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Today's
Stories
December
9, 2004
Paul
de Rooij
The Voices of Sharon's Little Helpers
December
8, 2004
Ralph
Nader
Will the Real Michael Moore Ever Re-Emerge?
Ann
Harrison
The Ohio Recount: Reluctant Officials
and Few Rules
Paul
Craig Roberts
War Crime
Dave
Lindorff
They've Got a Secret: Inside the $40 Billion Black Budget for
Spying
Patrick
Cockburn / Andrew Buncombe
CIA Warning on Iraq: Fallujah Did Not Break the Back of the Insurgency
Col.
Dan Smith
Rules of Engagement in Iraq
Emily
Alves / Michael Johnson
Paradise Lost: Corruption and Clientelism in Costa Rica
Richard
Oxman
The Dylan Bob Wouldn't Mention: Up With Dylan Thomas
Ron
Jacobs
In Fallujah, Freedom Isn't Free
December
7, 2004
Patrick
Cockburn
Running Battles in Baghdad
Behrooz
Ghamari
Lost Muslim Voices of Dissent
Dave
Lindorff
American Fantasies: Psst! Hey Buddy,
Did You Hear How Well the War's Going?
Joshua
Frank
Dean at the DNC?
Richard
Oxman
Down with Dylan: the Insufferable Interview
Ray
McGovern
All Mosquitoes, No Swamp
John
Chuckman
The Invasion of Hallifax: The Imperial Wizard Visits Canada
James
Petras
Latin America: the Empire Changes Gears
Website
of the Day
ToxMap: Who's Poisoning You
December
6, 2004
Paul
Craig Roberts
Paranoia and Pre-emption: Is the
Bush Administration Certifiable?
December
4 / 6, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
Politicize the CIA? You've Got to
be Kidding
Joe
Bageant
Dining with the Rhinos
Alan
Maass
Reporting from the Ground in Iraq: an Interview with Patrick
Cockburn
Brian
Cloughley
Democracy, Bush-style, in the Gulf
Laura
Carlsen
Latin America Shifts Left
Lenni
Brenner
Jefferson, Madison, Bush and Religion
Anna
Ioakimedes
Brazil's Haitian Mission: Doing God's Work or Washington's?
Uri
Avnery
Widow of Opportunity?
Fred
Gardner
Supreme Court Hears Medical Pot Case
Dave
Zirin
Steroids to Heaven
Jackie
Corr
Mining Camp Blues: the Red State Variation
Don
Fitz
Will Greens Abandon IRV?
Lucy
Herschel
"Art can be a Weapon of the Oppressed": an Interview
with Artist Anthony Papa
Richard
Oxman
No Angels in America: Bashing the Gay Play
Ron
Jacobs
Holiday Greeting Card
Poets'
Basement
Collins, Albert, LaMorticella
December
3, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Lie Then Escalate
Ben
Tripp
Fun With Boycotts: How to Shop in a
Time of Crisis
Joe
Allen
Murder in El Salvador: the Assassination of Teamster Organizer
Gilberto Soto
Matthew
B. Riley
Human Rights Court Fails Lori Berenson
Meir
Shalev
In the End, It is the Violin that Wins
Bob
Wing
The White Elephant in the Room: Race and Election 2004
Christopher
Brauchli
When McCain Bit His Tongue
Sasan
Fayazmanesh
The EU, the US, Israel and Iran
December
2, 2004
Tito
Tricot
No Justice in Chile: I'm a Torture
Survivor in a Country Where Torturers Still Run Free
Behzad
Yaghmaian
The Murder of Theo Van Gogh and Muslim Migration
Dr.
Susan Block
Lana and Me: Meetings with Remarkable Apes
Frank
/ Chowkwanyun
Liberalism and Its Bounds
Lee
Sustar
Standoff in Ukraine: the Bad v. the Corrupt
Patrick
Cockburn
Another Grim Record in Iraq
Mark
Engler
Seattle at Five
Michael
Donnelly
Something Stinks in South Bend: the Firing of Tyrone Willingham
Nate
Collins
The Bay Area Mall on an Ohlone Burial Grounds
Saul
Landau
The Assassination of Danilo Anderson
December
1, 2004
Phillip
Cryan
Associated with Whom? Rightist Bias
in Wire Coverage of Colombia
Dave
Zirin
What's the Matter with "Leon"?:
Budweiser's Racist Commercial
Ghali
Hassan
Iraq's Health Care Under the Occupation:
200 Children Die Every Day
Donna
J. Volatile
Beware Western Nations Threatening "Democracy"
Patrick
Cockburn
How Saddam Tried to Arm the Insurgency
Nick
Meo
Chemical War Over Afghanistan
Mike
Ferner
The Battle of Toledo
Mokhiber
/ Weissman
Shame and Determination on Global AIDS Day: 40 Million and Rising
Kathy
Kelly
Looking the Other Way: the Real Crimes
of the UN in Iraq
November
30, 2004
Jennifer
Van Bergen
The Veil of Secrecy
Toni
Nelson Herrera
Meeting Kurtz: When Art is a Crime
Paul
Craig Roberts
The Bush Delusions: Successful at Incompetence
Patrick
Cockburn
The Insurgency Strikes Back: There Are No Safe Havens in Iraq
Chuck
Munson
WTO Protests Five Years Later: Seattle Weekly Trashes Anti-Globalization
Movement
Adam
Williams
Citizenship Sold: Back to Business in Indiana
Gregory
Elich
A Dangerous Turn in the US Plans for
North Korea
Website
of the Day
Read Lynne Cheney's Lesbian Novel Online!
November
29, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Blowback in Ukraine: The Hand of
the CIA?
Omar
Barghouti
"The Pianist" of Palestine:
Roadblock Concerto at Gunpoint
Mike
Whitney
The US Media and Fallujah: How to
Market a Siege
Uri
Avnery
The Abu Mazen Style: "Give Me
Some Credit!"
Matt
Vidal
Globalization and Economic Inequality: a Look at the Numbers
Patrick
Cockburn
An Interview with Iraq's Foreign
Minister
Alan
Farago
Sex Change and Salvation: God, Girly Men and Endocrine Disrupters
Justin
Huggler
Bhopal 20 Years Later
Antony
Loewenstein
How Australia Reported Arafat's Death and Legacy
Gary
Leupp
Ukraine: Poll Results Aren't the Real
Issue
Website
of the Day
Mosul: Images from a Kill Zone
November
27 / 28, 2004
Peter
Linebaugh
Torture & Neo-Liberalism with
Sycorax in Iraq
Alexander
Cockburn
What Happened to O'Reilly's Loofa?
Fred
Gardner
Ashcroft v. Raich: Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court
Kathy
Kelly
What We Can Control
Diane
Christian
The Other Cheek: "Empire Doesn't Analyze, It Acts"
Gary
Leupp
One More Neocon Target: South (Yes, South) Korea
Lenni
Brenner
Equality and Rights of Return: Jefferson Instructs the New York
Times
Ron
Jacobs
Death Squads and Iraq's Elections: the Mysterious Murders of
the AMS Clerics
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Kevin Zeese on Nader, Kerry and the ABB Crowd
Toni
Solo
The Murder of Danilo Anderson
Saul
Landau
Fallujah, the 21st Century Guernica
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Matthew Shepard Case 6 Years Later: Why Hate Crimes Laws are
No Cure for Homophobia
Justin
Taylor
Empire's Lawless Opportunities
Amos
Harel
The Case of Captain R.
Walter
A. Davis
Tabloid Justice
Stephen
Hendricks
God's Kind of Men
Poets'
Basement
Albert, LaMorticella and Ford
November
26, 2004
Peter
Feng
Gavin Newsom: Man or Machine?
Greg
Moses
It's the White Vote, Stupid
Liaquat
Ali Khan
The Devil's Work: Bush's Minority Appointments
Michael
Mandel / Gail Davidson
Why Bush Should Be Banned from Canada: a Memo to the Ministry
of Immigration
Dave
Lindorff
Nation of Sheep, Turkey of an Election: Urkrainians Show the
Way
Gary
Corseri
When Black Friday Comes...
Paul
Craig Roberts
Whatever Happened to Conservatives?
Website
of the Day
Iraq Pipeline Watch
November
25, 2004
Willliam
Loren Katz
Giving Thanks to Whom?: "Thanks
to God We Sent 600 Heathen Souls to Hell Today"
Mitchel
Cohen
Why I Hate Thanksgiving
Mike
Ferner
An Uncommon Mom
November
24, 2004
Gila
Svirsky
License to Kill: the Example of Violence
is Set by the State
Winslow
T. Wheeler
The
Other Mess in Congress
Christopher
Brauchli
The Company He Keeps: the Syndicate of Tom Delay
Dave
Lindorff
Double Standards on Exit Polls: Hypocrisy Sans Irony
Ron
Jacobs
The Occupation of Iraq is the Root of t he Problem
Ken
Sengupta
Witnesses: War Crimes in Fallujah
Diana
Barahona
The Final Holocaust or Why I Voted for Ralph Nader
John
L. Hess
Safire the Shameless
Jason
Leopold
Did Harvard Hire (Another) War Criminal?
Jeffrey
St. Clair
The Mark of McCain: the Senator Most Likely to Start a Nuclear
War
Map
of the Day
Now and Then: 2004 v. 1860
November
23, 2004
Forrest
Hylton
Bush and Uribe at the Beach
November
22, 2004
Dave
Zirin
Fight Night in the NBA: Selective Outrage
in Detroit
Paul
Craig Roberts
On to Iran: We Won't Get Fooled Again?
Michael
Mandel / Gail Davidson
Why Bush Should be Banned from Canada
Kathie
Helmkamp
Our Son: a Marine Who Won't Kill
Ken
Sengupta
The Triangle of Death: "This is Now the Most Dangerous Place
in Iraq"
Mike
Whitney
Greenspan's Hammer
Roger
Burbach
Why They Hate Bush in Chile
Website
of the Day
Fed Up with Government Lies and Corporate Spin?
November
20 / 21, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
The Poisoned Chalice
Todd
May
Religion, the Election and the Politics of Fear
Abbas
Ahmed Ibrahim
The Horrors of Fallujah: a First-Hand Account
Kevin
Zeese
Mishandling Nader
Landau
/ Hassen
After Arafat
Tom
Barry
The Vulcans Consolidate Power: The Rise of Stephen Hadley
Fred
Gardner
Pot Shots: Ask Dr. Todd
Justin
E.H. Smith
Triumph of the Will: the Sequel
Carl
Estabrook
Where We Are Now
Gary
Leupp
Imperial History-Making vs. Reality-Based Thought: a Dialogue
Dave
Lindorff
Apocalypse Soon
Jenna
Michelle Liut
Plans Colombia and Patriota: Wanton Wastes of Money, Manpower
and Lives
Mickey
Z.
The Granma Moses of Radical Writing: an Interview with William
Blum
Greg
Moses
The Same Old Struggle Against Imperial America
Sharon
Smith
Abortion Rights and the Election: What Now?
Ron
Jacobs
Sandwiches and Car Bombs
Ben
Tripp
Raising d'Etre: Finding Money in Hollywood These Days
Richard
Oxman
Basketbrawl Two Pointer: Iraq Rules!
Gilad
Atzmon
Politics and Jazz
Poets'
Basement
LaMorticella, Albert, Ford, & Anon.
Website
of the Day
Voice of the Forest
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante
Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click
Here for More Stories.
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December 9, 2004
Why Do the Dems Want to Deny Her Seniority?
Condi
Rice vs. Cynthia McKinney
By
MARK DONHAM
George Bush has nominated Condoleezza
Rice to be his next Secretary of State and Cynthia McKinney
has been reelected to the U.S. House of Representatives. For
one, I'd love to see Rice go head to head on US foreign policy
with Congressowman-elect Cynthia McKinney. But the only way any
of us can see that happen is for Cynthia to regain her service
and seniority on the House International Relations Committee
(HIRC), which has jurisdiction over the State Department and
our country's foreign policy. I can't think of any reason why
the Democratic leadership wouldn't want this.
And McKinney is perfectly suited
to the task. She served on the International Relations Committee
for ten years and the Armed Services Committee for four years.
She studied International Relations at the University of Southern
California and at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
She has been accepted into the Berkeley Ph.D. program. McKinney
is perfectly positioned by experience and education to raise
serious security issues that are on the minds of all Americans
today.
In a recent article "Many
Rice Defenders Hypocritical," (Madison, WI
"Capitol Times") John Nichols points out that "right-wing
political operatives and their allies in major media--as well
as conservative Democrats" battered McKinney to election
defeat in 2002 because she dared to ask tough questions about
what was known by the Bush Administration prior to the attacks
of September 11th. However, January 4, 2005, McKinney will return
to Congress, having overcome this opposition with impressive
grassroots support, and showing that a successful campaign can
be run with little money and lots of heart. With her seniority
intact, McKinney will be able to challenge important Bush initiatives
because she would resume her seat among the top-tiered Democrats
on the HIRC and as the Democrats' highest ranking member on an
important HIRC subcommittee. McKinney would also be able to continue
her important service on the Armed Services Committee where she
questioned select Pentagon contracts with the Carlyle Group,
Halliburton, and DynPort; $2.3 trillion in lost Pentagon cash;
and the breath-taking Bush Doctrine of preemptive war. This
would provide a critical counterbalance to the overly heavy
influence of those neo-conservatives that dragged us into the
unwise war with Iraq.
The response to McKinney's
return to Congress from her district, progressives across the
country, individual Members and Congressional staffers has been
overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. The failure of Pelosi
and other Democratic leaders to quickly restore McKinney's seniority
suggests that they are out of touch with their constituents,
and are bucking history. When Congressional leadership wants
to help a congressperson who has reclaimed a lost seat, or even
switched parties, they certainly can and have done so. Take
these examples.
Billy Tauzin, Nathan Deal,
and Virgil Goode (all first elected as U.S. House of Representatives
Democrats) switched parties and received rewards from the Republican
party leadership in the form of committee assignments. Billy
Tauzin, switched to the Republican Party in 1995, with much
influence from Newt Gingrich, and was able to attain seniority
on the Energy and Commerce Committee over colleagues who had
either more party or committee seniority. Nathan Deal, after
his party switch, was rewarded with a seat on the coveted
Energy and Commerce Committee, and Virgil Goode received a scarce
Appropriations Committee slot. Now, the San Francisco Chronicle
reports that after a 15-year hiatus, former California Representative
Dan Lungren (another Gingrich protegee, by the way) would likely
have his past service on the Judiciary Committee counted toward
his seniority.
Similar precedent exists within
the Democratic Party. Jane Harman, Representative from the State
of California, was granted her seniority upon returning to Congress.
In 1998, Rep. Harman decided to forgo campaigning for another
term in the U.S. House and opted to run for the Gubernatorial
seat of California; unfortunately she was unsuccessful. In 2000,
Harman returned to Congress with her previous three term seniority
intact. "Harman owes her ranking status on the subcommittee
to a promise she extracted from the Democratic leaders when
they recruited her to run against Republican Rep. Steve Kuykendall
in 2000." (The
Daily Breeze-December 30, 2001)
Representative David Price
from North Carolina lost his bid for re-election in 1994; upon
his return to Congress in 1996, Price assumed a seat on a much
sought after exclusive committee, with support from the Democratic
leadership.
Shouldn't McKinney be touted
and treated in a similar manner by the House Democratic Leadership?
To not do so seems ill-advised in my opinion. Statistical analyzes
of the last election (which I put only a certain amount of faith
in) seem to indicate that minority voting blocks are somewhat
rethinking their once-reliable party affiliations. Democrats
may not be able to take them for granted as time goes on. How
can Ms. Pelosi,
a California "liberal," think that treating unfairly
a very popular African-American Congresswoman from the South,
where the Democrats are slipping into obscurity on the national
level, is going to get her or the party anywhere? I just can't
see any advantage at all to not reinstating Congresswoman McKinney's
seniority, regardless of the ranting and ravings of those on
the right. Yet, McKinney is struggling to regain her influence.
Why?
Congresswoman McKinney has
been an asset to the Democratic Party for over a decade. She
spoke out and spoke up on issues that are important to all Democrats,
but especially for those of us who are proud to call ourselves
progressives. In addition to asking tough questions about 9-11,
McKinney authored important legislation that would prevent clear-cutting
in our national forests; stop the use of depleted uranium weapons;
and regulate US weapons transfers to non-democratic, human rights
abusing regimes. While she was out of office, she traveled regularly,
speaking to and meeting with progressive organizations on a
variety of important issues including civil rights, the environment,
election reform, and others. She has been on the front line
of progressive issues, and, as a front liner, has taken the
attacks. Yes, she was injured, but she has fought back and should
be rewarded for her strength and courage, not relegated to "the
back of the bus." Besides, I want to see Cynthia questioning
Ms. Rice. I think it's only fair, and the only way we are going
to have the hard questions asked.
Cynthia McKinney deserves
her seniority. It was only because of the relentless attacks
and organized and well funded smear campaign from the extreme
right who wanted to silence her questions that she lost the
two years of her seat that she did. This year she ran a great
campaign, beating out a half dozen really great candidates by
winning over 50% in the primary--a real sign of grassroots support
in her district. And she did it without spending a lot of money
in relative terms for a congressional race. She should be rewarded
for this to the fullest, not penalized.
Weekend Edition
Features for November
27 / 28, 2004
Peter
Linebaugh
Torture & Neo-Liberalism with
Sycorax in Iraq
Alexander
Cockburn
What Happened to O'Reilly's Loofa?
Fred
Gardner
Ashcroft v. Raich: Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court
Kathy
Kelly
What We Can Control
Diane
Christian
The Other Cheek: "Empire Doesn't Analyze, It Acts"
Gary
Leupp
One More Neocon Target: South (Yes, South) Korea
Lenni
Brenner
Equality and Rights of Return: Jefferson Instructs the New York
Times
Ron
Jacobs
Death Squads and Iraq's Elections: the Mysterious Murders of
the AMS Clerics
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Kevin Zeese on Nader, Kerry and the ABB Crowd
Toni
Solo
The Murder of Danilo Anderson
Saul
Landau
Fallujah, the 21st Century Guernica
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Matthew Shepard Case 6 Years Later: Why Hate Crimes Laws are
No Cure for Homophobia
Justin
Taylor
Empire's Lawless Opportunities
Amos
Harel
The Case of Captain R.
Walter
A. Davis
Tabloid Justice
Stephen
Hendricks
God's Kind of Men
Poets'
Basement
Albert, LaMorticella and Ford
|