Drudge Retort

Pentagon Plans 20,000 Troops in U.S.

Doc_Sarvis — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:30:50 -0500

The U.S. expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the U.S. by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe. Critics express concern the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement.

Vanden Heuvel: Gates? Really?

rcade — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:56:56 -0500

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Maybe being right about the greatest foreign policy disaster in US history doesn't mean much inside the Beltway? How else to explain that not a single top member of Obama's foreign policy/national security team opposed the war -- or the dubious claims leading up to it?

Man Will Go Cashless for a Year

skynews — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:32:35 -0500

A British man plans to go a year without money, living completely off the land and products he scrounges from rubbish. "I suspect the most difficult thing will be socializing in a world that revolves around money," said Mark Boyle.

Bush: 'I Was Unprepared for War'

corky — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:17:52 -0500

President George W. Bush said that incorrect intelligence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was the "biggest regret of all the presidency." In an interview with ABC News' Charlie Gibson, Bush said that he stayed true to his principles and values throughout his presidency but "I think I was unprepared for war."

Sullivan: Obama Must Address Bush's Use of Torture

Doc_Sarvis — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:31:04 -0500

Andrew Sullivan: How will President Obama deal with the legacy of criminal actions of his predecessor's administration when it comes to detention, interrogation, abuse and torture of terror suspects? Perhaps the sanest way forward is a truth commission, modeled on those in Chile and South Africa that maintained governmental continuity for a while but set up a process that allowed for a maximal gathering of the relevant facts and names. One way of another, Obama has to take a stand on Bush's dark legacy.

Obama Retains Gates as Defense Secretary

rcade — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:24:35 -0500

President-elect Barack Obama asked Robert Gates to stay on as defense secretary, retaining the Republican named by Bush to replace embattled Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2006.

Cohen: Israel Needs Tough Love from U.S.

Doc_Sarvis — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:32:28 -0500

Roger Cohen writes, "During the campaign Hillary Clinton, incoming Secretary of State, said 'the United States stands with Israel, now and forever.'" He thinks it's time for some "tough love," time to stand against Israel so it can avoid "the curse of eternal militarism."

Clinton Chosen Secretary of State

corky — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:56:24 -0500

President-Elect Barack Obama named his national security team on Monday, with former political rival Hillary Clinton in line to be picked as secretary of state.

Euro Chief: UK 'Closer' to Adopting Euro

rcade — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:31:45 -0500

The global credit crunch has brought the UK "closer than ever before" to joining the euro, according to the European Commission's president. "I know that the majority in Britain are still opposed, but there is a period of consideration under way and the people who matter in Britain are currently thinking about it," said Jose Manuel Barroso.

Video: Aftermath of Black Friday Stampede

etstow — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:35:00 -0500

Video has been released from a Long Island Wal-Mart where a worker was killed by a stampede of over 200 shoppers at the opening of a Black Friday sale.

Bush Admin Nixed Tougher Mortgage Rules in 2005

reinheitsgebot — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:24:19 -0500

The Bush administration ignored warnings and backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from banks, according to an AP review of regulatory documents. "Expect fallout, expect foreclosures, expect horror stories," California mortgage lender Paris Welch wrote to U.S. regulators in January 2006.

Oklahoma Tops Texas in BCS Poll

rcade — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:12:16 -0500

Oklahoma came out on top of Texas in the BCS college football standings -- in spite of losing to Texas earlier this year -- so the Sooners will play Missouri for a chance to win the Big 12 title and play in the national championship game.

Online Poker Cheats Steal $20 Million

rcade — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:39:25 -0500

A small group of people managed to cheat online poker players out of more than $20 million, a crime that would've gone undetected if it hadn't been for the players themselves, reveals 60 Minutes.

81 Women Suffer Honor Killings in Basra

reinheitsgebot — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:31:56 -0500

Authorities in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have admitted they are powerless to prevent "honor killings" in the city following a 70 per cent increase in religious murders during the past year. So far this year, 81 women in the city have been murdered for allegedly bringing shame on their families. Only five people have been convicted.