Condoleezza Rice Videos
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What happens when a former Capitol Hill conservative switches tracks?

Jon Stewart takes the administration to task for, well, there s no delicate way to put this, deciding the intimate details of how we would torture people. It pains me to type those words. Download | Play Download | Play Digg It! You gotta wonder, how could these administration officials be so confident that we don’t torture? Well, there’s only two options, really. One, the administration reminded all military and intelligence agencies of the moral commitment that civilized nations have to remain humane, even in times of peril. Or…. They sat in a room and meticulously crafted an interrogation regimen in the lawyer-created space between cruelty and torture. Hmmm….I wonder which way they went.

Download | Play Download | Play 60 Minutes on Sunday explored the rampant corruption going on throughout the Iraqi government, and how much of the up to $18 billion missing or unaccounted for has been finding its way into the hands of militias that have been responsible for attacks on coalition forces. What s more, they detail how Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was able to immunize all current and former Iraqi officials, including himself and his family, from any further investigation or prosecution, the State Dept s refusal to cooperate with any investigation, the ostracism and apparent abandonment of the one Iraqi official who braved death threats, and the murder of dozens of his staff, to successfully prosecute corrupt officials before PM Malaki effectively shut him down, and how one such former official, Aiham Alsammarae, who had already been convicted and was set to face even more charges for billions of missing funds while he was the Minister of Electricity, brazenly escaped a Green Zone jail with the help of U.S. contractors (twice) and is currently living large in a Chicago suburb. Full 13 minute report and transcript here. A look at some of the events, documents and key players after the jump. Judge Radhi al-Radhi: The former head of the Commission on Public Integrity who was tasked with weeding out corruption in Iraqi government. Judge Radhi was pushed out of his job by PM Maliki and forced to flee Iraq, lucky to have gotten out alive, unlike the 31 members of his staff and their family members who were murdered. He currently resides in a Washington DC suburb as he seeks asylum in the US. Judge Radhi basically has been abandoned by the State Dept as they have thus far refused to cooperate, as Judge Radhi has, with ongoing Congressional investigations into corruption in Iraq. Memo (PDF) banning Judge Radhi s Commission on Public Integrity (CPI) from investigating Iraqi officials without the consent of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Aiham Alsammarae: A wealthy Iraqi expatriate and Chicago area resident with dual citizenship recruited to become the Electricity Minister under Paul Bremer. Alsammarae was later the only Iraqi official found guilty, not in absentia, of corruption, and had more charges pending relating to billions in missing funds when he was busted out of a green zone jail - twice: The first time on Oct 11, 2006 when, reportedly, the two US contractors assigned to protect him overpowered Iraqi police and rushed him from a courtroom to the US embassy but later returned him. The two contractors later claimed they “were fired for doing our jobs, per protocol and with the full knowledge and blessings of our superiors” as Alsammarae claimed that his life was in danger. A spokesman for DynCorp later confirmed much of those details. A few weeks later investigators in the US looking into an Iraqi power plant deal involving Antoin Tony Rezko, leaked that they wanted to talk to Alsammarae about how his former college buddy managed to land that contract. Then the second time Alsammarae escaped he was apparently freed from a Green Zone jail on Dec 16, 2006 by a team working for Blackwater USA, and despite being wanted by Interpol he managed to return to the US a few weeks later. He currently resides in his gated Chicago suburb where homes range from $1.5 million to $4 million. While the following is speculation on my part, I must admit that the timing and manner of Alsammarae s escape, his ability to return to the US and resume his life apparently open and unimpeded, and the timing of his name popping up in a politically sensitive case nearly a year before Attorney General Gonzales resigned raises all kinds of flags for me, as I would think it might anyone who has followed closely the US Atty Scandal and the Don Siegelman saga. All that said, I really hope I m wrong about that. In Sept 2007 the State Department retroactively classified this previously Sensitive but Unclassified report detailing widespread fraud, intimidation and embezzlement within the Iraqi government, but not before it made its way onto the internets. Since then, the State Department has thus far refused to cooperate with Congressional investigations or turn over documents relating to corruption in Iraq.

Author: LizzWinstead Added: Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:16:23 -0800 Duration: 150Condoleezza Rice: Nobody has done more to unite the African American community since Don Imus.

The big story over night was that three State Department contractors took an inappropriate peek at Barack Obama’s passport file. Officials apologized, fired the contractors in question, and announced that an investigation would be forthcoming. Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather) But this afternoon we learned that the State Department’s problem is an even bigger mess. Just hours after firing two contract employees and disciplining a third for inappropriately examining the passport file of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton that her passport file was also breached in 2007. NBC News also learned Friday that Sen. John McCain, the Republican candidate for president, had his file breached — this time by one of the same individuals who had examined Obama’s records. If one is inclined to believe the innocuous explanation — a handful of contractors were motivated by “imprudent curiosity” — the news about Clinton and McCain doesn’t change anything. Some staffers wondered about several high-profile figures, so they took a peek. It need not have been related to the campaign at all. If one is inclined to believe a more sinister explanation, today’s news doesn’t help. That State Department staffers sought out confidential information about the major presidential candidates starts to look more like opposition research, and less like innocent prying. Given the Bush administration’s history of politicizing non-partisan government agencies, including the State Department, there’s no reason to extend the benefit of the doubt. John Amato: And Condi certainly never seems to get much info does she? Not to my knowledge.

Condoleezza Rice testified yesterday regarding the proposed fiscal year 2009 budget for foreign operations, the Taliban, and the war...and someone behind her with a sign got their say on C-Span 2 Live.

Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified about the proposed fiscal year 2009 budget for foreign operations. The topics included foreign aid, foreign services personnel, increasing energy prices, Russia, and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, it only took one sign behind her shoulder to get past all the spin.

Israel puts up with rocket fire from Gaza. Israel tells Gaza to stop. Gaza says no. Israel says stop or else. Gaza says f@*# you. Israel goes to Gaza to stop the rocket fire. Gaza calls it a holocaust and genocide. The United Nations condemns Israel. Israel pulls back. Gaza declares victory. Israel tells Gaza they're not finished. Snooper and I discuss these events which transpired over the weekend and comment on the insanity of Israel's situation and the world's response to it. PODCAST VERSION

What is a sellout? Randall Kennedy says all prominent black Americans have at some time or another been called sellouts. Why? What's behind it? What do people give up in order to avoid being called a sellout by their peers? In this lecture at Town Hall Seattle, Kennedy quickly opens the floor up for questions because he says he wants to have a good discussion. He talks about how Barack Obama has been called a sellout by some and he explores the roots behind it. Kennedy's latest book is Sellout: The Politics of Racial Betrayal. He spoke on January 15th, 2008. The talk was sponsored by Town Hall Center for Civic Life with University Book Store.

Download | Play Download | Play Chris Matthews as been sticking his foot in his mouth (more so than usual) a lot this primary season and during MSNBC s coverage of the State of the Union address tonight, he stepped in it again. Tweety made the suggestion that because Barack Obama has created an ethnic excitement in America, if he doesn t get the nomination Condi Rice would make a great VP choice for a GOP candidate because black people might still be hopeful of putting an African American in higher government: Matthews: And I have to think given the ethnic, you know, excitement - let s call it American excitement about Barack Obama. If he doesn t make it to the nomination a lot of people on the Republican side might say, well why don t we try do something to offset that and take advantage of the hope of having an African American at a high level of government. This is wrong on so many levels, and certainly does nothing to end the media meme that race and gender are driving this primary season. Somehow, I don t think Condi would motivate a lot of Democrats to vote for a Republican this year. He s also echoing Robert Novak on this one too.

This week on Tapestry, the Hip Hop Caucus brings it's message to Birmingham. Also, a new biography on Alabama native Condoleezza Rice. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King. And, Birmingham band The White Oaks draw upon country and jazz influences to make rock songs.

Download (1311) | Play (1257) Download (747) | Play (675) (thanks to David for videos) During Condoleezza Rice s appearance on This Week, she encountered a pesky little visitor who just wouldn t take shoo! for an answer. As Secretary Rice talked about important world issues, she was repeatedly accosted by the fly, even catching the attention of host George Stephanopoulos. FOXNews Bill O Reilly has opened his own investigation into the matter, stating he has proof this was a trained, far-left, liberal fly, most likely financed by George Soros, the Daily Kos/Media Matters smear sites, MSNBC, Rosie O Donnell and the Clintons. Not to worry, Homeland Security says Secretary Rice was never in any danger and terrorism has been ruled out. The suspect has also been added to the no-fly list.

Download (1100) | Play (767) Download (744) | Play (404) The Bush administration has taken a staunch no nukes approach to Iran, rarely differentiating between nuclear power and weapons, but when asked about Iran s nuclear program this morning on This Week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice claims that the U.S. has absolutely no problem with Iran having nuclear power, they just need to give up their goal of producing nuclear weapons. Uh oh, I think somebody is going to be getting a nasty phone call from Dick Cheney very soon Rice: We have not even rejected the idea that Iran should have civil nuclear power and in fact, would be prepared under certain circumstances to participate in that. They just have to give up the fuel cycle the enrichment and reprocessing that can lead to the technologies that can lead to a nuclear weapon. Rice is also asked about the Kyl/Lieberman amendment and if the Bush Administration intends to use it as an excuse to invade Iran. Condi reassures Stephanopoulos that the president s powers to protect the country are fully intact essentially saying he doesn t need the amendment to invade, but that they had no plans to move on it. Um, why doesn t that reassure me? Update: John Amato: I ll be going on Sam Seder s Sunday radio show at 2PM PST with Glenn Greenwald and Digby for about 45 minutes to discuss Giuliani the Mukasey confirmation debacle and the Telecom Immunity deal to name a few topics Click here to listen to it online...

Debate on Climate Changing

Fred Thompson talks about naval exercises in the Persian Gulf.

Press Conference with Mr. P.T. Wright at the Council - Brussels

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