Says he's answering 'loyalty to the truth,' that White House wanted him silent
Politico May 29, 08 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Affection and loyalty blinded Scott McClellan in the run-up to the Iraq war, but now the former press secretary has found a higher allegiance—“a loyalty to the truth.” McClellan, whose book is causing a media storm for alleging President Bush ran a “propaganda” campaign about the war, defended his work this morning on NBC's Today .
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He may travel after
nomination—but not
as campaign 'stunt'
New York Times May 29, 08 4:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama is considering visiting Iraq after clinching the Democratic nomination, the New York Times reports. The candidate, slammed by John McCain for not having traveled to Iraq since 2006, has turned down the offer of a joint visit with McCain, referring to such a trip as a "stunt." He told reporters that his campaign is considering arranging a foreign trip this summer, and that Iraq would be the most important stop.
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opinion
Response to McClellan flap is embarrassing, says writer
Salon May 28, 08 9:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Katie Couric thinks Scott McClellan has a point with his criticism of the media in the lead-up to the war, but Charlie Gibson and Brian Williams beg to differ—and that's a disgrace, writes Glenn Greenwald in Salon. During a get-together of network anchors, the "painfully empty-headed Gibson" and the "mindlessly establishment-defending" Williams said the media offered plenty of skepticism, but Greenwald counters that today's celebrity journalists simply don't understand their own profession.
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President compares war on terrorism to war on fascism and communism
Washington Post May 28, 08 5:59 PM CDT
(Newser)
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President Bush said today the US is "learning as we go" in trying to bring democracy to Iraq and urged Americans not to lose faith. Delivering the commencement address at the Air Force Academy, Bush likened today's campaign against Islamic extremism to the fight against fascism of last century, the Washington Post reports. He also noted that while Germany and Japan could rebuild under peaceful conditions, the same is not true of Iraq.
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OPINION
Some get defensive at ex-spokesman jabs; others agree
Time May 28, 08 3:56 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Scott McClellan writes in his memoir that “the ‘liberal media’ didn't live up to its reputation” on Iraq. “If it had, the country would have been better served.” Some insider reactions: “You know you're a wussy press corps when the former White House Press Secretary says you were too easy on him,” James Poniewozik writes in Time . He agrees many writers were worried about appearing unpatriotic in the run-up to war, but it’s “pathetic” McClellan was parroting President Bush when he knew better.
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Former spokesman says president used 'propaganda' to sell war
Politico May 27, 08 8:24 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan blasts President Bush for not being "open and forthright" about the war in Iraq and using "propaganda" to sell it, Politico reports. The president "veered terribly off course," McClellan writes in his surprisingly harsh new memoir. He also criticizes the press for not challenging Bush enough, even while admitting that some of his own statements at press conferences were "badly misguided."
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Number of diagnosed cases rises 46%
to 14,000 last year
Reuters May 27, 08 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Post-traumatic stress disorder is surging among US troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. New cases rose by more than 46% to nearly 14,000 in 2007, reports Reuters. In the last five years, about 40,000 cases have been diagnosed, most of them in the Army.
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Opinion
Officer reflects on sacrifice, survivors
Washington Post May 26, 08 12:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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At every funeral for a soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Army officer attends, to represent the service and oversee the military rituals involved. Maj. Gen. William Troy has drawn funeral duty 23 times, and for Memorial Day, he writes in the Washington Post about an always-wrenching experience : "You comfort where you can and bear witness to the loss."
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Parents' duty sets
apart students at military-base school
Associated Press May 23, 08 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Fort Campbell High’s graduation had the usual pomp and circumstance—along with a familiar pall. Many of the seniors crossing the stage did so without a mom or dad watching from the audience. Fort Campbell is the biggest military base high school in the US, and nearly every student at the Tennessee school has, or had, a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan, the AP reports. It’s a painful bond for the 116 students.
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Almost $8.2B in Iraq War funding evaded federal rules, reports the Pentagon
New York Times May 23, 08 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A Pentagon audit of $8.2 billion in taxpayer money spent in Iraq found that nearly all of the handouts skirted federal rules, and millions of dollars in contracts were awarded with little or no record of what they were for, reports the New York Times . Take the $320.8 million that was issued to 1,000 Iraqis for "Iraqi Salary Payment"—$320,800 a head—with no explanation of what they were compensated for.
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OPINION
A dollar of prevention is worth many times that in cure, researcher pleads
Wall Street Journal May 22, 08 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Ethanol is among the "poor solutions to high-profile problems" researcher Bjorn Lomborg blasts in the Wall Street Journal . According to calculations by his Copenhagen Consensus, “carbon mitigation policies” return only 90 cents for every dollar spent; in contrast, he writes, $1 billion spent on tuberculosis would result in an “annual economic benefit” of $30 billion.
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analysis
Dem uses claims
to sharpen foreign policy message
Politico May 17, 08 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
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President Bush’s comments this week about Nazi appeasement have allowed Barack Obama to polish his attacks on the administration and John McCain. Obama seized on the criticism as a two-for-one opportunity, saying there’s “no separation” between Bush and McCain on Mideast policy. The Dem’s tough response could signal his bid to use the war to undermine McCain’s credibility, writes Carrie Budoff Brown in Politico.
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Republicans abstain
in protest, leading
to surprise defeat
Washington Post May 15, 08 5:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The House today shot down a $162.5 billion bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into next year after a surprise tactic by angry Republicans, the Washington Post reports. The bill failed by a vote of 148-141 after 132 members of the GOP abstained. By doing so, they formed an unusual coalition with a group of anti-war Democrats. The vote doesn't mean the wars won't be funded, however—the bill will be revived in the Senate next week.
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