the issue of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Kerry, who in the late 1990s talked about WMDs being present in Iraq and then changed his mind once he began running for president, has been especially adamant in his criticism of President George W. Bush's assertion that WMDs will still be found in Iraq. "George Bush sold us on going to war with Iraq based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. But we still haven't found them," Kerry said in a speech earlier this month. He added at the time, "We were misled about weapons of mass destruction." In addition, former Democratic presidential candidate and Kerry supporter Howard Dean said the lack of WMDs in Iraq is a scandal for the Bush administration. "There were no weapons of mass destruction," the former Vermont governor told CNN recently. "This is Bushgate, which is far more serious than Watergate." However, speaking on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" on Tuesday, Kerry decided to back away from his previous strong stance against WMDs being found. "It appears, as they peel away the weapons of mass destruction issue -- and we may yet find them," Kerry admitted. He continued, "Look, I want to make it clear. Who knows if a month from now, three months from now, you find some weapons? You may." This pronouncement by Kerry came one day after Jordan announced an al Qaeda plan to carry out an attack in Amman with WMDs from Syria using a terrorist trained in Iraq. It also followed news that a likely WMD plant in Baghdad under the auspices of being a perfume factory suddenly exploded earlier this week when two American troops were investigating. But in an April 5, 2004 press release posted on the Kerry campaign web site, Kerry asserts that "the President continued to mislead the public about the war in Iraq." Similarly, in an April 6, 2004 press release posted on the Kerry campaign web site, Kerry claims that Bush "misled the public" about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

To: TigerPaw who wrote (44359)	4/30/2004 12:10:57 PM
From: Skywatcher	Respond to of 89467

IT DOESN"T GET MUCH SCARIER THAN THIS ORWELLIAN NIGHTMARE! Patriot Act Suppresses News Of Challenge to Patriot Act THE ULTIMATE IN ASHCROFTIAN BIG BROTHERISM By Dan Eggen Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, April 29, 2004; Page A17 The American Civil Liberties Union disclosed yesterday that it filed a lawsuit three weeks ago challenging the FBI's methods of obtaining many business records, but the group was barred from revealing even the existence of the case until now. The lawsuit was filed April 6 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, but the case was kept under seal to avoid violating secrecy rules contained in the USA Patriot Act, the ACLU said. The group was allowed to release a redacted version of the lawsuit after weeks of negotiations with the government. "It is remarkable that a gag provision in the Patriot Act kept the public in the dark about the mere fact that a constitutional challenge had been filed in court," Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal director, said in a statement. "President Bush can talk about extending the life of the Patriot Act, but the ACLU is still gagged from discussing details of our challenge to it." A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the case. The ACLU alleges that a section of the act is unconstitutional because it allows the FBI to request financial records and other documents from businesses without a warrant or judicial approval. The group also says such requests, known as "national security letters," are being used much more broadly than they were before the Patriot Act. The bureau has issued scores of the letters since late 2001 that require businesses to turn over electronic records about finances, telephone calls, e-mail and other personal information, according to previously released documents. The letters, a type of administrative subpoena, may be issued independently by FBI field offices and are not subject to judicial review unless a case comes to court. The ACLU's complaint focuses on the use of national security letters to obtain information held by "electronic communication service providers." The group says the letters could force Internet providers to turn over names, screen names, e-mail addresses and other customer information without proper notice to the people involved. The lawsuit names as defendants Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III and FBI Senior Counsel Marion E. "Spike" Bowman. A second plaintiff has joined the ACLU in filing the lawsuit, but that plaintiff's identity has been redacted from the public copy of the complaint. CC