Dirty Bush Politics
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Author Topic: Dirty Bush Politics  (Read 903 times)
fezzyfestoon
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« on: August 20, 2009, 09:14:31 PM »
« edited: August 20, 2009, 09:19:03 PM by fezzyfestoon »

Tom Ridge was pressured to raise the terror threat level before the 2004 election.  That's really bad.

NY Times

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Associate Justice PiT
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« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2009, 09:20:04 PM »

     Good to see that Ridge stood up to Ashcroft & Rumsfeld on this.
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Kaine for Senate '18
benconstine
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« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2009, 09:28:14 PM »

     Good to see that Ridge stood up to Ashcroft & Rumsfeld on this.
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Tetro Kornbluth
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« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2009, 11:16:58 AM »

Good to see there haven't been criminal investigations so far into the actions of the Bush-Cheney administration.

Oh no, actually it's not good to see at all. It's utterly criminal.
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Alexander Hamilton
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2009, 11:24:49 AM »

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Brittain33
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« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2009, 11:47:41 AM »

Note that he stood up to them on this on one occasion right before the election, but meanwhile the alert kept getting raised before and during key events in the Kerry campaign (like the DNC). He's choosing his words carefully and painting himself in the best possible light but he compromised his integrity before this point.

On the other hand, he was a better DHS Secretary than Bernard Kerik would have been.
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Grumpier Than Uncle Joe
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« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2009, 12:01:00 PM »

Fran Townsend of the NSC stated in the Politico the process was.......DHS recommended an increase/decrease to the NSC who in turn sought approval from the President.  No change without 43's approval but he always followed their recommendations.

I believe her.

Pressuring Ridge would have limited effect IF the NSC was the middle man.
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JSojourner
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« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2009, 06:17:42 PM »

I have always respected Ridge.  I've always felt he never really "belonged" to the Neocon tribe. (His foreign policy might actually BE neocon...I dunno...but he doesn't seem to be of that ilk.)

Of course, the rightie critics are already saying he just pulled this out of his ass to sell a book.
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paul718
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« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2009, 06:37:10 PM »

According to Charles Krauthammer, Ridge never accuses the Administration of any ulterior motive in raising the terror level.  In his book, he merely says that the thought crossed his mind.  That's according to Krauthammer, though.   
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Grumpier Than Uncle Joe
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« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2009, 06:58:10 PM »

I'm not saying Rummie and Ashcroftwouldn't do it......but it would have limited effect.  And I guarantee you he cannot document it.
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fezzyfestoon
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #10 on: August 21, 2009, 09:42:01 PM »

According to Charles Krauthammer, Ridge never accuses the Administration of any ulterior motive in raising the terror level.  In his book, he merely says that the thought crossed his mind.  That's according to Krauthammer, though.   

Yeah, I think they pulled the relevant quotes on CNN and it sounds like it was just his assumption.
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Rowan
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« Reply #11 on: August 21, 2009, 09:57:21 PM »

Obviously put out there to sell books.
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fezzyfestoon
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #12 on: August 21, 2009, 10:34:04 PM »


He put it in his book, so I would assume the content of his book would serve to sell his book.
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Torie
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« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2009, 11:52:57 PM »
« Edited: August 22, 2009, 12:52:20 AM by Torie »

Note that he stood up to them on this on one occasion right before the election, but meanwhile the alert kept getting raised before and during key events in the Kerry campaign (like the DNC). He's choosing his words carefully and painting himself in the best possible light but he compromised his integrity before this point.

On the other hand, he was a better DHS Secretary than Bernard Kerik would have been.

I never took those threat alerts seriously. The whole panic attack thing from our own government annoyed me.  I suspected it was BS then, and suspect it was now.  There was a massive overreaction from 9-11, and I thought so at the time, and now avoid airplanes as much as possible, because the whole experience in flying is more akin to Chinese water torture than anything else. It sucks.
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