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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (763839)	7/26/2007 6:50:25 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Yep... simple prudence.... ==================================== Gates Makes Concession to Clinton SecDef Offers to Brief Senate Armed Services on "Thinking" Re: Drawdown By CHRISTINA DAVIDSON Posted 1 hr. 3 min. ago iraqslogger.com Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has offered "to establish a process" for the Senate Armed Services Committee, to help keep them "apprised of the conceptual thinking, factors, considerations, questions and objectives associated with drawdown planning." Gates was responding to a request from committee member Sen. Hillary Clinton, who had asked the Pentagon to provide information in its contingency planning for the removal of US troops from Iraq. Clinton's request sparked some controversy when Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman penned the initial response, which declined to provide the requested information because, as he wrote: "Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia." Dems accused the Pentagon of questioning the patriotism of the Senator just because she asked the question, and Clinton said she would take the issue up with Edelman's boss. Gates clarifies in his letter, "I emphatically assure you that we do not claim, suggest, or otherwise believe that congressional oversight emboldens our enemies, nor do we question anyone’s motives in this regard." The secretary explained that contingency plans are not typically shared with oversight committees for many reasons, including operational security, the fact that plans regularly change in response to circumstances on the ground, and the resultant need to maintain flexibility, but offered to work with Clinton and the committee to keep them informed as much as possible. Clinton's response welcomes "the disclosure" that the Pentagon "is indeed planning for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq." Considering the Pentagon maintains contingency plans for a wide array of possible scenarios all over the world, this isn't such a revelation for those who understand the military. However, it will be interesting to watch if the mainstream media picks that angle as their lead in covering the story.

To: Karen Lawrence who wrote (763839)	7/26/2007 6:52:25 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Biggest Corruption Case of War Underway Army Major Accused of $15 Million in Contractor Bribes for Reconstruction Posted 6 hr. 19 min. ago iraqslogger.com A bribery case unfolding in San Antonio represents largest exposed incident of graft related to Iraq's reconstruction, and may turn out to be the biggest bribery scandal in US military history. The ongoing investigation could also lead to charges against military officers other than the one currently implicated. Army Maj. John L. Cockerham, a contract procurement officer stationed at Fort Sam Houston, stands accused taking $9.6 million in bribes and was to receive another $5.4 million for steering lucrative deals to contractors during 2004-2005 while he was stationed at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. "This is the largest bribery case that's come out of the Iraq reconstruction experience," Stuart W. Bowen Jr., special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, told the San Antonio Express-News in an interview Wednesday. Cockerham's wife and sister also stand accused of helping launder the money, and the Express-News reports sources who said higher ranking officers may be implicated in the case. Bowen declined to add anything to that report, saying "That's where I can't talk.... This is an ongoing investigation.... The rest of the story will be told over time as the investigation unfolds." It was unclear how the government learned about the bribes to Cockerham, but various sources told the Express-News that the case is one in a pattern of contract-rigging and bribery cases at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, involving multiple members of the military, including some who died under mysterious circumstances as investigators closed in. The Cockerham's were arrested Monday and his sister, Carolyn Blake, on Wednesday. All have pleaded not guilty. Following the Cockerham's hearing on Monday, as he and his wife were being led out for transport to jail, John turned to the assembled media, asking that the ACLU be notified, and seeming to imply a government conspiracy was behind his arrest. "We're suffering injustice in the name of justice," Cockerham shouted. "I guess we can thank the Department of Justice for this."