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Print it out, send it to Harry Reid, or just read it and weep. Here are 34 scandals from the first four years of George W. Bush’s presidency — every one of them worse than Whitewater

1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft

The scandal: From 2001 to 2003, Republican staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee illicitly accessed nearly 5,000 computer files containing confidential Democratic strategy memos about President Bush’s judicial nominees. The GOP used the memos to shape their own plans and leaked some to the media.

The problem: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act states it is illegal to obtain confidential information from a government computer.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Justice Department has assigned a prosecutor to the case. The staff member at the heart of the matter, Manuel Miranda, has attempted to brazen it out, filing suit in September 2004 against the DOJ to end the investigation. “A grand jury will indict a ham sandwich,” Miranda complained. Some jokes just write themselves.

2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ’s Bungled Terrorism Case

The scandal: The Department of Justice completely botched the nation’s first post-9/11 terrorism trial, as seen when the convictions of three Detroit men allegedly linked to al-Qaida were overturned in September 2004. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft had claimed their June 2003 sentencing sent “a clear message” that the government would “detect, disrupt and dismantle the activities of terrorist cells.”

The problem: The DOJ’s lead prosecutor in the case, Richard Convertino, withheld key information from the defense and distorted supposed pieces of evidence — like a Las Vegas vacation video purported to be a surveillance tape. But that’s not the half of it. Convertino says he was unfairly scapegoated because he testified before the Senate, against DOJ wishes, about terrorist financing. Justice’s reconsideration of the case began soon thereafter. Convertino has since sued the DOJ, which has also placed him under investigation.

The outcome: Let’s see: Overturned convictions, lawsuits and feuding about a Kafkaesque case. Nobody looks good here.

3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force

The scandal: A lawsuit has claimed it is illegal for Dick Cheney to keep the composition of his 2001 energy-policy task force secret. What’s the big deal? The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer has suggested an explosive aspect of the story, citing a National Security Council memo from February 2001, which “directed the N.S.C. staff to cooperate fully with the Energy Task Force as it considered the ‘melding’ of … ‘operational policies towards rogue states,’ such as Iraq, and ‘actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.’” In short, the task force’s activities could shed light on the administration’s pre-9/11 Iraq aims.

The problem: The Federal Advisory Committee Act says the government must disclose the work of groups that include non-federal employees; the suit claims energy industry executives were effectively task force members. Oh, and the Bush administration has portrayed the Iraq war as a response to 9/11, not something it was already considering.

The outcome: Unresolved. In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to an appellate court.

4. The Indian Gaming Scandal

The scandal: Potential influence peddling to the tune of $82 million, for starters. Jack Abramoff, a GOP lobbyist and major Bush fundraiser, and Michael Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas), received that amount from several Indian tribes, while offering access to lawmakers. For instance, Texas’ Tigua tribe, which wanted its closed El Paso casino reopened, gave millions to the pair and $33,000 to Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) in hopes of favorable legislation (Ney came up empty). And get this: The Tiguas were unaware that Abramoff, Scanlon and conservative activist Ralph Reed had earned millions lobbying to have the same casino shut in 2002.

The problem: Federal officials want to know if Abramoff and Scanlon provided real services for the $82 million, and if they broke laws while backing candidates in numerous Indian tribe elections.

The outcome: Everybody into the cesspool! The Senate Indian Affairs Committee and five federal agencies, including the FBI, IRS, and Justice Department, are investigating.

5. Halliburton’s No-Bid Bonanza

The scandal: In February 2003, Halliburton received a five-year, $7 billion no-bid contract for services in Iraq.

The problem: The Army Corps of Engineers’ top contracting officer, Bunnatine Greenhouse, objected to the deal, saying the contract should be the standard one-year length, and that a Halliburton official should not have been present during the discussions.

The outcome: The FBI is investigating. The $7 billion contract was halved and Halliburton won one of the parts in a public bid. For her troubles, Greenhouse has been forced into whistle-blower protection.

6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices

The scandal: In 2003, Halliburton overcharged the army for fuel in Iraq. Specifically, Halliburton’s subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root hired a Kuwaiti company, Altanmia, to supply fuel at about twice the going rate, then added a markup, for an overcharge of at least $61 million, according to a December 2003 Pentagon audit.

The problem: That’s not the government’s $61 million, it’s our $61 million.

The outcome: The FBI is investigating.

7. Halliburton’s Vanishing Iraq Money

The scandal: In mid-2004, Pentagon auditors determined that $1.8 billion of Halliburton’s charges to the government, about 40 percent of the total, had not been adequately documented.

The problem: That’s not the government’s $1.8 billion, it’s our $1.8 billion.

The outcome: The Defense Contract Audit Agency has “strongly” asked the Army to withhold about $60 million a month from its Halliburton payments until the documentation is provided.

8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza

The scandal: This may not surprise you, but an international consortium of companies, including Halliburton, is alleged to have paid more than $100 million in bribes to Nigerian officials, from 1995 to 2002, to facilitate a natural-gas-plant deal. (Cheney was Halliburton’s CEO from 1995 to 2000.)

The problem: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.

The outcome: A veritable coalition of the willing is investigating the deal, including the Justice Department, the SEC, the Nigerian government and a French magistrate. In June, Halliburton fired two implicated executives.

9. Halliburton: One Fine Company

The scandal: In 1998 and 1999, Halliburton counted money recovered from project overruns as revenue, before settling the charges with clients.

The problem: Doing so made the company’s income appear larger, but Halliburton did not explain this to investors. The SEC ruled this accounting practice was “materially misleading.”

The outcome: In August 2004, Halliburton agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine to settle SEC charges. One Halliburton executive has paid a fine and another is settling civil charges. Now imagine the right-wing rhetoric if, say, Al Gore had once headed a firm fined for fudging income statements.

10. Halliburton’s Iran End Run

The scandal: Halliburton may have been doing business with Iran while Cheney was CEO.

The problem: Federal sanctions have banned U.S. companies from dealing directly with Iran. To operate in Iran legally, U.S. companies have been required to set up independent subsidiaries registered abroad. Halliburton thus set up a new entity, Halliburton Products and Services Ltd., to do business in Iran, but while the subsidiary was registered in the Cayman Islands, it may not have had operations totally independent of the parent company.

The outcome: Unresolved. The Treasury Department has referred the case to the U.S. attorney in Houston, who convened a grand jury in July 2004.

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(via salon.com) | Scandal

The Florida delegation to the Democratic National Committee has voted unanimously to endorse Howard Dean to be the party’s next chairman, bucking an effort to orchestrate an endorsement of one candidate by all 50 state party leaders at the same time later this month.

The decision, announced yesterday by Scott Maddox, the Florida Democratic chairman, is a major lift for Dr. Dean, a former governor of Vermont, and it is a shift in a contest where most Democrats have been holding back from endorsing any candidate in the crowded field.

Mr. Maddox said in an interview that Florida made its endorsement despite some Democrats’ concerns that Dr. Dean might not be the right ideological symbol for the party as it tries to regain power because of his liberal views on some issues and fervent opposition to the Iraq war.

“The only knock against Howard Dean is that he’s seen as too liberal,” Mr. Maddox said. “I’m a gun-owning pickup-truck driver and I have a bulldog named Lockjaw. I am a Southern chairman of a Southern state, and I am perfectly comfortable with Howard Dean as D.N.C. chair.”

“What our party needs right now is energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to do things differently,” he said. “I think Howard Dean brings all three of those things to the party.”

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(via nytimes.com) | DNC

The rain keeps coming and we’re not going anywhere here in Georgetown. I think it has rained over 30 inches in the past 72 hours. Here from CNN:

Thousands faced possible evacuation from rising floodwaters as Guyana launched a massive relief distribution effort Monday to help residents left marooned on chairs and tables.

No deaths or serious injuries had been reported, police said. Rain persisted Monday afternoon.

The government announced that it would open dozens of shelters in the South American country’s capital and coastal areas, asking residents to abandon their homes in hard-hit areas.

No evacuation orders had been given, however, though it remained a possibility, authorities said. Some 250,000 people live in Georgetown, and the southern district of the capital was among the worst hit. Schools, most stores and many government offices were shuttered Monday.

The U.S. Embassy announced it would close Tuesday “due to flooding but will remain open for emergency American citizen services.”

President Bharrat Jagdeo told reporters that he had ordered several Cabinet ministers and the military to begin distributing hot meals, dry rations and water to residents in the city and low-lying coastal areas, some of whose ground floor apartments have as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of water and rising.

The announcement followed more than 30 hours of nonstop rainfall between late Friday and noon on Saturday and again from late Sunday to around noon Monday. Weather service director Dilip Jaigopaul said heavy and intense rains were predicted for Monday night running into late Tuesday before a break is expected.

In all, the weather service said that a record 34 inches (86 centimeters) had deluged the capital and coast between December 26 and Sunday.

“I have never dreamed that we could have this much rainfall in 30 years on the job,” Jaigopaul said, saying this period had surpassed data on all records for more than 100 years.

Expressing disappointment at the failure of the national disaster agency to properly respond to this crisis, Jagdeo said he is now relying on the military and churches to help provide food and shelter for thousands of people who can no longer occupy homes because of stagnant flood waters in their homes since Friday.

He said he had set aside $1 million (Guyanese $200 million) to deal with flood relief while admitting that “we are not prepared for anything that is unusual.”

It’s all unusual.

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(via edition.cnn.com) | Flood

It’s nice to come across something like this every once in a while.

I sat in a restaurant last night, waiting for my friend to arrive. In the booth across sat a black couple- the man, late 60s, gray hair and a thin white mustache giving him a distinguised look, his wife, probably late 50s, attractive, well-dressed. They ordered the same- a chopped salad, two shrimp parmesans, two glasses of chardonnay.

I couldn’t help but hear their conversation. They had just come from a doctor’s appointment. She recalled the doctor’s words to her husband.
“He says your memory is better, you’re improving.”
He replied, “Really, that’s good to hear, but it sure doesn’t seem that way sometimes.”

The waitress brought their salad and he seemed confused.
“What are those things on top?” he asked.
“Garbanzo beans,” she replied. “You know, honey, garbanzo beans, you’ve had them many times before.
The man answered with frustration in his voice, “This really stinks, this memory loss, you know.”

She held his hands and began to tell a story.

“You know honey, today I was telling Pam how I love to iron your shirs and smell your scent as the steam brings it to my nose. It makes me happy,” she said.
“Oh, and what did she say?” he asked.
“She said she wanted to throw up,” the wife said.

The two laughed for what seemed like forever. I felt so priviliged to be a part of their world, even if only from a distance. What love. To be able to make that man feel so special, even in the face of something as demeaning as memory loss. For better or for worse, as the vows say. This was the other side of worse.

I felt that kind of love for my mother as her memory crept away. Few ever experience that kind of love, especially with a spouse or partner. Oh, to love that big. We should all be that lucky. It’s hard enough to find someone you really love in the truest sense, but to love someone unconditionally, that’s real love.

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(via o2bee.com) | Love

Seattle-based firm Place Architecture has come up with a concept for venues called Bikestations that could change the way we think about our commutes?and maybe even getting around in general. Already popular in Europe and Japan, bike stations are facilities where people can park their bikes, stow their riding clothes, clean up, and emerge ready for work, all in a city that will have cleaner air and easier mobility due to them. Place?s Bikestations would also be social spaces, where people could take a coffee, pick up a newspaper, or get a new inner tube. To be built along the existing commuter rail lines, the stations would provide services from simple covered parking to full multi-modal transit hubs that would eventually integrate a variety of clean transport options, giving commuters the opportunity to connect with electric vehicles, FlexCars, and rental bikes…

The designs for the stations are themselves ecologically friendly: Taking full advantage of government programs that encourage the use of recycled and sustainable materials, the structures will be simple to construct (possibly using recycled bike components), easy to maintain and inexpensive to operate. This is the commuter station of the future alright, but Place knows that some things, like front-and-center parking spots, will always remain valuable. In their world, those desirable spots still exist, but will be reserved for environmentally friendly vehicles only, of course.

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(via treehugger.com) | Eco

Here’s something they aren’t spinning on Fox:

American Army soldiers are deserting and fleeing to Canada rather than fight in Iraq, rekindling memories of the thousands of draft-dodgers who flooded north to avoid service in Vietnam.

An estimated 5,500 men and women have deserted since the invasion of Iraq, reflecting Washington’s growing problems with troop morale [...]

The Pentagon says that the level of desertion is no higher than usual and denies that it is having difficulty persuading troops to fight. The flight to Canada is, however, an embarrassment for the military, which is suffering from a recruiting shortfall for the National Guard and the Army Reserves.

The deaths of 18 American soldiers in a suicide bomb attack in Mosul, northern Iraq, last month, was a further blow to morale. Soon after, the number of American soldiers killed since President Bush declared that large-scale combat operations were at an end passed the 1,000 mark.

Lt Col Joe Richard, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the US government wanted the deserters to be returned from Canada. “If you don’t want to fight, don’t join,” he said.

“The men in Canada have an obligation to fulfil their military contracts and do their duty. If and when they return to this country, they will be prosecuted.”

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(via dailykos.com) | Iraq

Suspended Spherical Housing Module

It’s 2.9 meters in diameter and is made to be suspended from a tree. “There is a double bed, counter, table and bench seats as well as ample storage lockers. The spheres are wired for 110 volt AC and equipped with lights and outlets.” Four attachment points on the top and four on the bottom securely carry the weight of the sphere and its contents. The spheres are made of laminated wood strips over laminated wood frames with the outside surface covered with clear fiberglass. Not unlike a fine yacht.

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(via mocoloco.com) | Eco

Imagine yourself flying over Manhattan, the cool, clean air rushing through your hair as if you were Simon Le Bon in that “Rio” video. No, you didn’t run into Sasha Shulgin last night at Lotus. You’re taking an aerial tour of the Gotham of the future. And it is way green.

At least, that’s how the cool kids at Greening Gotham see it. The project is a green-rooftops initiative that adresses the “urgent environrmental challenges” of New York City and is brought to you by Earth Pledge, the very same–and very suave–non-profit that will present Verdopolis next month, in
concurrence, not by accident, with Fashion Week as well as the unveiling of Christo and Jean-Claude’s long-awaited “The Gates” for Central Park. (Earth Pledge’s president, Theodore Kheel, also has the not unfortunate day job of being Christo and Jean-Claude’s longtime lawyer.)

The challenge is that New York City is an “urban heat island”–that is, it traps heat in, creating a higher temperature than in the surrounding suburbs due to all that pavement, which captures and throws off too much heat. And since impervious surfaces retain absolutely no moisture, there’s no way to cool the city down. Also consider that on hot summer nights, those surfaces retain heat after the sun fades away, so they’re already hot in the morning when it comes back up, thereby compounding the problem.

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(via treehugger.com) | Eco