SF 312

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

Administration officials who are given security clearance are required to read and sign a form known as the “Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement,” of SF 312.  A copy of the form can be found here (PDF format). Accompanying the form is a briefing booklet, the contents of which are here.  Here’s a key excerpt from the booklet: Question 19: If information … Read More

Nice Little Twist

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

So focus has been on this classified State Department memo which says that Plame recommended or arranged for Wilson to go to Niger.  Fitzgerald’s office appears to believe that that memo was the ultimate source of the information that eventually made its way into print in Robert Novak’s column.  (Read more here). It looks like someone else may have had … Read More

Another Plamegate Roundup

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

With the barage of silly excuses, sliming points, irrelevancies, and (occasionally) outright lies emanating from the right on the issue of L’Affaire Plame, it’s time for another link-o-riffic round-up.  This time, it comes courtesy of Think Progress: CLAIM: White House Can’t Comment While Investigation Is OngoingMcClellan: “While that investigation is ongoing, the White House is not going to comment on … Read More

Perjury About Abu Ghraib

Ken AshfordCrime, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Not that anyone is going to do anything about it—this is, after all, a Republican White House and Congress—but: WASHINGTON – (KRT) – An Army general who has been criticized for his role in the treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has contradicted his sworn congressional testimony about contacts with senior … Read More

What TPM Says

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

Yup: There’s a point that’s probably worth raising with our scofflaw Republican friends. All of their arguments now amount to excuses, like those of a small child caught stealing cookies: Joe Wilson’s a liar. Plame’s covert status wasn’t protected well by the CIA. It was just a short phone call. Rove really wanted to speak about welfare reform. Wilson said … Read More

Rove and Espionage

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

UCLA Professor Mark Kleiman is happy to point out that Rove may have met the statutory requirements for espionage: But Rove’s conduct certainly meets the far less demanding elements of the Espionage Act: (1) possession of (2) information (3) relating to the national defense (4) which the person possessing it has reason to know could be used to damage the … Read More

Plamegate Roundup

Ken AshfordPlamegateLeave a Comment

From The Left Coaster, a link-o-riffic round-up of the talking points lies of the waterboys and Rove apologists: A number of rebuttals have been provided around the liberal blogosphere to the fakery from the GOP and their media arms about the Valerie Plame expose. Here’s a roundup. TALKING POINT: Valerie Plame (Joseph Wilson’s wife) was not covert.FACT: She was. TALKING … Read More

128,000

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

That’s the number of Iraqi civilian deaths since the invasion liberation clusterfuck that started in March 2003.  That is one out of every 200 Iraqis.  And 55% percent of them are women and children.  So says an Iraqi humanitarian organization, according to the Washington Times. Have a nice day.

Fox News Hates America

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

And Oliver Willis has the video to prove it: FOX News anchor John Gibson just said onair that he thought Karl Rove deserves a medal if he outed Valerie Plame. Let me repeat: John Gibson, anchor at the FOX News Channel, says he believes that we ought to expose our covert government agents and harm national security… as long as … Read More

Flypaper Schmypaper!

Ken AshfordIraq, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

The flypaper theory, which was false and stupid before last week, is now (in light of the London attacks) demonstrably false and stupid.  But that doesn’t stop administration officials from making bone-headed and offensive arguments like this: Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Fran Townsend, the president’s homeland security adviser, said that the war in Iraq attracts terrorists “where we have … Read More

In The Mind Of A Killer/Molester/Kidnapper

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

Joseph Duncan allegedly kidnapped two children in mid-May—8 year old Dylan Groene and his 9 year old sister, Shasta.  He did this after murdering the kids’ older sibling, mother, and mother’s boyfriend.  And it appears that Duncan later killed Dylan. Fortunately, Duncan was apprehended this past weekend, and Shasta was rescued. Duncan left behind an eerie blog called “Blogging the … Read More

Friday Random Ten

Ken AshfordPersonalLeave a Comment

"Sargeant Rock Is Going To Help Me" – XTC "Summer Breeze" – Seals & Crofts "Running Up That Hill" – Kate Bush "Taxi (Live)" – Harry Chapin "Grovel, Grovel" – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat "How Do You Do" -Mouth & Macneal "Angel" – Massive Attack "Gymnopedie No. 1" – Erik Satie (from the film "Diva") "Diamonds On The … Read More