from counterpunch: When Senator Hillary Clinton voted on October 11, 2002, to turn over to President George W. Bush the power that the Constitution vested in her and congressional colleagues to decide whether or not to wage war - or, quoting House Joint Resolution 114, whether an attack on Iraq was "necessary and appropriate" - she appeared to have a conflict of interest:Her husband, Bill, was of course the former chief of the executive branch. And during her eight years as first lady, Mrs. Clinton never objected to Bill's eight wars, attacks, or interventions: in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, Haiti, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Yugoslavia. He bombed Iraq in 1993 soon after taking office, again in 1996, and from 1998 till he left office. For a time, he was dropping bombs on Iraqis and Yugoslavs simultaneously in 1999.
None of those acts of war were authorized by Congress.
2,600 pages of clinton papers withheld
from monsters & critics: The National Archives is withholding from the public about 2,600 pages of records at President Clinton's direction, despite a public assurance by one of his top aides last month that Mr. Clinton "has not blocked the release of a single document."The 2,600 pages, stored at Mr. Clinton's library in Arkansas, contained "confidential advice" and, therefore, "closed" under the Presidential Records Act, an Archives spokeswoman, Susan Cooper, told The New York Sun yesterday.
Sharon Fawcett, an overseer of the library, said in a recent interview that the records were withheld in accordance with a letter Mr. Clinton wrote in 1994 exercising his right to hold back certain types of files and another letter in 2002 about narrowing the scope of his earlier instructions.
Fawcett confirmed to the Sun Clinton had "total control" of the withholding of the papers.
1 comment:
Sen. Hillary Clinton
4420 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
Re: Seasons of Discontent; a Presidential Occupation Project
Dear Senator Clinton:
I am writing to announce a new initiative of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and several peace and justice groups in the earliest races of the presidential campaign, SODaPOP, or "Seasons of Discontent; a Presidential Occupation Project." We at the Washington Peace Center are joining VCNV in this campaign, and are inviting activists to come to Iowa and New Hampshire from around the nation "to bring nonviolent civil resistance and civil disobedience to the campaign offices and headquarters of Presidential candidates, both Republican and Democrat, who do not publicly declare that they will take the necessary concrete steps to end the Iraq war, to rebuild Iraq, to forswear military attacks on other countries such as Iran, and to fully fund the Common Good in the U.S."
Please sign the enclosed promise and return it to our office by FAX (VCNV) or mail (WPC) as soon as possible. In the event that the pledge is not signed and returned, participants may deliver another copy your offices in both Iowa and Arlington and wait for your positive response. We assure you that any "occupations" will be nonviolent and respectful of your staff. Despite our disappointment in your repeated threats to continue and possibly to extend the current illegal war, we have hopes that an occupation of your office will not be necessary. We hope that this letter or if need be, our actions will help you to take the action you will need to take if you will be part of the solution for our country's crisis.
This matter is extremely urgent and we hope to hear a positive response from you immediately. Please feel free to call the Washington Peace Center at 202-234-2000 with questions or concerns.
Enclosed is a copy of the promise proposal, originally posted at CounterPunch.org on August 30. We eagerly wait your signature on this document.
Respectfully,
Pete Perry,
On behalf of the Washington Peace Center
As candidate for the office of the President of the United States of America, I, Senator Hillary Clinton promise to:
∑ Complete withdrawal of the U.S. military forces from Iraq and Afghanistan within 100 days of assuming the office of President of the United States.
∑ Complete halt to any and all military actions -- including ground, air and naval against Iraq and Iran.
∑ Press Congress for full funding for the reconstruction of Iraq to repair the damage caused over these past 17 years of economic and military warfare that the U.S. and its allies waged against Iraq.
∑ Press Congress for full funding of the Common Good in the U.S. to rebuild our education and health care systems; to create jobs training programs for jobs that pay a living wage; to provide universal health care for all; to rebuild our country's inner cities, especially New Orleans and the Gulf Coast; and to initiate a campaign on the scale of a new Tennessee Valley Authority and Rural Electrification Project of the Great Depression era to create affordable, safe and sustainable alternative forms of energy and energy consumption; and for other vital social programs.
∑ Press Congress for full funding for the highest quality health care, education and jobs training benefits for veterans of our country's Armed Services.
∑ Furthermore, as a member of the United States Senate I will vote against any additional funding for the Iraq war other than those funds that are essential to fund the complete and immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
∑ Publicly commit to oppose the use of U.S. military forces against Iran, Pakistan or any other opening front in the so-called "war on terror."
_______________________________________ _________ 2007
Signature date
Please FAX signed copy to Voices for Creative Nonviolence, 773-878-4163
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