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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (22894)	6/18/2005 11:04:49 AM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 361907

That's a good letter...Bush still has not replied to the one signed by 88 congressmen. No accountability in the WH: WH Press Secretary Mocks 'Downing Street Memo,' as Congressman Calls for Inquiry By E&P Staff Published: June 16, 2005 4:25 PM ET NEW YORK With a forum about to begin on Capitol Hill on the so-called Downing Street Memo, hosted by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), reporters at today's White House briefing by Press Secretary Scott McClellan naturally raised the subject, albeit briefly. Rather than ask about details or implications of the 2002 internal British document -- which seemed to suggest that the Bush administration was determined to go to war against Iraq and that intelligence would be “fixed” to support it --the correspondents wondered if the White House was ever going to respond to a letter authored by Conyers and signed by 88 of his colleagues asking for information about the memo. A transcript of two exchanges follows: * Q Scott, on another topic, has the President or anyone else from the administration responded to the letter sent last month by Congressman John Conyers and signed by dozens of members of the House of Representatives, regarding the Downing Street memo? Has the President or anyone else responded? McCLELLAN: Not that I'm aware of. Q Why not? McCLELLAN: Why not? Because I think that this is an individual who voted against the war in the first place [Conyers] and is simply trying to rehash old debates that have already been addressed. And our focus is not on the past. It's on the future and working to make sure we succeed in Iraq. These matters have been addressed, Elaine. I think you know that very well. The press -- Q Scott, 88 members of Congress signed that letter. McCLELLAN: The press -- the press have covered it, as well. Q But, Scott, don't they deserve the courtesy of a response back? McCLELLAN: Again, this has been addressed…. * Q Scott, on John Conyers, John Conyers is walking here with that letter again, as you have acknowledged from Elaine's comment. But 88 leaders on Capitol Hill signed that letter. Now, I understand what you're saying about him, but what about the other 88 who signed this letter, wanting information, answers to these five questions? McCLELLAN: How did they vote on the war -- the decision to go to war in Iraq? Q Well, you have two -- well, if that's the case, you have two Republicans who are looking for a timetable. How do you justify that? McCLELLAN: I already talked about that. Q I understand, but let's talk about this. McCLELLAN: Like I said -- Q Well, just because -- I understand -- but if you're talking about unifying and asking for everyone to come together, why not answer, whether they wanted the war or not, answer a letter where John Conyers wrote to the President and then 88 congressional leaders signed? Why not answer that? McCLELLAN: For the reasons I stated earlier. This is simply rehashing old debates that have already been discussed. *** Later, across town, Rep. Charles Rangel was among Democratic House members who participated in the Conyers forum to air demands that the White House provide more information about what led to the decision to go to war in Iraq. Congress should conduct an official inquiry to determine whether President Bush intentionally misled the nation about the reasons for toppling Saddam Hussein, Rangle charged. "Quite frankly, evidence that appears to be building up points to whether or not the president has deliberately misled Congress to make the most important decision a president has to make, going to war," Rangel said. Conyers and a half-dozen other members of Congress were stopped at the White House gate later Thursday when they hand-delivered petitions signed by 560,000 Americans who want Bush to provide a detailed response to the Downing Street memo. When Conyers couldn't get in, an anti-war demonstrator shouted, "Send Bush out!" Eventually, White House aides retrieved the petitions at the gate and took them into the West Wing. editorandpublisher.com

To: stockman_scott who wrote (22894)	6/18/2005 2:42:02 PM
From: manalagi	Respond to of 361907

My birthday presents keep coming: signonsandiego.com Demonstrators march in front of Cunningham's Rancho Santa Fe house By Karen Kucher and Greg Magnus UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM Mike Byron of Oceanside (left) and Barb Parcells of Rancho Bernardo hold signs critical of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham during the demonstration. RANCHO SANTA FE – About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's gated driveway Friday to protest his real-estate dealings with a defense contractor that they dubbed "Mansiongate." The group chanted slogans and waved homemade signs that accused Cunningham of profiting from the war in Iraq and claiming his vote was for sale. They asked for Cunningham to disclose his financial transactions involving the defense contractor, MZM Inc., and some called for his ouster. Many of the demonstrators linked their concerns about Cunningham's transaction with a defense contractor to the war in Iraq. Rodney Galloway of Ramona said he attended the noontime rally because he supports pulling the troops out of Iraq and to protest Cunningham's conduct. From today's U-T FBI looking at sale of Cunningham home "When I saw the news, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous he did something like that," Galloway said. "It is just an indication of how corrupt our politicians are." The San Diego Union-Tribune and Copley News Service revealed Sunday that the defense contractor who bought Cunningham's Del Mar house took a $700,000 loss on the purchase while Cunningham, a member of the powerful defense appropriations subcommittee, backed the contractor's ultimately successful efforts to get business from the Pentagon. Advertisement MZM owner Mitchell Wade bought Cunningham's house for $1,675,000 inNovember 2003 and swiftly put it back on the market for about the same price. It sat on the market for almost nine months until it sold for $975,000. It was later reported that Cunningham has been living aboard a 42-foot-yacht owned by Wade. On Friday the newspaper reported the FBI had opened an inquiry into the real estate transaction. Cunningham used the money from the initial sale to buy the $2.55 million house in Rancho Santa Fe where protesters gathered today. "Buy your mansion, buy your yacht, while our troops die in Iraq," was one the chants offered by the protesters. "He sold out to defense contractors and our kids are being killed because of it," said Ramona Byron of Oceanside. Cunningham was apparently not at home at the time. He has said he has done nothing wrong and called the transaction aboveboard. A spokesman at his Washington, D.C. office said Friday he would be making no additional comments on the issue. The protest was organized by the North County Coalition for Peace and Justice. Some of Cunningham's neighbors were miffed to find protesters and news crews on the quiet residential street. One woman drove by in her BMW and honked her horn repeatedly. Another neighbor, who lives across the street from Cunningham's home, came out to chastise the group, saying she had a party starting soon and her guests would need places to park.