Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 21. Oktober 2005 / Time Line October 21, 2005
Version 3.520. Oktober 2005, 22. Oktober 2005
10/21/2005
Resolution Of Inquiry To Demand Documents From White House Group
That Developed Strategy To "Sell" War
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich Press Release
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) today introduced a Resolution
of Inquiry to demand the White House turn over all white papers,
minutes, notes, emails or other communications kept by the White
House Iraq Group (WHIG).
"This group, comprised of the President and Vice President's top
aides, was critical in selling the Administration's case for war,"
stated Kucinich. "We now know that the Administration hyped
intelligence and misled the American public and Congress in their
effort to 'sell' the war. After over 1,900 American troops have
been killed in Iraq, it is long past time for this Congress to ask
serious questions about WHIG and its role in the lead up to the
war."
A Resolution of Inquiry is a rare House procedure used to obtain
documents from the Executive Branch. Under House rules, Kucinich's
resolution is referred to committee, and action must be taken in
committee within 14 legislative days.
"For two-and-a-half years Congress has sat on the sidelines
neglecting its oversight responsibility when it has come to Iraq,"
continued Kucinich. "We owe it to the American people to hold this
Administration accountable and to find out the truth."
10/21/2005
Bush—Cheney CIA/Plame case indictments released this
morning
Bush orders Fitzgerald fired and espionage indictments quashed
by Tom Flocco
http://www.tomflocco.com/fs/CiaPlameCaseIndictments.htm
Washington, DC—October 21, 2005—12:00
EST—TomFlocco.com exclusive—Today Special Counsel
Patrick Fitzgerald handed over 22 indictments to Attorney General
Alberto Gonzalez, accusing President George W. Bush, Vice President
Richard Cheney and others of espionage, obstruction of justice,
perjury and a variety of other charges in the matter of the
CIA/Valerie Plame leak-gate case.
According to intelligence sources who spoke with federal
whistleblowers Thomas Heneghan and Stewart Webb, Bush then ordered
Gonzalez to fire Fitzgerald and have the indictments quashed and
sealed.
Gonzalez refused to release the indictments which have been handed
down by the grand jury and ordered served by a judge, subjecting
the Attorney General to additional charges of obstruction of
justice, the sources said.
The indictments confirm our original “Bush-Cheney
indicted” report on August 2, 2005.
Gonzalez was Bush’s former personal White House counsel
before receiving a presidential appointment as U.S. Attorney
General.
The move is reminiscent of the “Saturday night
massacre” when President Nixon fired Watergate Special
Prosecutor Archibald Cox in an attempt to save his presidency and
obstruct justice.
10/21/2005
It's Still SNAFU for U.S. Intelligence Community
By David Isenberg
October 21, 2005
The release in March this year of the report of "The Commission on
the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding
Weapons of Mass Destruction" was heralded as an important first
step in helping the intelligence community to make the necessary
changes to deal with critical security challenges, such as the
proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and
international terrorism.
It is critical and urgent that lessons from the WMD intelligence
failures over Iraq are completed if we are to avoid similar
mistakes leading to a far greater and all-consuming conflict with
Iran in the foreseeable future.
But the Commission failed in its job, according to a new BASIC
report, See, Speak, and Hear No Incompetence: An Analysis of the
Findings of The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the
United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.
According to the author, BASIC Senior Analyst David Isenberg:
"The framework in which U.S. intelligence operates is deficient. A
structure that allows intelligence analysts to prepare estimates
based on unverified assumptions and nonexistent evidence is, in
reality, a rotting edifice, as opposed to the solid foundation
needed to deal with twenty-first century challenges."
The Commission's recommendations were not particularly impressive.
Most involved initiatives that were already in the works before the
Commission released its report, and doubts remain about how
effective they will be. Had all the proposed reorganizations been
in place four years ago, there is nothing to suggest that the
intelligence agencies or the Bush administration would have reached
more accurate conclusions.
The BASIC report finds that the Commission avoided dealing with the
'politics of intelligence': a problem that is likely to continue to
fester. This means that U.S. policymakers will again make
statements that are neither factually based or in tune with what
the intelligence community is actually saying. Indeed, the
Washington Post reported on August 2, 2005, that a new National
Intelligence Estimate projected that Iran is about a decade away
from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly
doubling the previous estimate of five years. This is in sharp
contrast with the forceful public statements by the White House on
Iran's nuclear program, suggesting that the politicization of
intelligence is continuing much as before.
The full report is available at
http://www.basicint.org/pubs/Research/05WMD.pdf
10/21/2005
Canada to Give $47M to Russia for Chemical Weapons
Destruction
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, OTTAWA
Canada will give Russia $55 million dollars ($47 million U.S.) to
Russia to help fund the destruction of Russian nerve agent-filled
weapons that could wipe out the world’s population several
times over, the foreign ministry said Oct. 21.
The aid will allow Russia to buy the essential equipment needed for
the completion of a chemical weapons destruction facility for nerve
agent-filled munitions at the chemical weapons complex near
Shchuch’ye in central Russia, the ministry said in a
statement.
10/21/2005
DOD ON CONTRACTORS AND ARMED FORCES
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2005, Issue No. 99
A new Department of Defense Instruction defines "DoD policy and
procedures concerning DoD contractor personnel authorized to
accompany the U.S. Armed Forces."
Contractors deployed alongside U.S. military forces in Iraq and
elsewhere have assumed increasing responsibilities for military
tasks up to and including prisoner interrogation, but in doing so
they have also created legal, administrative and procedural
problems.
The new DoD Instruction attempts to bring some order to what has
occasionally been a chaotic situation and addresses, for example,
the conditions under which contractors may be armed.
The issuance of the Instruction earlier this month was first
reported by InsideDefense.com.
See DoD Instruction 3020.41, "Contractor Personnel Authorized to
Accompany the U.S. Armed Forces," October 3, 2005:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/dod/i3020_41.pdf
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