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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (92405)	1/3/2005 1:51:48 AM
From: Grainne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

I think that Bill Clinton sometimes grandstands. He comes across as very empathetic--and you can tell that in his heart he is sincere. But there have been other instances where he was not at all discreet. Former presidents need to be very thoughtful about what they say publicly, and the timing in particular. The example that comes to mind immediately is when he called Kerry from the hospital and talked for an hour or something to give him advice on the campaign. That was great! The problem is that details of the discussion ended up in the papers immediately, and it wasn't Kerry who leaked anything. Kerry felt betrayed, in fact. Although Clinton could have discussed the conversation with someone he trusted, he didn't really use excellent judgment. I did think it was an important opinion in a foreign paper--it reflects the current world view of America by the Europeans. With the U.S. so unpopular because of the war in Iraq, a better handled and gracious response to the tsunami crisis by Bush might have helped the U.S. look a little better. I don't think this tsunami relief funding controversy will continue to dominate the newspapers very much longer. The Democrats on the Hill are threatening to question Gonzales about the torture in Iraq. And former Bush cabinet member Christine Todd Whitman's book, which is highly critical of Bush and the Republican's move to the right, it about to be published: DEMS CONSIDER TORTURE SHOW 'N TELL AT GONZALES HEARING Exclusive During upcoming confirmation hearings for Attorney General-nominee Alberto Gonzales, senior Democrats want to screen infamous videotapes showing Iraqis being abused at Abu Ghraib prison, top sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT. The curtain is raised Thursday for the Senate Judiciary Committee's showdown with Gonzales. The Bush White House counsel will be grilled about his role in formulating the administration's legal policies on coercive techniques in interrogations -- techniques some Democrats believe led to outright torture! Yet it's the grainy prison videos, shot by a soldier's cellphone and never before viewed by the public, that threaten to turn the New Year ugly: A video of a handcuffed prisoner beating his head against a wall; a video of a group of hooded men shown masturbating. The Pentagon and the White House hold the videos in their possession and have not authorized any public release, including to the senate. One top Democrat senate source said over the holiday weekend: "Mr. Gonzales should explain to us, to the public if this was policy. I am demanding we move to full disclosure." Republicans counter showing the videos during the Gonzales hearings would jeopardize evidence in trials of the soldiers involved in the abuse. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has said making the videos public might endanger more men and women serving in the armed forces in Iraq. DEMS DIVIDED "Normally, I side with disclosure and openness, but in this case, the material is evidence," Sen. Schumer (D-NY) said last year. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the videos should be made public and that they proved to him that there was an organized policy of abusing prisoners to get information -- approved by the White House. Top Hill insiders explain Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has not ruled out exploring the abuse at Abu Ghraib with Gonzales in open session. But a well-placed Kennedy source said the Attorney General's confirmation hearings will not be turned into a showdown with the military. Developing... drudgereport.com