Other Political News

[Soldier4Christ]

Senate committee stands behind assailed backup jet engine


WASHINGTON - A once-skeptical Senate committee has defied the Bush administration and satisfied British allies by restoring funding for a fighter-jet engine produced mainly in Ohio.

The Senate Armed Services Committee's action would restore $408 million this budget year for the next-generation Joint Strike Fighter's backup engine, made jointly by General Electric and Rolls-Royce. A House committee already has restored the funding, leaving it to both houses of Congress to approve the full spending, which would support an estimated 800 full-time jobs at GE Aviation's plant near Cincinnati.

The Armed Services Committee decision on Thursday comes despite testimony from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the strong statements of the committee's top-ranking Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman, that another engine to back up the one produced by Pratt & Whitney was unnecessarily expensive.

But the top British arms procurement minister, Lord Peter Drayson, came to Washington last month to tell the committee that a backup engine would provide competition to keep overall prices down and prevent the fleet from being grounded if the Pratt & Whitney jet were to fail.

British-based Rolls-Royce and GE argued that more than 20 years of so-called "engine wars" have proven the U.S. military saves money when it gives contracts for competing plane engines.

The Defense Department has said nullifying a 30-year contract it signed with GE and Rolls-Royce would save about $1.8 billion in the first year. But the companies say they've already performed more than $1 billion of research and development work under the contract and estimate the competition would save the government $12 billion in the long run.

[Shammu]

Rep. Patrick Kennedy to Enter Drug Rehab

By ANDREW MIGA, Associated Press Writer 16 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Friday he was entering treatment for addiction to prescription pain drugs after a middle-of-the-night car crash near the Capitol that he said he had no memory of. "That's not how I want to live my life," he declared.

Kennedy, D-R.I., the son of Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), said he would seek immediate treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

His one-car accident about 3 a.m. Thursday was the talk of the capital, with police saying he appeared to be intoxicated but Kennedy saying later that day that he had had nothing to drink.

For Kennedy, who said he has suffered from depression and pain-medication addiction for years, the trip to the Mayo Clinic was his second in less than five months. He went there over Christmas and said he returned to Congress "reinvigorated and healthy."

"I've been fighting this chronic disease since I was a young man, and have aggressively and periodically sought treatment so that I can live a full and productive life," he said at a Capitol Hill news conference.

"Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I have been strong, focused and productive since my return," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said he realized he needed to seek treatment again after he crashed his car. Capitol Police cited him with three traffic violations and said Friday their investigation was continuing. Kennedy promised to cooperate with police.

The accident sparked allegations that Kennedy was drinking and had received special treatment by police. He said he could not recall the accident.

"I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions," Kennedy said. "That's not how I want to live my life. And that's not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island."

Kennedy, 38, a nephew of President Kennedy, was elected to Congress in 1994. As he left the lectern Friday, he shook his head no when asked if he might resign. "I need to stay in the fight," he said. He did not take other questions.

As a high school senior, the congressman was treated at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has said he wants to end the stigma of mental health problems, and he has been praised by mental health professionals for being open about his struggles with depression, alcoholism and substance abuse.

"I hope that my openness today and in the past, and my acknowledgment that I need help, will give others the courage to get help if they need it," he said Friday.

The congressman's father issued a statement saying he was proud of his son for admitting his problem and taking steps to correct it.

"He has taken full responsibility for events that occurred ... and he will continue to cooperate fully with any investigation," the elder Kennedy said.

According to the police report, Patrick Kennedy drove his green 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a security barrier near the Capitol. The officer listed alcohol influence as a contributing factor in the crash and noted that Kennedy was "ability impaired," with red, watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance.

However, Kennedy said that he took a sleeping pill and another drug that can cause drowsiness before the accident but had not been drinking alcohol.

Kennedy told the police officer he was "headed to the Capitol to make a vote," the report said. He was cited for failure to keep in the proper lane, traveling at "unreasonable speed" and failing to "give full time and attention" to operating his vehicle.

Kennedy spokeswoman Robin Costello acknowledged the police report but said in an e-mailed message, "The congressman has not been presented with those traffic tickets."

Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, who was not on the scene, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home and that no sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.

"I never asked for any preferential treatment," Kennedy told reporters as he left his congressional office Thursday night.

It was Kennedy's second auto crash in three weeks. His car struck the rear passenger door of a car while he was making a left turn from a roadway into a pharmacy in Portsmouth, R.I., according to a police report on the April 15 accident. No injuries were reported and Kennedy was not cited.

In the Capitol Hill accident, police observed Kennedy's car, with no headlights on, swerve into the wrong lane and strike a curb. Kennedy nearly hit a police car, the report said, and did not respond to the officer's efforts to pull him over. He continued at a slower speed before hitting a security barrier head-on, the report said.

Kennedy said that he'd gone home Wednesday evening after work and had taken "the prescribed amount" of Phenergan, a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness, and Ambien, a sleep medication.

The attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on May 2 to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and intestines. According to the drug's label, Phenergan can increase the effects of sleep medicines such as Ambien.

Kennedy was prescribed Ambien on April 25 for insomnia, according to a statement from Dr. John F. Eisold, the attending physician for Congress. Kennedy's office released the statement.

Ambien comes with a warning to patients that it can cause confusion, strange behavior and hallucinations. Also, it is to be taken only when patients have time for a full eight hours of sleep, allowing its effects to wear off, according to its Food and Drug Administration-approved label.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy to Enter Drug Rehab

[Soldier4Christ]

Congress Opposes Ethanol Tax Change


WASHINGTON — Farm-state lawmakers say they're prepared to fight vigorously any attempt to remove the 54-cent tariff on imported ethanol even though demand for the additive is growing as refiners use more of it in gasoline.

President Bush made clear his desire to boost ethanol supplies _ and to try to generate more imports _ at a meeting on energy with a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said that while the administration "will continue to consider" ways to boost imports, including removing the tariff, "it's largely a congressional matter."

"The president has encouraged Congress to examine all alternatives for increasing the available supplies of ethanol, and we will continue to do that," Bodman said.

Oil companies have attributed part of the recent increase in gasoline prices _ as much as 8 cents a gallon, according to some estimates _ to refiners shifting from MTBE as a gas additive to corn-based ethanol.

MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, has been found to contaminate water supplies, which prompted a rash of lawsuits. Congress last summer required a ramping up of ethanol use to 4 billion gallons this year and 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.

The sudden switch caused some ethanol supply concerns from refiners _ and, in turn, more talk about finding ways to increase imports, which totaled 135 million gallons last year.

"Congress can bring down prices by cutting the tax on imported ethanol," Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., maintains. He has introduced a bill that would suspend the 54-cent import tax for the rest of the year.

Congress seems in no mood to tamper with the tax, which is strongly supported by farm-state lawmakers, including some of the most powerful on Capitol Hill.

"It's a step in the wrong direction," Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Friday. He is chairman of the Finance Committee, which would consider any change in the tariff. "It would send a signal that we're backing away from our own efforts to seek energy independence."

The panel's top Democrat, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., also said that a change in the tax would be a mistake. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., whose state has the biggest ethanol producer, Archer Daniels Midland, also opposes a tax change.

If the administration tries to move on its own, says Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., whose state is another center of ethanol production, "they would run into a big fight in Congress."

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said that at the White House and in some corners of Congress "there's positive sentiment" for finding ways to get more ethanol imports but "nothing precise."

A leading producer of ethanol is Brazil, which presumably would be the source of more supply. But Brazil has its own gasoline supply concerns and it's not certain how much additional fuel it would be able to provide.

Many energy experts also believe that the ethanol concerns are temporary and that the problems have had less to do with a shortage of the additive than other factors associated with the switch.

It "required changes all along the supply chain, different suppliers, different transportation, and different locations for blending. Normally, a change like that is done over several years," says energy consultant Daniel Yergin of Cambridge Energy Research.

Yergin predicted that the transition _ and any resulting price impact _ of the ethanol shift is likely to be over before the heavy summer driving season sets in.

"Right now we don't seem to be having any problems," said Charles Drevna, executive vice president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. He said the group hasn't taken a position on the ethanol import tax.

The ethanol industry says there's plenty of the fuel and that more is on the way with new plants to come on line this year.

"We don't need increased imports," said Matt Hartwig, a spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, which represents the ethanol producers.

Hartwig said that nearly 5 billion gallons of ethanol will be produced this year and that the industry capacity is expected to approach 6 billion barrels by the end of the year, more than enough to meet refinery demands.

[Soldier4Christ]

U.S. Congress to vote on bill outlawing Hamas funding


Congress on Tuesday will be presented with a bill aimed at prohibiting direct funding of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

A bipartisan effort headed by Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, with the support of Democrat Tom Lantos, managed to raise the required 290 co-sponsors to bring the bill before Congress.

Ros-Lehtinen said Friday that she was pleased the bill had won the support of her colleageus.

"If adopted," Ros-Lehtinen said: "it will quickly move through the Senate and will be sent swiftly to the President's desk to ensure that the United States will not support or hold diplomatic relations with a government committed to the destruction of Israel and the practice of terrorism."

In the past week U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) introduced new legislation to tie future U.S. assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East to an "independent, internationally recognized expenditure audit, thereby ensuring U.S. taxpayer money is properly spent and does not go to support terrorist organizations like Hamas."

The Senate version of the bill has about 80 co-sponsors, but a date for voting has not yet been announced.

[Soldier4Christ]

Congress member signs bill against Pentagon's gay policy

California Democratic Representative, Susan Davis has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members.

Ms Davis, whose district includes parts of San Diego, became the 115th Member of Congress to co-sponsor the legislation.

"Congresswoman Davis's support is especially noteworthy because of her large military constituency," said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).

"San Diego is home to more than 21,000 lesbian and gay veterans and more than 317,000 military personnel. Congresswoman Davis carries enormous respect with military leaders in her district. Her sponsorship of this legislation sends a clear message that repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is in the best interest of our armed forces."

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act was introduced in March 2005 by Massachusetts’s Democratic Representative Marty Meehan. It is currently pending at the House Armed Services Committee, where Congresswoman Davis is a member.

"While reviewing this bill, I examined the issue of gays and lesbians in the military closely and consulted with the diverse stakeholders in this important topic," she said in a statement.

"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I also take my responsibility to ensure the highest level of military readiness very seriously. Over the course of the last year, I questioned high-ranking members of the armed forces, active duty military personnel, veterans, military families, members of the LGBT community, my congressional colleagues and other interested groups.

“These exchanges helped me to understand and ultimately dismiss the argument that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military would negatively impact military readiness, as some have stated. After consulting this diverse sounding board, it is clear to me that the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy is a political invention that does not serve the real needs of our armed forces and should be repealed."

[Soldier4Christ]

Court rules for librarian fired over Sunday work
Argued her religious beliefs prevented her from coming in that day


A federal district court ruled in favor of a Christian librarian who was fired after she requested to have Sundays off because of her religious beliefs.

A jury awarded Constance Rehm of Missouri damages for back pay, according to the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund

"This ruling is very important in making sure that people of faith are not treated as second-class citizens," said ADF Litigation Counsel David LaPlante.

LaPlante said employers "have a responsibility to respect the religious beliefs of their employees and to make reasonable accommodations."

"This decision, along with the award of monetary compensation to the Christian librarian who lost her job, is very encouraging," he said.

As WorldNetDaily reported, ADF and the Christian Law Association filed the case against the Rolling Hills Consolidated Library in August 2004 after Rehmm was fired the previous May.

Library officials claim they made an attempt to accommodate Rehm by allowing a part-time employee to volunteer to work for her on Sundays, in return for her working on Saturdays.

But her attorneys called it a "smokescreen," arguing the library did not allow sufficient time for other employees to volunteer.

The library also stated, the lawyers pointed out, that even if someone volunteered, the request wouldn't necessarily have been approved.

Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act states an employee's request for accommodation based upon a sincere religious belief can only be denied if the employer can demonstrate that the request would cause undue hardship.

The lawsuit claimed the library has not made its case for denying Rehm’s request and went too far in firing her for insubordination.

"Not only did the library fail to make its case for denying this librarian's request, library officials crossed the line in firing her for insubordination," said LaPlante.

He said the library "should not require an employee to violate her conscience, effectively forcing her to choose between her religious beliefs and her job."

[Soldier4Christ]

Pelosi Wants Investigation of La. Democrat

Democratic Rep. William Jefferson should be investigated by the House ethics committee, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said following the second guilty plea from a federal probe of alleged bribery involving the Louisiana congressman.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said at a news conference that she had not spoken directly to Jefferson about the investigation. "But he knows what is going on, and the ethics committee should investigate what is going on."

At the same time, Pelosi sought Thursday to differentiate the Jefferson case from what Democrats have labeled the "culture of corruption" linking the Republican majority and special interests represented by disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. "The Republicans are all tied together," she said. "Mr. Jefferson is his own behavior, he is responsible for it."

On Wednesday the chief executive of a Louisville-based telecommunications firm pleaded guilty to paying more than $400,000 in bribes to a congressman in a case stemming from the Jefferson investigation.

Prosecutors said Vernon Jackson, 53, funneled money over a four-year period into a company controlled by the congressman's wife in exchange for help promoting his company's technology in Africa.

In January a former legislative director for Jefferson pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting bribery of a public official and conspiracy.

Jefferson has maintained his innocence. In a statement Wednesday he said he "was surprised and disappointed to learn of Vernon Jackson's guilty plea and of his characterization of our relationship. As I have previously stated, I have never over all the years of my public service accepted payment from anyone for the performance of any act or duty for which I have been elected."

[Soldier4Christ]

McClellan: 'Don't know facts' about Kennedy crash
Spokesman also declines comment on Navy chaplain facing court-martial


Today, presidential press secretary Scott McClellan, at the last White House press briefing of his tenure, had little to say about the accident Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., had yesterday morning on Capitol Hill.

Kennedy said today he is departing this afternoon for Minnesota's Mayo Clinic to receive treatment for an ongoing addiction – this after questions were raised about his possibly receiving special treatment by police after the suspicious car wreck.

WND was the only reporter in a packed briefing room to ask about the Kennedy controversy.

Asked WND: "There are reports of further misconduct by Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island including driving at night with car lights off, nearly colliding with a police car, smashing a security barrier, emerging from the vehicle staggering, and telling officers he's a congressman late to a vote at 2:45 a.m., six hours after the House had adjourned. As spokesman for the nation's chief law enforcement, why wasn't this congressman subjected to sobriety testing since he was involved in another car accident two weeks before in Rhode Island?"

Responded McClellan: "I think that's a matter to refer to the appropriate law enforcement officials or the congressman's office."

"But the chief law enforcement, you're his spokesman," pressed WND.

"We don't know the facts. We do not know the facts relating to this, Les," said the spokesman.

Kennedy said this afternoon he is suffering the "reoccurrence of an addiction problem," which can be "triggered by things that happen in everyday life" such as taking the anti-nausea drug he requires for a chronic illness. The lawmaker said he did not remember getting in his car and driving to the Capitol.

WND also asked McClellan about the case of Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt, a Navy chaplain who has been charged with disobeying orders after wearing his uniform at a press conference outside the White House.

"Yesterday, the president prayed with those gathered inside the White House for the National Day of Prayer," WND said, "yet Chaplain Klingenschmitt faces a possible court-martial for attending a press conference outside the White House in uniform in which he prayed. And my question, will the president ask the secretary of the Navy to dismiss the charge against the chaplain so he can freely pray –"

Interrupted McClellan: "Les, I think this gets into area of chain of command matters of which I cannot get into. … There are rules in place when it comes to issues like this relating to the military. So I don't think I can comment further on that matter."

[Soldier4Christ]

Gay couple can't contest marriage definition

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court today dismissed a challenge by two Orange County men to a law denying federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples, saying a couple that isn't legally married under state law has no right to contest the federal definition of marriage.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reached the result urged by gay-rights groups, which opposed the federal suit because they are trying to overturn California's marriage law in state court.

The appeals court also refused to consider the constitutionality of the state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying it should be addressed first by the California courts.

The central issue in the case was the validity of the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Bill Clinton. The law reserved federal marriage benefits -- joint tax filing, Social Security survivors' benefits, immigration status and numerous other marital rights -- to opposite-sex couples. Another provision allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed in another state or a foreign nation.

Both the federal law and the state law were challenged in a 2004 suit by Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer of Mission Viejo after they were twice denied a marriage license. The men, both 46, have been together since 1997. They argued that the laws violate their constitutional rights of equal protection, privacy and freedom of association.

A federal judge upheld the federal law last June after ruling that Smelt and Hammer had the legal standing to challenge the law because they had registered as domestic partners with the state. Unbeknownst to the judge, however, the two had notified the state in December 2004 that they were dissolving their domestic partnership and wanted to be recognized as a married couple.

The suit has drawn protests from organized supporters of same-sex marriage -- Equality California, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as the city of San Francisco. They fear that federal court litigation could lead to an early and unfavorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reinforces current marriage laws. Those groups and the city are awaiting a hearing before a state appeals court in San Francisco on the constitutionality of the California law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

In today's ruling, the appeals court panel said a court can decide the constitutionality of a federal law only if it is being challenged by someone who can show he or she is being harmed by the law. That's not true of Smelt and Hammer, the court said, because their own state does not define their relationship as marriage.

"Their attack on (the Defense of Marriage Act) ... is one that every taxpayer and citizen in the country could theoretically bring on the basis that the definition does not include some favorite grouping within the definition of marriage,'' said Judge Ferdinand Fernandez in the 3-0 ruling. If an unmarried couple has the right to sue because they are denied federal marriage benefits, he said, any two friends, a single person or even a corporation would also have standing to file the same suit.

The ruling leaves the federal marriage law in place. But Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights -- which opposes the federal law as well as the California marriage law -- said his organization was "pleased and relieved'' that the court ordered the suit dismissed.

Minter said Smelt and Hammer should drop the suit and "join in the effort to keep educating Californians and keep making progress on the issue in California.'' But the couple and their lawyer have indicated that they were prepared to take their case to the Supreme Court.

[Soldier4Christ]

Lodi man to be retried for lying to FBI

LODI - Federal prosecutors announced today that they will retry a Lodi man after a jury deadlocked on charges that he allegedly lied to the FBI about his son's training at a Pakistani terrorist camp.

Umer Hayat, an ice cream driver, faces up to 16 years in prison if he is convicted on two charges of providing false statements to federal investigators. Hayat was released Monday on bail.

After U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell Jr. reduced Hayat's bail from $1.2 million, the equity in Hayat's home -- $390,000 -- was put up as a guarantee that he won't flee before his trial.

Jurors split 7 -5 last month in favor of conviction on one count, and 6-6 on the other, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento.

Hayat's 23-year-old son, Hamid Hayat, was convicted April 24 of providing material support to terrorists and lying about it to the FBI. He faces 30 to 39 years in prison.

Father and son were tried simultaneously, largely based on videotaped FBI interrogations conducted last June, when the younger Hayat had just returned from a two-year trip to Pakistan.

[Soldier4Christ]

 City to consider taking land from Wal-Mart
Prime bay property could be seized by eminent domain

The Hercules City Council will consider whether to use eminent domain to wrest a 17-acre property from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. after the nation's largest retailer rejected a city offer to buy the site with views of San Pablo Bay, city officials said Thursday.

The council asked that a "resolution of necessity'' be brought to it for discussion, City Manager Mike Sakamoto said. The matter has been put on the council's May 23 agenda. Efforts to reach council members about Thursday's announcement were unsuccessful.

Wal-Mart bought the property overlooking central Hercules in November after another developer received city approvals for a neighborhood shopping center.

In February, city planners recommended denying Wal-Mart's proposal for a big-box store on its property, saying the plan was not in keeping with what had been approved for the location, which commands a view of one of the Bay Area's most vaunted New Urbanist communities, with pedestrian-oriented streets and large open-space set-asides, as well as sweeping views of the bay.

The company withdrew its application before it went to the city Planning Commission. In response, the City Council voted to make an offer for the land for an undisclosed amount of money.

On March 31, however, Wal-Mart submitted a new application that it said substantially conforms to city requirements. The same day the company submitted its revised proposal, Councilwoman Charleen Raines was hardly welcoming, although she said she had not read it.

"What the council has said is that we want to buy the property,'' she said, describing the tussle with Wal-Mart as a "David and Goliath'' struggle. "At this point, we're concerned about moving ahead on this property. It's been hanging over us for a long time.''

Wal-Mart's new proposal, which is still hotly opposed by some residents, calls for a general retail and grocery store, as well as a pedestrian plaza, two outdoor dining areas and other small shops and general merchandise stores, including a pharmacy.

"We're disappointed that the city is really playing politics with the future of Hercules rather than looking at the big picture,'' company spokesman Kevin Loscotoff said.

"Many residents of the city who we've talked to are frustrated and anxious for this much-needed retail project to move forward.''

[Soldier4Christ]

Air Force General Faces Oposition As He Takes Top Spot At CIA



Washington, D.C. (AHN) - U.S. Air Force General, Michael Hayden, is facing opposition from within in the government, as he becomes President George Bush's pick to replace Porter Goss as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) believes the CIA, which is a civilian agency, should not have a military officer in command as it recovers from high profile information leaks and an overall restructuring since September 11th.

Hoekstra calls Hayden, "the wrong person, the wrong place at the wrong time," despite his distinguished service for America.

The Chairman says, "There is ongoing tensions between this premier civilian intelligence agency and [the Department of Defense] as we speak."

"I think putting a general in charge - regardless of how good Mike is... is going to send the wrong signal through the agency here in Washington but also to our agents in the field around the world."

Rep. Hoekstra is not alone, as Senators are beginning to voice the same concern against the new Bush appointment.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, explains, "You can't have the military control most of the major aspects of intelligence."

Sen Feinstein says the CIA "is a civilian agency and is meant to be a civilian agency."

Another Senate Intelligence Committee member, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), adds, "I think the fact that he is a part of the military today would be the major problem."

[Soldier4Christ]

Bush Turns to Gen. Hayden to Lead CIA

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush chooses Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to lead the embattled CIA on Monday despite criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike about a military officer taking over the helm of the civilian spy agency.

"Mike Hayden is extremely qualified for this position," Bush said in the Oval Office, with Hayden at his side. "He knows the intelligence community from the ground up."

Earlier Monday, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley defended the decision to tap a military officer to head the CIA.

"He'll be reporting to the president of the United States, not Don Rumsfeld," the secretary of defense, said Hadley. Other military officers have led the CIA, Hadley said. "So the precedents are clear."

To balance the CIA between military and civilian leadership, the White House plans to move aside the agency's No. 2 official, Vice Admiral Albert Calland III, who took over as deputy director less than a year ago, two senior administration officials said. Other personnel changes also are likely, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the changes are not ready to announce.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he was concerned that Hayden's nomination would detract from the real issue of intelligence reform.

"The debate in the Senate may end up being about the terrorist surveillance program and not about the future of the CIA or the intelligence community, which is exactly where the debate needs to be," Hoekstra said on CBS'"The Early Show."

"This is about whether we still have alignment and agreement between the executive branch and Congress as to where intelligence reform needs to go," he said.

Hadley made the rounds of morning television shows to defend Hayden's selection. "We think the issue is getting the best man for the job and the president has determined that Mike Hayden is the best man for the job," Hadley told The Associated Press.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett said Hayden would be the fifth CIA chief in uniform. "He has been viewed as a non-comformist and an independent thinker," Bartlett said.

Hadley said that any nominee to lead the CIA would face questions about the controversial domestic surveillance program by the National Security Agency and that Hayden, the former director of the agency, was the best man to answer those questions.

If Hayden were confirmed, military officers would run all the major spy agencies, from the ultra-secret National Security Agency to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Hoekstra's sentiment was echoed by Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who said that Hayden's military background would be a "major problem," and several Democrats who made the rounds of the Sunday television talk shows. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said Hayden could leave agents with the impression that the CIA has been "just gobbled up by the Defense Department."

Some lawmakers, like Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, suggested that he might think about resigning his military post if he were going to head the CIA. But Hoekstra and Chambliss were among those who said that wouldn't solve the problem.

"Just resigning commission and moving on, putting on a striped suit, a pinstriped suit versus an Air Force uniform, I don't think makes much difference," Chambliss said on ABC's "This Week."

Talk of Hayden's possible nomination has reignited the debate over the Bush's administration's domestic surveillance program, which Hayden used to oversee as the former head of the National Security Agency.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he would use a Hayden nomination to raise questions about the legality of the program and did not rule out holding it up until he gets answers. "I'm not going to draw any lines in the sand until I see how the facts evolve," Specter said on Fox.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., defended Hayden.

"In all due respect to my colleagues - and I obviously respect their views - General Hayden is really more of an intelligence person than he is an Air Force officer," McCain said on "Face the Nation" on CBS. "I think that we should also remember that there had been other former military people who have been directors of the CIA."

Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner, who headed the CIA during the Carter administration, said he did not think Hayden was a good choice.

"I happen to think not because I happen to think the wiretapping was illegal and we need to clarify that for the whole American public, and the debate of his nomination will do that, I believe," Turner said on CBS'"The Early Show."

[Soldier4Christ]

'Divine Strake' delayed? Agency says, 'no'
In question: Critic says Justice Department lawyers told him the explosive test won't take place as early as planned

Divine Strake, the massive explosion experiment planned next month for the Nevada desert, may be delayed.
   Attorney Robert Hager said Justice Department lawyers for the Pentagon and the U.S. Energy Department told him Thursday the test would be delayed until as late as June 23, three weeks after the detonation was originally scheduled for.
   A spokeswoman for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, one of the agencies behind Divine Strake, denied the claim.
   "No," said Irene M. Smith. "Divine Strake's date has not been changed."
   She noted that new information was released Friday with a revised environmental assessment from the National Nuclear Security Administration, the second agency involved.
   But Hager pointed out the updated version still lacks critical details needed to determine whether the test could be safe, such as what type of test was used to check for radioactivity surrounding the explosion site and what the results were.
   Hager and other critics have complained for weeks about the two agencies' failure to provide data showing the test will be as safe as they say. Environmental officials in Utah and Nevada also have clamored for more detail on how much debris might be dispersed in the blast's 10,000-foot tall mushroom cloud and whether that debris could contain worrisome levels of radiation from past atomic tests.
   "It's 'Take-our-word-on-it' that caused tens of thousands of cancers in Utah and Nevada and all over the United States," said Hager, whose clients include the Winnemucca Western Shoshone Indians and downwinders, a group of people who say fallout from atomic tests made them sick.

Hager's ultimate goal is to get Divine Strake scratched.
   The federal government, meanwhile, describes the test as a means of understanding how 700 tons of explosives would affect a deep tunnel, like those believed to be used to shield leaders and military equipment in nations like Iran, North Korea and other potential U.S. enemies. While the detonation involves conventional material - its ammonium nitrate-fuel oil mix fueled the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing - some critics fear Divine Strake is a precursor to the testing of nuclear weapons in the Nevada desert once again.
   U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both Utah Republicans, and U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, have asked for better proof that Divine Strake won't hurt their state. All three sent aides to survey the site nearly two weeks ago and said they wanted more detailed information about it.
   "We'll see if the government can produce the data and the documentation required to make the case that this test is necessary," said Steve Erickson, one of Hager's Utah clients.
   "This test is not a done deal yet"

[Soldier4Christ]

Foggo Out at CIA

No. 3 Man at CIA Resigns Amid Growing Corruption Allegations

ABC News has learned that Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, the hand-picked executive director of the CIA under Porter Goss, has resigned — the same day as his boss's replacement was announced by the White House.

Foggo is at the center of a swirling storm of corruption allegations — and there are suggestions that the scandal, which involves poker parties, sweetheart contracts and prostitutes — could spread, further tainting the agency. His resignation may serve to tamp down some of the damage to the agency itself as an FBI criminal probe and a CIA inspector general's investigation continue.

Earlier today, the White House announced that Gen. Michael Hayden had been picked to replace Goss, whose resignation came at the end of last week.

ABC News' Christopher Isham reported today that a respected veteran CIA officer — Stephen Kappes — had already been asked to return to the agency as Hayden's right hand. Kappes had left the agency when Goss was appointed as its head. Insiders told ABC News that the news of Kappes' expected return is likely to be a huge boost to morale.

Goss had refused to remove Foggo from his powerful post after Foggo came under investigation by the FBI and the CIA inspector general.

A CIA official said Foggo's resignation would be "pretty normal" following the resignation of Goss as director.

The choice of Foggo to run the agency's day-to-day activities has been cited as an example of Goss' mismanagement of the spy agency.

Before being handpicked by Goss, Foggo had been written up for insubordination by his supervisor, the highest-ranking African-American woman in the CIA.

A CIA official confirmed the incident but said the insubordination report was never formally filed.

The supervisor, Jeanette Moore, resigned shortly after Foggo was promoted by Goss.

Foggo recently admitted that he attended Washington, D.C., poker parties that figure in a widening corruption scandal involving a defense contractor, Brent Wilkes, who is a longtime friend of Foggo.

Federal officials are investigating whether Wilkes also provided prostitutes at the parties. Foggo has denied seeing any prostitutes at the parties he attended.

The FBI and the CIA inspector general are both investigating whether any of the CIA contracts awarded to Wilkes were handled improperly.

Foggo has strongly denied any impropriety involving CIA contracts.