THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

• Critics Question Credibility
  of FBI Investigation into
  White House Leak Exposing CIA Operative
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• Cuba's Foreign Minister Condemns
  U.S.-Iraq War, Economic Inequality
  While Declaring a "Better World is Possible"
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• Electronic Voting's Vulnerability to Tampering
  Could Undermine Public Confidence
  in Machinery of Democracy
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• Underreported News Summary
  from Around the World
  For full summary and audio, Click here!

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As attacks on American troops continue in U.S.-occupied Iraq and the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians spills over into neighboring Syria, the White House is also being forced to deal with growing scandals at home. The Justice Department and FBI have begun an investigation into allegations that Bush administration officials leaked the identity of a covert CIA operative to a conservative columnist. Valerie Plame, the CIA agent whose identity was exposed, is the wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had publicly refuted President Bush's claim that Iraq was seeking uranium in the African nation of Niger for a nuclear weapons program. The White House had sent Wilson to Africa in 2002 to investigate the matter, but ignored his findings. President Bush repeated the charge in his January State of the Union speech, using it as a key justification for war on Iraq.

Ambassador Wilson has accused White House officials, including the president's chief political advisor, Karl Rove of engineering or condoning the leak to punish him and to intimidate other government officials from going public with criticism of President Bush's manipulation of intelligence to gain support for his war on Iraq. ______________________________________________
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The Justice Department-FBI investigation of the matter has come under attack from Democrats who point out the obvious conflict of interest Attorney General John Ashcroft has in leading an inquiry against his boss President Bush. But thus far the White House has resisted demands from congressional Democrats to appoint a special counsel to conduct the probe. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with retired 27-year veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern, who assesses the unfolding scandal surrounding the White House, which he says presents the nation with a serious constitutional crisis.

CIA analyst Ray McGovern led one of two CIA teams conducting the most secret daily intelligence briefings at the White House until his retirement in 1990. His recent article, "Conscience Before Career," can be read online at www.tompaine.com

Related links:

Staffers under previous administrations speak out on CIA leak and criticize the George W. Bush administration's pre-emptive war doctrine:
• "More vicious than Tricky Dick," John Dean says the Bush team's leaks are even viler than his former boss's -- and that Plame and Wilson should file a civil suit, Salon.com, Oct. 3, 2003
• "The Bush Administration Adopts a Worse-than-Nixonian Tactic: The Deadly Serious Crime Of Naming CIA Operatives," by John W. Dean, Aug. 15, 2003
• "The Iraq War and The Bush Administration's Pursuit of Global Domination," Between The Lines' Scott Harris original interview (56 minutes in RealAudio) with former U.N. weapons inspector and U.S. Marine Scott Ritter, Sept. 15, 2003. Ritter, who had voted for George W. Bush in 2000, is now openly critical of the president and this administration's policies. For more information on how to obtain a CD recording of this interview, Click here.
• "The Crazies Are Back": Bush Sr.'s CIA Briefer Discusses How Wolfowitz & Allies Falsely Led the U.S. To War, Democracy Now! interview transcript with former CIA analysts Ray McGovern and David McMichael, by Amy Goodman, Sept. 17, 2003

Other News Reports, Background and Analysis
• "Leak of CIA Officers Leaves Trail of Damage," by Warren P. Strobe, Knight-Ridder, Oct. 11, 2003
• "Fair Game," by William Rivers Pitt, www.truthout.org, Oct. 6, 2003
• "Leak of Agent's Name Causes Exposure of CIA Front Firm," by Walter Pincus and Mike Allen, Washington Post, Oct. 4, 2003
• "Bush's Pre-Emptive War Doctrine Condemned as Related Scandals Erupt in White House," Between The Lines interview with Ian Williams, week ending 10/10/03
• "Conyers Calls For Rove's Resignation," Letter from Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan to Bush adviser Karl Rove, www.truthout.org, Oct. 7, 2003
• "Leaking With a Vengeance," by Michael Duffy, TIME Magazine, Oct. 5, 2003
• "Secrets and Leaks,"by Evan Thomas and Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, Oct. 13, 2003 issue
• "Dispute Over Source Unfolds Amid Probe," by Ken Fireman, Newsday, Oct. 1, 2003
• "What I Didn't Find in Africa," by Joseph C. Wilson 4th, New York Times, July 6, 2003

Cuba's Foreign Minister Condemns
U.S.-Iraq War, Economic Inequality
While Declaring a "Better World is Possible"

Excerpts of Sept. 27 speech in New York City
by Felipe Perez-Roque, Cuba's foreign minister,
produced by Denise Manzari

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez-Roque was recently in New York for the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. On Sept. 27, Perez-Roque was the keynote speaker at the Church of the Intercession in Harlem, where he addressed a standing room-only crowd of about 700.

Earlier, speaking before the U.N. General Assembly, Perez-Roque denounced Washington's occupation of Iraq and later met with 265 Cuban Americans from across the U.S. at Local 1199 in Manhattan.

Actor Harry Belafonte introduced Roque, and co-chairwoman of the event and historian Jane Franklin gave a brief history of U.S. Cuba relations. In his speech at the Church of the Intercession, Perez-Roque spoke about the internationalist approach Cuba has of exporting the benefits of the revolution by sending doctors, other professionals and medicines to countries in times of crisis. Roque also spoke about the latest developments in U.S.-Cuba relations, a global system of sustainable development and the U.S. war on Iraq.

Electronic Voting's Vulnerability to Tampering
Could Undermine Public Confidence
in Machinery of Democracy

Interview with Bev Harris,
author of "Black Box Voting,
Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century,"
conducted by Scott Harris

In response to the controversial outcome of the 2000 presidential election and the flawed paper ballots and "hanging chads" that disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters in Florida, Congress allocated billions of dollars to modernize the nation's voting machinery. But as new electronic voting machine systems are being purchased and put to use they have come under greater scrutiny. Computer specialists analyzing equipment being purchased by the state of Maryland from the Diebold Election Systems company, issued a report which found this technology is at high risk of compromise and vulnerable to computer hackers and voting fraud.

The report prepared for Maryland by the Science Applications International Corporation confirmed an earlier examination of Diebold equipment that concluded security gaps in the machines could be exploited to let people vote many times or change their vote after they are cast. But despite these warnings of security flaws, Maryland officials are proceeding with the purchase of Diebold machines.

Currently more than 30,000 electronic voting machines, built by various companies, are being used in 38 states, a fact that has critics concerned about the security and accuracy of future election results. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Bev Harris, author of the book "Black Box Voting, Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century," who examines the serious flaws found in electronic voting systems and how this could profoundly affect the public's trust in the machinery of democracy.

"Black Box Voting, Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century" is published by Plan Nine. Visit the publisher's website for a free download of excerpts of the book at www.blackboxvoting.com

Related links

• "All the President's Votes?" A Quiet Revolution is Taking Place in US Politics. By the Time It's Over, the Integrity of Elections will be in the Unchallenged, Unscrutinized Control of a Few Large - and Pro-Republican - Corporations. Will democracy in America survive? by Andrew Gumbe, the Independent/UK, Oct. 13, 2003
• "New Voting Technology Questioned," Kansas City Star, Sept. 22, 2003
• "Visualize a Fair Vote in 2004," by Greg Palast and Ina Howard, YES! Magazine, Aug. 22, 2003
• " Winning the Election - The Republican Way: Racism, Theft and Fraud in Florida," by Liam Scheff, The Weekly Dig, April 22, 2003

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

• Critics say much of the increased flow of immigrants to the U.S. from Mexico over the last decade has been caused by the dire consequences of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which exacerbated poverty in America's southern neighbor. ("Leaving Altar," In These Times, Oct. 13, 2003)
• A divorced Israeli mother of three launches her own social justice movement, sparking debate in Israel over the current government's policies which undermine the social safety net for the poor, sick and the elderly. ("Single Mothers Movement," World Press Review, October, 2003).
• . The conservative Carpenters Union, which left the AFL-CIO federation in 2001, has aligned itself with labor's progressive wing, endorsing organizing as the key to labor's survival. ("Organize or die," American Prospect, September 2003.)
  

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Credits:
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Sasha Summer Cousineau
Segment Producer: Denise Manzari
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Harry Minot, Jeff Yates and Bill Cosentino
Senior Web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeff Yates
Web editor: Bill Cosentino
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Theme music: Mikata

Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 10/10/03

Bush Re-Election Issues

"Conscience Before Career," by retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern, Tompaine.com, Oct. 2, 2003

"Republicans Unsure of Bush's Chances For 2004 Election," Knight Ridder Newspapers, Oct. 5, 2003

"House Probers Conclude Iraq War Data was Weak," Washington Post, Sept. 28, 2003

"Bush Administration Is Focus of Inquiry: CIA Agent's Identity Was Leaked to Media," Washington Post, Sept. 28, 2003

"CIA Seeks Probe of White House," MSNBC and NBC News, Sept. 26, 2003

"The Bush Administration Adopts a Worse-than- Nixonian Tactic: The Deadly Serious Crime Of Naming CIA Operatives," by John W. Dean, Aug. 15, 2003

"Revenge of the ex-generals," MSNBC, Sept. 25, 2003

"Six Months After the Attack on Iraq, Was the Anti-war Movement Right?" CommonDreams.org, Sept. 23, 2003

"The Big Lie," The London Daily Mirror, Sept. 22, 2003

"Mistakes of Vietnam Repeated With Iraq," Atlanta Journal- Constitution, Sept. 18, 2003

"Kennedy Says Iraq War Case a 'Fraud,'" Associated Press, Sept. 18, 2003

"Bush: No Proof of Saddam Role in 9-11," Associated Press, Sept. 17, 2003

"Cheney in Wonderland," Los Angeles Times editorial, Sept. 16, 2003

"Cheney Link of Iraq, 9/11 Challenged," Boston Globe, Sept. 16, 2003

"Why Don't We Have Answers to these 9/11 Questions?" Philadelphia Daily News, Sept. 11, 2003

"Read Between The Lines of Those Missing 28 Pages," The Nation, July 29, 2003

"Impeaching Bush,"Counterpunch, July 25, 2003

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Halliburton Unit In Consortium Fingered For Alleged Corruption," The Houston Business Journal, Oct. 10, 2003

"Arnold Unplugged - It's Hasta la vista to $9 Billion if the Governator is Selected," By Greg Palast, www.commondreams.org, Oct. 3, 2003 "

"Cheney's Ties to Halliburton," The Washington Post, Sept. 26, 2003

"Oil Services Firm Paid Cheney as VP," Reuters, Sept. 17, 2003

"Immunity for Iraqi Oil Dealings Raises Alarm," Los Angeles Times, Aug. 7, 2003

"Rivals Say Halliburton Dominates Iraq Oil Work," New York Times, Aug. 8, 2003

"Pipeline Politics: Oil, The Taliban, and the Political Balance of Central Asia," World Press Review Special Report, Nov.-Dec. 2001

"War Profiteering," by The Nation editors, April 24, 2003

Postwar Occupation of Iraq

"Inside The Resistance," The Guardian UK, Oct. 13, 2003

"An Anti-American Iraqi Cleric Declares His Own Government," The New York Times, Oct. 12, 2003

"Iraq: Civil War a Credible Hypothesis," La Liberation, Sept. 4 2003

Civil Liberties

"Local Peace Group Infiltrated By Government Agent," San Francisco Bay Area IMC, Oct. 4, 2003

"Concerns about citizen privacy grow as states create 'Matrix' database," The Associated Press, Sept. 23, 2003

"ACLU to Announce First Nationwide Lawsuit Over Restrictions Against Anti-Bush Protesters," American Civil Liberties Union, Sept. 22, 2003

"Fascism Anyone?" 14 Signs of Fascism, Free Inquiry Magazine, Volume 23, No. 2

"Germany In 1933: The Easy Slide Into Fascism," The Crisis Papers, June 9, 2003

Multi-Ethnic Issues Advocacy

Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson's Commentaries, The Hutchinson Report
and in Audio (needs RealPlayer)