Cheney Admits No Iraq-Al Qaeda Link, Sorta

Dick Cheney has been a busy talker these past few weeks, and to continue the trend, he had no short supply of comments yesterday. Apart from the pro-gay marriage statement, there was also a mention of the supposed link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. Back before the war the Bush Administration and Cheney specifically made heavy use of a purported connection between Hussein and the terrorists that attacked us as a rationale to go to war with Iraq. Several years later, he has finally begun to acquiesce on that point, just a little bit.

From Bloomberg:

June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney disavowed intelligence he once cited to suggest that then-Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein collaborated with al-Qaeda to stage the Sept. 11 attacks.

Cheney said today that information by the Central Intelligence Agency of collaboration between Iraq and al-Qaeda on Sept. 11 “turned out not to be true.” Still, Cheney said a longstanding relationship existed between Hussein and terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, that justified the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“I thought it was strong at the time and I still feel so today,” Cheney said at a National Press Club lunch in Washington. “There was a relationship between al-Qaeda and Iraq that stretched back 10 years. That’s not something I made up.” Citing 2002 Senate testimony by George Tenet, then the CIA director, he said, “We know for a fact that Saddam Hussein was a state sponsor of terrorism."

We also know for a fact, that Dick was using false intelligence to make claims that were simply not true. We knew it then, he knew it then, but only now is he beginning to admit that there was no smoking gun, even if he still tries to push that there was a valid reason to invade and occupy Iraq.

Cheney's High Moment Of The Last Eight Years

It was the death of nearly 3,000 Americans. Truly, utterly, sickening, to the core:

FL Republican Uses Burning Twin Towers For Partisan And Monetary Gain

Nearly everyone who remembers the images of the burning towers, whether live and in person here in New York or on their television sets around the globe was shocked and saddened by what they saw. It was a moment in American history where people forgot their partisan differences and came together as a nation. Unfortunately as time went on it divided us on what to do about terrorism, whether to bully the world or hunt and prosecute those that would do us harm. Although I disagree with those that want to bully, I would never use the images of the burning towers to make an argument against Republicans, but that is exactly what one Republican is doing to Democrats....and he's making a profit from it too.

From WFTV:

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A controversial billboard in Orange County has a picture of the burning World Trade Center and the message, "Please Don't Vote for a Democrat." The man who paid for the ad says he's trying to help Republicans, but officials with both political parties are calling the billboard inappropriate. There are billboards up and down busy Orange Blossom Trail, but this at John Young Parkway (see map) one sticks out. "Just looking at it, I'm not thinking about Democrat or Republican, I'm thinking about the twin towers and all the people killed," resident Mary Anderson told Eyewitness News. The ad went up last week and is causing quite a reaction."Why use the twin towers for that purpose?" Anderson questioned. The man behind the billboard is Mike Meehan, a St. Cloud businessman and musician. His website advertises a CD and music video titled "The Republican Song," with the chorus, "Don't vote for a Democrat." He's selling CDs for $5.

Just when I think that the partisan debate can't go any lower, some Republican somewhere will remind me that there is no limit on what will be done, no matter how grotesque.

Giuliani Still Lying About Those Radios

Rudy got his chance to blab on the Sunday talk show circuit via the good will of George Stephanopoulos and ABC. George mustered a few tough questions, even doing some follow up work when Rudy lied to him about the radios that malfunctioned on September 11th, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of firefighters.

From ThinkProgress:

Today on ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos pushed former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on why the radios for the 9/11 firefighters didn’t work. Giuliani dodged the question, claiming that it would have been “impossible” to have given them working radios:

STEPHANOPOULOS: They make two main charges. Number one, that those firefighters in the north tower, many of them lost their lives because their radios didn’t work. They also say you ended the recovery efforts too soon.

GIULIANI: Well, the radios that you’re talking about weren’t put online for three, four, five years after. So, it would have been impossible for me to have those radios ready. It took the city two or three more years…

STEPHANOPOULOS: But they had malfunctioned in 1993.

GIULIANI: But even with the new equipment, it took another two or three years for those radios to be put online. So it would have been impossible for us to have gotten them online before that, given the fact that it took so long afterwards.

Now we know George wouldn't go farther than that with the former Mayor, so we here in the blogosphere had to do a little bit more, along with the group of firefighters assembling to fight him tooth and nail if his candidacy is to advance past Iowa and New Hampshire.

Of course, the Real Rudy didn't give a crap about those radios, he pulled a George Bush and issued a no-bid contract instead.

Rudy Connected To Terrorists? But I Thought....

Rudy is running on fighting terror. He's a tough, rootin, tootin son of a gun that's not taking names and strictly here to kick ass. "America's Mayor" they call him, a man that stood tough while NYC was in chaos after being attacked on 9/11. Thats what Rudy is about, or at least that's what he wants you to think. The truth is much, much different.

Keith had the Village Voice's Wayne Barrett on the show last night to talk about his bombshell article two days ago about Rudy's ties to terror. Now all you Rudy lovers wipe the shock (or denial) off your face and watch this interview, or go ahead and read the article linked in the first paragraph and tell me how you feel about this guy now.



Greed is an ugly thing, isn't it?

It Pays To Turn Against Your Own

I don't know if this is odd, but I always get a feel of deep regard whenever I see a FDNY firetruck roll by on the streets and avenues of the city with their sirens blazing. Many people cover their ears from the noise, but I just watch and smile. Their courage and bravery is incredible, as is many a firefighter across the country and the world. They risk their lives day in and day out and on September 11th, hundreds did not make it out alive.

That is one of the reasons that Rudy Giuliani angers me so. He capitalizes on their bravery to make money and now run for President. Many firefighters see this and have thus taken action to prevent Rudy from winning any type of elected office here on out. The 9/11 Parents & Families of Firefighters are organizing as we speak to run television ads in key states to let other Americans know the Rudy we have come to despise here in New York. However, there are a few in the FDNY that are with Rudy. The question is, are they speaking from the heart, or the wallet?

From The Huffington Post:

John R. Orlando, who serves with Engine 216 in Brooklyn, New York, has been cited prominently as a Giuliani supporter. Last June, in a New York Times article detailing the mixed reviews Giuliani has among the city's 11,000-membered firefighting force, Orlando said he regularly saw Giuliani at fires despite suggestions otherwise.

Orlando was also quoted as saying the "bottom line is, I think he's been more of a friend to firefighters than I've seen in the news. I don't think all the criticism is warranted."

Did those comments come with a reward? Three months after he praised Giuliani, Orlando found himself on the former mayor's payroll. On September 28, 2007, the Giuliani campaign paid one John R. Orlando more than $1,580 for what they deemed on a campaign filing as "political strategy consulting."

When asked about the arrangement -- after repeated attempts for comment -- Giuliani spokesperson Matt McKeon questioned the question.

"Are you suggesting that firefighters aren't capable of political strategy?"

Pressed to describe what strategy, exactly, Orlando provided, McKeon replied: "I'll get back to you."

He never did.

Orlando never got back to the press either. What do these two Giuliani men have to hide? Is Orlando disrespecting his comrades by supporting Rudy? If he is so solid in his positive view of the ex-Mayor, why not say it for free? If the answers to these questions reflected well on Rudy then they'd answer them, but as you can tell, they didn't.

Firefighters For Truth, Against Giuliani

The infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth who lied about John Kerry and were funded by rich Republican oil men and the like. Now there's a new group out to tell the truth about a certain Presidential candidate. The big difference between 04' and '08 is that you can trust these firefighters on what they are saying about Rudy Giuliani.

From ABC News:

A group of 9/11 firefighters and victims' family members with eyes on derailing Republican Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign is close to a decision on forming an entity that would run issue ads in key early nominating states.

"TV made him a hero, and we'll use TV to take him down," New York Fire Chief Jim Riches told ABC News.

(snip)

Riches, who lost his firefighter son Jimmy in the World Trade Center's north tower, said, "We don't want him running on 9/11 or the bodies of all these dead people or my dead son saying that he did a great job that day."

He and other members of the anti-Giuliani group claim 9/11 first responders were given bad radios and that that prevented them from hearing evacuation orders when the World Trade Center buildings were about to collapse. They also contend Giuliani rushed cleanup work and misled people about air quality at Ground Zero, where recovery workers, including Riches, say they contracted illnesses.

Giuliani never really cared about those that risked their lives to rescue survivors and work on the pile, he was just there for the photo-ops. If he cared, he would have acted more competently pre, during and post 9/11. Rudy might look like he's with it, but thats all an act, and these firefighters are ready to prove it to the nation still under the spell of the "America's Mayor" meme.

Councilman Gioia Endorse The Real Rudy's Efforts

He may only be a Councilman from Queens, but this elected official of food stamp fame is engaging himself in an important effort to expose the real Rudy Giuliani. Kudos to you Eric!

Bill Maher Provides His Own Security

Bill gets tough with 9/11 conspiracy theorists on live TV:

9/11 And Jesus Make Giuliani's World Go Round'

Rudy Giuliani has no problem judging people, New Yorkers have lost count how many times he opened his inappropriate mouth when he was Mayor. Now that he is in the spotlight for his adulterous sins, he proclaims the words of Jesus (even though he technically misquoted the New Testament story about the adulterous woman despite four years of theology) to defend himself.

From The Huffington Post:

"I'm guided very, very often about, `Don't judge others, lest you be judged,'" Giuliani told CBN interviewer David Brody. "I'm guided a lot by the story of the woman that was going to be stoned, and Jesus put the stones down and said, 'He that hasn't sinned, cast the first stone,' and everybody disappeared.

"It seems like nowadays in America, we have people that think they could've passed that test," he said. "And I don't think anybody could've passed that test but Jesus."

In the New Testament story, related in the Gospel of John, Jesus does not actually hold stones. The Pharisees bring Jesus a woman charged with adultery, reminding him the punishment for adultery is stoning. They are testing Jesus in an effort to charge him with breaking the law.

Well its a good thing Rudy didn't live in the Roman Empire, he wouldn't have lasted long without the help of a certain Jew. Of course, this isn't about adultery. It is about Giuliani trying to claim moral superiority over everyone for having been Mayor of New York on September the 11th.

He excused his phone call with his third wife during the middle of a speech to the NRA because of 9/11. Are we seriously supposed to believe that? If Giuliani was a decent human being then one can be mushy from time to time but his track record shows he is a cold and callous individual.

Everything about Giuliani comes from ego and wanting to be elected. He has no clear positions other than that he wants to "kick ass." That's great if you want to join the Delta Force, but we are talking about the next leader of the free world here. Heaven knows we do not need another "shoot from the hip George W. Bush" figure.

9/11, 9/11, Vote Giuliani, 9/11, 9/11

In the words of Lois Griffin during her candidacy in Quahog, "9/11, 9/11, 9/11." Creator Seth MacFarlane highlighted how three numbers makes the simplistic residents of Quahog cheer for her after actual policy positions bored the hell out of them. Well that type of politics is not resigned to the animated world. Rudy Giuliani heartily embraces it as well. It is the only thing he runs on and as evidenced by his latest fundraiser, he wants to sink the message deep into the brains of Republican voters.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — A supporter of Rudy Giuliani's is throwing a party that aims to raise $9.11 per person for the Republican's presidential campaign.

Abraham Sofaer is having a fundraiser at his Palo Alto, Calif., home on Wednesday, when Giuliani backers across the country are participating in the campaign's national house party night.

But Sofaer said he had nothing to do with the "$9.11 for Rudy" theme.

"There are some young people who came up with it," Sofaer said when reached by telephone Monday evening. He referred other questions to Giuliani's campaign.

To be fair it wasn't actually Rudy's idea, but his supporters know what they are doing. They are aware of how to reach out to the Republican base and hammer the message of fear over and over again. It is the one thing they know best. Chuck Hagel gets it. John Kerry certainly got it three years ago and so should everyone when they go to the polls next year. America deserves better than that.

More WTC Injustice

While politicians (like Giuliani) fall all over themselves to get political capital from anything 9/11, plenty of people are being screwed from the aftermath of the attack. The latest report of injustice was served up cold by cleaning companies that had contracts to clear debris. While certain firms grew rich, their workers were handed scraps as well as not being adequately protected in the toxic air of Lower Manhattan. Well those employees are finally fighting back.

From 1010 WINS:

Nine of the workers filed a suit Wednesday seeking class-action status against a dozen private companies and employers who hired people to clean dust and debris from private office buildings and apartments after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The suit claims that workers "risked their health and safety'' to clean the buildings filled with dust or debris from the towers' collapse.

The lawsuit said one company, Maxons Restorations Inc., increased its revenue from $10 million in 2000 to up to $50 million in 2001 due to their work around ground zero.

The lawsuit seeks damages for all workers who weren't paid overtime for the jobs cleaning private buildings.

When you are talking about revenues in the tens of millions, it isn't fair to leave the people who cleaned affected buildings in the dust (no pun intended). Anyone who risked their health while company suits stayed far away need to be adequately compensated. If firms such as Maxons Restorations isn't going to heed amicably, then fire those lawsuits up.

Arkansas GOP Leader: Bring On Next 9/11

Dennis Milligan may not have uttered George Bush's words verbatim, but what he did say came through clear enough. Republicans like him are under the demented delusion that another terrorist attack on the United States would be a good thing for his beleaguered party both in and out of Arkansas.

From The Arkansas Democrat Gazette:

He said he’s “150 percent” behind Bush on the war in Iraq.

“At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001 ], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country,” Milligan said.

Mr. Milligan that day never came because George Bush has never done the right thing. Losing men and money in Iraq (not to mention the goodwill of the global community) has not done anything in the war against terror. The only thing you could argue is that it has created more terror around the world.

The Arkansas GOP has been going down the toilet now for a while. The Democratic Governor Mike Beebe is immensely popular as is his state legislature and Sen. Mike Pryor(D-AR) is doing well.Even Sen. Jeff Sessions(R-AR) might face a tough challenge in his re-election bid next year. With comments like these from the man charged with leading the GOP's resurgence in the "Natural State", things are looking great for the state's Democrats.

Olbermann Eviscerates Rudy Guiliani

Guiliani made a few comments this week saying that if the people do not vote for Republicans, our country will be on defense and the war on terror will go on longer. Basically America will be safer with people like Guiliani and Bush. Those two men oversaw a disaster here in New York. The latter ignored the warnings of the impending doom and the former merely stood in the limelight for his own benefit. If Guiliani really cared, he would have had coordinated the radio systems of the NYPD and FDNY, a move that would have saved the lives of hundreds of brave firefighters on that day.

NYC Firefighters Help To Expose The Real Giuliani

Last night while I was out with friends the topic of Presidential aspirants came up and we were discussing the Republican side. I believe there is no clear cut candidate that has the muster to claim the nomination as of yet. When someone mentioned Giuliani's surge in the polls and his "America's Mayor" persona, I went into a tirade on our former mayor. Basically I trashed him over 9/11. The Onion did a spoof that he was running for the President for 9/11, but if that 'country' was informed, no one would vote for him. Why is that you ask? Well let me tell you.

Before September 11, 2001 Giuliani was not a popular mayor. He had nicknames floating around the city such as 'Hitler on the Hudson' and the 'Mussolini of Manhattan.' He was known for lashing out at people and the fact that his second wife (the first wife was a 2nd cousin of his) took a restraining order out on him (So that his girlfriend could not come to Gracie Mansion) is absolutely disgusting. Besides the family life and his reputation, what he did to the NYPD and FDNY was beyond atrocious. Many of our city's finest died in those towers due to the fact that communication between the departments was non-existant. The radios that they used did not work between the NYPD and FDNY despite calls to the mayor to have the problem fixed. The result was that while the NYPD knew to evacuate, the FDNY did not.

Even after the disaster, firefighters were further enraged because he limited rescue workers from finding their fallen comrades, cutting the number of searchers from 300 to 25. Due to that, many that died were treated as garbage and their remains hauled off to Fresh Kills Landfill, leaving their families with no remains to bury, leaving their emotional wounds open for a long time.

Well the firefighters are getting their revenge on Rudy. At a recent convention of the IAFF union, organizers invited all the Presidential candidates except for Giuliani. They explained their decision based on the wishes of the two unions here in New York City's request to shun him.

From RawStory:

We made this decision after considerable soul-searching and close consultation with our two New York City affiliates, the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 854, as well as our former Local 94 President and current IAFF 1st District Vice President covering New York.

The IAFF recognizes that Mayor Giuliani generally enjoys a favorable reputation as a result of his actions immediately after the tragedy of 9/11. As such, we want our affiliates and every one of our members to clearly understand the reason and rationale behind this very serious and sober decision.

Many people consider Rudy Giuliani "America's Mayor," and many of our members who don't yet know the real story, may also have a positive view of him. This letter is intended to make all of our members aware of the egregious acts Mayor Giuliani committed against our members, our fallen on 9/11, and our New York City union officers following that horrific day.

I agree that people need to know the real Rudy and this is part of who he is. This is part of his story. I have a hunch that with his current 'front-runner' status, plenty more will come to the surface for all to see.

Still Short On Federal Dollars

More than five years have passed since the gruesome event of 9/11 and the federal government still does not properly fund NYC's soaring health care costs attributed to the workers on the ground. Tens of thousands of rescue and cleanup workers suffered respiratory illnesses, costing the city nearly $400 million dollars in health care for these brave souls. They were told the air was safe to breathe and ultimately ended up sick because of it.

The White House pledged an additional $20 million late last year but it is still far below what is needed to provide adequate care. It is getting so bad that many treatment programs are running out of funds. Other groups never even received a dime.

From RawStory:

New York needs 150 million dollars in annual federal funds to treat lingering mental and physical ailments from the September 11 terror attacks, a city-appointed panel said.

The World Trade Center Health Panel, appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in September to assess the state and federal resources for 9/11 victims, said the health programs lack stable federal funding.

The New York Police Department has never received any federal funding for treatment or monitoring, the panel said in a report.

As the mess in the Middle East is costing American taxpayers hundreds of billions and the economy as a whole over one trillion dollars, it is time for the federal government to pay up and fully fund the programs that treat the heroes of 9/11. Mayor Bloomberg recently asked for more federal monies and I wholeheartedly agree with his request.