Senior Federal Prosecutors and F.B.I. Officials Fault Ashcroft Over Leak Inquiry

Several senior criminal prosecutors at the Justice Department and top F.B.I. officials have privately criticized Attorney General John Ashcroft for failing to recuse himself or appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the leak of a C.I.A. operative’s identity.

The criticism reflects the first sign of dissension in the department and the F.B.I. as the inquiry nears a critical phase. The attorney general must decide whether to convene a grand jury, which could compel White House officials to testify.

The criminal justice officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified, represent a cross section of experienced criminal prosecutors and include political supporters of Mr. Ashcroft at the department’s headquarters here and at United States attorneys’ offices around the country.

2 in House Question Halliburton’s Iraq Fuel Prices

Two senior Democratic congressmen are questioning whether Halliburton is overcharging the United States government in the procurement of gasoline and other fuel for Iraq, which is now importing oil products to stave off shortages.

”Halliburton seems to be inflating gasoline prices at a great cost to American taxpayers. The overcharging by Halliburton is so extreme that one expert has privately called it ‘highway robbery,’ ” the letter said.

Halliburton has charged the government $1.62 to $1.70 a gallon for gasoline that could be bought wholesale in the Persian Gulf region for about 71 cents and transported to Iraq for no more than 25 cents. The fuel was sold in Iraq for 4 cents to 15 cents a gallon….

Iraq, which has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, is producing at roughly half its prewar level of about 2.5 million barrels a day.

Remember, Halliburton is IMPORTING oil into Iraq.

“Highway robbery” or “war profiteering”? Halliburton (Dick Cheney’s company) is making a fortune in restoring Iraq’s oil production; in the meantime, they’re making another fortune selling IMPORTED oil at a loss to Iraqis. Sweet deal. mjh

quoter();

Above is a satirical bumper sticker for the Bush campaign. Refresh the page and the sticker will change. You can add this to any website (see the link below).

Copy this code — View the Source

To see all of the stickers (I only wrote one of these):

Bush/Cheney Bumper Stickers

President Bush’s approval rating up in latest poll

The CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found that the president’s approval rating stands at 56 percent. In mid-September, Bush’s approval rating was at 50 percent in a similar poll.

A Gallup official says finding a particular reason for the boost is difficult, suggesting it could be due to signs of an improved economy, or to the coverage of the California recall crowding out some of the criticism of the president.

Meanwhile, the poll suggested that the 2004 election race is still close. Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed said they’d vote for Bush, 38 percent said they’d vote against him, and 24 percent said they were unsure.

Which of those candidates you would be most likely to support for the Democratic nomination for President in the year 2004? USATODAY.com

This is a very thorough table of poll results over the last six months. mjh

Newsday.com – Kucinich Formally Kicks Off Bid

”America cannot put its foot on the accelerator of war and advocate peace,” the Ohio lawmaker, who favors a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, told several hundred cheering supporters in the chambers of the Cleveland City Council.

Lieberman takes slap at Bush’s promises, tax policy

”George Bush and his administration have taken our country far off track. Even worse, they lack the honor and integrity to acknowledge their mistakes, to change direction and to give our country the fresh start it deserves.”

”My friends, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time,” Lieberman said. ”The people are tuning in. And they are catching on to the consequences of the Bush administration’s lack of integrity.”

In an interview aboard his campaign bus, Lieberman allowed that Bush is viewed as ”a good guy. What I’m saying here is he’s been a bad president.”