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THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

• Secret Pentagon Unit Churned Out
  Dubious 'Intelligence' Used
  to Justify Iraq War
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• U.S. Labor Movement Opposes
  Bush Plan to Create Immigrant
  Guest Workers Program
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• Weakening of Environmental Regulations
  Undermine Appalachian Communities' Fight
  to Stop Coal Mining Industry
  Mountaintop Removal
  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 November's presidential election draws nearer, more information is being revealed about the dubious evidence, exaggerations and misrepresentations used by the Bush administration to justify its war to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill recently made headlines with comments in a new book and in an interview on CBS TV's "60 Minutes," in which he says that the White House started planning their war against Iraq shortly after President Bush was sworn into office and eight months before the Sept.11 terrorist attacks.

Secretary of State Colin Powell recently said that there is no evidence connecting Saddam Hussein's government with the al Qaeda terrorist network, contradicting numerous statements made by the White House to rally public support for the war. Even as David Kay, the Bush administration's chief postwar weapons inspector, announced his departure from his position, a 400-man team assigned to find Saddam's weapons of mass destruction was withdrawn from Iraq. A report written by a research professor at the U.S. Army War College asserts that the war in Iraq was unnecessary and diverted attention and resources from the threat posed by al Qaeda.

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Adding to the body of evidence indicating the Bush White House employed deception and dishonest intelligence assessments to aid their war effort, is an investigative report in Mother Jones Magazine titled, "The Lie Factory," detailing the existence of a secret Pentagon unit used to create the case for invading Iraq leading the nation to war. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with journalist Robert Dreyfuss, who co-wrote the article along with Jason Vest. He explains how the White House used a network of defense department offices and think tanks to launch a pre-emptive war.

Read Robert Dreyfuss' "The Lie Factory," on the Mother Jones magazine's website at www.motherjones.com Paul O'Neill's book, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House and the Education of Paul O'Neill," is published by Simon and Schuster.

Related links:

• The Intelligence Chain, diagram of the secret Pentagon unit chain of intelligence communication, Mother Jones, www.motherjones.com, January/February, 2004
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (www.ceip.org) study, "WMD IN IRAQ: Evidence and Implications". Summary of findings, recommendations
• "War College Study Calls Iraq a 'Detour'," by Chuck Neubauer and Ken Silverstein, The Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2004
• "O'Neill Denies Charges on Book Documents," by The Associated Press, Jan. 13, 2004
• "US Treasury to probe O'Neill book," BBC News, Jan. 13, 2004
• "Truth About Iraq Known; Fallout Isn't," by Jay Bookman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jan. 12, 2004
• "Bush Sought Iraq Invasion Pre-9/11," CBS News, Jan. 11, 2004
• "Carnegie group says Bush made wrong claims on WMD," Julian Borger, The Guardian, Jan. 8, 2004
• "No proof links Iraq, al-Qaida, Powell says," by Christopher Marquis, New York Times, Jan. 9, 2004
• "Critics Question Credibility of FBI Investigation into White House Leak Exposing CIA Operative," interview with former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, conducted by Scott Harris, Between The Lines week ending Oct. 17, 2003
• "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

U.S. Labor Movement Opposes
Bush Plan to Create Immigrant
Guest Workers Program

Interview with Anna Avendano,
senior adviser on immigration
issues for the AFL-CIO,
conducted by Scott Harris

In his first major policy initiative of the new year, President Bush proposed an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws. The plan, announced Jan. 7, would allow some eight million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S. to obtain legal status as temporary workers. The program, if passed by Congress, would offer legal status to employed immigrants for three years, with a one-time opportunity for renewal, but would offer no new avenues to those seeking U.S. citizenship. While President Bush emphasized the plan's capacity to improve security along the nation's borders, many observers accused the White House of proposing the program in the hopes of gaining crucial Hispanic votes in the upcoming presidential election.

The initiative drew both praise and criticism from the Latino community. But many conservatives and advocates of immigration reform were quick to criticize Bush's updated guest worker program. The National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization said in a statement, "The Bush proposal is a bitter disappointment that will relegate immigrants to second-class status." John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, warned that the Bush immigration plan would create a permanent legal underclass of low-paid workers.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Anna Avendano, senior adviser on immigration issues for the AFL-CIO, who explains why the labor movement opposes the president's immigration plan.

Contact the AFL-CIO by calling (202) 637-5000, or visit their Web site at www.aflcio.org Visit The National Council of La Raza's website at www.nclr.org

Related links:

• "Critics Assail Bush's Immigration Plan," by Martin C. Evans, Erin Texeira and Collin Nash, Newsday, Jan. 9, 2004
• "President's Approach to Immigration Policy Filled with Sweeping Generalities," American Friends Service Committee, Jan. 9, 2004
• Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride campaign www.iwfr.org

Weakening of Environmental Regulations
Undermine Appalachian Communities' Fight
to Stop Coal Mining Industry
Mountaintop Removal

Interview with Joan Mulhern,
senior legislative counsel with Earthjustice,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Over the past decade, in the hills of Kentucky and West Virginia, coal companies have been literally blowing the tops off selected Appalachian mountains to get to the coal seams underneath. Mining firms then dump the debris into mountain streams. The disruption from blasting, air pollution, and especially the flooding that accompanies mountaintop removal strip mining has driven many residents of the mountain hollow communities out of their homes and buried their history.

Citizens in the affected areas and their environmental supporters have won two victories at the state level to stop the practice. They based their efforts on two federal laws: the Clean Water Act and the Surface Mining Act. But they suffered setbacks in federal appeals court, and when the Bush administration rewrote the Clean Water Act rules removing stream protections that citizens claim coal companies were violating. In addition, last week, the White House proposed the weakening of surface mining rules that also protect streams.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Joan Mulhern, senior legislative counsel at Earthjustice, a legal and environmental advocacy group, about the politics of coal and what opponents of mountaintop removal strip mining are hoping to achieve with their campaign.

For more information, call Earthjustice at (202) 667-4500 or visit their Web site at www.earthjustice.org

Related links

• "Bush Administration Proposes Rewriting of Stream Protection Rule in Favor of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining," Earthjustice, Jan. 7, 2004
• "Mountaintop Removal Comment Deadline Extended to Jan. 21," Environmental Media Services, www.ems.org, Jan. 14, 2004
• "Mountaintop Removal Strip Mining," Environmental Media Services, www.ems.org

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

• Iran headed toward a political showdown between pro-democracy reformers who run parliament and hardline clerics who have banned 80 parliament members from seeking re-election. ("Showdown as Iran's MP protest at election ban," The Guardian, Jan. 12, 2004)
• Progressive groups have begun a national door-to-door campaign seeking to identify voters needed to oust President Bush. ("Door by Door," In These Times, Jan. 5, 2004)
• Greatest concentration of ownership in the radio industry can be found in smaller and medium-sized markets and not in large cities, with broadcast giant Clear Channel Communications Inc. by far the most dominant player in America's heartland. ("Big Radio Rules in Small Markets," The Public i, November 2003)
  

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

Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 1/16/04

Election 2004

"Group Sees Conflict With Cheney, Scalia," Miami Herald, Jan. 17, 2004

"The Right Frames The Debates," Alternet, Jan. 15, 2004

"Cheney's Grim Vision: Decades of War," The San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 15, 2004

"Surreal Moments Serving A Mythological President," Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 15, 2004

"U.S. Treasury to probe O'Neill book," BBC News, Jan. 13, 2004

"War-Gate," Antiwar.com, Jan. 12, 2004

"Bush Sought Iraq Invasion Pre-9/11," CBS News, Jan. 11, 2004

"U.S. Job Creation Far Below Expectations," by CBC News, Jan. 9, 2004

"Draft Creep," LewRockwell.com, Jan. 9, 2004

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Meet Our New Saddam: Introducing Islam Karimov Of Uzbekistan," Counterpunch, Jan. 17/18, 2004

"Bush-Cheney Energy Strategy: Procuring The Rest Of The World's Oil," Foreign Policy In Focus, January 2004

" Lawmakers: Halliburton Probe Deepens," by Reuters, Jan. 16, 2004

"A War On Several Fronts," openDemocracy, Jan. 14, 2004

"Money For Nothing," ZNet, Jan. 12, 2004

"Halliburton Subcontractors, Iraqi Protesters Killed in Iraq," Houston Chronicle, Jan. 14, 2004

"America's Empire Of Bases," TomDispatch, Jan. 15, 2004

"Baker Helped Finance Hussein," Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2004

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq

"Why The U.S. Is Running Scared Of Elections In Iraq," The Guardian UK, Jan. 19, 2004

"Iron Hammers In Iraq," Counterpunch, Jan. 17/18, 2004

"Study Says Iraq Insurgents Use Advanced Weapons," Reuters, Jan. 17, 2004

"Continuing Slaughter Of Civilians, Police & U.S. Soldiers," Electronic Iraq, Jan. 14, 2004

"Thousands March in Iraq to Demand Early Elections," by Abdel Razzak Hamid, Jan. 15, 2004

"Refereeing in Hell," Newsweek, Jan. 19, 2004

"Last Copter Out Of Baghdad: Bush Flees On The Election Express," Village Voice, Jan. 14, 2004

"Hussein Warned Iraqis To Beware Outside Fighters," New York Times, Jan. 14, 2004

"War College Study Calls Iraq War A 'Detour,'" Los Angeles Times, Jan. 12, 2004

"An Annotated Saddam Chronology," ZNet, Dec. 15, 2003

Civil Liberties

"The Neocon Case For Imprisoning And Executing Congressional War Opponents," LewRockwell.com, Jan. 15, 2004

"The Horrors Of Camp Delta," ZNet, Jan. 14, 2004

"Bush & The Supremes: Amputating The Bill Of Rights," Counterpunch, Jan. 14, 2004

"Total Information Awareness Takes Wing," Babelogue, Jan. 13, 2004

"U.S. To Push Airlines For Passenger Records," Washington Post, Jan. 12, 2004

"Guantanamo Bay: A Global Experiment In Inhumanity," The Guardian UK, Jan. 11, 2004

"FTAA Repression Photos And First Hand Account," FTAAMiamiPhotos.com

"New U.S. Security Measures Target Minorities," Toronto Star, Jan. 7, 2004

Media And Activism

"CBS Cuts MoveOn, Allows White House Ads During Super Bowl," MediaChannel.org, Jan. 2004

"Talking Right To Left: A Radio Conservative's Liberal Conversion," WNYC Radio, Jan. 9, 2004

"Poll: Alternative News Gaining Influence," The Associated Press, Jan. 12, 2004

"Clear Channel Gags An Antiwar Conservative" The American Conservative, Feb. 2, 2004

"The Domination Effect: Military And The Media" The Guardian UK, Jan. 8, 2004