Politics

A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency warns the U.S. Government that Iraq Nuclear Facilities are unguarded and that radioactive materials are being removed from the country. According to the report, satellite imagery shows “extensive removal of equipment and in some instances, removal of entire buildings,” in Iraq. In addition, “large quanitities of scrap, some of it contaminated, have been transfered out of Iraq from sites” previously monitored by the IAEA.

I pointed out to my brothers in a discussion a while back that there were quite a few Republicans speaking out against Bush (Richard Clarke, Paul O’Neill, Joseph C. Wilson are just a few). Now there’s a website of Republicans for Kerry, and a Yahoo group as well.

Al Franken’s show on Air America Radio has it’s own blog now… and an excellent one it is, too. As does Jeaneane Garafalo’s Majority Report.

The Center for American progress analyzes Condoleezza Rice’s testimony to the 9/11 Commission — first they tackle her opening statement, then they do a “Claim vs. Fact” analysis of the rest of her testimony. Well worth the read. Also check out their other coverage, including examination of the White House’s own internal documents that tell a different story that what Rice is telling.

I love this radio station… I’ve been listening to it pretty constantly streaming over the net. It kicks butt. I’m figuring out how to stream it over my regular stereo at home…

It’s Monday, so it’s time for the Top Ten Conservative Idiots (No. 150) courtesy of Democratic Underground. I haven’t posted about this list for a while, but this week there are so many boneheaded Republican things to cover that it’s easier to let them do it.

Sen. John Kerry will announce today that his presidential campaign has raised more than $43 million in the first three months of this year, smashing Democratic Party records and signaling a party-wide fund-raising resurgence for Democrats, according to top party officials.

The new liberal radio station, featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garafalo among others, has a streaming audio so you can listen to it even if you aren’t in one of the big cities.

Interesting list of questions that the Associated Press suggests need to be cleared up by Dr. Rice when she testifies before the 9/11 Commission next week.
Those are good, but Salon’s list of questions is much better; it covers more of the White House’s actions surrounding 9/11 and not just contradictions between Clarke’s testimony and what the White House said.

“Sorry we let unsubstantiated claims drive our coverage. Sorry we were dismissive of experts who disputed White House charges against Iraq. Sorry we let a band of self-serving Iraqi defectors make fools of us. Sorry we fell for Colin Powell’s performance at the United Nations. Sorry we couldn’t bring ourselves to hold the administration’s feet to the fire before the war, when it really mattered. Maybe we’ll do a better job next war.”
Columnist Rick Mercier in The Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star, making an apology for failing readers.