George Gee Big Band (Drummer Dave Gibson)
Mambo Inn

Gee, what a loss! AMF!!!

The elections chief in Ohio’s most populous county resigned Tuesday, ending a tenure that included the mishandled recount of President Bush’s narrow 2004 win in Ohio that gave him a second term.

Under executive director Michael Vu, Cuyahoga County had a botched primary last May and saw the convictions last month of two workers who rigged the presidential recount so they could avoid a more thorough review of the ballots.

The actions of the two workers, whom the board fired Tuesday, did not affect the outcome of the election. But the convictions were the final black eye for Vu, 30, who led the elections board through its rocky transition from punch-card to electronic voting.

‘This was a once-in-a-generation challenge for those of us who work in the world of elections,’ Vu said.

Vu was hired at about $119,000 a year in 2003 to take over the largest and arguably most problematic elections system in the bellwether state during a hard-fought and close presidential campaign.

Board chairman Bob Bennett, also the leader of the state Republican Party, said the board realized Vu had a tough job.

Before Vu’s appointment, the county had a history of troubles providing and properly counting ballots and informing voters of changes in polling places.

Vu said he was proud of the board’s accomplishments after he took over.

‘Of course, there’s a lot that of things that would have been done differently, in hindsight,’ he said.

Last May’s primary, the county’s first attempt at electronic voting, was marred by poll workers who were not prepared to operate the machines, some poll workers who didn’t show up to work and vote-holding memory cards that were misplaced or lost.

Vu agreed to stay on as a consultant while the board - which oversees elections in the largely Democratic county of more than 1 million registered voters - looks for and trains a new director.

Source

It just never ends……

By PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press Writer
Africa has moved up significantly in the Bush administration’s global game-planning. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the Pentagon will set up a new command to oversee its operations there.

Appearing on Capitol Hill, Gates announced that President Bush approved a Defense Department recommendation that a military structure be set up to oversee missions on the continent, which U.S. officials now believe has greater strategic importance to the United States than it had before.

‘The president has decided to stand up a new unified combatant command, Africa Command, to oversee security, cooperation, building partnership capability, defense support to nonmilitary missions, and, if directed, military operations on the African continent,’ Gates told a congressional hearing on the defense spending that Bush proposed Monday for budget year 2008, which starts in October.

‘This command will enable us to have a more effective and integrated approach than the current arrangement of dividing Africa between Central Command and European Command, an outdated arrangement left over from the Cold War,’ Gates said.

The U.S. military has a system under which each region of the world is overseen by a specific command, such as the Pacific Command, Central Command and so on. Africa is now split among commands, which have been increasing activities on the continent greatly in recent years.

The Central Command, which controls the Horn of Africa, set up a task force there in attempt to catch any escaping from Afghanistan after the war started in late 2001. It has since has expanded to humanitarian and other missions.

The European Command has sent Special Forces to do training exercises in North African countries and done humanitarian projects, medical training and other missions such as harbor maintenance in oil-producing nations in the Gulf of Guinea.

The various types of operations are aimed at building partnerships and strengthening the ability of African governments and militaries to do their jobs. The hope is that the efforts will make nations there less vulnerable to the recruiting efforts of terrorists and help catch those already using it as a safe haven.

Officials say that Africa also is strategically more important because of increased efforts by China to involve itself and gain influence on the continent.

While we’re dicking around arguing over troop surge or no troop surge…… our U.S. death count is now up to 3,103. There have been 18 deaths this month. (in 6 days) and 351 Iraqi deaths. They are NOT talking about this on the news. It’s all blah blah blah blah blah blah about Non-binding resolutions and politics as usual as our troops continue to suffer and die. How about we support the troops by getting them the hell out of there.

U.S. Deaths this month in Iraq:

06-Feb-2007 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad (southwest of) Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
05-Feb-2007 2 | US: 1 | UK: 1 | Other: 0
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire
UK 2nd Lieutenant Jonathan Bracho-Cooke Basra (As Sarraji district) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
04-Feb-2007 2 | US: 2 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Sergeant Randy J. Matheny Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Diyala province Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
03-Feb-2007 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Staff Sergeant Ronnie L. Sanders Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
02-Feb-2007 6 | US: 6 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Captain Kevin C. Landeck Baghdad (south of) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Staff Sergeant Terrence D. Dunn Baghdad (south of) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
US Specialist Alan E. McPeek Ramadi - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
US Private Matthew T. Zeimer Ramadi - Anbar Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Taji (near) - Baghdad Hostile - helicopter crash
US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Taji (near) - Baghdad Hostile - helicopter crash
01-Feb-2007 7 | US: 7 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Corporal Richard O. Quill III Al Anbar Province Non-hostile
US Sergeant Major Michael C. Mettille Camp Adder - Dhi Qar Non-hostile - illness - heart attack
US Hospitalman Matthew G. Conte Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire
US Gunnery Sergeant Terry J. Elliott Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire
US Specialist Eric R. Sieger Buhritz - Diyala Non-hostile - vehicle rollover
US Private 1st Class Tyler Butler Baghdad Non-hostile - vehicle accident
US Private 1st Class David C. Armstrong Baghdad Non-hostile - vehicle accident

Source: Iraq Coalition Casualties

From the French Foreign Minister: “That won’t prevent them from one day signing on in New York at U.N headquarters…..I hope they will.” Don’t hold your breath buddy! Haven’t you heard? Our leaders think secret detention and torture are A-OK!!

PARIS (AP) - Nearly 60 countries signed a treaty on Tuesday that bans governments from holding people in secret detention, but the United States and some of its key European allies were not among them.

The signing capped a quarter-century of efforts by families of people who have vanished at the hands of governments.

“Our American friends were naturally invited to this ceremony; unfortunately, they weren’t able to join us,” French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told reporters after 57 nations signed the treaty at his ministry in Paris.

“That won’t prevent them from one day signing on in New York at U.N. headquarters - and I hope they will.”

The U.S. Embassy in Paris declined immediate comment. President Bush acknowledged in September that terrorism suspects have been held in CIA-run prisons overseas, but did not specify where.

Many other Western nations, including Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy, also did not sign the treaty. France introduced the convention at the U.N. General Assembly in November and it was adopted in December.

Many delegates expressed hope that other nations will sign by year-end. Some European nations have expressed support for the treaty, but face constitutional hurdles or require a full Cabinet debate before signing, French and U.N. officials said.

Read more at AOLNews

“Other legislation will be binding.” Bring it on!

WASHINGTON (Feb. 6) - The Democratic-controlled House will vote next week on a nonbinding measure opposing President Bush ’s decision to dispatch more troops to Iraq , officials said Tuesday, in a wartime clash between Congress and commander in chief.

The precise nature of the measure remains to be determined, the officials said, although Brendan Daly, a spokeswoman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi , said, it will be “our opposition to the surge” in troops.

The Pentagon is in the midst of implementing Bush’s order to raise troop levels by 21,500, part of a plan to help quell sectarian violence in Baghdad.

Across the Capitol on the Senate side, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that U.S. forces might be able to start leaving Iraq before the end of the year - if daunting conditions including subdued violence and political reconciliation are met.

Bush’s revised strategy has sparked strong opposition among Democrats, and officials said that Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., had both pledged to their rank-and-file that next week’s vote would merely be the first attempt to pressure the president to shift course in the war. Other legislation will be binding, they said.

Read more at AOLNews

Portugal’s attorney general is opening a criminal investigation into claims that CIA flights, some of them allegedly carrying terror suspects, made stopovers in the country, the state-owned news agency reported on Monday.

The agency Lusa quoted Deputy Attorney General Candida Almeida as saying the investigation had ‘many leads’ to pursue after a Portuguese deputy at the European Parliament presented a dossier of allegations.

‘Before, we had no indications (of a crime), but the complaints we have received show areas we might explore,’ Almeida was quoted as saying.

Officials at the attorney general’s office were not immediately available for comment. But authorities often use Lusa to make official announcements.

The attorney general’s decision to launch a formal investigation is embarrassing for the government. Last week, Foreign Minister Luis Amado said authorities had not unearthed any evidence of CIA flights and would not investigate the matter further.

Read more here

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it plans to seek a reversal of Tuesday’s decision by a federal appeals court to approve class-action status for women who claim the retailer was biased in pay and promotion.

Earlier in the day, the largest sexual discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history moved forward against Wal-Mart (Charts) when a federal appeals court approved class-action status for seven women who claim the retailer was biased in pay and promotions.

The plaintiffs estimate as many as 1.6 million women who have worked for Wal-Mart in its U.S. stores since 1998 could join the lawsuit. The number makes the group the largest ever to sue for gender discrimination.

“We hold that the district court acted within its broad discretion in concluding that it would be better to handle this case as a class action instead of clogging the federal courts with innumerable individual suits,” Judge Harry Pregerson wrote for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“Although the size of this class action is large, mere size does not render the case unmanageable,” he said.

In the Wal-Mart case, the plaintiffs allege they were denied promotion opportunities, with some also saying they were sexually harassed or subject to sexist remarks.

The 2-1 ruling by the three-judge panel took no position on those claims, stressing the decision only affirmed a lower court ruling to certify the case, Dukes v. Wal-Mart, as a class action against the world’s largest retailer.

Read more at CNN.com

Right…..and I’m gonna be crowned Miss Universe! It could happen!!! Gimme a friggin break. How many times have we heard this shit before? If……if…….if…….if.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the United States could start withdrawing troops from Iraq later this year – “if circumstances on the ground permit.”

Gates made the remark in answer to questioning from Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

Gates was asked how much longer troops would remain deployed in Iraq before the United States begins to draw them down.

“It’s hard to make any kind of a real prediction, especially where our adversaries have a vote,” Gates said.

However, he said, “I would hope we would be able to begin drawing down our troops later this year” — if a “plan to quiet Baghdad is successful,” Iraqis accept “their responsibilities” and assume “leadership,” and they also carry out “political reconciliation.”

The hearings were briefly disrupted by protesters from Code Pink, a group that opposes the Iraq war.

Read more at CNN.com

It’s official……he’s gone off the deep end. Thank you so much Connecticut voters, for giving us this lunatic.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday that Congress should consider a tax to fund the U.S.-declared war on terrorism and reduce the need to cut domestic programs to pay for security spending.

A former Democrat who supports the Iraq war and backs President Bush’s plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq, Lieberman said the proposed increase in the Pentagon’s budget for next fiscal year will squeeze funding for critical domestic programs.

“I think we have to start thinking about a war on terrorism tax,” the independent Connecticut lawmaker said. “I mean people keep saying we’re not asking a sacrifice of anybody but our military in this war and some civilians who are working on it.”

“When you put together the (Pentagon) budget and the Homeland Security budgets, we need to ask people to help us in a way that they know when they pay more it will go for their security,” he said during a Senate panel hearing on the defense budget request.

Read more at MSNBC