Daily Archives: 19 Jul 06

Transcript: Bush and Blair’s unguarded chat

Posted on by

Off-the-cuff conversation between US President George W Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair during a break at the G8 conference in Russia (BBC ), an interchange which begins with Bush’s “Yo, Blair…” and encompasses Bush’s breathtaking and incisive reference to a critical geopolitical crisis as if it were excrement. As if you needed any confirmation, it reveals an ignorant boorish redneck about as far from presidential caliber as you could imagine. I expect him to appear in public with his baseball cap backward. Pity is that that appears to be what somewhere in the vicinity of half of the American people want in the way of leadership.

Addendum: a version with video, thanks to reader alireza.

In Testimony, Gonzales Says Bush Blocked Inquiry

Posted on by
“Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program that monitors Americans’ international calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected.

The department’s Office of Professional Responsibility announced earlier this year it could not pursue an investigation into the role of Justice lawyers in crafting the program, under which the National Security Agency intercepts some telephone calls and e-mail without court approval.

At the time, the office said it could not obtain security clearance to examine the classified program.

Under sharp questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter, Gonzales said that Bush would not grant the access needed to allow the probe to move forward.” (New York Times )