John Walker Lindh, referred to as "The American Taliban" has filed a request with the Pardon Office asking President Bush to commute and reduce his 20 year sentence. Lindh's lawyer argues that Lindh should be treated similarly to Yaser Hamdi who was released and deported last week, after spending three years in custody.

Lindh, a 23-year-old Northern California native, pleaded guilty in civilian court to supplying services to the now-defunct Taliban government and carrying explosives for them. He and Hamdi were both captured in late 2001. Brosnahan said he negotiated the 20-year sentence during a time when a "highest state of fear" was affecting U.S. juries and he thought it was the best deal he could get at the time. He could have gotten life in prison if convicted.

Both are American-born. Both were captured in Afghanistan and brought to the U.S. Hamdi was held in detention and never charged. Lindh was charged in civilian court.

What justifies their different treatment?

George Soros is a wealthy man. The 24th richest person in the U.S., he has spent $18 million of his own money so far to see that Bush is defeated in November. Why? Here's a portion of the speech he gave Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington criticizing President Bush's policies on Iraq and the war on terror. (received via e-mail.)

President Bush inadvertently played right into the hands of bin Laden. The invasion of Afghanistan was justified: that was where bin Laden lived and al Qaeda had its training camps. The invasion of Iraq was not similarly justified. It was President Bush's unintended gift to bin Laden.

War and occupation create innocent victims. We count the body bags of American soldiers; there have been more than 1000 in Iraq. The rest of the world also looks at the Iraqis who get killed daily. There have been 20 times more. Some were trying to kill our soldiers; far too many were totally innocent, including many women and children. Every innocent death helps the terrorists' cause by stirring anger against America and bringing them potential recruits.

Mr. Soros is not stopping there. He is now embarking on a multi-city tour and investing in a website and ads designed to elicit debate on Iraq and the War on Terror in his continued effort to see that Bush is defeated in November. Joining him for the campaign kick-off is General Wesley Clark.

Great news--the two female Italian aid workers kidnapped and held hostage in Iraq have been released. Last week's report that they had been killed was false.

The abducted CNN reporter also has been released.

A website created to out Harvard Professors whose writings include words taken from the works of others is making waves. Today, esteemed Law Professor Laurence Tribe apologizes for his mistakes. Also caught in the cross-hairs: Charles Ogletree. Instapundit weighs in.

...identifying plagiarism requires more than just pointing out some parallel passages (see this post quoting Alexander Lindey on why that is) -- it also requires knowledge of context, an analysis of the work as a whole...

From Mark Crispin Miller:

This week we're releasing the DVD of A Patriot Act, the piece I've been performing at the New York Theater Workshop all this year. That show was a great success, getting people all fired up to fight the Bushveiks; and this new movie version is terrific. It is the joint work of a highly skilled and gifted group of filmmaking professionals, all of whom put in their time for free.

We want to set up screenings everywhere, so that every rational American (hey, every rational person) might see it prior to Election Day. We'll have it screened at indy theaters, social gatherings, at campus rallies and on public access cable channels. (And if Bush & Co. steals the White House for the second time, we want the movie to stay on the public radar screen, because if that does happen Patriot Act will be even timelier.)

[link fixed.]

To get your copy, send an email to info@patriotnation.us

Yesterday we wrote about the new anti-terror bill being pushed through Congress by Republicans anxious to get it passed and signed into law by Bush before Nov. 2. Here's more--go grab your Pepto Dismal, you'll need it:

S. 2679 contains the largest expansion of federal powers since the USA PATRIOT Act, with the most serious consequences for civil liberties, that have been proposed since the demise of the much-maligned "Domestic Security Enhancement Act," also called "Patriot Act II." While the Domestic Security Enhancement Act provoked a firestorm of criticism and never proceeded beyond the drafting stage, a number of its contentious provisions have been given new life in S. 2679.

Check out Section 110 of the bill.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette(D-Colo.)is warning that the Administration is pushing towards the return of the draft:

"The American people are going to have to realize that if the Bush administration is going to push 'pre-emption,' we're going to have to reinstate the draft," Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said at a news conference in Denver. "I'm just trying to be realistic. We're already stretched with our ventures in Afghanistan and Iraq."

DeGette has called for a Congressional investigation into the Administration's "stop loss" orders, which tell a soldier about to be done with his duty that if he doesn't reinlist, he will be sent to Iraq to finish out his service.

"Soldiers who served honorably, fought in Iraq and are near the end of their service should not be threatened with impressment," DeGette said. "How widespread is this? How high does this go in the Pentagon?"

The death penalty debate is growing. Here is an excellent speech by Richard Dieter of the Death Penalty Information Center to the American Correctional Association (prison guards.) It outlines all that is wrong with the death penalty. It's not new, but it's a keeper for all who are called upon to speak on the subject. His conclusion:

The death penalty is literally falling apart at the seams. Judging by the 50% decline in death sentences, by the growing rejection of this punishment around the world, and by the decreasing support even in this country, it is likely that its days are numbered. I believe that we are seeing a trend in society to put its trust in the correctional system that is already keeping society safe from over 99% of violent convicted criminals. I believe the correctional system would do a much better job with the people who are currently sentenced to death. It would not be satisfied that it has "discharged its whole duty when it has punished" but "having raised him up," it would meet its "further duty to aid in holding him up," regardless of how terrible the crime. Of one thing I am sure: the death penalty system has been tried and it has failed.

The Guardian today presents the first weekly column by Markos of Daily Kos.

Chris Bowers, who writes for Daily Kos and My DD, has a new idea. Lefty bloggers should pool together and apply for a seat in the White House briefing room.

With the Supreme Court set to hear oral argument in the Blakely v. Washington case, check out the debate going on at Legal Affairs--between Douglas Berman and Stephanos Bibas. It's shaping up into an interesting discussion.

Jann Wenner interviews Bruce Springsteen in the new Rolling Stone on Bruce's emergence as a rocker with political clout with voters. Among the topics: John Kerry.

I think that Senator Kerry has long played it close to the vest, and that's his style. However, the presidency is like the heavyweight championship: They don't give it to you, you have to take it. He has a slow, deliberate style that may not make for an electrifying campaigner, but it may make for a very good president. But, of course, you have to get there.

One of the most disturbing aspects of this election is that the machinery for taking something that is a lie and making it feel true, or taking something that is true and making it feel like a lie -- the selling machinery has become very powerful. Senator Kerry has to make people pay attention to the man behind the curtain. He has to take the risk and rip the veil off the administration's deceptions. They are a hall of mirrors and a house of cards.

For Senator Kerry, the good news is he has the facts on his side. The bad news is that often in the current climate it can feel like that doesn't matter, and he has to make it matter.

By the way, happy birthday to the Boss, who turned 55 this week. How time flies.

If you're doing a research project on Bush and you need some ammunition, check out The Paperless Archives:

George W. Bush Presidential Papers
George W. Bush Administration Papers & Reports

17,361 pages of President George Bush and Bush Administration papers.

bq. Material released through Freedom of Information Act Request releases and public information releases. Composed of internal White House documents, Public financial disclosures of President Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, and other members of the Bush Cabinet, George Bush military service records, Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority documents, George Bush and Richard Cheney tax records, 2000 Presidential election dispute court documents and reports, Government Accountability Office reports, Executive Orders issued by President George Bush, transcripts of President George W. Bush public papers, and government reports on issues related to the Bush Administration.