Why is no one calling on Senator Bill Frist to apologize to Senator Dick Durbin? Sen. Frist, repeating a false headline in the Washington Times, accused Sen. Durbin of saying Guantanamo is “a death camp." (Frist's statement, in two parts, is here and here. (pdf)) Read Senator Durbin's remarks (pdf). He never said that.

Frist also falsely claimed that Durbin said our service members are “committing genocide and war crimes.” Durbin never said that either. Most outrageously, Frist essentially accused Durbin of encouraging suicide bombers:

“It is anti-American and only fuels the animus of our enemies who are constantly searching for ways to portray our great country and our people as anti-muslim and anti-Arab. It is this type of language that they use to recruit others to be car bombers; suicide attackers; hostage takers; and full-fledged jihadists.”

This is a transparent attempt by the right-wing to change the subject from the real problem – torture. The Bush administration’s torture policies are un-American and they put our troops and risk and make American less safe.

People should be calling for Frist to apologize and retract his comments about Durbin and for the White House to rescind their torture policies. Our initial post on Senator Durbin's comments is here and a follow-up on right wing spin is here.

Update: Atrios, America Blog, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, Blogging of the President, Body and Soul, Oliver Willis and Steve Gilliard join the call for a Frist apology.

Update: The FBI e-mail that Senator Durbin referred to can be viewed here. There are many more like it here.

Update: Via Armando at Daily Kos, Senator Durbin again explains his comments. My take: If Durbin was big enough to clarify what he said, Frist should apologize for his gross distortion of Durbin's remarks.

Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) formally introduced legislation today designed to reauthorize and expand the Patriot Act. The ACLU today denounced the proposal, and called upon lawmakers to bring the act in line with the Constitution by restoring proper checks and balances.

Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director, says:

"The Roberts proposal comes at a time when many realize that the Patriot Act needs to be reformed, not expanded. His bill would give law enforcement extraordinary powers, like allowing the FBI to issue and execute its own "administrative subpoenas," or records search orders, without meaningful checks and balances, even when the government is not investigating criminal activity. His committee rejected fair-minded proposals to limit this awesome power to emergencies. If enacted, the Roberts bill would weaken the Fourth Amendment and all its protections. This effort is completely out of step with growing bipartisan concerns that the Patriot Act went too far and needs to be reformed - not expanded."

Sen. Rick Perry's office released this statement today to commemorate his signing of S. 60, passed by the Texas legislature, which will allow juries to consider life without the possiblility of parole in death penalty cases.

Under the current system, because the only choices are death or life with parole, jurors may be more likely to vote for death.

The law will apply those convicted of capital murder after Sept. 1, 2005. Background on the bill is here.

Maybe this is how Jeb Bush intends to get even with Michael Schiavo for "winning" the autopsy?

The right wing continues to misconstrue Senator Richard Durbin's remarks about Guantanamo.

Sen. Durbin was not comparing American soldiers to Nazis or suggesting that Guantanamo is analogous to a gulag. What he said was that the interrogation techniques described by the FBI agent in his e-mail call to mind techniques used by repressive regimes, including the Nazis and Soviets. In fact, many of the techniques that were explicitly authorized by Secretary Rumsfeld and remain in use at Guantanamo actually were used in Nazi camps and Soviet gulags and are used by other repressive regimes. For example, the Nazis used food, sleep, and sensory deprivation, and the Soviets used forced standing and sleep deprivation. For more on this, go here and here.

In the past, the United States has always condemned the use of these techniques. The State Department's ``Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,'' which are submitted to Congress every year, have condemned as “Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment”: “threats to detainees or their family members,” “sleep deprivation,” “depriv[ation] of food and water,” “suspension for long periods in contorted positions,” “prolonged isolation,” “forced prolonged standing,” “tying of the hands and feet for extended periods of time,” “public humiliation,” and “sexual humiliation.”

Update: The FBI e-mail that Senator Durbin referred to can be viewed here. There are many more like it here.

Update: Dave Neiwert has an excellent take on this. And Fafblog sets everyone straight.

After 11 days of deliberations, Former Tyco chief Dennis Kozlowski was convicted today at his retrial on fraud charges:

Former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and a second executive were convicted Friday of looting their company of more than $600 million to fund extravagant lifestyles featuring expensive jewelry, an opulent Manhattan apartment and a gaudy Mediterranean birthday party.

Update: Forbes has this analysis, and asks whether a crime really was committed?

Your turn....what's on your mind?

A bi-partisan group of legislators have introduced a bill seeking an exit plan for Bush's increasingly unpopular war:

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a resolution that would require Bush to submit a plan for troop withdrawal by the end of the year and to begin the pullout by October 2006. "After 2 1/2 years, it's right to take a fresh look. We have a right to ask, 'What are the goals?' " said Rep. Walter B. Jones of North Carolina, one of the Republican sponsors of the measure.

"It's time to get serious about an exit strategy," said Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, a Democratic sponsor. Other sponsors of the resolution include Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Martin T. Meehan (D-Mass.) and Lynn C. Woolsey (D-Petaluma).

It's time to get out of this war with no end.

The Runaway Bride isn't the only one to announce a book and film deal Thursday. So did Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat."

Felt's working title: "A G-man's Life: The FBI, Being "Deep Throat" And the Struggle for Honor in Washington."

As for the movie version: The deal was signed with Felt by Universal Pictures and Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. Hanks hasn't yet decided whether to star in the movie. Right now, he's listed as a producer.

Another huge waste of funds....the camera system covering the Mexico and Canadian borders:

Members of Congress yesterday denounced a $239 million camera system installed on the Mexican and Canadian borders as a scandal and an embarrassment, citing defective equipment, rampant overcharging by contractors and a failure by the U.S. Border Patrol and other government officials to properly oversee it.

"What we have here, plain and simple, is a case of gross mismanagement of a multimillion-dollar contract," Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on management, said at a hearing yesterday. "Worst of all, it's seriously weakened our border security."

The ISIS cameras (Border Patrol's Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System )took seven years to install. The contract went to International Microwave Corp.

Post-Verdict
Thursday, June 16

Here are the handwritten questions the jury asked during deliberations in the Michael Jackson trial. (pdf)

The Judge unsealed them today.

Pretty soon he'll be in the tank....Crooks and Liars has the latest Bush poll numbers from the CBS - New York Times Poll released today:

President George W. Bush's job approval rating is now just 42 percent, and most Americans think he does not share their priorities. Iraq and the economy -- not the President's signature issue of Social Security -- are most important to Americans, and Americans' assessments of both remain mixed, with support for the decision to send troops to Iraq matching its lowest percent ever.

51% of those polled disapprove of the job he is doing. Analysis: Bush has problems. More here