We, the People

From one of our federal employees, a bald expression of contempt for the democractic process and of government of the people, by the people, and for the people:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: It seems like the public has turned against [the war] right now.

DICK CHENEY: It may not be popular with the public. It doesn't matter in the sense that we have to continue the mission and do what we think it right, and that's exactly what we're doing. We're not running for office, we're doing what we think [is] right.

Unchallenged by Stephanopolous, needless to say, as was the President's assertion a few weeks ago that he had never "been" stay-the-course.

Marching orders for the Democrats

Bush Administration.

Nuclear weapons plans.

Internet.

National security.

GO.

Bush Admin Negligence Results In Publication of Detailed Nuclear Weapons Plans on the Internet [UPDATED BELOW]

Here’s as nakedly clear an example as we’ve ever had of how the Bush administration is an incompetent and megalomaniacal regime that represents a clear and present danger to the American people, and to the world.

In an effort to turn the tide of public opinion by ferreting out [non-existent] evidence of WMD’s, the Bush Administration some time ago established a publicly available Web site containing thousands of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Administration gave a number of right-wing bloggers and other amateurs the responsibility of vetting and translating the documents.

It has recently been discovered that several of the documents contained detailed instructions on the construction of nuclear weapons:

The documents, roughly a dozen in number, contain charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy narratives about bomb building that nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what is available elsewhere on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as the radioactive cores of atom bombs.

The director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, had resisted setting up the Web site ... But President Bush approved the site’s creation after Congressional Republicans proposed legislation to force the documents’ release.

... [I]n testimony before Congress last spring, a senior official from Mr. Negroponte’s office, Daniel Butler, described a “triage” system used to sort out material that should remain classified. Even so, he said, the policy was to “be biased towards release if at all possible.”

This account focuses on the use of amateur bloggers. This one (from which the excerpt above is taken) is a more general overview. Please read both.

UPDATE: Former WH Chief of Staff Andrew Card, while attempting to blame the New York Times for the Bush Administration's publication of detailed nuclear weapons plans on the Internet, flatly admits that (a) the administration did not fully know the contents of these captured enemy documents and (b) was warned that it was dangerous to publish them:

"Well, you know, this is one of those things that John Negroponte warned us that we don’t know what’s in these documents, so these are being put out at some risk."

Supporting the troops - Democratic vs. Republican methods

On the one hand:

Democrat John Kerry makes a statement that seems to imply that members of the American military are unintelligent. He claims that it was a botched laugh-line implying that President Bush is unintelligent. Given that Kerry (1) was himself once a member of the military and (2) has an unfortunate penchant for flubbing lines, this seems credible.

On the other hand:

U.S. military forces, under the ultimate command of Republican Commander-in-Chief George Bush, comply with the demand of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to dismantle checkpoints established around Sadr City to search for a missing American soldier. It is believed that Maliki made the demand to placate followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

A Democrat mangles a valid talking point. A Republican abandons one of our troops in battle.

Here's Kerry's response to Republican criticism of his muffed line:

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

"I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

"The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.

"Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”

Attytood recognizes our true Commander-in-Chief, and Andrew Sullivan makes somewhat the same comparison I do.

[Never forget.. Earlier this year, several prominent Republicans passionately argued for another attempt by a member of Maliki's adminstration to betray our troops and give aid and comfort to the enemy. One of those same Republicans earlier compared a triple-amputee military veteran to Osama bin Laden.]