Dark days ahead for Rumsfeld?

Written by: Meredith Adams on Nov 11, 2006 5:00 PM EST

Not a good week for Donald Rumsfeld.  Just a few days after losing his job, Time magazine reported that legal documents will be filed next week with “Germany’s top prosecutor” seeking a criminal investigation of Rumsfeld, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA director George Tenet and others “allegedly” involved with the Abu Ghraib scandal and abuses committed at Guantanamo Bay.  

The torture-loving ways of our country’s leaders are finally catching up with them.  The plaintiffs in the case include 11 Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, as well as Mohammad al-Qahtani, the so-called “20th hijackther” held at Guantanamo Bay, who underwent a Rumsfeld-approved “special interrogation plan.”  (Makes you shudder, doesn’t it?)  Although the U.S. says that valuable intelligence was produced from this, Qahtani was “subjected to forced nudity, sexual humiliation, religious humiliation, prolonged stress positions, sleep deprivation and other controversial interrogation techniques.”  

According to one-time commander of all U.S. military prisons in Iraq Janis Karpinski, there is no doubt that “the knowledge and responsibility” for what happened at Abu Ghraib “goes all the way to the top of the chain of command to the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.”  Karpinski will be in Germany next week to make her accusation public.  

All of this might sound somewhat familiar—legal action was brought against Rumsfeld in Germany in 2004, which provoked an angry response from officials on this side of the Atlantic.  It was made clear that the case would adversely effect the U.S-German relations, and Rumsfeld threatened to back out of a major security conference in Munich, where he was scheduled as keynote speaker, unless Germany disposed of the case.  Thus, the case was dropped on the grounds that U.S officals would deal with the allegations accordingly.  Yeah…wait for it…

However, as many Democrats have been saying this week, it’s a new day in America.  And apparently, in Germany too.  Rumsfeld’s resignation means the loss of the legal immunity usually accorded to high government officials.  More importantly, the (idealistic?) grounds in which the first case was rejected upon—that U.S. authorities would deal with the issue on their own—has been proven wrong.  

U.S officials have long feared that legal proceedings against “war criminals” could be used to settle political scores, and will probably cry that this is what is happening in Rumsfeld’s case.  Nothing else screams “we have something to hide” like the Bush Administration’s rejected adherence to the International Criminal Court on “grounds that it could be used to unjustly prosecute U.S. officials.”

--Meredith Adam

Press Clip 5/2/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on May 2, 2006 11:07 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

Anti-war/impeachment and immigration rights rallies at CA Democratic Convention

Gary Zimmerman, San Francisco Independent Media Center

sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/05/17...

The Future of GenerationDFA

Written by: Meredith Adams on May 1, 2006 4:51 PM EDT

Linked to groups: GenDFA Student Leaders

Member,

Wow, it's been a great semester for GenerationDFA! Our groups have expanded, working hard to recruit new members and integrate themselves into their campus communities. They have also accomplished many things. GenerationDFA at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has worked hard on their monthly newsletter, which has been featured on Blog for America. The Coral Park Young Dems single-handedly organized a walk-out for immigrants rights, and earned press in a major newspaper!

It's been a wonderful experience to serve as the GenerationDFA national coordinator. I've met and communicated with student activists across the country, and their spirit and tenacity has energized me. Although my time at DFA is coming to a close, I will always be available to talk, and I hope that you will keep me updated on your group's activities.

I was hoping that you would be able to shoot me a quick e-mail update on your group, whether or not it is still active, who will coordinate it if you are no longer planning to do so, and a quick list of things your group has accomplished this semester. This will help the next GenerationDFA coordinator immensely, and your group's accomplishments will be mentioned in a Blog for America post.

Thanks, and good luck!

Meredith Adams
GenerationDFA Coordinator/Communication Intern
Democracy for America
(802) 651-3200, ext. 107
madams.dfa@gmail.com

Press Clips 5/1/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on May 1, 2006 11:00 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

NY's Hudson Valley seen as Congress battlefield

Gary Michaels, People's Weekly World Newspaper

www.pww.org/article/articleview/...

2.

Plantation Oblige

Shawn Macomber, The American Spectator

www.spectator.org/dsp_article.as...

3.

Subplots enliven 175th District battle

Catherine Lucey, Philadelphia Inquirer

www.macon.com/mld/dailynews/news...

Press Clips 4/27/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on Apr 27, 2006 11:24 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

On heels of new major endorsements, Janet Reilly renews calls for 12 AD debates

California Chronicle

www.californiachronicle.com/arti...

2.

Campaign shows party fault lines

Thomas Fitzgerald, Philadelphia Inquirer

www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news...

3.

Dan Gross, Pol pokes fun at own name

Dan Gross, Philadelphia Inquirer

www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/liv...

Press Clips 4/26/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on Apr 26, 2006 11:06 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

Democratic candidates forum May 3 in Appleton

Appleton Post-Crescent

www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.d...

2.

Tom Ferrick Jr. | A few new cogs in the old flivver

Tom Ferrick Jr., Philadelphia Inquirer

www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news...

3.

Democracy for New Hampshire endorses first 10 candidates for November 2006

(Press Release) PRWeb.com

www.prweb.com/releases/2006/4/pr...

Press Clips 4/24/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on Apr 24, 2006 11:03 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

Expect immigrant debate to resume

Ryan Alessi, Lexington Herald-Leader

www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/14...

2.

Dems jockey for District 19 Senate nod

Jennifer Whitson, Courier & Press News

www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/ar...,1626,ECP_734_4645727,00.html

3.

Team tries to rally Mass. liberals

Lisa Wangsness, The Boston Globe

www.boston.com/news/local/articl...

4.

Dodds brings campaign home to Rye

Portsmouth Herald

www.seacoastonline.com/news/0422...

5.

Blog-in at Albuquerque City Council: Minimum wage increase passes

Emily Esterson, New West

www.newwest.net/index.php/topic/...

6.

Sacramento un-welcomes Bush

Gary Zimmerman, San Francisco Independent Media Center

sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/04/17...

7.

Military families speak out press release on Bush visit to West Sacramento Saturday

Central Valley

www.indybay.org/news/2006/04/181...

8.

New kids on Dem block

Catherine Lucey, Philadelphia Daily News

www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/new...

9.

Hundreds march for peace

Huong Le, Plattsburgh Press Republican

www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/...

Press Clips 4/21/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on Apr 21, 2006 11:00 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

Patrick vows to help the impoverished

Samantha Monk, Daily News Tribune

www.devalpatrick.com/news_pdfs/P...%20vows%20to%20help%20the%20impoverished.pdf

2.

Patrick brings state issues to campus

Michael Grillo, The Justice (Brandeis University)

www.thejusticeonline.com/home/in...

3.

The big setup

Theo Douglas, Orange County Weekly

www.ocweekly.com/news/news/the-b...

4.

Democratic candidates debate hot button issues

Rachel Seeman, The Online Rocket

www.theonlinerocket.com/media/st...

5.

Edwards still fighting

Emily Aronson, Portsmouth Herald

www.seacoastonline.com/news/0421...

6.

Group endorses candidates

Emily Aronson, Portsmouth Herald

www.seacoastonline.com/news/0421...

Press Clips 4/20/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on Apr 20, 2006 10:44 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

San Francisco Women's Political Committee and SF for Democracy endorse Janet Reilly for Assembly

California Chronicle

www.californiachronicle.com/arti...

2.

Activist group takes stand in big type

Monsy Alvarado, NorthJersey.com

www.northjersey.com/page.php?qst...

Press Clip 4/18/06

Written by: Meredith Adams on Apr 18, 2006 10:50 AM EDT

Linked to groups: DFA Blog Network

1.

Today's news briefs: Edwards to attend endorsement event

Portsmouth Herald

www.seacoastonline.com/news/0418...