Spread the word. I'm concerned that Thomas Kean, the Bush-chosen head of the 9/11 commission, can say these things and only one major network (CBS) has mentioned it so far.

For the first time, the chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.

"This is a very, very important part of history and we've got to tell it right," said Thomas Kean.

"As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done," he said. "This was not something that had to happen."

Appointed by the Bush administration, Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, is now pointing fingers inside the administration and laying blame.

"There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said.

...

Asked whether we should at least know if people sitting in the decision-making spots on that critical day are still in those positions, Kean said, "Yes, the answer is yes. And we will."

Kean promises major revelations in public testimony beginning next month from top officials in the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, National Security Agency and, maybe, President Bush and former President Clinton.

Plus, a couple of statistics:

Amount spent on Whitewater investigation: $100 million
Amount spent on 9/11 investigation to date: $3 million

I will be interested to see how this affects the resistance to the US occupation of Iraq. Some will probably argue that this will make things easier for the US, but I think the opposite may happen. Many articles have cited the fact that some people fear driving the US out of Iraq because that would allow Saddam Hussein to return to power.

Now that he is captured, are those people more likely to attack the US to get it out? Maybe their fear of Saddam Hussein was the only thing keeping the lid on a lot of the hostility.

This isn't to say I'm not glad he was captured, and certainly that he was captured rather than killed. He was an evil man, even if I don't think that justified an unprovoked attack by our country. I can't imagine how our government can allow a real public trial for him. Are they going to allow his defense to bring up things like the fact we provided satellite intelligence to him when he was gassing Iranians and others during the Iraq/Iraq war, or that Rumsfeld was happy to meet with him during that time? I doubt it.

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For a more in-depth take on this, see Whiskey Bar's post.

I agree with what she said:

To the Editor:

You quote a United States lieutenant colonel in Iraq as saying, "With a heavy dose of fear and violence, and a lot of money for projects, I think we can convince these people that we are here to help them" ("Tough New Tactics by U.S. Tighten Grip on Iraq Towns," front page, Dec. 7).

Have we become a country whose primary exports are violence and money?

ELIZABETH P. LOVE
Durham, N.C., Dec. 7, 2003

Also, read Road to Surfdom on our military attacking a union headquarters in Iraq. We'll have no collective bargaining under our occupation! The Bush regime is keeping Saddam's anti-organizing laws as it rewrites the Iraqi legal system.

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While we're on the subject of unions, Queerday gives us this story:

Calling their action "Queer Eye for Justice at H&M," U.S. Representative and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, Gay & Lesbian Independent Democrats, UNITE union members and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists staged a protest at H&M's busy Soho store in New York City, complete with a 20 foot inflatable skunk draped in a rainbow flag ascot. H&M, known for aggressively marketing to the gay community, was targeted for their anti-union contract. "The workers at H&M have made a brave decision to try to exercise their right to organize and bargain collectively," Kucinich told the crowd. "Exercising this internationally recognized human right helps keep our democracy alive."

I think Kucinich is pretty great.

The new one is out. Here is a sample:

Eschaton provides some context.

I have a comment on an older post from an Iraqi woman who speaks English and is hoping to find work with one of the international groups or companies working in Iraq.

I'm not in a position to help, really, but I'm hoping someone who reads me, or their readers, might know someone.