Wednesday, November 29, 2006

it's critical that the president look decider-y

* larisa tells us what she knows about the assassination of Alex Litvinenko and Anna Politkovskaya

* amy:
"Iraq Bars Journalists from Attending Sessions of Parliament
The Iraqi government has banned journalists from attending sessions of parliament. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that the decision was designed to make sure people speak with one voice to the media."

* froomkin:
"So what will Bush announce in the coming weeks? Who knows? But whatever the decision is, it's critical that the president look decider-y."

* marcy winograd (thnx cp):
"Yes, Jane Harman has experience. Exactly the kind of experience that disqualifies her for the job as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee. For Harman, access to power, to the inner sanctum of Bush and Cheney, trumped oversight. Nancy Pelosi is right to pass over Democrats who colluded with the Bush administration to jeopardize our national security, tarnish our world image, and undermine our constitutional rights. We need leaders we can trust. It's a matter of life and death."

7 comments:

profmarcus said...

amen to marcy winograd...

Anonymous said...

The Russian spy case is a fascinating one. Talked a bit to my recent boss (who has emigrated here from Belarus), and he and I both agree that perhaps these killings are a bit too obvious just to "silence" these individuals. They are more apt to be "examples" so that others who might know something keep their mouths shut. I'm guessing that these individuals were selected for heavy "punishment" with those killing them knowing that they don't know key information they don't want out in the open. If they did, they'd probably have spoken about what they know before they died or have it written down somewhere.

I would think the key to investigating this case is trying to track down those that they are trying to scare and hopefully get them feeling safe enough to talk some about what they do know. They must know something threatening, or I doubt these extreme measures in silencing these others would have been taken.

Track said...

Remember what they say about G.U.T.'s...

I wondered if Wayne Madsen weighed in and he has...linked these events to Ahmad Chalabi. Time will tell.

I read through the links on Alexandrovna's post. It's like the Kennedy assassination--lots of factions had a motive to commit the murders.

If it wasn't Putin (and the actual motive was an attempt to make him look bad) then there is a good chance the investigations will point out the perpetrators. Unless of course, Putin believes solving the case isn't worth it because he gets more benefit from the intimidation factor.

I like Yulia Latynina's take on the Litvinenko murder. (1)

Anonymous said...

Sounds like another suspicious case just popped up in Ireland where Yegor Gaidar, Russia's former prime minister and a critic of Putin has now sufered a "sudden, unexplained and violent illness" on his visit to Ireland.

Larisa, stay safe!

Track said...

Sources in Dublin said they did not suspect anything untoward in Mr Gaidar’s illness.

Riiiiiiiiiight.

Track said...

Excerpt from a Gaidar Op-Ed (4/06):

Indeed, the threat of fascism is real. But the more people who don’t accept the fascist alternative are mobilized politically, the smaller the threat will be. The most important question of the day is not the government’s perspective, that is, its desire to instill fear and eliminate checks and balances on its power. What matters are the actions of those who don’t want fascism in Russia and instead simply want Russia to be free. There are many such people, tens of millions, but they are not always politically engaged and united. (1)

lukery said...

thnx everyone.

for the record - if i disappear, let there be no mistake. the only story that is possibly murder-worthy is sibel's - so, if yuo don't hear from me at some point, it isn't cos i had a fight with my postman