Dick Cheney

Bush, Conservatives Call for More of the Same in Response to Growing Energy Crisis

May 13, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.-Today, the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment by a margin of 42 to 56 (60 votes were needed for approval) that would have opened pristine lands and coastal waters, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to new oil drilling. It would have also promoted the use of expensive, dirty, and dangerous "unconventional" fuels produced from liquid coal and oil shale.

ANWR: Photo by Madhav Pai (CC)    » read more »

05/10/2008 -- Boston, Massachusetts – Today, Senator John Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relation’s Committee’s Middle East Subcommittee, called for Foreign Relations Committee hearings on the State Department’s decision to renew Blackwater’s no bid contract for private security in Iraq.

Blackwater is today under continued grand jury investigation, and a top House Committee has asked the I.R.S. to investigate Blackwater’s controversial tax practices. The New York Times today revealed that even after Blackwater became the focus of several different investigations, “the State Department did not even open talks with two companies, DynCorp International and Triple Canopy, to see if they could take over from Blackwater.”    » read more »

12 May 2008 -- Two former U.S. State Department officials say the Bush administration has done little to fight corruption in Iraq. In testimony to a congressional panel Monday, they said administration policy has allowed corruption to fester - an accusation the State Department vehemently denies.

George W. Bush with John and Cindy McCain: Photo by Talk Radio News Service (CC)

Arthur Brennan briefly served as director of the State Department's Office of Accountability and Transparency in Baghdad last year.    » read more »

"Good morning, I'm U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. When George Bush took office back in 2001, a gallon of gasoline cost about $1.50. Today, if you are filling your tank in my home State of Michigan, you are paying more than $3.70 for regular and $4 a gallon for premium.

"In every corner of our country, we are paying record prices. When gas prices first began to rise, it was an annoyance. Then it became a burden. Now it is a crisis for every American family - a crisis that doesn't just affect us at the pump, but also raises the prices of groceries, increases our home-heating bills, and squeezes small businesses trying to keep their heads above water.    » read more »

May 7, 2008 -- Washington, DC - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers issued a subpoena to David Addington, chief of staff to the vice president, compelling him to testify before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on June 26 at 10 a.m. Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John C. Yoo, who has agreed to testify voluntarily, will testify on that day as well.

The subpoena and its cover letter are below:

David Addington subpoena - page 1

David Addington subpoena - page 2    » read more »

Subcommittee Authorizes Subpoena for Addington

May 6, 2008 -- (Washington, DC)- Today, the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties heard testimony from a panel of witnesses who agreed that there is no "ticking time bomb" that justifies harsh interrogation techniques that were approved in Bush Administration legal memos.

Protest sign, Washington, D.C.: Photo by Giovanni Variottinelli (CC)    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued the following statement on a recent report that substandard maintenance work performed by a government contractor in Iraq may have led to deaths of several of our troops stationed there and the severe injuries of many more:    » read more »

April 20, 2008 -- JFK Airport -- New York, New York -- DICK CHENEY: Your Holiness, President and Senator Clinton, Your Eminences Cardinal Bertoni and Cardinal Egan, Your Excellency Bishop DiMarzio, clergy and religious, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

Anti-Cheney bumper sticker: Photo by futureatlas (CC)

It's a privilege to join all of you as our esteemed visitor, the Holy Father, concludes his visit to the United States. It has been a memorable week, and Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the history of our country in a very special way.    » read more »

April 11, 2008 -- Vice President and Mrs. Cheney filed their federal income tax return for 2007 today.

The income tax return shows that the Cheneys owe federal taxes for 2007 of $602,651 on taxable income of $2,528,068. During the course of 2007 the Cheneys paid $466,165 in taxes through withholding and estimated tax payments, and will pay the remaining $136,486 upon filing their tax return.

Dick Cheney    » read more »

April 11, 2008 -- Washington, DC -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) today invited several current and former Administration officials to a May 6 hearing to explore the development and legal approval of Bush administration torture policies and other potential abuses of executive power.

John Ashcroft: Photo by World Economic Forum (CC)    » read more »

17 March 2008 -- Iraqi police say a female suicide bomber has killed more than 30 people and wounded up to 50 near a Shi'ite shrine in Karbala, south of Baghdad.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attack close to the Imam Hussein shrine - considered one of the holiest sites in Shi'ite Islam.

Separately, the U.S. military says two U.S. soldiers were killed Monday as they were clearing a route north of Baghdad. Several explosions, including a car bombing earlier in the day, were also reported in Baghdad.    » read more »

March 15, 2008 -- SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think it's going to be a really interesting trip.    » read more »

The inability of the United States to monitor insurgent trends in Iraq and apply new counterinsurgency tactics led many Iraqi civilians to side with sectarian groups, propelling the country to the brink of civil war, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study, "Counterinsurgency in Iraq: 2003-2006," is the latest in a series examining insurgency and counterinsurgency, and details how the United States should improve its capabilities for future conflicts. The capstone report of the series, "War by Other Means," was released in February by RAND, a non-profit research organization.    » read more »

March 11, 2008 -- "Chairman Byrd is unable to be here today but we will include his opening statement in the record. He has been a strong voice for accountability of our assistance programs in Iraq. Senator Byrd is anxious to get back to work and we expect to see him very soon.

Over the past several years this Committee has heard testimony on the President’s budget requests for billions of dollars for Iraq reconstruction.    » read more »

03/10/2008 -- WASHINGTON DC – Senator John Kerry sent a letter to the Pentagon today, demanding to know how unsafe water was given to troops in Iraq by defense contractor KBR Inc. and what steps are being taken to prevent a recurrence. According to an Inspector General report to be released shortly, American troops serving in Iraq were using substandard water for cleaning and bathing, which may have contributed to many of them falling ill and suffering from severe skin illnesses in the field.    » read more »