Sunday, December 31, 2006

Court needs to ease restrictions on political speech


By George F. Will
WASHINGTON — A three-judge federal court recently tugged a thread that may begin the unraveling of the fabric of murky laws and regulations that traduce the First Amendment by suppressing political speech. Divided 2-1, the court held — unremarkably, you might think — that issue advocacy ads can run during an election, when they matter most. This decision will strike zealous (there is no other kind) advocates of ever-tighter regulation of political speech (campaign finance "reformers") as ominous. Why? Because it partially emancipates millions of Americans who incorporate thousands of groups to advocate their causes, groups such as the ACLU and the NRA.

And Wisconsin Right to Life. It is another organization by which people assemble (see the First Amendment) to speak (see it again) in order to seek redress of grievances (the amendment, one more time). In 2004, WRTL was distressed because Wisconsin's senators, Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, were helping to block confirmation votes on some of President Bush's judicial nominees, wanted to run ads urging people to "contact Senators Feingold and Kohl and tell them to oppose the filibuster."

But Feingold was running for re-election, and the McCain-Feingold "reform" makes it a crime for entities such as WRTL to use their corporate funds to broadcast an "electioneering communication" within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election. An "electioneering communication" is one that "refers to" a candidate for federal office.
Although in 2003 the Supreme Court upheld McCain-Feingold, the court later said it would consider appeals against the law "as applied." The majority on the three-judge court, preserving the distinction between electioneering and grass-roots lobbying, held that WRTL's ads were exempt from the McCain-Feingold election-eve blackouts of speech because the ads were not "coordinated" with a candidate's campaign and did not engage in "express advocacy" — did not use the words "vote for" or "vote against" a candidate.

The dissenting judge wanted to examine the "intent" of the ads by examining their "context," looking for clues as to whether the sponsor of the ads hoped to not only advocate an issue but to influence an election. Imagine: Judges scouring the political landscape, searching for evidence (people's past opinions or associations; e-mails and other communications) that would empower them to rule that grass-roots lobbying about an issue is "really" the functional equivalent of electioneering (express advocacy).

Such a process would necessarily be so protracted that no challenged ad could be authorized in time for an election. Besides, Bob Bauer, a Democratic campaign lawyer, rightly warns that the prospect of such inquiries should "make a sensible citizen's blood run cold." An uncircumscribed inquiry into "intent" would become "an intrusive process" in which an organization's internal communications would be subpoenaed and political operatives and consultants would be "put under oath and questioned about what they meant and intended and thought."
The WRTL case is probably heading for the Supreme Court. There, Justice Samuel Alito occupies the chair that Sandra Day O'Connor occupied when she voted with the majority in the 5-4 ruling that upheld McCain-Feingold.

Still, the reformers' zeal for regulating speech is undiminished. The Federal Election Commission recently fined some "527" groups (named for the tax code provision under which they organize) $630,000. Their offense? Issue advocacy in 2004 that, "taken as a whole," could "only be interpreted by a reasonable person as containing the advocacy of the election or defeat" of a federal candidate. Editorial writers at The New York Times and The Washington Post, ever eager to regulate political advocacy not done by newspaper editorial writers, approved, although the Times thought the fines insufficient, and although the Post, calling the current law "murky," thought the FEC should have enforced the murkiness quicker.

The Times no longer bothers to pretend that its rationale for speech regulation is fear of corruption or the appearance thereof. Rather, the Times justifies suppressing 527s on aesthetic grounds — they are run by "hard-edged activists" and their ads are too negative. Presumably, suppressing 527s will elevate political discourse — and, presumably, it is the government's business to enforce the elevation. The Post also is tellingly silent about the reformers' original corruption rationale for rationing political speech by restricting the political money that finances it. Instead, the Post says 527s wield "significant" — by implication, excessive (relative to the Post's?) — influence.

Bauer wonders why, absent a compelling government interest in combating corruption, unregulated speech resulting in influence should be a federal offense. When, as surely it will, the Supreme Court considers that question, it can begin undoing the damage it did affirming McCain-Feingold and licensing government to ration political speech.
George Will's e-mail address is georgewill@washpost.com. Washington Post Writers Group

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Hummm I wonder if Paul Rolly will disclose?


The following is a post on Paul Rolly's Blog site. I wonder if Paul will reveal who Utah Conservative really is?

GenRolly Speaking:Political insights by columnist Paul Rolly.

Friday, December 29, 2006

They All Smile in Happy Valley
Utah County might seem like a serene, family friendly, church going community whose values are uncompromising and shared by just about everybody there. But in politics, it seems that they like to chew each other's legs off. And they like to do it anonymously.An anonymous blogger, with the site, utahconservative.blogspot.com, is becoming increasingly aggressive against Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, and Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, even suggesting that Valentine should not be allowed to run next election as a Republican because he broke the party's by-laws.The accusations supporting the great shunning of Valentine are false, however, which has been pointed out in responses to the blog.But whoever controls that site remains undaunted, repeating calls for Valentine's ouster as a Republican in good standing.The claim is that Valentine urged people to vote for Democratic Sen. Brent Goodfellow of West Valley City instead of his Republican opponent, Christy Achziger. It posted an e-mail sent from an Alpine School District board member to the Granite District board, urging support for Goodfellow and quoting Valentine as endorsing the Democrat.But the Alpine Board member had sent a follow-up e-mail, saying some of the things in the previous message were incorrect and retracting statements about Valentine. Also, Valentine publicly endorsed Achziger and paid for a speed-dial phone message to voters on her behalf.But utahconservative.blogspot.com sent another missive this month claiming the Utah County Republican hierarchy is covering up for Valentine.That particular blog came into existence last year about the time Rep. Margaret Dayton of Orem announced she was challenging Sen. Parley Hellewell in the Republican convention. The blog was extremely pro Dayton and anti-Hellewell.It disappeared from existence after someone threatened legal action, but it reappeared soon after.When an extremely nasty letter went out against Dayton, again anonymously (must be the Utah County way), the blog turned against Valentine and Bramble.Some wondered that if it was controlled by pro-Dayton forces, they might have thought Valentine and Bramble were behind the cowardly attack against Dayton. But Valentine had publicly endorsed Dayton and sent a letter to delegates after the attack, denouncing it and reiterating his support of Dayton.Dayton is now in the Senate and Valentine is her leader.Cheers,Paul Rolly
4:12 PM 0 comments

Friday, December 29, 2006

Iraqi TV says Saddam Hussein executed


By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writers 6 minutes ago

Saddam Hussein, the shotgun-waving dictator who ruled Iraq with a remorseless brutality for a quarter-century and was driven from power by a U.S.-led war that left his country in shambles, was taken to the gallows and executed Saturday.
It was a grim end for the 69-year-old leader who had vexed three U.S. presidents. Despite his ouster, Washington, its allies and the new Iraqi leaders remain mired in a fight to quell a stubborn insurgency by Saddam loyalists and a vicious sectarian conflict.
President Bush called Saddam's execution "the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime."

Also hanged were Saddam's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court. State-run Iraqiya television news announcer said "criminal Saddam was hanged to death and the execution started with criminal Saddam then Barzan then Awad al-Bandar."
Mariam al-Rayes, a legal expert and a former member of the Shiite bloc in parliament, told Iraqiya television that the execution "was filmed and God willing it will be shown. There was one camera present, and a doctor was also present there."
Al-Rayes, an ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, did not attend the execution. She said Al-Maliki did not attend but was represented by an aide.
The station earlier was airing national songs after the first announcement and had a tag on the screen that read "Saddam's execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq's history."
The execution was carried out around the start of Eid al-Adha, the Islamic world's largest holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, the hajj. Many Muslims celebrate by sacrificing domestic animals, usually sheep.
Sunnis and Shiites throughout the world began observing the four-day holiday at dawn Saturday, but Iraq's Shiite community — the country's majority — was due to start celebrating on Sunday.

The execution came 56 days after a court convicted Saddam and sentenced him to death for his role in the killings of 148 Shiite Muslims from a town where assassins tried to kill the dictator in 1982. Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam's appeal Monday and ordered him executed within 30 days.
A U.S. judge on Friday refused to stop Saddam's execution, rejecting a last-minute court challenge.
Al-Maliki had rejected calls that Saddam be spared, telling families of people killed during the dictator's rule that would be an insult to the victims.
"Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him, and there will be no review or delay in carrying out the sentence," al-Maliki's office quoted him as saying during a meeting with relatives before the hanging.
The hanging of Saddam, who was ruthless in ordering executions of his opponents, will keep other Iraqis from pursuing justice against the ousted leader.
At his death, he was in the midst of a second trial, charged with genocide and other crimes for a 1987-88 military crackdown that killed an estimated 180,000 Kurds in northern Iraq. Experts said the trial of his co-defendants was likely to continue despite his execution.
Many people in Iraq's Shiite majority were eager to see the execution of a man whose Sunni Arab-dominated regime oppressed them and Kurds.
Before the hanging, a mosque preacher in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Friday called Saddam's execution "God's gift to Iraqis."
"Oh, God, you know what Saddam has done! He killed millions of Iraqis in prisons, in wars with neighboring countries and he is responsible for mass graves. Oh God, we ask you to take revenge on Saddam," said Sheik Sadralddin al-Qubanji, a member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
On Thursday, two half brothers visited Saddam in his cell, a member of the former dictator's defense team, Badee Izzat Aref, told The Associated Press by telephone from the United Arab Emirates. He said the former dictator handed them his personal belongings.
A senior official at the Iraqi defense ministry said Saddam gave his will to one of his half brothers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

In a farewell message to Iraqis posted Wednesday on the Internet, Saddam said he was giving his life for his country as part of the struggle against the U.S. "Here, I offer my soul to God as a sacrifice, and if he wants, he will send it to heaven with the martyrs," he said.
One of Saddam's lawyers, Issam Ghazzawi, said the letter was written by Saddam on Nov. 5, the day he was convicted by an Iraqi tribunal in the Dujail killings.
The message called on Iraqis to put aside the sectarian hatred that has bloodied their nation for a year and voiced support for the Sunni Arab-dominated insurgency against U.S.-led forces, saying: "Long live jihad and the mujahedeen."
Saddam urged Iraqis to rely on God's help in fighting "against the unjust nations" that ousted his regime.

Najeeb al-Nauimi, a member of Saddam's legal team, said U.S. authorities maintained physical custody of Saddam until the execution to prevent him being humiliated publicly or his corpse being mutilated, as has happened to previous Iraqi leaders deposed by force. He said they didn't want anything to happen to further inflame Sunni Arabs.
"This is the end of an era in Iraq," al-Nauimi said from Doha, Qatar. "The Baath regime ruled for 35 years. Saddam was vice president or president of Iraq during those years. For Iraqis, he will be very well remembered. Like a martyr, he died for the sake of his country."
Iraq's death penalty was suspended by the U.S. military after it toppled Saddam in 2003, but the new Iraqi government reinstated it two years later, saying executions would deter criminals.
Saddam's own regime used executions and extrajudicial killings as a tool of political repression, both to eliminate real or suspected political opponents and to maintain a reign of terror.
In the months after he seized power on July 16, 1979, he had hundreds of members of his own party and army officers slain. In 1996, he ordered the slaying of two sons-in-law who had defected to Jordan but returned to Baghdad after receiving guarantees of safety.
Saddam built Iraq into a one of the Arab world's most modern societies, but then plunged the country into an eight-year war with neighboring Iran that killed hundreds of thousands of people on both sides and wrecked Iraq's economy.
During that war, as part of the wider campaign against Kurds, the Iraqi military used chemical weapons against the Kurdish town of Halabja in northern Iraq, killing an estimated 5,000 civilians.

The economic troubles from the Iran war led Saddam to invade Kuwait in the summer of 1990, seeking to grab its oil wealth, but a U.S.-led coalition inflicted a stinging defeat on the Iraq army and freed the Kuwaitis.
U.N. sanctions imposed over the Kuwait invasion remained in place when Saddam failed to cooperate fully in international efforts to ensure his programs for creating weapons of mass destruction had been dismantled. Iraqis, once among the region's most prosperous, were impoverished.
The final blow came when U.S.-led troops invaded in March 2003. Saddam's regime fell quickly, but political, sectarian and criminal violence have created chaos that has undermined efforts to rebuild Iraq's ruined economy.
While he wielded a heavy hand to maintain control, Saddam also sought to win public support with a personality cult that pervaded Iraqi society. Thousands of portraits, posters, statues and murals were erected in his honor all over Iraq. His face could be seen on the sides of office buildings, schools, airports and shops and on Iraq's currency.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

E.G. (Hap) Towner during WWII


This is a brief timeline of my Dad's experience's in WWII onboard the USS Vestal. As you can see from all the engagements, my Dad was in the thick of most south pacific battles.

Here is the timeline of the Vestal, enjoy.

USS Vestal (AR-4)

The history of USS Vestal (AR-4) began when Erie (Fleet Collier No. 1) was authorized on 17 April 1904; but the ship was renamed Vestal in October 1905, well before her keel was laid down on 25 March 1907 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y. Launched on 19 May 1908, Vestal was placed in service as a fleet collier, with a civilian crew, at her builders' yard on 4 October 1909.
Vestal served the fleet as a collier, operating along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies, from the autumn of 1909 to the summer of the following year. Then, after a voyage to Europe to coal ships of the Atlantic Fleet in those waters, the ship returned to the United States, reaching the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was taken out of service at the Boston Navy Yard on 25 October 1912. The ship then underwent nearly a year's worth of yard work and being commissioned as a fleet repair ship in 1913 under the command of Commander Edward Latimer Beach, Sr., USN (father of submariner Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr.).
After fitting out, Vestal departed her conversion yard on 26 October for Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she conducted her shakedown between 29 October to 10 November. After touching at Key West, Fla., for coal on 14 November, Vestal moved on to Pensacola, Florida, her base for operations as a repair ship for the Atlantic Fleet. She was attached to the Atlantic fleet and served along the east coast and in the West Indies until spring of 1914 when she was dispatched along with other ships for the occupation of the Mexican port of Vera Cruz. The auxiliary vessel provided repair services at Vera Cruz from 2 May to 20 September before she sailed for Boston, escorting the cruiser Salem to the navy yard there for overhaul.
Vestal then operated off the Virginia capes and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before she returned to the Boston Navy Yard on 10 June 1915, after calls at New York City and Newport, R.I. She took on stores and provisions at Boston and underwent repairs there before she rejoined the fleet at Narragansett Bay on 19 May 1916.

Following the US entry into World War I, Vestal was deployed to Queenstown where she provided services for ships of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. She stayed there for the duration of the war and beyond, finally returning in 1919. For the next six years Vestal served the Scouting Force and Battle fleet. During the Navy-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers on 17 July 1920, Vestal was classified as a repair ship, AR-4.
In 1925 she underwent modification that changed her from a coal-powered ship to an oil-fired one. Soon thereafter, on 25 September, the submarine USS S-51 (SS-162) was rammed and sunk by the SS City of Rome and Vestal was called to help recover the submarine. Vestal conducted her salvage operations from October to early December 1925 and again from 27 April to 5 July 1926. During the latter period, the submarine was raised from her watery grave. Following the completion of recovery, Vestal was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1927. The Pacific Fleet was shifted to a new base at Pearl Harbor following Fleet Problem XXI in the spring of 1940. Vestal also made the move and served there until the outbreak of war following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.

After returning to the west coast for an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., Vestal steamed back to Pearl Harbor, resuming her vital, but unsung, duties. On 6 December 1941, she was moored alongside USS Arizona (BB-39), at berth F 7, off Ford Island, to provide services to the battleship during her scheduled period of tender upkeep between 6 and 12 December.

The next day, however, the ordered routine of a peacetime Sunday in port was rudely shattered shortly before 0800. Explosions from bombs and torpedoes began to reverberate across the waters of the harbor as Japanese carrier-based aircraft swept down upon the ships of the Fleet anchored or moored in their berths. At 0755, Vestal went to general quarters, manning every gun from the 5-inch broadside battery to the .30-caliber Lewis machine guns on the bridge wings. At about 0805, her 3-inch gun commenced firing.
At about the same time, two bombs—probably intended for the more valuable battleship inboard—hit the repair ship. One struck the port side, penetrated three decks, passing through a crew's space, and exploded in a stores hold, starting fires that necessitated flooding the forward magazines. The second hit the starboard side, passed through the carpenter shop, the shipfitter shop, and left an irregular hole, about five feet in diameter, in the bottom of the ship.
The problem of maintaining antiaircraft fire soon became a secondary one to the ship's fight for survival that ensued. The 3-inch gun jammed after three rounds, and the crew was working to clear the jam when a cataclysmic explosion blew Vestal's gunners overboard.
At about 0820, Arizona, moored inboard, had taken a torpedo that had passed beneath the repair ship's stern; almost simultaneously, a bomb penetrated Arizona's deck after glancing off the faceplate of number 2 turret and exploded in the black powder magazine below. The resultant explosion touched off adjacent main battery magazines. Almost as if in a volcanic eruption, the forward part of the battleship exploded, and the concussion from the explosion literally cleared Vestal's deck.
Among the men blown off Vestal was her commanding officer, Comdr. Cassin Young. The captain swam back to the ship, however, countermanded an abandon ship order that someone had given, and ordered the ship underway. Fortunately, the engineer officer had anticipated just such an order, and already had the "black gang" hard at work getting up steam.
Topside, things looked bleak. The fiery explosion touched off oil from the ruptured tanks of the stricken battleship and, in turn, caused fires to start on board Vestal, aft and amidships. At 0845, men forward cut Vestal's mooring lines, freeing her from the dying battleship, and she got underway, steering by engines alone. A tug pulled Vestal's bow away from the inferno engulfing Arizona and the repair ship, and the latter began to creep out of danger, although she was slowly assuming a list to starboard and taking water aft. At 0910, Vestal anchored in 35 feet of water off McGrew's Point.
Upon further reflection, however, with the draft aft increasing to 27 feet and the list to six and one-half degrees, Comdr. Young decided upon another course of action. "Because of the unstable condition of the ship," Young explained in his after-action report, "(the) ship being on fire in several places and the possibility of further attacks, it was decided to ground the ship." Underway at 0950, less than an hour after the Japanese attack ended, Vestal grounded on ‘Aiea Bay soon thereafter.
Although damaged herself, Vestal participated in some of the post-attack salvage operations, sending repair parties to the overturned hull of the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) so that welders could cut into the ship and rescue men trapped there when she capsized. Over the ensuing days, Vestal's men turned to the task of repairing their own ship because yard facilities in the aftermath of the Japanese surprise attack were at a premium. Within a week of the raid, Vestal's crew had pumped out the oil and water that had flooded the compartments below the waterline and cleared out the damaged and gutted holds—all work that had to be completed before the rebuilding process could begin.

After repairs and alterations and operations at Pearl Harbor, Vestal received orders on 12 August 1942 to proceed to the South Pacific. She set sail for Tongatabu in the Tonga Islands. She arrived there two weeks later, on the 29th, at a key time—less than a month after the launching of Operation Watchtower, the invasion of the Solomon Islands. Over the months that followed, the Japanese would contest the Americans and their Australian and New Zealand allies with skill and tenacity.
During Vestal's 60 days at Tongatabu, she completed 963 repair jobs for some 58 ships and four shore activities. Included were repairs to such men-of-war as USS Saratoga (CV-3) (torpedoed by I-26 on 31 August); USS South Dakota (BB-57) (damaged from grounding at Lahai Passage, Tonga Islands, on 6 September); and USS North Carolina (BB-55) (torpedo damage suffered on 15 September).
One of the more difficult jobs was the one performed on South Dakota. The battleship had run aground on an uncharted reef and put into Tongatabu for emergency repairs. Vestal's divers commenced their work at 1600 on 6 September and began checking the ship's seams. With only six divers working, Vestal's party operated until 0200 on the 7th and reported the damage as a series of splits extending along some 150 feet of the ship's bottom. By the next morning, 8 September, Vestal's skilled repairmen, together with men of the battleship's crew, managed to mend the damage sufficiently to allow the ship to return to the United States for permanent repairs.
When Saratoga put into Tongatabu after being torpedoed by I-26 on 31 August, Vestal's divers combined forces with USS Navajo (AT-64) to inspect the damage and later trim and brace the hole. Pumps managed to clear the water out of the flooded fireroom and tons of cement were poured in the hole to patch the damaged area. Within 12 days of her arrival at Tongatabu, "Sister Sara" was able to return to the United States.
Vestal subsequently sailed for the New Hebrides on 26 October, but a change of orders brought her to New Caledonian waters instead, and she reached Noumea on 31 October. Her arrival could not have been more timely because the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands had occurred just a few days before. South Dakota and USS Enterprise (CV-6), two of the most heavily damaged ships, were at Noumea.
A bomb hit on the latter had buckled a 30- by 60-foot section of the flight deck, aft, bulging it about four feet above deck level. In addition, the hit flooded the after elevator machinery room and blew out bulkheads and damaged furniture in "officer's country." Ordered to sea before the damage was completely repaired, the carrier took with her two Vestal officers and a large repair party, who continued work up until two hours before the ship went into action again. Those Vestal men were included in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded the "Big E."

South Dakota, like Enterprise, had suffered major damage. She had taken a bomb hit on one of her 16-inch gun turrets; had been torn by shrapnel; and had collided with USS Mahan (DD-364) during the battle. The destroyer had not only holed the battleship's starboard side, but had left an anchor in the wardroom. Even though Vestal repair parties were busy with Enterprise's urgent repairs, they also went to work on the damaged South Dakota, listing her over to patch the hole on the battleship's starboard side at the waterline. Her craftsmen repaired the wardroom (removing Mahan's anchor in the process), patched shrapnel holes, and put sprung hatches and damaged fire mains in order. She was back in action in a scant five days.
During her time at Noumea, Vestal completed 158 jobs on 21 ships; she departed that port on 13 November; reached Espiritu Santo three days later; and began a year's schedule of repair service. During the next 12 months, Vestal tackled some 5,603 jobs on 279 ships and 24 shore facilities. Some of the outstanding repair jobs were on combatants, ships damaged during the bitter naval engagements in the Solomons in late 1942 and early 1943. There were: USS San Francisco (CA-38), ripped by heavy caliber hits during the night Battle of Savo Island on 13 November 1942; USS New Orleans (CA-32) and USS Pensacola (CA-24), the latter with a torpedo hole measuring 24 by 40 feet, a flooded after engine room, and two propeller shafts broken; the New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Achilles, which, besides shrapnel and collision damage, had taken a direct hit on her after turret; and the torpedoed and fire-damaged cargo ship USS Alchiba (AK-23).

In addition, she performed repairs on the torpedoed light cruiser USS St. Louis (CL-49), the torpedoed Australian light cruiser HMAS Hobart; the bomb-damaged transport USS Zeilin (AP-9); and others, including USS Tappahannock (AO-43) and HMNZS Leander. She also corrected battle damage to and performed alterations on 12 LST's and a large number of miscellaneous lesser ships. Only once during that time, from 27 May to 2 June 1943, did the ship herself undergo repairs.

One of the most outstanding pieces of salvage work performed by the Vestal was for Pensacola, heavily damaged at the Battle of Tassafaronga. A torpedo had caused such extensive damage aft that the heavy cruiser's stern was barely attached to the rest of the ship and swayed gently with the current. A few frames, some hull plating, and one propeller shaft were practically all that still held the aftermost section to the rest of the ship. As Vestal's commanding officer later recounted, "Never had an AR (repair ship) been presented with such a task; no records on how it should best be done were available."

By trial and error, and some known facts from previous experience, however, Vestal's workers turned-to. The hole was plugged and braced for stability, compartments that could be were sealed and pumped out; three propellers of about seven tons each were pulled off to reduce drag. "One has to be something of an artificer," her commanding officer recounted, ". . . to realize the problems that came up to dp with this job, such as underwater welding and cutting, which was still a fairly new thing." Vestal's force used a dynamite charge to jar one propeller loose and had to burn through the shaft of another to get it off.
After Pensacola came USS Minneapolis (CA-36), torpedoed amidships and with 75 feet of her bow missing. Vestal put her in shape, too, for a trip to a "stateside" yard where permanent repairs could be made. "So it went," continued the commanding officer, ". . . one broken, twisted, torpedoed, burned ship after another was repaired well enough to make a navy yard or put back on the firing line."
On 18 November 1943, Vestal departed Espiritu Santo, bound for the Ellice Islands, and reached her destination, Funafuti, on the 22nd. During her brief stay there, the repair ship completed some 604 major repair tasks for 77 ships and for eight shore activities. Her outstanding job during that tour was her work on the light carrier USS Independence (CVL-22).
Underway for Makin on 30 January 1944, Vestal's orders were changed en route, the ship proceeding instead for the Marshall Islands. She reached Majuro atoll on 3 February. The big repair job awaiting her there was that for the battleship USS Washington (BB-56), which had suffered heavy collision damage forward with the USS Indiana (BB-58). Although estimates called for it to be a 30-day job, Vestal, often working 24-hour shifts, completed the task in only 10 days. After that, Washington sailed for Pearl Harbor to receive permanent repairs.
In need of repairs herself, especially new evaporators, Vestal departed Majuro and sailed, via Pearl Harbor, for the Mare Island Navy Yard. Upon conclusion of those repairs, the addition of new equipment, alterations, and a general overhaul and a vari-colored paint job, Vestal departed Mare Island on 8 September, bound for the Carolines. Her voyage took her via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok. At the latter place, she picked up tows for the remainder of her voyage, a cement barge, Chromite, and the Navy ammunition barge YF-254. She reached Ulithi on 15 October 1944.

During the ship's sojourn at Ulithi, Vestal completed 2,195 jobs for 149 ships—including 14 battleships, nine carriers, five cruisers, five destroyers, 35 tankers, and other miscellaneous naval and merchant ships. Her biggest repair job of that time was the light cruiser USS Reno (CL-96), torpedoed off San Bernardino Strait by Japanese submarine I-41 on the night of 3 November. Once again, Vestal's workers performed their tasks quickly and efficiently, having Reno on her way in a short time for permanent repairs in a "stateside" yard.
Underway for the Marianas on 25 February 1945, Vestal arrived at Saipan two days later, to commence what would be over two months of service there, principally repairing amphibious craft used for the Iwo Jima invasion. While Vestal lay at anchor at Saipan, the Okinawa invasion commenced on 1 April 1945. Less than a month later, Vestal sailed for Kerama Retto, a chain of islands off the southwestern tip of Okinawa, and arrived there on 1 May.
During May, Vestal went to general quarters 59 times as Japanese planes made suicide attacks on the ships engaged in the bitter Okinawa campaign. Experience proved that the best defense against the suiciders was a smoke or fog screen produced by all ships that blended into one gigantic mass of low-hanging clouds. For that purpose, Vestal had two boats equipped with fog generators and several barrels of oil. Besides the fog generators, smoke pots would be thrown over the bow of the ship to emit a dense, white, sickly-smelling smoke for about 15 minutes apiece. Besides the danger posed by suiciders, deck sentries kept a sharp lookout for any enemy who might attempt to swim out to the ships with mines or explosive charges.
At Kerama Retto, Vestal's big job was repairing destroyers, and her jobs included the kamikaze-damaged USS Newcomb (DD-586) and USS Evans (DD-552).
Vestal remained at Kerama Retto through mid-June before she got underway on the 23d for Nakagusuku Wan, later renamed Buckner Bay. She arrived there later that day. The repair ship remained in that body of water for the remainder of the war. At 2055 on 10 August 1945, a pyrotechnic display burst forth as word arrived telling that Japan was entertaining thoughts of surrender. "So great was the display of fireworks and so immense the feeling of victory that once the tension had been broken, the true peace announcement received at 0805, 15 August 1945, caused hardly a ripple of enthusiasm: nevertheless the spirit of victory was uppermost in the hearts and conversations of all hands."
The main danger to the fleet after Japan surrendered was typhoons. Vestal had sortied twice from Buckner Bay before "V-J Day"—once on 19 July and once on 1 August. On 16 September, Vestal sortied for the third time on typhoon evasion, returning to the harbor the next day after having ridden out 68-knot winds and heavy seas.
Vestal carried out storm-damage repairs over the ensuing days before another typhoon—the fourth for the Ryukyus that year&mdashswirled in from the sea on the 28th. Upon receipt of orders from Commander, Service Division 104, Vestal weighed anchor and headed out to sea at 1500, her stem sluicing seaward from Buckner Bay. "The glassy sea, humid atmosphere, and falling barometer portended the approaching engagement between ship and her relentlessly violent foes, sea and wind."
The merchantmen Fleetwood and Kenyan Victory took positions 800 yards astern and in single file with Vestal leading the way, steaming westward and away from the threatening blackness massing to the east of Okinawa. Overhauling a four-ship convoy, Captain H. J. Pohl, Vestal's commanding officer, assumed command of the now seven-ship group. The ships met the fierce winds head-on to lessen the roll and steered to take the surging seas on the quarter, maneuvering skillfully to prevent damage or, worse, loss. By late in the afternoon of the third day, Pohl, the convoy's commodore, had his ships back in Buckner Bay, safe and sound.
That particular storm-evasion sortie proved only to be a realistic exercise compared to what came next. On 6 October, Vestal received typhoon warnings of a tropical storm 400 miles in diameter with winds of 100 knots near the center, moving west-northwest at 17 knots.
At 0015 on the 7th, Vestal and all ships present in Buckner Bay received word to prepare to execute typhoon plan "X-ray" upon one hour's notice. By mid-afternoon, those orders arrived; and the fleet began stirring itself to action for its survival. Among the first vessels to get underway was Vestal, the venerable repair ship clearing the harbor entrance at 1600, steaming due east. Ultimately, USS Beaver (ARG-19) and the merchantmen Hope Victory, Grey's Harbor, and Esso Rochester joined her.
Rising seas, increasing winds, and a plummeting barometer ushered in Monday, 8 October, but Vestal and her brood maintained their eastward course through the next day, 9 October—the day when the typhoon struck Okinawa with unparalleled force. At that time, Vestal was steering a "crazy-patch course," eluding the storm that included seas up to 40 feet high and winds registering between 50 and 65 knots. Hoping for a possible entry into Buckner Bay on Wednesday, 10 October, Vestal headed westerly, bucking strong head winds.
At 1405 on 10 October, while Vestal headed back to Buckner Bay, a signalman on the flying bridge called out: "Life raft on port bow." "Second life raft on port beam," came another cry only a few moments later. Barely perceptible several thousand yards to port were tiny specks, rising with the waves—specks which turned out to be the survivors of the sunken LSM-15 that had gone down in the fury of the typhoon during the previous night.
Ordering the other ships to proceed independently, Vestal put about to port and shortly thereafter swung to windward of the nearest life raft. In the lee thus formed, the repair ship lowered a motor whaleboat; that craft picked up 17 men from the first raft. Ultimately, 15 more survivors clambered up the boarding nets to safety; a total of two officers and 30 men were recovered from the sea.
Entering Buckner Bay at dusk, Vestal witnessed the savage typhoon's aftermath with the dawn of the llth. Once again, Vestal immediately turned to the task of repairing the battered ships of the fleet.
Subsequently, Vestal performed her vital service functions supporting the occupation of China and Japan, before she sailed back to the United States. Her disposal delayed in order to allow the ship to perform decommissioning work on other ships referred to the 13th Naval District for disposal, Vestal was ultimately decommissioned at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 14 August 1946. Struck from the Navy list on 25 September of the same year, she lay inactive for the next two and one-half years before stripping began on 20 May 1949. Her hulk was sold on 28 July 1950 to the Boston Metals Company, Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequently scrapped.
Vestal (AR-4) received two battle stars for her World War II service.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Going Universal?


December 26, 2006

Spyglass Guest: Steve Benen

'GOING UNIVERSAL'.... The Washington Post reported yesterday that "health care is set to return to the national political stage in 2007, setting up partisan clashes in Congress that could end with rare vetoes from President Bush and help to define the 2008 presidential campaigns." It's about time.
Democrats have been trigger-shy about making serious changes to the system since 1994 and Republicans have largely satisfied with the status quo (Bush has argued that Americans already have too much health insurance). Regardless, this upcoming year will almost certainly see the debate begin anew, whether the GOP, the insurance companies, or the White House like it or not.
As is often the case, the public has been away ahead of their leaders on this. They can't afford the status quo; they'd support increased government spending on the issue; and perhaps most importantly, Americans clearly want a universal health-care system.
With this in mind, the estimable Ezra Klein has a terrific op-ed in the LA Times today suggesting the arc of health care policy is long, but it tends towards universality. The key is shifting the debate towards rejecting an employer-based system.
Once a perk of employment, health insurance is now a necessity, and a structure that dumps such power, complexity and cost in the laps of employers is grotesquely unfair to both businesses and individuals. There's no logic to an auto manufacturer running a multibillion-dollar health insurance plan on the side; it should stick to making cars. There's no excuse for pricing the self-employed and entrepreneurial out of the market. And there's no reason the owner of a three-employee start-up should have to go to bed with a heavy conscience because his coffee shop can't pay for chemotherapy.
Quite right. Kevin recommended a while back that a key part of this debate is "hammer[ing] on the notion that it's crazy to rely on employers as the main healthcare suppliers in America.... Why should you have to pay the price every time your HR department decides to switch to a cheaper health plan? Or lose coverage if you get laid off? Or be forced to keep a dead end job forever because it provides health coverage and you're uninsurable anywhere else?"
When Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden (D) unveiled a universal-care proposal two weeks ago, several corporate leaders took notice, and found a lot they could agree with. Can you blame them?—

Steve Benen 3:47 PM Permalink Trackbacks Comments (61)

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Former President Gerald Ford dies at 93




33 minutes ago
Former U.S. President Gerald Ford, who was swept into office after the Watergate scandal and later pardoned Richard Nixon, died at age 93, according to a statement from his widow on Tuesday.
"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, has passed away at 93 years of age," Bette Ford said in a statement.
"His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."
Her statement was released by the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, where Ford has been treated.
A former Republican congressman, Ford took office vowing "our long national nightmare is over." He served for 2 1/2 years with a style often mocked as bumbling until he lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Ford had been ailing and largely out of the public eye for several years.
He was the only U.S. president who was not elected to either the presidency or vice presidency. He was appointed vice president in 1973 after Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned to avoid prosecution on corruption charges.
When Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, to avoid impeachment in the scandal over a politically motivated burglary of Democratic Party offices in the Watergate complex in Washington, Ford became president.
He had served 26 years as a congressman from Michigan.
Despite Ford's sunny nature and reputation for decency, critics ridiculed his occasional clumsiness with barbs such as "he can't walk and chew gum at the same time."
His wife, Betty Ford, became a national figure in her own right as an outspoken crusader against drug and alcohol addiction.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Pearl Harbor Attack Pictures

Pearl Harbor On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a Surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii . By planning his attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck Would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships Were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexingtonwas ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States). In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing Aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo Decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu , he launched The first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his First wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which Struck at the fleet in Pearl HarborLY: Arial"> and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets. At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 Kate" torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers, 50 high Altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the Attack. When it was over, the U.S.losses were: Casualties USA : 218 KIA, 364 WIA. USN: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA. USMC: 109 KIA, 69 WIA. Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA. TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA. Battleships USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine. USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sunk in The harbor. USS California (BB-44) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and Repaired. USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and Repaired. USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired. USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage. USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage. USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage. USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk. Cruisers USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage.. USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage. USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage. USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired. USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage. USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage.. Destroyers USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged. USS Cassin - (DD-372) Destroyed. Parts salvaged. USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage. USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage. Minelayer USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired. Seaplane Tender USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired. Repair Ship USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired. Harbor Tug USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired. Aircraft 188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S Army Air Corps.)

Several of you asked if I had any more pictures of Pearl Harbor. Here are some.

The Spyglass




















AR4/L11-1/(066)
U.S.S. VESTAL
10-trb


December 11, 1941.
From:
The Commanding Officer.
To:
The Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Subject:
Report of action on December 7, 1941, in accordance with references (a) and (b).

Reference:
(a) Art. 840 Navy Regs.(b) Cincpac conf. desp. 102102 of Dec. 1941.
The USS Vestal was struck by two bombs at about 0804 December 7, 1941, while moored port side to port side of the USS Arizona berthed at Fox 7, Pearl harbor, T.H. One bomb struck the starboard side at frame 44 penetrating three decks, passing through the upper crew space, GSK stores A-161/2, A-141/2, and exploding in GSK stores lower hold A-9. The fire main and electric cables in crew space were cut. W.T. hatch to A-141/2 buckled and stores in GSK stores and lower hold set on fire and wrecked. As far as can be ascertained there are no indications that this bomb or fragments caused any rupture in the hull.
The second bomb struck at frame 110 port side, passed through the carpenter shop, shipfitter ship, shipfitters locker room (D-11/2), fuel oil tanks D-80-P-F and D-82-P-F and left an irregular hole in the hull about 5 feet in diameter just inboard of the bilge keel. The above spaces (D-11/2) flooded up to the level of the carpenter shop with fuel and water.
Due to the bomb explosion forward and fire and water in GSK stores, practically all stores are damaged, the extent cannot be ascertained until completion of removal. Heat from this fire necessitated the flooding of the forward magazine containing 100 rounds of target and approximately 580 rounds of service 5" ammunition.
Damage as a result of the magazine explosion on the Arizona and the resultant fires on the Vestal were three life rafts, 6 mooring lines, 1 gangway, rigging and blocks and paintwork burned, stanchions bent, port lenses and windows broken.
At about 0820 a torpedo was seen to pass astern of the Vestal and it apparently hit the Arizona whose bow extended about 100 feet beyond the Vestal. The ArizonaArizona's forward magazine exploded. This explosion started fires aft and amidships on the Vestal. Shortly after the Arizona was observed to be settling and the fuel oil between Vestal and Arizona was ignited.
At 0830 orders were given to make preparations for getting underway -- this had been anticipated by the Engineer Officer. At 0845 the forward lines were cut, the Arizona's quarterdeck was awash, and Vestal got underway on both engines, no steering gear. Tug pulled Vestal's bow away from the Arizona. The Vestal started to list to starboard and was taking water aft. She was maneuvered to position with south end of McGrew's Point bearing 30°, distance 910 yards and at 0910 anchored in 35 feet of water.
Soundings and draft readings were taken continuously; these showed the ship was settling aft and continuing to list to starboard. Draft aft increased to 27 feet and the list to 61/2°. Because of the unstable condition of the ship due to large amount of free surface, the knowledge that we had two holes in the hull -- subsequent inspections showed only one - ship being on fire in several places and the possibility of further attacks, it was decided to ground the ship. At 0950 got underway and maneuvered to position with Old Aiea Railroad Station bearing 73° true and West Tangent of McGrew's Point bearing 320° true; ship grounded. Number 2 white spar buoy close aboard on starboard side amidships. Ship's head 092° true. Depth of water forward 11 feet, amidships 18 feet, aft 27 feet. Draft forward 15 feet, aft 29 feet.
Offensive measures.
At 0755 sounded general quarters. Manned the 3" anti-aircraft and 4 - 5" broadside and 2 - 30 caliber machine guns. At about 0805 opened fire with 3" anti-aircraft gun and both machine guns. After firing three rounds, 3" anti-aircraft gun breech jammed; breech was cleared and one additional round was fired when blast from Arizona magazine cleared gun station killing one man. Machine guns continued firing on enemy planes until they withdrew.
3" anti-aircraft and after machine gun both fired at plane which released torpedo at Arizona and turned toward Vestal. This plane was seen by crew of the machine gun to burst into flame and disappear over Ford Island, this was substantiated by others in the vicinity. Whether the plane was hit by gun fire from Vestal or adjacent ships is not known.
Identified dead - Six
Unidentified dead - Three, one from 3" anti-aircraft gun platform and two from stern of Vestal. These men may have been either Arizona personnel blown over by magazine blast or members of Vestal after gun crews; they were burned beyond recognition.
Missing - Seven.
Hospitalized - Nineteen. About twenty per cent of those hospitalized are seriously injured suffering primarily from burns and fractures.
The conduct of all officers and enlisted personnel was exemplary and of such high order that I would especially desire to have them with me in future engagements.
[signed]C. YOUNG.
Copy to: Combasefor.
Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey (patrick@akamail.com)

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Romney set for presidential announcement

By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press WriterSat Dec 23, 12:21 AM ET
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is making plans for his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination in two phases early next month, a top adviser told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Massachusetts chief executive is expected to file paperwork as early as Jan. 2 with the Federal Election Commission, establishing a presidential campaign committee and permitting himself to begin raising money for his race on the first business day of the new year. Romney will leave office on Jan. 4.
As soon as the week of Jan. 8, Romney will hold a ceremony to officially declare his candidacy, said the adviser, a top aide who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the official filing.
The timing is somewhat dependent on when Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona makes an expected announcement about his own campaign for the GOP nomination, the Romney aide said. McCain has formed a presidential exploratory committee but held off declaring his candidacy.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has also formed an exploratory committee.
Before leaving for a 10-day ski vacation at his home in Deer Valley, Utah, Romney told reporters he would use the holiday gathering with his family to make a decision about a campaign. In total, 22 people will gather at the Romney vacation home outside Salt Lake City, including his five sons, their wives, his 10 grandchildren, and Romney's wife, Ann.
"I've got a lot of data. Now I have to sit down with my family and spend some time," the 59-year-old former venture capitalist said after ringing a Salvation Army bell at a downtown shopping mall. Romney gained international attention in 2002 as head of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
"The real question is could I be able to make a real contribution to the people of this country, could I make America's future brighter, and that's something which I'll give consideration to over the holiday," the governor said.
While saying that he wanted to consult with his family, Romney dismissed any thought he might be dissuaded from a campaign because of any personal concerns they might express. In the past, Romney has said the only thing that would prompt an immediate end to his political career would be a change in the health of his wife, who has multiple sclerosis.
"You know, there are a lot of people that make a lot greater sacrifices than politicians — myself included — and I saw them in Guantanamo, I saw them at the border of North Korea and South Korea, I saw them in Iraq and Afghanistan," Romney said. "So, I'm not focused on the sacrifices that I or my family would make. I'm focused instead on the needs of this country and whether I could make a difference."
In one small sign he will likely mount a campaign, the governor could be overheard at a second charity stop outside Faneuil Hall asking a local comedian who happened by if he could help him write jokes for an appearance next spring at Washington's annual Gridiron Club dinner. The gathering is a regular stop for national politicians and White House aspirants.
Romney spent part of the week in Iowa and New Hampshire, two of the lead presidential voting states. Earlier this month he made a political trip through the South, before using personal money to fund a fact-finding trip to Japan, South Korea and China. He added to his foreign credentials this year with trips to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Iowa on Wednesday, Romney reiterated his support for President Bush and said a withdrawal from Iraq "would be a mistake."
In New Hampshire on Thursday, he deflected conservative concerns about his record on gay marriage and abortion. He said he now describes himself as "firmly pro-life," despite citing his tolerance for abortion rights during his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, after researching the embryonic stem cell issue.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Former Rep. Bob Barr abandons GOP

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Bob Barr, who once represented Georgia in Congress, has left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party, the Libertarian National Committee announced.
Barr, a leading player in the Republican move to impeach former President Bill Clinton, was immediately offered a leadership post in his new party, overseeing a region that includes Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.
Announcing the switch, Barr called the Libertarian Party "the party of principle."
"Being a member of this body is a serious and long-term commitment that I gladly accept," he said. "As importantly, I'm happy to announce that I am now a proud, card-carrying Libertarian who is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom."
Barr served eight terms in the House of Representatives from 1995-2003.
He is a member of the board of the National Rifle Association, and serves as an adviser to the American Conservative Union and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Barr is president of the lobbying firm Liberty Strategies.

Bush open to boosting troop ranks

Deseret Morning News, Thursday, December 21, 2006

President says U.S. facing hard choices and sacrifices in Iraq
By Terence HuntAssociated Press

WASHINGTON — In a grim assessment of an unpopular war, President Bush said Wednesday in a year-end assessment that 2006 in Iraq opened with hope and optimism but closed with disappointment and caution.
President Bush said at a news conference Wednesday that America's enemies "had success" in 2006. Ron Edmonds, Associated PressA year ago the administration was talking about possible withdrawals of American troops.
Now the president is talking about sending in more U.S. forces — and increasing the overall size of America's military.
Bush said he had been cheered by the formation of a unity government in May after 12 million Iraqis went to the polls several months earlier.
But now, Iraq has descended into a fury of sectarian violence, and the situation is deemed grave and deteriorating.
Summing up Iraq at a year-end news conference, Bush said 2006 "was a difficult year for our troops and the Iraqi people." As for America's enemies, "they had success" in fomenting sectarian violence that has slowed reconstruction, reconciliation and security, Bush said.
"I'm not going to make predictions about what 2007 will look like in Iraq, except that it's going to require difficult choices and additional sacrifices because the enemy is merciless and violent," the president said.
Democrats are about to claim control of Congress and Americans are overwhelmingly unhappy about Bush's handling of the war, so the president is at a turning point as he searches for new approaches. Administration officials said Bush's remarks were intended to brace a war-weary nation for another tough year in Iraq.
The heavy cost of the war also came into focus as the Pentagon circulated a request for an additional $99.7 billion to pay for the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. If embraced by Bush and approved by Congress, the proposal would boost this year's budget for those wars to about $170 billion.
So far, four years of war in Iraq have cost about $350 billion.
On just his third day as secretary, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced visit to Baghdad to review options with senior American commanders. He said no decisions have been made.
"We discussed the obvious things," Gates told reporters. "We discussed the possibility of a surge and the potential for what it might accomplish."
Gates said he was only beginning to determine how to reshape U.S. war policy. He also said he would confer with top Iraqi officials about what America's role should be in Iraq. Bush is awaiting Gates' recommendations before making a speech in January announcing changes in strategy and tactics.
The shift in policy is likely to be accompanied by a shuffle of top American generals in Iraq. Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, has submitted plans to go ahead with a retirement that is months overdue. And the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, has indicated he may not stay much longer than the end of this year.
Abizaid and Casey have opposed sending more troops to Iraq, and their departures could make it easier for Bush to send more soldiers to the war. One option calls for sending five or more additional combat brigades — roughly 20,000 or more troops.
Apart from any increase in Iraq, Bush said the military's overall size should be increased to relieve the heavy strain on U.S. troops, reversing the previous position of his administration during Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon tenure. Bush also said a troop surge in Iraq would have to be for a specific mission.
His remarks appeared intended to address doubts voiced by prominent military officials who worry that sending more troops to Iraq would be ineffective and put more demands on an already-stretched U.S. military.
"There's got to be a specific mission that can be accomplished with the addition of more troops before, you know, I agree on that strategy," the president said.
The administration says many questions have to be answered about sending in more troops: What would be their purpose, what would they do, how long would they stay and what is the Iraqi government's view on the rules of engagement for more U.S. forces? Also, would the additional troops serve in training positions, in combat, to help civilian forces or for a combination of those roles?
"I'm not going to make predictions about what 2007 will look like in Iraq except that it's going to require difficult choices and additional sacrifices because the enemy is merciless and violent," the president said.
Bush was unwavering about U.S. goals for Iraq.
"Victory in Iraq is achievable," he said. "It hadn't happened nearly as quickly as I hoped it would have.
"But I also don't believe most Americans want us just to get out now," the president said. "A lot of Americans understand the consequences of defeat. Retreat would embolden radicals. It would hurt the credibility of the United States."
Bush stepped back from his confident assertion two months ago that "absolutely, we're winning" in Iraq. Wednesday, he said, "We're not winning. We're not losing."
The president said he changed his formulation because "we're not succeeding nearly as fast as I wanted ... and that the conditions are tough in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad."
He said his original remark, on Oct. 25, was made in the spirit that "I believe that we're going to win. I believe that — and, by the way, if I didn't think that, I wouldn't have our troops there."
© 2006 Deseret News Publishing Company

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

House GOP Leaders got what they deserved over Mark Foley

They Saw no Evil…

They Spoke no Evil….

They Heard no Evil….

Mark Towner,
The Spyglass

Elephants Never Forget!

2008 Election Cycle already heats up; The Republicans will take no Democratic Prisoners.

Mark Towner,
The Spyglass

Demo Thanksgiving?


2006 Mid-Term Elections

A Picture Says a Thousand Words





Need I say More?


Mark Towner,

THe Spyglass

Veteran Political Reporters Discuss New Technology




Veteran Political Reporters Discuss New Technology -- And How It's Changed Their Work -- Since 1970s

NEW YORK In the final stretch of the 2006 midterm elections, famed reporter Tom Edsall started his day with a virtual information overload � reading no less than 10 blogs to keep abreast of the 24-hour coverage of Senate and House races across the nation. It's as if he's been doing it for all 65 years of his life � instead of for the first time. In reality, neither he nor anyone else in politics had even heard of a blog during the last midterm election � and since then, it's hard for many reporters to remember the time when they were considerably less connected.
"Technology, along with 24/7 cable and YouTube, have accelerated the speed of campaigning," Edsall explained in an e-mail. "Events, comments, speeches, et cetera are all immediately available to all players, including editors back at the news desk who are now able to intrude and direct coverage much more actively."
But times indeed have changed. In just three decades, the emergence of computers, mobile phones, the 24-hour news cycle and the Internet have radically altered the way political reporters do their jobs. Generation after generation of journalist continues to grapple with the evolution of technology, a seemingly Darwinian plot that weeds out those reporters who resist change. Longtime users of the typewriter, scissors and glue, today's senior political reporters are more likely to be found with a Blackberry handheld device than a black pen.
A special correspondent for The New Republic and guest op-ed columnist for The New York Times the past month, Edsall said the breakneck pace of technology is both a blessing and a curse for reporters, campaigns, and most of all � voters.
"Technology has increased the 'value' of campaign staffers who can respond to and initiate story lines very quickly," Edsall wrote, "but it has also diminished the importance of thoughtful, considered presentations by campaigns in the heat of battle."
The Internet has fundamentally changed how political reporters cover news allowing them to use its constant availability of information to compile data on the fly, Edsall stated. "It has given journalists instant access to campaign finance records, background material and the ability to search histories of subjects and individuals, all from a campaign bus or hotel room," Edsall wrote. "E-mail has created instant contact with sources, as have cell phones.
"Cell phones and computers equipped to send and receive material from the Internet are especially important for reporters covering presidential and other candidates when much traveling is required. It is now possible to get a response from the opposition while on the road."
But it wasn't always so easy for political reporters. Dallas Morning News senior political writer Wayne Slater said an ornery computer at The Associated Press offices in West Virginia in 1973 often put his otherwise uncanny ability to turn in clean copy in jeopardy.
"The computer terminal was fairly primitive," Slater, 56, said. "Hit the wrong button and everything would be erased."
On more than one occasion, Slater said he would spend 25 minutes writing a newscast only to accidentally erase it just before he sent it to a waiting outlet. Panicked, Slater said he would hastily rewrite the story in the remaining five minutes and, without proofreading it, push the send button.
"On occasion, I would produce embarrassing typos � writing 'pubic' instead of 'public,' " Slater said. "At these early-morning rip-and-read operations, it was often a disc jockey reading the news. So when the copy said, 'The mayor said he would seek a pubic hearing,' that's what they read. And I heard about it."
Since then, Slater said he's grown accustomed to mastering new tools of his trade.
"My laptop is equipped with a phone card so I can send from anywhere there's a phone signal," said Slater, who once transported his stories by pneumatic tube. "Following the presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004, I would write on the plane or at political events and send via a wireless card. Sometimes, I'd simply dictate on a cell phone."
Cox Newspapers White House correspondent Ken Herman said the convenience of mobile phones can't be understated. As a reporter for The Associated Press in Texas in the late 1970s, 52-year-old Herman said he often covered stories in rural areas, isolated from the "pay phones that were the link to the outside world" and the only way to file.
"At trials and other courthouse stories it used to be a race to the pay phones when other reporters were around," Herman said. "We learned tricks, such as staking out a pay phone in advance, unscrewing the mouthpiece and removing the device inside.
"Without it, the phone would not work for anybody else. With it in your pocket and ready to reinstall, the device provided a personal pay phone when you needed it. It also was a good way to annoy competitors."
The round-the-clock connectivity of the Internet can help in fact-checking, Herman said, but it can also diminish making true connections with sources and potential sources. "Used properly, it's an incredible tool," Herman said. "But I do fear it can cut down on the human contact that remains so crucial to our job."
Yet some political reporters have been slow to adapt.
Slater said one of his colleagues simply wouldn't give up the system that they first used for the 1986 Texas elections � a Radio Shack T100 computer that used a payphone to transmit the story.
"In Austin, a colleague was resistant to give up the Radio Shack and move up to a better laptop computer," Slater said. "[He] ultimately did so when the Radio Shack wore out and the company had long since abandoned making parts for them."
Slater said some of his colleagues were simply skeptical of the new technology. "I remember sitting on the floor of a sports arena in 1990 at the Texas Democratic State Convention and hooking my cell phone bearing a long antenna to my computer [and] sending stories to my newspaper," Slater said. "When a colleague walked by the table and saw my computer, cell phone and a mass of black wires, he said skeptically, 'Oh, now that ought to work.' It did."
For all of its benefits, 86-year-old White House correspondent and Hearst columnist Helen Thomas said the information overload that technology offers doesn't replace the minutia-catching eyes and ears of a seasoned reporter.
"Good reporting and great journalism demand being there on the spot, seeing and hearing [for] yourself," Thomas wrote in an e-mail. "The Internet helps, [but] blogs can be misleading. Good old-fashioned reporting one-on-one [and] good sources are the way to go. Accuracy above all, not technology."
--Andrew J. Nusca