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Bush Acknowledges Intel Mistakes But Defends Iraq War

On the eve of Iraq’s elections, President Bush continued his campaign to

bolster public support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

 

President Bush: " When we made the decision to go into Iraq, many intelligence

agencies around the world judged that Saddam possessed weapons of mass

destruction. This judgement was shared by the intelligence agencies of

governments who did not support my decision to remove Saddam. And it is true

that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As President, I'm

responsible for the decision to go into Iraq -- and I'm also responsible for

fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities. And we're

doing just that. "

Although he acknowledged the errors in pre-war intelligence on Iraq’s weapons

programs, Bush defended the decision to invade.

 

President Bush: " Given Saddam's history and the lessons of September the 11th,

my decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision. Saddam was a threat

-- and the American people and the world is better off because he is no longer

in power.â€

Ahmadinejad: Nazi Holocaust a “Mythâ€, Israel Should Be Removed

This news from Iran -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is once again

drawing international condemnation for remarks directed at Israel. In a speech

carried on state television Wednesday, Ahmadinejad called the Nazi Holocaust a

“myth†and repeated his belief that Israel should be moved to another

continent, saying: " They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place

this above God, religions and the prophets... Our proposal is this: give a piece

of your land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska so they (the Jews)

can create their own state. "

 

Ahmadinejad’s comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Israel

and Iran. Last weekend, the Times of London reported Israeli Prime Minister

Ariel Sharon had ordered the military to be ready by the end of March for

possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran. Israel denied the

report, but said it would never rule out the option of a military strike.

 

Bush Calls Iran a “Real Threatâ€

Meanwhile, President Bush reiterated his belief Iran poses a military threat to

the United States. In an interview with Fox News, Bush said : " I called it part

of the 'axis of evil' for a reason. It's a real threat. "

 

Israeli Strikes Kill Four Palestinians in Gaza

In others news from the region, four Palestinian militants were killed in an

Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip Wednesday. Another five people were wounded.

Hours later, a leader with the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad narrowly escaped

an Israeli missile attack on his vehicle.

 

Israel Approves New Construction in West Bank Settlements

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has approved construction of hundreds of new

homes in settlements in the West Bank. The new construction includes 200 homes

in Maaleh Adumim, Israel’s largest settlement. Palestinian leaders denounced

the decision as a blow to the two-state solution and a violation of the

U.S.-backed road map, which calls for a freeze on Israeli settlement activity.

 

Over 77,000 Katrina Home Loan Applications Rejected

In this country, the New York Times is reporting hundreds of thousands of Gulf

Coast families are being denied government loans to rebuild homes lost or

damaged in Hurricane Katrina. According to the Times, the Small Business

Administration -- the federal agency in charge of the main disaster recovery

program for businesses and homeowners -- has processed only a third of the

276,000 loan applications it has received. Of those that have been reviewed, the

government has rejected 82 percent of home loan applications – over 77,000

rejections. In New Orleans, approved loans appear to be heavily tilted towards

wealthy neighborhoods over poor ones. Herbert Mitchell, director of the Small

Business Administration’s disaster assistance program, told the Times the

government could not risk taxpayer money by lending to people with low incomes

or poor credit history. Mitchell said: " We're just dealing with the demographics

in the area. "

 

Patriot Act Renewal Moves to Senate as House Approves Renewal

On Capital Hill, the House of Representatives voted to renew the Patriot Act

Wednesday, setting the stage for a showdown in the Senate. A bipartisan Senate

group threatens to hold up the bill over concerns it would give the FBI too much

power over civil liberties. The Bush administration is lobbying intensively for

a renewal. Republican leaders are reportedly considering a fall-back position

that would extend the current Patriot Act by one year if efforts to push through

new provisions fail.

 

House Passes Non-Binding Measure in Support of Senate Torture Ban

Meanwhile, the House overwhelmingly approved a non-binding vote Wednesday in

support of Senator John McCain’s push for a Senate ban on torture of detainees

in US custody. The measure is now being negotiated in Congress, where the White

House is pushing for an amendment that would exempt interrogators from

punishment.

 

Bloomberg Pushing For Heavy Fines Ahead of Possible Transit Strike

In New York City, the city is gearing up for the possibility of a transit

workers’ strike that could begin Friday. With a contract deadline set for

midnight tonight, negotiators with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and

the transit workers' union warn they are at a standstill. The biggest

differences center around an MTA proposal to create a two-tier pension and

health insurance plan for the workers. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also pushing

for severe fines that would force the union to pay $1 million dollars and

individual transit workers $25,000 dollars on the strike’s first day -- with

those fines doubled each successive day.

 

US Government Denies Entry Permit to Cuban Baseball Team

In other news, the U.S. government has invoked the Cuba embargo to deny the

country’s national baseball team permit to take part in a major international

tournament that will be played here next March. Officials with Major League

Baseball, which is organizing the 16-team World Baseball Classic, say they will

appeal the decision.

 

 

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a

cross.

-Sinclair Lewis