He’s Out, But Some Still Want Rumsfeld to Face War Crimes Charges
“Though he is now the former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld is expected to be accused of war crimes in a lawsuit to be filed next week in Germany.
“The Center for Constitutional Rights will file the suit on behalf of a group of Iraqi detainees as well as the so-called 20th hijacker, who is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay.
“‘The former secretary actually authorized a series of interrogation techniques,’ said Michael Ratner, President of CCR. ‘They included the use of dogs, stripping, hooding, stressed positions, chaining to the floor, sexual humiliation and those types of activities.’
“Those techniques, he says, amount to torture and violate the Geneva Conventions.” (The Blotter)
“Rockstar” Mehlman to Leave Chairmanship of Republican National Committee
“Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, whose party lost both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, will step down from his post when his two-year term ends in January, GOP officials said Thursday….
“A protege of Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove, Mehlman became RNC chairman after managing Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, when the president won re-election and Republicans expanded their majorities in the House and the Senate.
“Before that campaign, he served as White House political director under Rove. In 2000, he served as national field director for Bush’s first presidential campaign, charged with coordinating the efforts of GOP leaders in every state.” (AP)
NR Editor Lowry: “The Culture of Corruption Loses”
“The “culture of corruption” was real. That phrase was a much-contested talking point during the past two years, with Democrats touting it as an accurate description of the degraded ethical state of the congressional GOP and Republicans dismissing it as a smear.
“Democrats were much closer to the truth. Voters took a good whiff of the odor emanating from Washington and some of their Republican representatives, and recoiled. One-third of Republican losses in the House came in congressional districts where the party had been tainted, to varying degrees, by scandal.” (Townhall)
Bush Pushes Lame Duck Congress to Pass Wiretapping Bill While Dems Balk
“Republicans may want nothing more than to go home and nurse their election wounds, but the lame-duck Congress has lots of work ahead.
“Items at the top of the list are reviving several popular but expired tax cuts, confirming a new defense secretary and keeping most federal agencies in operating funds….
“President Bush met on Thursday with GOP congressional leaders and came up with a similar to-do list. He added a Vietnam trade bill and legislation giving legal status to his warrantless domestic eavesdropping program….
“The eavesdropping measure has stalled in the Senate because of a Democratic filibuster threat.” (AP, NYTimes)
Democrats Poised to Flex New Muscles
“The Democrats’ sweep of the House and the Senate gives the party powerful tools for probing certain controversies of the Bush administration’s years in office, from its use of faulty prewar intelligence on Iraq to its effort to rebuild New Orleans.
“With President Bush retaining his veto pen, the Democratic majorities may have a difficult time passing laws, especially in areas like health care and Social Security. But some Democrats in both the House and the Senate already are signaling a willingness to conduct tough oversight of the Bush administration’s policies and to reopen lingering controversies — particularly over pre-Iraq intelligence — the Republican-led Congress largely ignored.” (WSJ, LATimes)
Corporate Donors Increased Their Support for Dems
“Democrats won the most expensive midterm election in history with stronger financial support from big business.
“Democratic congressional candidates amassed $616 million vs. $632.2 million for Republicans in the 2005-06 election cycle, according to figures through Oct. 18 from the Center for Responsive Politics.
“Corporate donors traditionally favor Republican candidates. In the last midterm contest in 2002, Democrats raised $248.6 million vs. Republicans’ $342.2 million.
“While Democrats attracted money from longtime supporters, such as trial lawyers and labor unions, they also drew a greater share from industries that lean Republican, such as pharmaceuticals. Some businesses may have been hedging their bets as a Democratic victory appeared more likely late in the campaign.” (USA Today)
Mine Deaths Blamed on Company Run by Major GOP Contributor
“West Virginia state mining officials concluded Thursday that a fatal mine accident in January could have been prevented, placing blame on a huge coal company run by one of the country’s biggest Republican donors, Don Blankenship….
“In September and October alone, Blankenship has spent $2,041,510 of his own money to place television commercials, billboards and newspaper advertisements on behalf of Republican candidates in West Virginia, according to state election records reviewed by ABC News.” (The Blotter)
Case Against Former GOP Fundraiser Tom Noe Goes To Jury
“Jurors on Wednesday weighed the fate of a former GOP fundraiser accused of pilfering a state investment in rare coins, a day after the scandal helped toss many Republicans out of statewide office.
“Jurors in the trial of Tom Noe did not reach a decision after five hours of deliberations Wednesday and were set to continue Thursday. Deliberations followed three weeks of testimony from more than 50 witnesses.
“Noe, 52, faces charges of theft, money laundering, forgery and corrupt activity. Defense attorneys have portrayed him as a victim of bad bookkeeping.” (AP)
President’s Evasion Raises Truth Issues
“Did the president of the United States make a rare admission on national television that he had told an untruth?
“Or had he merely engaged in a dodge of the sort that is common in politics?
“Journalists by nature shy from pinning the “liar” label on any political leader, but President Bush’s acknowledgments that he had not been forthcoming about his plans to dump Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld have kicked up a fuss at the White House and sparked a debate about the limits of presidential evasion.” (WaPo)
Removal of Rumsfeld Dates back to Summer
“President Bush was moving by late summer toward removing Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary, people inside and outside the White House said Thursday. Weeks before Election Day, the essential question still open was when, not whether, to make the move.
“Mr. Bush ultimately postponed action until after the election in part because of concern that to remove Mr. Rumsfeld earlier could be interpreted by critics as political opportunism or as ratifying their criticism of the White House war plan in the heart of the campaign, the White House insiders and outsiders said.” (NYTimes)
GOP Furious about Timing of Rumsfeld Resignation
“Donald Rumsfeld’s abrupt resignation from the Pentagon the day after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress has infuriated some GOP officials on and off Capitol Hill. . . .
“Exit polling suggested that an overwhelming majority of voters disapproved of the administration’s handling of the war in Iraq, and members and aides were frustrated with the timing of the announcement because an earlier resignation could have given them a boost on the campaign trail, they believe.
“‘They did this to protect themselves, but they couldn’t protect us?’ another Republican aide said yesterday.” (The Hill)
