The Year In Review

Iraq is still being occupied by the United States and thus far we've lost 2177 American soldiers. Total wounded is around 16,155 and these numbers could be off a little. For the Iraq people who have been killed I have this that is an excerpt from a BBC article. " Poor planning, air strikes by coalition forces and a "climate of violence" have led to more than 100,000 extra deaths in Iraq", scientists claim. The total cost of the occupation is estimated to be around $230,464,341,000.00, I retrieved that figure from here, Iraq Cost

Prison abuse was reported coming from Iraq and Afghanistan. We heard all over the news stations about Abu Ghraib prison abuse and we read it all over the internet and newspapers. The probe began in 2004 and continued into the year of 2005. CNN reports the story about Afghanistan. Washington Post reports that the abuse tactics that took place at Abu Ghraib was first used at Guantanamo.

United States still have soldiers in Afghanistan and the death toll there is estimated to be 208.

Jose Padilla who is an American citizen who was detained for three years is reported by Washington Post who was having an appeal heard by U.S Court of Appeals. He was arrested in 2002 and was not charged with anything but designated an enemy combatant by (P)Resident George W. Bush and sent to S. Carolina.

Cafta wins approval from the senate. Washington Post reports the story. Cafta promotes trade liberalization between the United States and five Central American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Negotiations of CAFTA began in January of 2003. CAFTA was completed in one calendar year, with limited civil society or Congressional participation. NAFTA took seven years to negotiate.

Hurricane Katrina brings the worst devestation in the history of the United States to the Gulf Coast Region in August. A direct hit at New Orleans of Louisianna, and also hitting Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The estimated cost of damage from the storm is around $75 billion dollars. Fatalities were 1,383. The debacle of rescue and recovery were plastered 24 hours a day across every news channel available. Reporters rushed to cover the great devestation and Americans and people worldwide rushed to donate cash, and other things that were needed. Hurricane Katrina was handled so poorly by so many involved but the most rememberable one involved would be FEMA director Michael Brown . We'll remember him having a fake resume full of jobs he never had, and we'll remember forever that he was far from qualified for the job with him coming from managing horse stables.

Colin Powell leaves Bush administration January 2005. We remember Colin Powell sitting in front of the United Nations making the case against Sadam Hussein in Iraq. I remember him telling the American people in February of 2001 and I will quote him,

"He (Saddam Hussein) has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbours." You can review the video of him making this statement here at Colin Powell .

But we all know this was not the case he made in front of the United Nations and perhaps his conscious is why he finally deciding to leave the administration. After he destroyed his image he might have thought leaving would have saved him some face, it did not.

Condolezza Rice who was the National Security Advisor until she was appointed to take the spot of Colin Powell as Secetary of State when he had resigned in January of 2005. We remember her making foolish statements and testifying to the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, that the White House didn't anticipate hijacked planes being used as weapons. Although we know that she briefed George W. Bush with the famous memo titled "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States". I also remember her making the statement along with Colin Powell in July of 2001 and I will quote her now.

"We are able to keep his arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt." You can review her making this statement in the video here at Condi Rice .

Patriot Act was to sunset in 2005 and the renewal failed in Senate at first. The talk of filerbusters did not make the Bush administration happy at all. Senators on both sides of the aisle argued that some of the act's provisions infringe on civil rights. CNN reported the story. Later they agreed on an extension. Which would bring it to be in active status for five weeks. In five weeks they will go back to the debate and analyze the provisions again and vote whether to make them permanent. Science Daily reports Bush signing reauthorization.

Downing Street Memo was brought to light in 2005 and Washington Post reported on the story. The head of British foreign intelligence reported to Prime Minister Tony Blair that President Bush wanted to topple Saddam Hussein by military action and warned that in Washington intelligence was "being fixed around the policy," according to notes of a July 23, 2002, meeting with Blair at No. 10 Downing Street.

Osama Bin Laden is still not been caught but we do remember George W. Bush making this exact statement, "I don’t know where he is. Nor — you know, I just don’t spend that much time on him really, to be honest with you. I....I truly am not that concerned about him." You can also read about that here at Washington Monthly .

Haliburton gets contract for business. Halliburton’s new Iran contract, moreover, appears to suggest a far closer connection with the country’s hard-line government than the firm has ever acknowledged.

News Max reports that UNITED NATIONS, June 23 (UPI) -- Halliburton Co., the oil company that was headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, signed contracts with Iraq worth $73 million through two subsidiaries while he was at its helm, the Washington Post reported. We also know Cheney was the CEO of Haliburton as you can read here at Darth Cheney

Lewis "Scooter" Libby was indicted. Libby being VP Darth Cheney top aide was involved in the CIA leak of Valerie Plame. CNN reports the story.

Valerie Plame who was a CIA agent who had her identity leaked into the press has had her career destroyed. Her husband Joe Wilson believes this happened because he came out with the truth about the lie told by the Bush administration regarding Saddam Husein attempting to buy yellow cake uranium from Africa. Revenge is sweet for some I suppose. Is it sweet Georgie?

Karl Rove who we know as a the chief of staff to the White House was mentioned in the news all year. There is speculation that he was behind or a part of the CIA leak of Valerie Plame's real identity. MSNBC reports a story. There were stories that questioned the connection of Jeff Gannon and Karl Rove which CBS reports a story on. And here you can read more into Karl Rove history.

Bill Frist who took the spot of majority leader Tom Delay also had found his name in scandal. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Hospital operator HCA Inc. said Friday that federal prosecutors have issued a subpoena for documents the company believes may be related to the sale of its stock by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Read more here at Frist Scandal

Tom Delay who was forced to relinguish his seat in senate as majority leader due to scandal. A grand jury indicted DeLay and reindicted two of his associates in an investigation of a political fundraising group DeLay founded, Texans for a Republican Majority. You can read more here at Delay Scandal .

Jeff Gannon who is also known as James D. Guckert, which is his real name. There are some who speculate that he is the boy who went missing from Iowa by the name of Johnny Gosch. The story broke that he was a reporter who worked for Talon News placed in the Whitehouse to help George W. Bush dodge tough questions.

Chief Justice Roberts was appointed to the Chief Justice seat in September of 2005 and he basically skated through to being confirmed with very little battle against him taking the spot in the Supreme Court of the land.

George W. Bush nominates Harriet Miers who in the end withdrew herself from the spot, and led George W. Bush to nominate Samuel A. Alito who has yet to know the outcome of his future. Will he be filerbustered? Or will he be confirmed? Only time will tell.

Bush orders NSA to bypass FISA court to spy domestically on Americans and the New York Times and Washington Post break the story. MSNBC reports on the story. I remember George W. Bush making this statement,

"Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so..." -- President Bush, April 20, 2004

Bush administration wants to go after the New York Times and Washington Post for releasing the NSA spy story. One reason I can think of for wanting to do this is to stop them from revealing to the American people who they really were spying on. Most likely the reason he could not go to FISA court for a warrant is he had no probable cause to spy on those he ordered wiretaps on. Senators, judges, anti-war protestors, or anti-bush agenda groups? He probably knew FISA would not approve a warrant to do so therefore he bypassed the FISA court, which IS ILLEGAL!!!

I hope you have a wonderful New Year. May impeachment come to save our country.