Damnnnnnnnn…..

As you know, John Murtha has “said he would attach language to a war funding bill that would prohibit the redeployment of units that have been at home for less than a year, stop the extension of tours beyond 12 months and prohibit units from shipping out if they do not train with all of their equipment. His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to ‘stop the surge.’ So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill, an action Congress is clearly empowered to take, rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do. ‘What we are saying will be very hard to find fault with,’ he said.”

We Marines maintain that except for Lee Harvey Oswald, there is no such thing as an “ex-Marine.” I believe that John Murtha has just joined that small club.

And more on how those who wail about shredding the Constitution are the very ones doing it….

BILL SAMMON from FOX News’ Special Report last night: The other thing is his plan to put these restrictions on troop deployments and so forth is essentially micromanaging the war and is a constitutional power grab. That is up to the commander in chief, the Congress has the power of the purse, they can cut off funding or they can fund it, or they can partially fund it, but they cannot micromanage the war. The actual execution and prosecution of the war is up to the commander in chief.

We hear all this talk about Bush, you know, grabbing power from the legislative branch, well, this is the legislative branch trying to grab the legitimate constitutional power from the executive branch.

Keep going down this path Pelosi & Murtha.  There is an angry American public at the end of the road when your actions bring about defeat against al-Qaeda.

And personally, I cannot wait for a unanimous Supreme Court to weigh in on the side of the Executive Branch in this battle.  (Of course then the Democrats will claim the Court is illegitimate, just like they do with all elections they lose).

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I’ve been reading a lot of interesting opinion pieces over the past week that have stated the following:  “I support the troops” is nothing more than code by the Left for “I am anti-war.”  

And, further, those who truly support the troops aren’t using those code words anymore because it has become so obvious that using the phrase is a lie.

I wanted to open this topic up for discussion mainly because everytime I see our American heroes on TV from Iraq…. they are always saying how important the mission is to them, and how (while they may miss home) they do believe that they are doing good things in Iraq and stopping terrorists from coming to the USA.  That is a far cry from the images I recall from Vietnam where blank-stared soldiers seemed to have no idea what they were doing.

By and large, our troops support their mission in Iraq.  In my mind, the only way to truly support the troops is not to say it, but to join them in supporting the mission.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

That’s the question posed by Stephen Miller at Independent Gay Forum. (h/t – The Corner)

In fact, Rudy’s position (supports civil unions but opposes same-sex marriage; opposes a federal amendment against same-sex marriage) is the same as Hillary’s and Obama’s.  But more significantly, Rudy would be the first GOP presidential nominee who has marched in Pride parades, addressed Log Cabin events, criticized “don’t ask, don’t tell” and, in an Odd Couple twist, moved in with two gay guys (a long-term couple) after his divorce.

But I doubt that will stop the Human Rights Campaign, now essentially the gay lobby of the Democratic Party, from endorsing their gal sometime during the primary season (in 2000, they endorsed Gore before it was clear whether the GOP candidate would be Bush or, in a possible upset, McCain).  If/when they do so, their message to the GOP could be summarized as: “You could nominate the ghost of Harvey Milk and we’d still be loyal Democrats. So don’t even bother trying to reach out to us. After all, we favor securing patronage positions for our key activists in a Clinton adminstration much more than we care about moderating anti-gay views in the other party.”

I think we all know the answer to Stephen’s premise.  The Hypocrite Rights Campaign is nothing more than a joke and a shill for the Democrats.  Period.  The only thing that makes them a bit better than the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force is that, last I checked, the HRC doesn’t advocate for the end of capitalism and free enterprise in America.  Can’t say that about NGLTF!

Now, slightly off topic, here is something from the IDG Forum post that made me laugh.  I can only imagine the tortured mental gymnastics that this commenter had to go through in order to praise Bill Clinton.  (Note that apparently Clinton was “forced” to do all of the bad things he did.)

(1) Clinton supported strong federal funding for AIDS. [GP Ed. Note - Untrue.  Clinton zeroed-out ADAP funding that was restored by the GOP Congress in the 1995-1999 Federal Budgets]

(2) He enacted DODTA which is a small step in the right direction.  [GP Ed. Note - Since Clinton enacted Don't Ask, Don't Tell.... gay Democrats/Liberals think it is a step in the right direction!  Hilarious!]

(3) He signed DOMA into law at the peddling mostly of the Republican Party and its presidential candidate; Bob Dole. [GP Ed. Note - WHAT?!?  That's like saying he had sex with Monica because Hillary was forcing him to!]

(4) He supported the ENDA & the HCPA, even going as far as to call for their support in a state of the union address. [GP Ed. Note - But the Democrat-controlled Congress (until 1995) never passed either.]

(5) He enacted anti-discrimination polices in federal civilian employment

(6) He appointed openly gay people and supportive federal judges. [GP Ed. Note - So has President George W. Bush, including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; big deal.]

High-sterical!

[RELATED STORY:  Will on Rudy: Defying Expectations - Dan/GayPatriotWest]

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I just got a call from US Airways in Charlotte.  The luggage is back at the Charlotte-Douglas Airport and should be to my house this afternoon.

I want to thank all of those involved in helping to get it back, especially Vince, Graham, and Sean at KYW and WBTV.  Thank God for a slow news day yesterday!

But honestly, why should anyone have had to go on a one-man Internet/media rampage?  All I wanted US Airways to do was their job in Philadelphia and match up missing luggage claims with the actual bags that have been sitting there since Thursday.

Sign me up for the Passenger Bill of Rights, baby!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

After recently watching the A&E series, The Revolution, I have gotten even more of an education about our First President and Commander-In-Chief.  And I have always been a fond admirer of Abraham Lincoln.

Today, we honor both men… and ostensibly all of the men who Americans, over the years, have elected as their leader.

We should also remember today that the fundamental power, and curbs on power, the US Constitution and its system of divided and fractured government brought to our nation and the world.  It may be slow and frustrating sometimes, but over the long run… it does work.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

**UPDATE** — KYW-TV 3 in Philadelphia aired the story this morning (click here to view it).  I am still laughing.  Just so you know, I don’t wear expensive underwear (just Hanes)… it is all about principle!! 

To my amazement, I didn’t get one enterprising yoot to take me up on my offer to find my luggage in Philadelphia Airport for a $1,000 prize.

Not to my amazement… US Airways still hasn’t secured my luggage either.  I do have promises as of last night that someone was looking.  And that, if found, it would be flown to Charlotte today.

*not holding breath*

I’ll keep y’all posted!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Every now and again, I read a column that “gets” the vicissitudes of American politics. Someone who understands that there are things which transcend a candidate’s stance on issues and his campaign bank account to try to fathom his political success.

People wrote off Ronald Reagan in 1980 as being too old and too conservative to unite the GOP and win election to the White House. That year, some marveled as former Texas Governor John Connally’s fundraising success, thinking that would make him a formidable candidate in the GOP primaries.

As pundits dismissed Ronald Reagan, they now seem to dismiss my man Rudy. He’s too liberal on social issues to win the GOP. Republicans will reject him because of his checkered personal life. Yet, George Will notes that the former New York City Mayor is “confounding expectations, calling into question some assumptions about Republican voters.” The facts about Rudy’s personal life — and stance on certain hot button social issues — are not, in Will’s words, “causing a recoil from him: According to the USA Today-Gallup poll, his lead over John McCain has grown from 31 percent to 27 percent in November to 40-24 today.“

In his column, Will offers some great insight into the 2008 presidential race, so now that I’ve whet your appetite, just read the whole thing!

***5:45PM SUNDAY UPDATE…. DEADLINE NOW EXTENDED TO 9AM EASTERN ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19….

***LO AND BEHOLD!  Just a few minutes ago, I received the very first call back from a US Airways Baggage Claim representative since Thursday.  *checking watch* …. Um, I wonder if that’s because two East Coast CBS stations are about to air the story in the next 30 minutes?  Hmm.  

The window of opportunity for someone to make the $1,000 reward may be closing!!

***WBTV-3 in Charlotte has the GayPatriot Lost Luggage Contest up on their website as their Top Local Story!…

***And KYW-TV 3 in Philadelphia will be airing my interview tonight on their news as well…. The contest is still wide open… no takers yet!

If you always wanted to be on “The Amazing Race” but couldn’t commit the time…. read on…..

Here’s the scoop:  During the ice/snow storm this past Thursday, I wound up not traveling from Charlotte to Philadelphia because of the ever-increasing delay in takeoff time.  The wait for me to talk to an agent in the Charlotte Airport was so long that there was no time to pull my luggage off the Philadelphia-bound flight, even though my reservation wound up being cancelled.

Thanks to the “care-not” attitude of US Airways, I haven’t seen nor heard news of my luggage since Thursday at 3:00PM.  I have followed all of the rules they told me to, but no one at US Airways seems at all motivated to help me.  The coup-de-grace was when, this afternoon, the 800-number for baggage problems ceased to function. So we hopped in the car and drove to Charlotte Airport. 

After a 30-minute wait in line, the baggage office attendant said there was no information at all about my bag and that it was probably sitting somewhere in the Philadelphia International Airport baggage claim area.  They were swamped in Philly, he said.  His best offer of help:  “Email US Airways on our website and you will get an answer in 3-4 days.”   Well, I can’t wait that long.

And that is where the power of the Internet will now be tested.  I hereby announce a once-in-a-lifetime month week chance to beat US Airways at its own business:   FIND AND GET my luggage TO ME by 9AM on Monday, February 19, 2007 – and you will get $1,000.00. 

If you only FIND IT by that time tomorrow morning you will get $500.

Seriously.

Here’s how it will work.  My luggage is a black, medium-sized Victorinox/Swiss Army brand roller-board.  It has a bright, light green personal name tag on the side handle.  It also has a Star Alliance orange ”Priority” tag on the luggage tag (lots of good that did!)

(Link to product is here)

The Contest Rules are pretty simple:

If you can get my luggage retrieved from US Airways Baggage Claim in Philadelphia and in my hands in Charlotte (by whatever means you choose) by 9pm tomorrow night 9AM MONDAY MORNING, I will reward you with $1,000.

If you can get my luggage retrieved from US Airways Baggage Claim in Philadelphia and successfully have a US Airways Representative call me to verify they have my luggage by 9pm tomorrow night 9AM MONDAY MORNING, I will reward you with $500.

To receive either the $1,000 or $500 prize, you must be able to provide me with the US Airways Baggage Tag ID# (on the baggage tag affixed to top handle), the flight number the luggage flew on (also on the baggage tag) AND the name and phone number of the US Airways Baggage Claim Representative in Philadelphia so I can follow-up.

All contents of the luggage must be intact.

There are THREE US AIRWAYS Baggage Claim Areas at Philadephia International Airport…. check ‘em all!

The prize money is out of my personal wallet and will not come from any GayPatriot-related income from donations or Pajamas Media revenue.

NOTE:  US Airways employees are NOT eligible for this contest since they have already told me (with their inaction and policies) that they don’t care about my luggage; and in any case it is THEIR JOB.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN! If you are the one to find my luggage… there are two ways to contact me: 

VIA EMAIL

–OR– 

Have a US Airways Baggage Claim Representative in Philadelphia call me at the home number on the Lost Luggage Claim I filed with them on Thursday.  Calls from US Airways will be accepted at anytime.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

PS — A few side notes:

If you are on the West Coast and have friends in Philly… call them and split the reward with them!

If you have some personal connections with folks in the news media in Philly or Charlotte and can help shine light on US Airways incompetence, I’ll make sure you get a nice gift certificate to Best Buy.

I will use the comment section to clarify and/or answer any questions… or EMAIL ME directly.

I couldn’t write it any better myself….

Providing aid and comfort to the enemy in wartime is treason. It’s not “just politics.” It’s treason.

The “nonbinding resolution” telling the world that we intend to surrender to terrorism and abandon Iraq may be the most disgraceful congressional action since the Democratic Party united to defend slavery.

As for bringing them home, why not respect the vote the troops themselves are taking: Sustained re-enlistment rates have been at a record high.

And our soldiers and Marines know they’ll go back to Iraq or Afghanistan. And no, Senator Kerry, it’s not because they’re too stupid to get a “real” job like yours or because they’re “mercenaries.” Some Americans still believe in America.

If our troops are willing to fight this bitter war, how dare Congress knife them in the back?

Soldiers honor their dead. It’s the least Congress could do to honor the living men and women in uniform.

You don’t support our troops by supporting our enemies.

Luckily, the Senate vote against the “non-binding” resolution on Saturday was a devastating defeat for the Democrats…. and there are number of vulnerable House freshmen Democrats who must have their pins stuck in their Nancy Pelosi voodoo doll this weekend.

[RELATED STORY:  Coalition Commander explains Baghdad Security Plan.]

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

From New Orleans.

Nine people shot in less than seven hours 

Six people were shot inside a Mid-City nightclub Friday morning just hours after a triple shooting in Bywater.

Just hours before, a triple shooting in the Bywater area left two people dead.

Mayor Ray Nagin was also at the crime scene Thursday night and issued the following statement on the murders:

“Last month, I stated that one murder is too many in our community, our fragile city that is still on the journey to recovery.  Tonight, I am deeply saddened that our young people continue dying in our streets.”

I am too, Mayor Nagin.  We need to get out of New Orleans now!  The future of freedom and democracy in that war-torn city isn’t worth the loss of more American lives.

And by the way, how come Florida, Alabama and Mississippi haven’t fallen to the post-Katrina Insurgents like New Orleans has???

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

In her thoughtful column today, Peggy Noonan offers words of wisdom for those campaigning to be the next Chief Executive, “Maybe the candidates would do themselves good by leaving the trail a few days and trying to sit quietly in a room, by themselves, with no distractions, and think about big things, such as who they are.”

Good advice not only for the candidates, but for all of us as well.

Not entirely sure if I’ll be able to blog much in the next few days as I have a paper and a project due next week and did not get as much work done as I would have liked on Thursday. Right now, I’m stuck trying to figure out how to begin one of my papers — nearly always the most difficult aspect of an assignment, for me at least. Maybe if I have trouble writing my grad school projects, I’ll do a little T-shirt blogging.

While one “insurgent” leader responsible for the violence in Iraq, Moqtada al Sadr, has fled Baghdad, another has been wounded. According to the Associated Press, “ The leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq was wounded and an aide was killed in a clash Thursday with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.” (Via The Corner).

UPDATE: Pajamas offers firsthand account of the appearance of the “surge” in the streets of Baghdad.

UP-UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds (AKA |nstapundit) links Strategypage’s largely upbeat analysis of the situation in Iraq, noting the disarray of a number of militias. Glenn also references Jules Crittenden’s post offering the good and bad news from that emerging democracy, including the news that many Iraqis “want the surge to succeed.” Read both posts!

UP-UP-UPDATE: Reader Peter Hughes e-mailed an article reporting that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki believes that the new security plan “had seen dazzling success during its first days.”

In past years, I have dreaded Valentine’s Day. While others would have a sweetheart with whom to celebrate the day, I was alone, ever searching for the man of my dreams.

This year, however, I remain alone, but am less focused on the search than I have been in the past. And perhaps I am better able to delight in the day because I’m no longer focusing on what I don’t have (but wish I had). As one who loves couples, the sight of lovers, in the past, was often bittersweet, bitter because they had what I lacked, sweet because I appreciated what they had. Today, I see only the sweet.

It’s all a question of attitude. During the summer, about two weeks before my epiphany (which a reader perhaps defined more accurately as being “thwacked up the side of the head” by a two-by-four), I read in a pocket edition of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? that the purpose of one’s life “is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your own peace of mind, or even your own happiness.” Those words — and others in a similar vein — made me wonder if perhaps there was a reason that I had yet to find a boyfriend.

As I integrated those words into my life, I soon became better able to appreciate my solitude and less focused on the search. I can still taste the beauty of romance and imagine finding that special guy someday. As I have become less preoccupied with finding a boyfriend, I have focused more on developing friendships. As a result, in the intervening five months, I have made more new friends than at any similar period in my adulthood.

Two of those friendships began with guys I had initially dated. As I was getting to know each of these two wonderful men, I focused more on our relationship than on my desired outcome (i.e., finding a boyfriend). I saw each as the man he was — and not as the boyfriend I wanted him to become. I feel today so grateful that I have met them — as well as my other new friends.

I haven’t given up hope on finding that one man who, to paraphrase George Eliot, could “be all” to me, but I am no longer focused on finding him. That’s why on this Valentine’s Day, I’m not bitter about being alone and why I can better delight in those loving couples I see all around me. They have found what one of the things that is best on this earth, enduring romance and affection, qualities which make life worth living.

And they have found what I have been (and still am) looking for, only not with the intensity I once did. Not focusing on finding that special someone I have gained a greater appreciation for those things that, even though single, I do have, most notably my family (particularly my nieces and nephews) and my friends.

So, for me it is a Happy Valentine’s Day — and I wish the same to you and yours.

- B. Daniel Blatt (GayPatriotWest@aol.com)

As John McCain moves to smooth the ruffled feathers of social conservatives considered about his past attitudes toward them and about his stance on a number of issues, my doubts about the presidential bid of the Arizona Republican continue to grow. I’m always troubled when a candidate goes out of his way to appease social conservatives — as McCain appears to be doing.

I have long respected this Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war for he is a true American hero. After being captured by the North Vietnamese when his plane was shot down, he “refused early release–which he saw as a public relations stunt by his captors–insisting that POWs held longer than him should be granted their freedom first.” As a result, his captors treated him more harshly. He would have received better treatment had he given in to any number his captors’ demands. He refused.

He has been steadfast in his support of the War on Terror and unwavering in his commitment to victory in Iraq — despite past bad blood with President Bush. He has put his the national interest over his reported dislike of the Chief Executive. Not only has he been great on national security issues, he has also been solid on fiscal issues as well, faulting Congress for “spending money like a drunken sailor.”

But, while he has been excellent on these two items on the conservative agenda, he has equivocated on what kind of judges he would appoint were he elected president. Back in 2000, when I was deciding between him and then-Texas Governor George W. Bush as I prepared to cast my vote in the California GOP primary, I found both candidates compelling until McCain lost it when radio talk show host Michael Reagan asked him about his judicial appointments.

In the last Congress, when Republicans had a comfortable majority in the Senate, he led the Gang of Fourteen to compromise on filibustering the president’s nominees to the federal bunch, thus preventing the Senate from exercising its constitutional responsibility to vote on all the candidates the president tapped.

It’s not just judges where McCain makes me uncomfortable, it’s also his tendency to posture on certain issues to please the media. It seems that since he was in the “Keating Five” scandal, he has bent over backwards to support campaign finance reform, authoring numerous proposals placing onerous restrictions on political speech. At times, when he takes issue with his party, he seems to be doing so only to become the “maverick” Republican. And we know how much the MSM likes Republicans at odds with their party and the president.

With the latest news that McCain is courting Christian conservatives, it seems McCain is trying yet again to placate a group not readily disposed to him. On a number of issues, notably foreign policy and federal spending, John McCain has been a bold conservative, standing up against the media establishment and even his party (when it strayed from its principles). And he was a true hero during the Vietnam War.

But, too often, alas, he seems too eager to please those who might otherwise be an odds with him. Not a quality which would serve him well as Commander-in-Chief. And that’s why I have a problem with John McCain.

…. “F— You!”

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Al-Qaeda is now finding Americans (that don’t fit the 9/11 attackers’ profile) who are willing to be trained to blow themselves up and take as many of their fellow Americans as possible. (via FOX News)

An American citizen charged with receiving terrorist training at an Al Qaeda camp in Somalia — including classes in how to become a homicide bomber and “wage violent jihad” — was taken into custody by FBI agents and returned to the U.S. Monday night night, Justice Department officials told FOX News.

An indictment unsealed Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston charges Daniel Joseph Maldanado, 28, a.k.a Daniel Aljughaifi, whose last known address was in Houston, with receiving training from a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to use an explosive device outside the United States.

I am trying to track down some more information on Maldanado/Aljughaifi…. I have one lead I am pursuing already.  If anyone has any knowledge of this guy or his history, please email me.  For example, I wonder what political party (if any) he was registered with in the USA??

They should put this guy in front of a firing squad at Ground Zero in NYC.

**UPDATE** — Is this Daniel’s blog?

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

In the continuing crackdown of Nancy Pelosi’s nationwide “culture of corruption,” former North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black (DEMOCRAT-Mecklenberg Co.) is expected to plead guilty to a public corruption charge in federal court in Raleigh on Thursday, ending the career of North Carolina’s most powerful speaker of the modern political era.

Under the deal, Black is expected to plead guilty to one count of accepting illegal gratuities, according to his lawyer and an Observer source. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The court action will end a nearly two-year-long federal and state investigation that has rattled the state’s political establishment and has led to five associates of Black being found guilty in federal or state courts.

The long-running probe forced Black, 71, from the speaker’s office in December and paraded lawmakers, legislative staffers, political contributors and public officials in front of a federal grand jury.

“If the reports are correct, Thursday will be a sad day for the House of Representatives,” said Rep. Paul Stam, the House Republican leader. “I hope that every member resolves that under new management no one in the future will ever take illegal gratuities again.”

Fat chance.  This is why we need to go back to the original concept of citizen-legislators both at the State and Federal levels.

Now, if only Empress Pelosi had the will or the desire to crack down on people in her own House!  (*cough* Jefferson, Conyers, Life Partner Harry Reid *cough*)

[RELATED STORY - In the City of Corruption, Mayor Nagin (D-New Orleans) has been served with a contempt of court order.  Couldn’t happen to a nicer incompetent.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

There is little that I can add to what other bloggers — and even the MSM — have already been saying about the flight of militia leader Moqtada al Sadr from Baghdad to Iran. ABC reports:

Sources believe al Sadr is worried about an increase of 20,000 U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital. One official told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, “He is scared he will get a JDAM [bomb] dropped on his house.”

It seems the surge is already working.

At Powerline, John Hinderaker thinks his departure will undercut the morale of his troops, writing that “this will make it more difficult to sell the footsoldiers who stayed behind on the desirability of martyrdom.” Or, as Captain Ed puts it, “Who’s going to fight for someone who won’t stand up for himself?”

With one of the leading terrorists in flight, we see some success to the president’s new strategy. But, the success of this strategy likely won’t matter much to his perennial critics. Merely because it is President George W. Bush’s strategy, his critics find it to be a failure, even if it is similar to plans they put forward before the election. And I dare say House Democrats will still vote on a resolution to oppose this so-far successful strategy.

Or, as Captain Ed puts it, “Nancy Pelosi will be holding a debate to disapprove of a strategy that has already demonstrated success.”

So desperate are Democrats — and some of their allies in the MSM — to prove their pet theory that “Bush Lied!” in pushing to liberate Iraq from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein than they will seize on anything substantiate this unsubstantiated theory.

No wonder they were so eager to embrace the now-discredited Joe Wilson. That one-time Kerry campaign aide claimed to have actual evidence that the president mislead the American people, claiming Bush had seen his report discrediting the famous sixteen words of his 2003 State of the Union address, “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

But, it was Wilson who would be discredited. If anything, his report lent credence to those sixteen words. Last week, the news media and the left were practically giddy about a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general suggesting that in the run-up to the Iraq war, then-undersecretary of defense Douglas J. Feith drew “inappropriate” conclusions. But, the report also found that Feith (and his team) had done “nothing illegal or unauthorized.”* Still, in covering this story, The Washington Post relied as much on a partisan report as it had on the document itself, a fact the paper acknowledged in a correction to the article:

References to Feith’s office producing “reporting of dubious quality or reliability” and that the office “was predisposed to finding a significant relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda” were from a report issued by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) in Oct. 2004. Similarly, the quotes stating that Feith’s office drew on “both reliable and unreliable reporting” to produce a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq “that was much stronger than that assessed by the IC [Intelligence Community] and more in accord with the policy views of senior officials in the Administration” were also from Levin’s report.

I realize I’m a little late in getting to this story as a number of bloggers have already covered it, e.g., American Thinker, Powerline and Hot Air and A Blog For All.

It’s an interesting serendipity that the MSM makes much of this report at the same time as the trial of Scooter Libby. Some on the left are still holding out hope that that trial would produce some evidence (not uncovered in an extensive investigation) that Administration officials were engaged in a conspiracy to destroy Wilson because he had shown that Bush lied.

(more…)