Variety

First and foremost, I'm happy to report that my dissertation is nearing a conclusion. It's due on Thursday and I'm in the process of wrapping up the last couple bits and pieces. I think the most difficult thing might be the title. I can't decide between, "The United Nations Security Council and the Use of Force: Why it works, why it doesn't" and "Why the United Nations Security Council Can't Consistently Regulate the Use of Force." I really like the term "regulate" but I'm not sure which title I like more. Oh, the hard decisions.

With some conclusion to the Plame/CIA/Rove probe likely to come this week, details are starting to emerge. And for Exhibit A, ladies and gentlemen, your Vice President claiming to not know Joe Wilson, husband of Valerie Plame, on September 14, 2003:

MR. RUSSERT: Now, Ambassador Joe Wilson, a year before that, was sent over by the CIA because you raised the question about uranium from Africa. He says he came back from Niger and said that, in fact, he could not find any documentation that, in fact, Niger had sent uranium to Iraq or engaged in that activity and reported it back to the proper channels. Were you briefed on his findings in February, March of 2002?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: No. I don't know Joe Wilson. I've never met Joe Wilson. A question had arisen. I'd heard a report that the Iraqis had been trying to acquire uranium in Africa, Niger in particular. I get a daily brief on my own each day before I meet with the president to go through the intel. And I ask lots of question. One of the questions I asked at that particular time about this, I said, "What do we know about this?" They take the question. He came back within a day or two and said, "This is all we know. There's a lot we don't know," end of statement. And Joe Wilson I don't who sent Joe Wilson. He never submitted a report that I ever saw when he came back.

I guess the intriguing thing, Tim, on the whole thing, this question of whether or not the Iraqis were trying to acquire uranium in Africa. In the British report, this week, the Committee of the British Parliament, which just spent 90 days investigating all of this, revalidated their British claim that Saddam was, in fact, trying to acquire uranium in Africa. What was in the State of the Union speech and what was in the original British White papers. So there may be difference of opinion there. I don't know what the truth is on the ground with respect to that, but I guess, like I say, I don't know Mr. Wilson. I probably shouldn't judge him. I have no idea who hired him and it never came...


A clear lie as reported in the NYT and elsewhere. It is now clear, two years later that not only did the VP receive a briefing from CIA Director Tenet that included info on Wilson, but there are also documents that prove without doubt that Cheney passed on this information to his aide Irving "Scooter" Libby. A wonderful individual that Cheney. He curses out the opposition, he hands out defense contracts to his former bosses like they're candy, and he has no problem lying to the public on issues of national security. Glad to see we have the best of the best running the country (or deceiving them to the point that it is considered a lie).

Last, I watched the conclusion to a BBC documentary that one of my professors was directly involved with titled Elusive Peace. It's a fairly brilliant documentary, scathing to both Israel and the Bush administration, and leaves one with little hope for progress between the two sides until this administration is over. Particularly interesting is how much glee and joy that Israeli Prime Minister took in discrediting the Palestinians, seizing land illegally, and in ordering assassinations. That guy is clearly an animal. Also fascinating was just how badly Bush twisted in the wind. On one occassion, with Israel pressing Bush to give a speech supporting the Israeli land grab in the West Bank, Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen went to Washington to get Bush's support. After listening to Mazen, Bush spoke out against the Israeli security wall and denounced it as hostile to forging peace. Two days later, after listening to Sharon, Bush gave the speech supporting the wall and Sharon's land grab. Unbelievable really. It should be on in the US on your local PBS channel. More on this in a future post.