White House Watch: Bush's Idea of Swift Justice,

White House Watch: Bush's Idea of Swift Justice

By Dan Froomkin

Special to washingtonpost.com

Thursday, August 7, 2008; 11:51 AM

"'We're pleased that Salim Hamdan received a fair trial,' White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. 'The military commission system is a fair and appropriate legal process for prosecuting detainees.' . . .

"Ben Wizner, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who attended the trial as one of several human rights observers, ridiculed the administration for inaugurating the military system on 'a marginal figure.' . . .

"'We were told that Guantanamo was necessary because these were the world's most dangerous terrorists,' said Wizner, who criticized the Pentagon for revealing little about U.S. interrogation techniques. 'Salim Hamdan is not one of the world's most dangerous terrorists.'"

William Glaberson writes in the New York Times: "The conviction of Mr. Hamdan, who was part of a select group of drivers and bodyguards for Mr. bin Laden until 2001, was a long-sought, if qualified, victory for the Bush administration, which has been working to begin military commission trials here for nearly seven years.

"The six senior military officers on the panel deliberated for eight hours over three days. Four votes in a secret ballot were required for conviction.

http://newageislam.com/white-house-watch--bush-s-idea-of-swift-justice/war-on-terror/d/446

From Green Light to Yellow, Current affairs, NewAgeIslam.com

Current affairs

From Green Light to Yellow

By Dan Froomkin

August 13, 2008

"Well, frankly, some of the first statements from Washington were perceived by the Russians almost as a green light for doing this because they were too soft. Russians don't understand that kind of soft language," Saakashvili told CNN. "America is losing the whole region," Saakashvili said, adding that the Russians "are by proxy trying to fight war with the West."

In a hastily scheduled Rose Garden statement a few hours later, Bush repeatedly expressed concerns about Russian actions, then announced he was sending in military planes and ships with humanitarian and medical shipments. He also said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to the Georgian capital.

This time, his comments had some elements of a dare: "We expect Russia to honor its commitment to let in all forms of humanitarian assistance," he said. "We expect Russia to ensure that all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, airports, roads, and airspace, remain open for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and for civilian transit. We expect Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia. And we expect all Russian forces that entered Georgia in recent days to withdraw from that country."

http://newageislam.com/from-green-light-to-yellow/current-affairs/d/551

The End of the Bush-Mush Affair, War on Terror, NewAgeIslam.com

War on Terror

The End of the Bush-Mush Affair

By Dan Froomkin

August 19, 2008

Anwar Iqbal writes in Dawn, Pakistan's most widely read English-language newspaper: "Diplomatic sources in Washington described President Bush as Mr Musharraf's 'last holdout' in the US capital. Others in the Bush administration -- including Vice-President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- had long given up on Mr Musharraf. But Mr Bush remained faithful to the person he considered a close ally and a personal friend."

Iqbal writes that Bush finally faced up to the inevitable about three weeks ago, after Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani flew to Washington for an intervention: "By the time Prime Minister Gilani met Mr Bush on July 28, Pakistani lobbyists were satisfied that they had neutralised the pro-Musharraf lobby in Washington.

"'President Bush was the last holdout,' said [a think-tank expert who worked with the Pakistani ambassador to Washington]. 'But after a good luncheon at the White House with people who had their hearts in the right place, Mr Bush also realised that he can no longer save Mr Musharraf'.

http://newageislam.com/the-end-of-the-bush-mush-affair/war-on-terror/d/611