the Post-Bush Awakening

* froomkin:

"E. J. Dionne Jr. writes in his Washington Post opinion column: "[T]his botched war is far more likely to lead to what might properly be called the Post-Bush Awakening. It is an awakening to the danger of viewing critics as traitors, to the costs of making everything about politics and to the sad tendency of establishmentarians to seek refuge within the boundaries of prevailing opinion.

"It is also an awakening to the wise skepticism of everyday Americans toward ideologues who believe that optional wars of their design can miraculously change the world. . . .

"[T]hose who spent the past four years hyping threats, underestimating costs, ignoring rational warnings, painting unrealistic futures and savaging their opponents have been discredited. This awakening is the first step toward rebuilding our country's influence and power.""

* part two of my interview with Mark Levine is up at expertwitnessradio.org

* amy:

"Poll: Large Percentage of Iraqis Oppose Coalition Forces
A new poll of Iraqis commissioned by USA Today has found that 83% of Shiites and 97% of Sunni Arabs oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq. By a margin of more than 3 to 1, Iraqis say the presence of U.S. forces is making the security situation worse."

* amy:

"War Crimes Prosecutor Says Bush & Blair Could Face Charges
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has said President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair could one day face war crimes charges before the court. Luis Moreno-Ocampo's comments came in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph of London. He urged Arab nations, particularly Iraq, to sign up to the court to enable allegations against the West to be pursued."

* amy:

Ex-Oil Lobbyist Admits Changing Gov't Climate Studies
On Monday a House committee released documents that showed hundreds of instances in which a former oil industry lobbyist edited government climate reports to play up uncertainty of a human role in global warming or play down evidence of such a role. The official -- Philip Cooney -- served as President Bush"s chief of staff of the White House Council On Environmental Quality. Prior to working in the White House, Cooney served as a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, the largest oil lobby based in Washington, D.C. Cooney acknowledged that some of the changes he made were to align the study's with the administration's stated policy” on climate change.

Philip Cooney: "It had really nothing to do with my prior employment at the American Petroleum Institute. When I came to the White House my loyalties were to the President and his administration."

Cooney now works for Exxon Mobil.

* amy:

NASA Official Accuses Bush Administration of Gagging Scientists
At the same Congressional hearing NASA climate scientist James Hansen accused the Bush administration of preventing scientists from freely speaking to the media about global warming.

James Hansen: "Scientists were being asked not to speak to reporters, to tell reports that I can't speak to you, I have to get permission and I have to get someone on the phone with me to listen in on our conversation.

Hansen said political appointees of President Bush had also blocked reports that link rising temperatures or melting sea ice with global warming.