Bush Let Osama Go

New York Daily News (via):

The CIA’S top counterterrorism officials felt they could have killed Osama Bin Laden in the months before 9/11, but got the “brushoff” when they went to the Bush White House seeking the money and authorization.

CIA Director George Tenet and his counterterrorism head Cofer Black sought an urgent meeting with then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice on July 10, 2001, writes Bob Woodward in his new book “State of Denial.”

They went over top-secret intelligence pointing to an impending attack and “sounded the loudest warning” to the White House of a likely attack on the U.S. by Bin Laden.

Woodward writes that Rice was polite, but, “They felt the brushoff.”

Skeptic’s Circle 44

Skeptic’s Circle 44, osted at Salto Sobrius, much good reading. In particular, check out the first article There is No F-in Face on Mars, which contains hi-resolution pictures of what people once called the face on Mars.

Welcome to America, the country that tortures

Seems like President Bush and the Republicans are going to legalize torture. The direction that they are taking this country disgusts me.

Also, get ready for strip searches in school, not just of students who have given the administrators probable cause, but of entire classes of students based upon the flimsiest of pretexts, if the Republicans have their way.

How long before the Republicans decide to treat every citizen this way?

USA All The Way!

It has been a very rough year rooting for USA teams in international sporting competitions. We have such extremely talented players that I keep expecting overwhelming success, or even plain old ordinary success, and yet ...

• World Baseball Classic: USA finishes out of the medal round
• World Hockey Championships: USA finishes out of the medal round
• World Cup of Soccer: don’t make me laugh
• World Championship of Basketball (Men): USA loses in the semi-finals and wins the Bronze Medal. What a huge disappointment to see the most talented players in the world lose to Greece.
  
• World Championship of Basketball (Women): I thought this was the team that would go all the way, as they hadn’t lost in international competition since 1994. The result: same as the men, a Bronze Medal, a few months later. What a huge disappointment to see the most talented players in the world lose to Russia.
• Ryder Cup (Golf): not even Tiger Woods can save the Americans

Thank heavens for Cat Osterman and USA Softball, the only USA team in a team sport (that I follow) to win a Gold Medal in the world championships this year. I’m glad I took the time to watch on the Internet, but the broadcast ended with the last pitch, and I didn’t get to see the celebration.

Ceding the Moral High Ground

We heard a lot from the whiner-in-chief this week. “Please, let me torture! You have to let me torture! Torture is good! Torture protects Americans!” It is interesting to compare how America is now perceived versus the way it was perceived during the Gulf War. This letter from a Gulf War Veteran sums it up nicely.

Looking back, I think that one of the main drivers in these men’s heads was that they knew, absolutely, that they’d get fair treatment from us, the Americans. We were the good guys. The Iraqis on the line knew they had an out, they had hope, so they could just walk away. (A few did piss themselves when someone told them we were Marines. Go figure.) Still, they knew Americans would be fair, and we were.

Thinking hard on what I now know of history, psychology, and the meanness of politics, that reputation for fairness was damn near unique in world history. Can you tell me of any major military power that had it? Ever? France? No. Think Algeria. The UK? Sorry, Northern Ireland, the Boxer Rebellion in China… China or Russia. I don’t think so. But America had it. If those men had even put up token resistance, some of us would not have come back. But they didn’t even bother, and surrendered at least in part because of our reputation. Our two hundred year old reputation for being fair and humane and decent. All the way back to George Washington, and from President George H.W. Bush all the way down to a lance-corporal jarhead at the front.

It’s gone now, even from me. I can’t get past that image of the Iraqi, in the hood with the wires and I’m not what you’d call a sensitive type. You know the picture. And now we have a total bust-out in the White House, and a bunch of rubber-stamps in the House, trying to make it so that half-drowning people isn’t torture. That hypothermia isn’t torture. That degradation isn’t torture. We don’t have that reputation for fairness anymore. Just the opposite, I think. And the next real enemy we face will fight like only the cornered and desperate fight. How many Marines’ lives will be lost in the war ahead just because of this asshole who never once risked anything for this country?

Skeptic’s Circle #43

Lots of good stuff to read in the current edition of Skeptic’s Circle, hosted at Adventures in Ethics and Science.

Do I Feel Safer Now?

President Bush let Osama bin Laden escape at Tora Bora by not being willing to commit enough troops to the battle. Now, we find that the CIA has a video of OBL walking along a road after that battle. And two months later, Bush pulled most of his special troops and CIA operatives out of Afghanistan for his monumental mistake in Iraq. Now, we learn that Bush has just requested that the CIA “flood the zone” to find OBL. Problem is, the trail has gone cold, and no one knows where the zone is.

Is there any doubt that the war on terror was never a priority for Bush? Is there any doubt that the only thing that motivates Mr. Bush is political gain?

Cat Rules!

USA Softball’s Cat Osterman proved she is the best pitcher in the world by winning both games of a doubleheader to lead the USA to the World Softball Championship. Osterman threw a 1-hitter against Japan in the Championship game, while Jessica Mendoza, who led the USA in almost every offensive category hit a two-run homerun off of Japan’s fireballer Ukiko Ueno to put the USA ahead. Osterman allowed only 3 hits in her doubleheader win and struck out 24 in 14 innings, including 9 of the last 10 in the Championship game.

Do You Feel Better Off?

Kevin Drum links to a chart showing how median incomes have dropped in the last six years, state-by-state. Ah, prosperity! But, fear not, most large corporations and extremely rich Americans are much better off. That’s the good news!

Anything But Mine

I cannot get the video of “Anything But Mine” by Kenny Chesney out of my mind. The song is so very evocative of a summer, and saying goodbye to a girlfriend, it makes you think of times like that in your life. The video makes the feeling increase tenfold. It is one of the best song/video combinations I have ever seen.

Go, Cat, Go! Part 3

USA Softball defeated Olympic Silver Medalist Australia 11–2 in the first playoff round of the World Softball Championships in Beijing, with ace pitcher Cat Osterman striking out 12 in 6 innings. Jessica Mendoza hit two home runs to power the USA team. Osterman now has 34 strikeouts in 21 innings, throwing complete game wins in all three of her starts.

This win sets up a match of USA versus Japan, and the two best pitchers in the world, Osterman and flame throwing Ukiko Ueno of Japan. Ueno has 32 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. Osterman has had success before against Japan, throwing a 1-hitter against Japan in the 2004 Olympics, and pitching in the championship game of both the 2005 and 2006 World Cup of Softball. In the 2005 championship game, Ueno was the winning pitcher, while in the 2006 Championship game Osterman came up victorious.

The game will be broadcast live on the Internet. The bad news is that the game starts at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, August 4. To watch the two best pitchers in the world, I will be getting up early tomorrow.

Update (9/4/06): Osterman didn’t pitch, but Ueno did. Japan won 3–1, meaning the USA now has to win two games today to take the Championship. Japan only has to win one game today to win the Championship.

Congratulations, Wegmans

Wegmans, which I consider to be the best supermarket on the planet (and maybe the best in the entire galaxy), has been judged the best supermarket by Consumer Reports.

Student Loan Bullies

America, the country without a heart, as explained at Temporary Attorney. (via)

Go, Cat, Go! Part 2

Tired of watching USA Basketball come up short? Yeah, me too...

But go check out USA Softball, currently playing in the World Softball Championship. Through 7 games, they have outscored their opponents 41–1, and they have advanced to the playoff round. Ace pitcher Cat Osterman pitched her second straight 2-hitter, this one a shutout against China, one of the better teams in the tournament. She now has 23 strikeouts in 14 innings. Jennie Finch, Alicia Hollowell, Jamie Southern and Monica Abbott also have thrown shutouts.