BRADACH BLOG, The War On Error

6-13-08 ltr from Buckno08-1602 closing ltr.pdf

BlueOregon Guest Column, Monday, June 16, 2008

By John Bradach of Portland, Oregon. John is a Portland attorney; and an anti-Iraq-War and pro-impeachment activist. His nephew, Travis Bradach-Nall, was killed in Iraq in 2003.

If you surfed to CSPAN last Monday night, you found Congressman Dennis Kucinich live before an empty chamber in the House of Representatives, reading 35 Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush. The following night, the entire text was read verbatim by alternating House clerks. The whole show took nearly five hours, each night. The detail of the charges and cited supporting documentation was impressive.

If you haven’t enjoyed the Bush Administration (I confess that I have not), the Articles of Impeachment will give you a headache.

Are high crimes and misdemeanors by this Nation’s executive officers permissible, so long as they are not brought into sharp focus until the last two years of an administration’s second term? We shall see, once Scott McClellan testifies this coming week. McClellan, and the Kucinich litany, may put tinder to the dried haystack of impeachable offenses, and buck up the courage of Congressional Democrats to exercise our constitutional remedy.

If not, the Record is there. America’s high school history students will ask, “Why didn’t they do something?”

The index titles for H. Res. 1258’s Article of Impeachment presents are a horrifying stroll down memory lane. Read them and weep. (On the jump…)

Article I: Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq

Article II: Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression

Article III: Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War

Article IV: Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States

Article V: Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression

Article VI: Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114

Article VII: Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Article VIII: Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter

Article IX: Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor

Article X: Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes

Article XI: Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq

Article XII: Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation’s Natural Resources

Article XIIII: Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries

Article XIV: Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency

Article XV: Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq

Article XVI: Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors

Article XVII: Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives

Article XVIII: Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy

Article XIX: Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to “Black Sites” Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture

Article XX: Imprisoning Children

Article XXI: Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government

Article XXII: Creating Secret Laws

Article XXIII: Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act

Article XXIV: Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment

Article XXV: Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens

Article XXVI: Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements

Article XXVII: Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply

Article XXVIII: Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice

Article XXIX: Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Article XXX: Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare

Article XXXI: Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency

Article XXXII: Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change

Article XXXIII: Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

Article XXXIV: Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001

Article XXXV: Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders

Posted by: james r bradach | Jun 6, 2008 9:37:45 AM

Iraq submited the 12000 pages of their weapons declaration on December 7 2002. The declaration was titled “Currently Accurate, Full and Complete Declaration”, it was the required response to UN resolution 1441. John Negroponte dismissed this as “Saddams new lie”.
So America can move some 130000 men and women and their equiptment to Iraq’s border and Gorge Bush can continue to make public statements the “no decisions on Iraq have been made”, in the eighty some day before the invasion. Yet no one appears to have taken the time to verify an confirm that Iraq’s December declaration was in fact currently accurate, full and complete. It is obvious that it was more important to have a war than deal straight with the world or the American people.
I can clearly remember late in the evening on December 25th, 2002, after a lovely dinner at my sister’s house, giving my nephew a hug at the door as I was headed for home. You don’t get to know that you will never see these kids again. I know that at that time I had no concern that he would be sent to Iraq.

Fellow Delegates to the 3rd Congressional District Convention, this Saturday:

I am sending you a photograph, and a second copy of my Candidate Statement for delegate to the Denver Democratic Convention.

I understand there will be no speeches for the first round of voting Saturday, so I would appreciate it, if you would open at least my Candidate Statement and give it a quick read. I am a lawyer of 28 plus years experience in the biggest and smallest law firms in the State. I am an active Democrat and serve as the Chair of the Multnomah County Delegation to the State Central Committee.

But, the reason it is important to send me to Denver is that my family and I have lost much to the Bush Regime. and I have a trained voice of support for Barack Obama, and against four more Bush years.

The photo is of my nephew Marine Corporal Travis Bradach-Nall. It was taken August 8, 2002 at our family campout at the Oregon Coast. Travis was home on leave from Camp Pendleton. He is with his grandparents, Fran and Marilyn Bradach. The campout was a celebration of Marilyn’s 71st birthday.

Travis was mobilized to Kuwait in January 2003. He was among the first troops into Iraq, on March 21, 2003.

Unknown to him, his grandparent died the week before, on March 13, 2003, in a carfire on Mt. Hood, evidently the result of the stress of growing old in Bush America and the impending War.

Travis volunteered to stay on in Iraq, after his invasion troop came home.

On July 2, 2003, the day Bush said, “Bring them on!”, Travis died in the explosion of a U.S. cluster bomb, during the clearing of unexploded ordnance near Karbala, Iraq.

I have dedicated much of my time since, to achieving some measure of justice for the fraud that launched the War. Today, the Senate Intelligence Committee finally released its findings on the manipulation of pre-war intelligence to sell the invasion. Senator Ron Wyden, a member of that Committee has called for the investigation of Donald Rumsfeld and possible prosecutions, if it turns out members of the Bush Administration lied to Congress.

The War is and will continue be a central issue in the Presidential Campaign. Obama needs in Denver some who suffered direct and painful personal loss from the Bush debacle, to voice support for his pledge to get us out of Iraq.

I am that Voice.

My DPO Delegate Candidate Statement is linked, below.

I hope you will support me, for one of the 3rd Congressional District delegate slots.

I have a great law career, and background as a Democratic activist.

But, the reason I should go to Denver is, so someone with a trained voice, who has suffered personal loss to the Bush War Crimes, is there to witness in support of Obama getting us out of Iraq.

Nearly five years after Travis’ death, my message is still, “It’s the War, stupid”.

If Hillary is standing, then. I will tell the story of sister Lynn’s and Cindy Sheehan’s late September 2005 meeting with Hillary and Henry Hyde, in her Senate office. Hillary told them something like, “We did the right thing, when we went after Saddam Hussein.” Hillary was and is wrong. It was a violation of international laws and our treaties. She has yet to recant, and can not be depended upon to end this War and the crusade Bush launched in the Middle East.

Scott McClellan now confirms my belief that Bush sought a legacy as a war President, from the get go. His attitude was, “What are a few kids lives and a few billions of dollars, if you can gain Mt. Rushmore?”

It has cost more than they thought. And, I am not done with them.
3-31-08 PAMPLET PAGE.pdf

Yesterday ’s (May 27, 2008) former Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan disclosures, in advance releases of his book, What Happened, had me searching my writings of years past, for what I knew was there, the following:

Excerpts from JFB September 11, 2002 dictated reflections:

I dictate this as I take my morning walk on Wednesday, September 11, 2002, one year after the attacks on America.

Its hard to believe that a year has passed, the memories are so fresh.

Today is a beautiful morning like that day. It is a little cooler, but the light, the trees, the neighborhood are all very similar, except that the eerie silence of my walk on September 11, 2001 is not present. There are cars and walkers, and the sound of an airplane flying over doing the morning traffic watch. On September 11, 2001, all air traffic was immediately grounded.

Its been a tough year. An already lagging economy was tied to an anchor by the attacks. The stock market has lost a third of its value, and it has been an achievement just to stay in business in the intervening period. The event has bored a hole in my soul similarly to that of the deaths of my paternal grandfather, paternal grandmother, John and Robert Kennedy, and the space shuttle disaster. [I had no idea of what lay ahead.]

Watching the always fascinating coverage requires a concerted effort, but once begun is irresistible. How remarkable it is to have lived through a national event that transcends Pearl Harbor.

In many ways, it is extremely depressing. The country’s longstanding prosperity, which seemed as though it could be self-sustaining, as deficits turned to surpluses, now seems again doomed. Our national treasure is being shoveled into weapons and war. The false value of retirement funds is dissipating. While it seems not a year has passed, somehow I feel I have aged more than a year.

The national leadership seems bent upon launching a full-scale war against Iraq. Perhaps this is the best way to assure long-term stability in the world, but the facts they have presented to date to justify an attack seem meager. I would not risk one American boy, and particularly not my nephew, Travis, on such an endeavor. Yet, I’m certain it will happen, and soon. So, we continue.

*****

Today’s memorials and celebrations I view with mixed emotions. I see them as the appropriate thing to do. However, I believe they are being used to pound the political push for the attack on Iraq. The President will carry the emotion into the UN tomorrow to make his pitch. I doubt that he will have pictures of atomic bombs in Saddam Hussein’s boudoir. I am sure that he will be telling scare stories. Its hard to believe that he will come out of the UN with the support of the organization, or even the dominant veto bearing countries, but we’ll see. War is not going to enhance the economy in the short term. We learned that lesson in Vietnam. Eventually inflation will return and the national wealth is being poured into new weapons we hope we don’t have to use.

God bless us and bring us peace, sooner rather than later.

DICTATED ON JULY 27, 2003 [After Travis’ death on July 2, 2003 and full military funeral on July 11, 2003]

I reflect now upon the time since I dictated on September 11, 2002, in light of my nephew Travis’ death. He was killed in the service of his country after he elected to extend his stay in Iraq to participate in clearing of mines for the safety of the local populus and American soldiers.

While I think the work Travis was doing at the end was useful, it remains my belief that the war is illegitimate. Nothing I have seen supports the claims made by the Bush Administration as justifications for proceeding to war. It appears to have been a complete pretext aimed at changing the power dynamics in the Middle East and securing the availability of Iraqi oil under friendly administration. It remains my belief that not one American should have died in this cause. Yet, today, my nephew Travis is dead. This weekend, five Americans have died long after the war was over. While the Bush Administration killed Saddam Hussein’s kids this week, and presumably will get Saddam sometime in the future, it does not justify what was done or telling lies to go to war.

[Emphasis added]

This is not the first time Hillary has exercised bad judgement.

1. Her vote to give Bush a blank check.

2. Her view that going after Saddam was the right thing to do.

3. Her refusal to recant 1 and 2.

If she is elected, it will be the third term of the Bush Administration.

Oh, yeah, I would like an specific enumeration of this “experience” she has.

If she blows this up like I expect, we will stop her, but it will be painful and costly.

Please, Hillary, stand down, now.

That Bobby Kennedy comment was no accident, although I don’t think Hillary anticipated the blowback.

I find it particularly odd, in light of Huckaby’s similar faux a week or so ago in a speech to the National Rifle Association. There was the bang of a metal chair tipping over. Said Huckaby:

“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he’s getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”

Hillary’s Bobby Kennedy remark, now and back in March, may be intended as a bridge to discussing a Convention floor fight.

People forget that Bobby Kennedy was not the front runner, even with the June 5, 1968 California primary victory, on the day he was shot. Bobby was going to Chicago to try to jam up the Convention and get by Humphrey.

That is, evidently, what Hillary intends to do.

All the facts needed for Oregon’s Super Delegates to choose between Obama and Clinton are now on the table. The rest should, now, follow Jenny Greenleaf and announce, to erase any doubt about the winner of Oregon’s Presidential primary.

Wikipedia says:

The highest attendance at Autzen was 59,379 on November 3, 2007, when the Ducks beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 35-23. This also set the record for attendance for a single event in the state of Oregon.

The Grand Floral Parade of Rose Festival draws bigger crowds along its route, but that is a different animal.

I stayed at the gate to watch the crowd, as it exited the Portland Waterfront Park. At the end, slowly, moved hundreds of smiling people on crutches, in wheelchairs and on scooters, who despite a very hot day, long lines, and infirmities of age, disease and injury, had come and seen a man of destiny, and history in the making.

From the Washington Post:

The Fix by Chris Cillizza

Oregon: State House Speaker Jeff Merkley has been one of the most disappointing candidates so far this cycle. Recruited into the race by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Merkley has struggled to transition from state legislative politics to a U.S. Senate campaign. Those struggles have been exacerbated by the surprising strength — fundraising and otherwise — of party activist Steve Novick. Polling, public and private, suggests Novick could well pull the upset in Tuesday’s primary. Democrats insist either candidate will be competitive against Sen. Gordon Smith (R), but that runs counter to the national party’s decision to recruit Merkley when Novick was already running.

JFB Blue Oregon Posting:

Posted by: John F. Bradach, Sr. | May 16, 2008 4:10:18 PM

The Washington Post death knell.

1. Merkley made a critical mistake on March 21, 2003, when he voted for House Resolution 2, endorsing the courage of George Bush in launching the war to remove Saddam Hussein, based on recital of unproven and untrue facts regarding WMD and Saddam’s intentions.

2. He made a second mistake, when he said he did not regret that vote and boxed himself in, as Hillary has, as a silent co-conspirator in the launch of the War. Why can’t these people just say, “I made a mistake?” John Edwards did.

3. Jeff’s third critical mistake was to retain the speakership for the short session in 2008. That required real attention and work, when he might have been ramping up an energetic and enthusiastic campaign. As a result he has appeared (and probably has been) tired and lackluster. If they can see it from the East Coast, it must be.

I just saw this great news.

Hoo-Rah.

A couple of days ago I tried to pull together a slideshow of photos of Hillary, waving, with the Chambers Brothers song “Time”, playing in the background.

It was beyond my technical ken.

But, had I succeeded, I would post it to YouTube, now.

It reminds me of Sunday night before the 1980 election, when Jimmy Carter landed Air Force One by the old terminal at PDX, on his last harrah. They pulled the jet behind the stage in the eerie flickering of portable lights. Jody Powell was hiding in the shadows, the look of knowing the result on his grinning face.

Introducing the Democratic still-President was the Mayor of Portland, and purported Democrat, Frank Ivancie. Soon he was a Reagan appointee to the Federal Maritime Commission.

Unfortunately, Ted supported the Iraq War going in. In his Oregonian interview on the fifth anniversary of the War, he said the War was about oil and can not stop until we are energy independent.

So, his appearance with McCain, and behind McCain’s campaign sign is not a surprise.

James Carville is quoted in the press tonight saying, “I have an undated check written out for Obama. I’ll send it when this is over.”

Raise your hand (or hook), all of you who have dead people in your family, because the professional politicians did what professional politicians do, before (and after) the first bombs fell on Baghdad.

I like the new Novik Ad.

It makes the essential point Willamette Week caught in its endorsement of Novik, today. Note, that it is WW’s first stated concern.

Novik has not waivered on this point, since he made it during his Sunday Demo Summit speech at Sunriver. Then, it went over like a condom dropped in the collection plate. I thought people would pass out, as the air sucked out of the room.

The point is no less valid, today.

Jeff Merkley’s vote for HR2 instantly deprived him of the ability to lever the key to taking Gordon Smith out of office. That is, Smith’s own vote to give George Bush a blank check and his late epiphany that maybe the Iraq War is criminal. Merkley will be sliding backward, before he can engage that issue.

McCain is going to make “winnng” the Iraq War and carrying the fight for democracy and freedom throughout the World the centerpiece of the Presidential Campaign.

Merkley is no better situated than Hillary Clinton to withstand the push.

Now, the drumbeat is to attack Iran. I hope that is still a live issue for U.S. Senate consideration, when new members are sworn in. Those who consider it must not just do what politicians do, but reject the action, absent a demonstrated direct and imminent threat of attack by Iran upon the United States of America.

That Sky Cap’s look at Novik in the Ad is priceless.

In September 2005, when over 1900 American kids had died in Iraq, my sister Lynn Bradach and Cindy Sheehan met with Hillary and Harry Reid in Hillary’s Senate office. Hillary told them:

“I feel your pain;
I don’t want your kids to have died in vain;
We had to take out Saddam Hussein”

She waited for American public opinion to come to overwhelming condemnation of the War (and in the meantime, a lot of kids died), before finally she called for an end to the War, coincident with her Presidential candidacy. She has never recanted her vote to give Bush the blank check. I now do not believe she will do what needs to be done to get us out of Iraq.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0539,fergusoncamp,68174,2.html

As reported by the Village Voice, in a September 20, 2005 article:

“’It’s just a painful experience because of their loss,’ Clinton said of her meeting with Sheehan, who was accompanied by her sister Dede and by Lynn Bradach, whose 21-year-old son, Corporal Travis Bradach-Nall, was killed clearing a minefield outside Karbala two years ago.

But Clinton added: ‘My bottom line is that I don’t want their sons to die in vain.’

*****

‘But I happen to think that fighting for freedom is a noble cause. There are lots of things wrong with how Bush did it. I believe we should have gone through with the inspection process and acted through the UN. But I believe that standing up against someone as dangerous as Saddam was a good goal.’”

Say I:

Invading a sovereign nation on a pretext will never, ever, ever be right.
It is not the America I believe in or hope for, and certainly violated International Law.
And, all those 4055 kids (including Marine Corporal Travis Bradach-Nall) are still dead.

Hillary bet wrong.

We had a belated St. Patrick’s Day dinner scheduled for last Thursday night.

When Cathy’s very Irish dad, Bud Emery, was alive, we usually did this on the Sunday night closest to St. Paddy’s. We have continued the tradition, since he passed in November 2004.

This year, like others, Cathy decked the house out in green, and Irish figurines and trinkets. There were leprechauns and pots of gold coins on the table, and around the house. She had invited all our kids and my single siblings, James, Lynn and Katie.

Brother James was there, by the time I got home. The corned beef and cabbage was cooking. Son Jack had arrived with a couple of short cases of Guinness dark beer. Jack and James were making progress on those.

Somebody said, “Lynn and Katie are on the way.”

“I thought Lynn had guests,” said I.

“She’s bringing them.”

In short order, through the door came Lynn, Katie, a high school teacher Sabiha, originally from Pakistan, and three young women exchange students, Indira from Kyrgystan, Aditi from India and Astghik from Armenia..

I learned that Lynn and James met Sabitha during their trip to Turkey last June. Sabitha teaches at a high school in Kennewick, Washington. She invited Lynn to come to Kennewick and speak about landmines, last fall. While there, staying with Sabiha, Lynn met this group of exchange students at the high school.

There were actually three more. The boys were en route, with Renee, another teacher from Kennewick.

Sabiha brought a pot of delicious Pakistani rice and plate of chicken, to add to our communal spread, and diversify the Irish fare.

It was fascinating to talk to these very mature high school girls from such far flung parts of the world. They had great fluency with the American language and sounded very much like American teenagers.

Their presence certainly slowed the rate of our intended Irish imbibement.

Digital cameras and cell phones flew from every pocket. We took a lot of photos. I remember shooting the same shot of the girls and my sons Jack and Patrick, through five cameras.

After dinner, one of the girl’s cell phones rang. We learned that the boys and other teacher Renee were not far away, at Troutdale. They soon arrived, and the very mature young women instantly became more giddy girls.

I like to think I am very open to the World. But, with all the conditioning of the “War on Terror”, at first I found it a little jarring to see these cocky Muslem young men appear in my living room. Kenan was from Azerbajan (which he repeatedly reminded us is next to Iran). Hussein from Cairo, Egypt, talked about playing soccer and American football, which all observed involves very little foot. Most disconcerting, on first encounter was Rajid, the very dark and most exotic looking slender young man from Saudi Arabia. Rajid had talked himself onto the trip over the pleading of his home family (who wanted hm to stay for Easter), arguing that he had to see Oregon, where his architect father had once been an exchange student. He turned out to be a very polite and nice young man.

The boys were jokesters, but we settled into an easy conversation in the living room.

We were all sad, when the evening ended and we said our goodbyes.

The kids were set to go to the coast and explore Portland with Lynn and Katie, over the weekend.

Life has not been very predictable for us, in the last five years. Particularly, when Lynn is around.

I was at the Obama rally Friday.

It was impressive, but even Nader 00 drew a big crowd in the Memorial Coliseum.

The impressive thing was the diversity of the crowd, in age and gender, not only race. The Coliseum’s shortage of women’s rest room helped highlight how many women were there. I think it might have been as much as half the crowd. College and high school kids are on it, like not since Bobby died.

The Bill Richardson endorsement was well done (his beard made him look like Pancho Villa, and his voice, unfortunately for him, is that of Jim and John Belushi).

Hillary is on the ropes.

So, Oregon becomes crucial.

This morning on Meet the Press, Ralph Nader announced his candidacy for President.

My first reaction, “OH NO, not again!”

But, this puts the issue of Impeachment (and lots of other tough issues) on the table. If not in Congress, during the Presidential Campaign and Debates.

It looks like Nader made some heavy-handed play on Obama, before announcing. (Maybe he demanded the Vice Presidency, or offered it to Obama?)

Obama is still the One! In fact, Obama looked Presidential, telling Nader to take a hike.

Oh yeah, Nader is older than John McCain.

We live in interesting times.