Author: catnip

Former Ambassador Dan Simpson declared that the US has invaded Syria in an article he wrote for the Toledo Blade on October 19, 2005.

Is this the Iraq war’s equivalent of actions in Cambodia during the Vietnam war?

Simpson does not provide details. It had been widely reported on October 14, 2005 that coalition troops had clashed with Syrians on the border in order to stem the flow of possible insurgents from the country, but those reports do not include movements into Syria itself. Yet, Simpson’s words are definitive.

more below…

Hot off the AP wire:

WASHINGTON – Top White House aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby discussed their contacts with reporters about an undercover CIA officer in the days before her identity was published, the first known intersection between two central figures in the criminal leak investigation.

Rove told grand jurors it was possible he first heard in the White House that Valerie Plame, wife of Bush administration Joseph Wilson, worked for the CIA from Libby’s recounting of a conversation with a journalist, according to people familiar with his testimony.

They said Rove testified that his discussions with Libby before Plame’s CIA cover was blown were limited to information reporters had passed to them. Some evidence prosecutors have gathered conflicts with Libby’s account.

Hmmm…interesting twist. Rove spoke to Libby who talked about his conversation with a journalist? Judith Miller?

read on…

Should we be surprised? Probably not. Should we be concerned? Absolutely. And, what is the Bush administration doing about it? Nothing.

Via the Christian Science Monitor:

The DoD dropped the ball on this one claiming that other congressional agencies could handle the oversight. “But experts say those other agencies don’t have the expertise, access and broad mandate that the inspector general has – and don’t make their reports public.”

$140 billion ending up who knows where?

Unbelievable.

Wednesday’s New York Times reveals that associates of Fitzgerald’s have said he will not issue a final report about his investigation, perhaps indicting that indictments are likely.

Fitzgerald is under no obligation to issue a report, as some Democrats had urged him to do.

This leak that no final report is forthcoming means one of two things, according to the NYT article: either he will have indictments or he won’t.

Apparently, “government officials” have also said Fitzgerald “is not expected to take any action in the case this week”. Time is running out though, as this grand jury is set to expire on October 28.

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While we wait for Patrick Fitzgerald to announce the results of his investigation of the Plame affair and since RAW STORY mentioned the little discussed John Hannah who may have flipped on his higher-ups, I thought it might be useful to present what we know about this man who has been flying under the radar.

The speculation that Hannah has been a cooperative witness in this case is actually old news. Back in early 2004, it was rumoured that Hannah, along with Libby, was facing possible indictments and by late summer that year speculation was rampant that he had flipped to the prosecution’s side.