Truth - Al Franken [134]
The “2005 Global Corruption Report” of Transparency International is available on-line at www.globalcorruptionreport.org.
For more on Ahmed Chalabi, read “The Manipulator” by Jane Mayer in the June 7, 2004, issue of The New Yorker.
Chapter 14: The Werewolves of Washington
Paul Bremer spoke to the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers on October 4, 2004. His DePauw speech took place on September 16, 2004, as reported by the Washington Post in an article titled “Bremer Criticizes Troop Levels.”
The Washington Post reported on Iraqi unemployment in a June 20, 2005, article titled “Tackling Another Major Challenge in Iraq: Unemployment.”
Khalid Daoud’s story was told in a July 5, 2005, New York Times article titled “U.S. Walls Off Its Corner of Baghdad, Annoying Some Neighbors.”
For more on Condi Rice and Don Rumsfeld’s bizarre “werewolves” story, read Daniel Benjamin’s August 29, 2003, Slate article, “Condi’s Phony History,” available on-line at slate.msn.com/id/2087768/.
Bush’s second inaugural address is available on-line at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050120-1.html.
Here’s a recipe for Uzbek rice pilaf. Franni made it for me and my staff last week. It comes from www.geocities.com/Hollywood/2944/english.html.
2 cups of rice, presoaked and drained
5 cups of water, or beef stock
1/2 lb lamb leg meat, cubed
1/3 cup of canola oil
2 onions, finely diced
3 medium carrots, julienned
5 garlic heads
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper
Sauté onions and carrots over medium heat until lightly browned. Add meat and stir until browned. Add 2 cups water, and cook over medium-high heat about 6–7 minutes, until meat is tender. Add rice and heads of garlic into stew. Add rest of the water and seasonings, do not disturb layering of rice and stew, and boil uncovered until rice absorbs water, for about 45 minutes. When rice is soft, reduce heat to minimum, cover pot, and let the rice steam 25 more minutes.
About 5 servings.
The Guardian (Britain) reported on our relationship with Uzbekistan in a May 26, 2003, article titled “US Looks Away as New Ally Tortures Islamists.”
Excerpts from the cultural sensitivity pamphlet can be found on-line at www.meforum.org/article/637.
The Associated Press reported on the innocence of many of our prisoners in a May 11, 2004, article titled “Red Cross: Iraq Abuse ‘Tantamount to Torture.’ ”
Colin Powell’s futile attempt to question detainee abuse was detailed in the Nelson Report, an on-line intelligence briefing, on May 6, 2004.
Rumsfeld and Pace’s press conference can be found on-line at www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2005/tr20050329-secdef2381.html.
The text of the Taguba Report is available on-line at www.agonist.org/annex/taguba.htm.
The text of the Fay Report is available on-line at slate.msn.com/features/whatistorture/pdfs/FayJonesReport.pdf.
Senator Graham’s statement can be read on his website at lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=speechpage&id=221868.
Dr. Burton J. Lee III’s op-ed, “The Stain of Torture,” was published on July 1, 2005.
Paul Wolfowitz testified before the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on April 29, 2004. The question he couldn’t answer was asked by Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur.
The Washington Post reported on Rumsfeld’s use of the Autopen in a December 19, 2004, article titled “After Outcry, Rumsfeld Says He Will Sign Condolence Letters.”
Newsweek reported on Ahmed Chalabi in “Intelligence: A Double Game,” in its May 10, 2004, issue.
The Associated Press noted Paul Wolfowitz’s puzzlement at his old friend Ahmed’s behavior in a June 22, 2004, article titled “Wolfowitz Puzzled by Chalabi Actions.”
The Chalabi–al-Sadr coalition was described in an article, “Iraq’s Rebel Democrats,” in the June 2005 issue of Prospect (Britain).
The website iraqbodycount.org has information regarding casualty counts in Iraq. The higher estimate comes from a Johns Hopkins study