Blue Spot

You may have seen this on ABC already, Brian Ross gives us a look at what went on behind the scenes at both conventions. Despite the calls for change, both parties still entertain and rub elbows with lobbyists and seem to be vulnerable to their influence.

Labels: Campaign financing/contributions, Democratic Convention 2008, Ethics reform, GOP Hypocrisy, Lobbyists

Jack Abramoff sentenced to 48 months - Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- Jack A. Abramoff, the once-powerful Republican super-lobbyist, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for his role in a corruption scandal that rocked Congress and the Bush administration.

U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle pronounced the sentence as a tearful Abramoff stood before her with his lawyers this afternoon in a courtroom that included both victims and family members.


The sentence was far below the 121 months that Abramoff could have received under federal sentencing guidelines but more than either the Justice Department or his lawyers had requested.

Huvelle said Abramoff deserved the sharp reduction in sentence because of his help in aiding prosecutors pursue other targets in the lobbying scandal.

But she also said she wanted to send a strong signal that compromising the integrity of public officials would not be taken lightly.


Huvelle said Abramoff had "corrupted the political process and deprived the public of the honest services" of officials in the executive and legislative branches.

Labels: corruption, Ethics reform, GOP Hypocrisy, Lobbyists, Political donations

Report: No role for Cheney at GOP convention - On Politics - USATODAY.com

The American Spectator reports that Vice President Cheney will not appear at the Republican National Convention. "Cheney has not sought a speaking slot at the convention, nor has his staff sought a role for him at the convention," the conservative magazine says on its Prowler blog, citing "sources in his office."

Politico explored the "rocky" relationship between Cheney and presumptive GOP nominee John McCain in June, and said Cheney might not play a convention role.

USA TODAY's David Jackson asked Megan Mitchell, a Cheney spokeswoman, about the Spectator report. "The vice president's schedule has not been set for next week, let alone next month," she said. "The vice president has, as recently as Friday, been out campaigning for Sen. McCain."

Last month Congress Daily reported that several Republicans in high-profile Senate races would not be attending the Sept. 1-4 gathering in St. Paul.

Labels: Cheney, GOP Hypocrisy

The Associated Press: Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An out-of-work truck driver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, including its acceptance of gays, authorities said Monday.

A four-page letter found in Jim D. Adkisson's small SUV indicated he intentionally targeted the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church because, the police chief said, "he hated the liberal movement" and was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays."

Adkisson, a 58-year-old truck driver on the verge of losing his food stamps, had 76 rounds with him when he entered the church and pulled a shotgun from a guitar case during a children's performance of the musical "Annie."

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Monday that Adkisson may also have chosen the church because his ex-wife was a former longtime member of the congregation.

He remained jailed Monday on $1 million bond after being charged with one-count of murder. More charges are expected. Four victims were hospitalized in critical condition.

The attack Sunday morning lasted only minutes. But the anger behind it may have been building for months, if not years.

"It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that, and his stated hatred for the liberal movement," Police Chief Sterling Owen said.

Adkisson was a loner who hates "blacks, gays and anyone different from him," longtime acquaintance Carol Smallwood of Alice, Texas, told the newspaper.

Labels: Cultural issues, Gay rights, GOP Hypocrisy, Hate crimes, Race, Religious Right

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Cheney apologizes to West Virginians for inbreeding joke « - Blogs from CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Vice President Dick Cheney apologized Monday for what his spokeswoman called "an inappropriate attempt at humor" that implied that inbreeding is common among West Virginians, a remark that elicited outrage from the state's senior senator.

Asked during a question-and-answer session at the National Press Club about the fact that a search of his family tree found he is a distant relative of Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential front-runner, Cheney said the two politicians were unlikely to hold a family reunion.

He said that the Cheney line on his father's side of the family dates to 1630's, and a Cheney family line on his mother's side dates to the 1650's.

"So, I had Cheneys on both sides of the family — and we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney cracked. After pausing for laughter from the crowd, Cheney added, "You can say those things when you're not running for re-election."

Afterward, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd lashed out at Cheney for the "insult to all Americans." In a written statement, Byrd declared that Cheney showed "contempt and astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen" with the comments.


"Now that he or the administration he represents no longer needs their vote, Mr. Cheney apparently feels that he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia," said Byrd, a Democrat. "With his trademark arrogance, the vice president even added, 'You can say those things when you're not running for re-election.' "

He added, "This pitiful comment is not entirely surprising when you consider the source. Vice President Cheney's words reflect the attitude of an administration and a party that says what they must to get elected and then turns their backs on those they promised to represent."

Labels: Cheney, Cultural issues, GOP Hypocrisy

Diana Williams discusses Vito Fossella's (NY-13) political future on Eyewitness News Close Up, with Tom Wrobleski of the Staten Island Advance. Oddly, neither of the Dems currently fighting for the Democratic nomination, Recchia or Harrison, were mentioned. Steve Harrison, who lives in the district (Recchia does not) lost to Fossella in 2006 by 14 points, but was extremely under-funded. This year Harrison has gained some key endorsements, including the DFNYC.

Labels: Fossella, GOP Hypocrisy, NY-13, Steve Harrison

N.Y. Rep. admits fathering child from affair - USATODAY.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Vito Fossella of New York acknowledged on Thursday that he fathered a child from an extramarital affair, answering questions that arose from his arrest on drunken driving charges last week.
"My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry," said Fossella, a Republican, who has three children with his wife in Staten Island, N.Y.

Fossella's private life came under scrutiny after he was arrested last week in the Virginia suburbs of Washington. Police said his blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, and he could face a mandatory five days in jail if convicted.

When Fossella was pulled over, police said he told officers that he was going to see his daughter in the area. That prompted questions about who the daughter was.

"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a 3-year-old daughter," Fossella said in his statement. It was Fay who got him out of jail after the arrest.

The disclosure clouds Fossella's political future. He faced a surprisingly tough re-election challenge in 2006, and Democrats were hoping to unseat him this year.

"While I understand that there will be many questions, including those about my political future, making any political decisions right now are furthest from my mind. Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused," he said.

Fossella was elected to Congress in 1997 in a special election to replace Rep. Susan Molinari, who resigned. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he also earned a law degree from Fordham University.

Fossella, 43, serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Labels: Congress, Fossella, GOP Hypocrisy, Local, NY-13

The Associated Press: Governor, Dems call on Ohio attorney general to resign

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and other Democratic leaders are calling on the state's scandal-scarred attorney general to resign.

Attorney General Marc Dann admitted Friday to having an extramarital affair with a subordinate. The admission came after findings in an unrelated sexual harassment investigation threatened to reveal the relationship.

Strickland, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Dann's fellow Democratic state officeholders and all Democratic state legislators sent Dann a letter Monday imploring him to leave office.

Dann is just 16 months into his four-year term. He hasn't yet responded to the letter.

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Scandals

It's really ironic seeing all these so-called conservatives attacking McCain for not being conservative enough when back in 2006 and earlier, they attacked the Dems for not supporting Leiberman against Ned Lamont. Remember that? All those Republicans criticized us for eating our own and not being tolerant.

Dick Cheney was quoted in the NY Times on August 10th, 2006 saying: “And when we see the Democratic Party reject one of its own, a man they selected to be their vice presidential nominee just a few short years ago, it would seem to say a lot about the state the party is in today.”

This is from the August 8th O'Reilly Factor: the media has generally ignored the far left hatred directed towards the Senator and his family. The far left in America is dominated by haters, people who despise their own country and want to injure those with whom they disagree. These smear merchants are now all over the mainstream media and have spread like lice on the Internet. Joseph Lieberman is a good man, he's honest, loves his country, and obeys his conscience. You may disagree with his politics but he is a man of respect. You can't say that for those who have smeared and slurred him."

From the October 13th 2005 show:

In an apparent effort to demonstrate that the Democratic Party has no room for moderate politicians, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT) "was the first guy thrown out" of the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries

Labels: Comment, GOP Hypocrisy

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Terrorism

Labels: Dissent, GOP Hypocrisy, Troops

4 top GOP candidates skip minority debate - The New York Times - MSNBC.com

The moderator and the panel of well-known journalists were there. A large live audience was there, too, along with the public television cameras that carried the forum to television sets across the nation. But where the four leading Republican presidential candidates were to have stood and debated, four empty, silent lecterns sat on the stage.

That was because the four all cited scheduling conflicts and did not participate last night in the long-planned debate, where they were to be quizzed by black and Hispanic journalists about issues important to minority voters. And their conspicuous absence prompted a debate among Republicans about whether their party is attentive enough to black and Hispanic voters.

If the top Republican candidates were physically absent from the forum, held at Morgan State University, a historically black university in Baltimore, they were very much on the minds of those who came.

“Let me take a moment right here and now to say hello to those of you viewers from home: Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain, Gov. Mitt Romney and Senator Fred Thompson,” Tom Joyner, the syndicated radio host, said in his opening remarks, to knowing laughter from the audience.

And several candidates who did show up wasted little time in criticizing the no-shows.

“I’m embarrassed for our party, and I’m embarrassed for those who did not come,” said Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. “Because there’s long been a divide in this country. And it doesn’t get better when we don’t show up.”

Labels: Election 2008, GOP Hypocrisy, Race

Democratic Caucus's Senate Journal - Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader

While Senate Democrats are determined to move America in a new direction, Senate Republicans are doing their best to stop change at every turn. Senate Republicans are forcing the Senate to waste hours upon hours debating meaningless motions – wasting Congress’ time and the American people’s time. Senate Democrats are trying to lead the way – but Senate Republicans are determined to stand in the way.

Republican Whip Senator Trent Lott in a Roll Call article dated April 18, 2007:

“The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail ... so far it’s working for us.”

FACTS ON REPUBLICAN OBSTRUCTIONISM

Senate Republicans have obstructed almost every bill in the Senate – even ones with wide bipartisan support.

So far, in the first half of the first session of the 110th Congress, there have been THIRTEEN cloture votes on motions to proceed – each one wasting days of Senate time. (110th Congress, Roll Call Votes #44, 51, 53, 74, 129, 132, 133, 162, 173, 207, 208, 227, and 228)
In comparison, in the first sessions of the 108th and 109th Congresses combined, there were a total of FOUR cloture votes on motions to proceed.

EIGHT times Republican obstruction tactics slowed critical legislation

Fulfilling the 9/11 Commission Recommendations (Passed 97-0, Roll Call Vote #53)
Improving security at our courts (Passed 93-3, Roll Call Vote #133)
Water Resources Development Act (Passed 89-7, Roll Call Vote #162)
A joint resolution to revise U.S. policy in Iraq (Passed 89-9, Roll Call Vote, #74)
Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Passed 69-23, Roll Call Vote #173)
Comprehensive Immigration Reform (Passed 64-35, Roll Call Vote #228)
CLEAN Energy Act (Passed 91-0, Roll Call Vote #208)
Funding for the Intelligence Community (Passed 94-3, Roll Call Vote #129)

FOUR times Republicans blocked legislation from being debated

Senate Republicans blocked raising the minimum wage. (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
Senate Republicans blocked ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
Senate Republicans blocked comprehensive immigration reform (Rejected 45-50, Roll Call Vote #206)
Senate Republicans blocked funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)

FOUR times Republicans stopped bills from reaching a vote

Senate Republicans blocked funding for the intelligence community. (Rejected 41-40, Roll Call Vote #130)
Senate Republicans blocked raising the minimum wage. (54-43, Roll Call Vote #23)
Senate Republicans blocked ethics reforms (Rejected 51-46, Roll Call Vote #16)
Senate Republicans blocked funding for renewable energy (Rejected 57-36, Roll Call Vote #223)

TWICE Republicans blocked bills from going to conference

Senate Republicans blocked appointing conferees on the 9/11 Commission Recommendations (6/26/07)
Senate Republicans blocked appointing conferees on ethics reform (6/26/07)

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Senate

Discussioln on the The McLaughlin Group regarding the testimony of Dr. Richard Carmona last week of roadblocks put up by the administration.

Labels: Anti-Science, GOP Hypocrisy, Healthcare, Impeachment

Escort service called Vitter during votes - Politics - MSNBC.com

WASHINGTON - A woman accused of running a Washington prostitution ring placed five phone calls to David Vitter while he was a House member, including two while roll call votes were under way, according to telephone and congressional records.

Vitter, a Louisiana Republican now in the Senate, acknowledged Monday that his number was on the woman’s call list and apologized for a “very serious sin.” The married father of four has remained in seclusion since, missing Senate votes and other activities Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Telephone records released by Deborah Jeane Palfrey indicate she placed calls that were answered by Vitter’s Washington phone on five occasions while Vitter was in the House, from 1999 through 2001. On four of those five days, the House was in session and Vitter participated in every roll call vote.

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Senate

A look back at the pre-war media that enabled the administration to go to war.

Labels: Fox propaganda, GOP Hypocrisy, Iraq War, Media

Do you watch your left wing news shows abc, msnbc, nbc, cnn do not give a fair shake to anybody other then their own. Everytime I have listened to O'Really he talks about idiots left wing nuts who call the president a nazi or a terrorist it's fucking stupid in my opinion. Whats your plan lets leave Iraq and let them come get us because if you think that al quada doesn't want us dead think again. They aren't going to stop til were dead kind of like japan in world war 2 didn't stop until we stopped. I'm just sick of people bitching about the war and the president if you don't like it leave or you can be a man and deal with it. Do what you need to do to vote your party in but to bash the president and republicans for mistakes is stupid clinton made mistakes to including having affairs and not worrying about the country but we don't here about that shit do we no. Because everybody is so focuse on hating George Bush wether he does something right or not you people will always find a way to hate him. Deal with it another year and half and he'll be out so quit bitching and support our troops even if you hate bush fuck him then just support then men and women that bust there asses everyday for you so you can bitch about the president and state your fucking opinion. As for watching other news stations or fox I don't watch any of them because they are useless they just lie and spin O'Reilly is a middle man he questions everybody republican or democrate and if you don't know that then you haven't watched or listened to his shows so you don't know shit I do because I listened to his show on the radio for 2 months. He tells it like he sees it some of his points go one way or the other but he's fair. If you don't like it move to Canada I say and get ready for more terrorist attacks when Hillary is president because she'll be hugging trees and gay people and killing babes and won't be worried about u or me. She'll also raise your taxes which I know you want to happen as well. I'm excited I wish the election was now because I just want to see her completey destroy the country Bush has done a great job at destroying the country the damn terrorist that he is frees a county of a mass murder but who cares about that all we have to go by is the past and the weapons of mass destruction that no one seems to forget about. Tell me this since when is it wrong for a country to free another country and give them a chance tell me what is so damn wrong with that because if you know you tell me. Last time I checked the US has always helped other countries why should we stop now. I know i'm a nazi now 2 because I speak my mind and my facts aren't real right that's what you'll say i'm waiting for it. Don't be an ass like your party.

Labels: Cheney, Comment, Conservatism, GOP Hypocrisy, Religious Right

Another "Special Comment" edition by Keith Olbermann. Today he comments on the Libby commuted sentence and the "La Cosa Nostra" presidency (my tag).

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Libby Trial, Olbermann, Plamegate

While discussing the Libby commuted sentence, Chris Matthews on Hardball proclaimed, "I'm just trying to find consistency here from Kate O'Beirne." Matthews is sometimes obnoxious himself, but I've been waiting for somebody to tell her that for years.

So when prosecutors are putting away Dems, they are doing their job. When they go after Republicans, they are partisan or political. This whole GOP reaction to everything about this case is the ultimate example of how hypocritical the GOP is.

Below, Keith Olbermann & David Shuster debunk the right-wing spin surrounding the Libby sentence, especially the "no underlying crime" claim.

Labels: Cheney, Comment, GOP Hypocrisy, Hillary, Libby Trial, Plamegate

Well nothing should surprise us anymore. One of the first to applaud this decision was potential GOP presidential candidate, Fred Thompson who was among those who voted to impeach President Clinton over "obstruction of justice" charges. Above is Keith Olbermann talking to former AG and author of Conservatives Without Conscience, John Dean. Below Keith talks with former Ambassador and author of The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir, Joe Wilson.

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Investigations, Libby Trial, Plamegate

Is Cheney a one-man-government? Keith Olbermann talks with Newsweek's Richard Wolffe and former AG and author John Dean.

Labels: Cheney, GOP Hypocrisy

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald speaks at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Here he talks about how he copes with the negative feedback after the Libby case.

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Libby Trial

Cheney claims exemption of oversight from the executive branch.

Labels: Cheney, Constitutional attacks, GOP Hypocrisy, Investigations

Keith Olbermann talks with Constitutional expert, Jonathan Turley, about Bush's addiction with signing statements.

Labels: Constitutional attacks, GOP Hypocrisy, Signing Statements

Neconservative Bill Kristol debated progressive Robert Kuttner during "The Big Con" Conference sponsored by the Campaign for America's Future and The American Prospect

Labels: Conservatism, Debates, GOP Hypocrisy

Jerry Falwell's hit parade. - By Timothy Noah - Slate Magazine

On Sept. 11: "The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way—all of them who have tried to secularize America—I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.' "

On AIDS: "AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals."

On homosexuality: "I believe that all of us are born heterosexual, physically created with a plumbing that's heterosexual, and created with the instincts and desires that are basically, fundamentally, heterosexual. But I believe that we have the ability to experiment in every direction. Experimentation can lead to habitual practice, and then to a lifestyle. But I don't believe anyone begins a homosexual."

On Martin Luther King Jr.: "I must personally say that I do question the sincerity and non-violent intentions of some civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mr. James Farmer, and others, who are known to have left-wing associations."

On Martin Luther King Jr., four decades later: "You know, I supported Martin Luther King Jr., who did practice civil disobedience."

On public education: "I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again, and Christians will be running them."

On the separation of church and state: "There is no separation of church and state."

On feminists: "I listen to feminists and all these radical gals. ... These women just need a man in the house. That's all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they're mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They're sexist. They hate men; that's their problem."

On global warming: "I can tell you, our grandchildren will laugh at those who predicted global warming. We'll be in global cooling by then, if the Lord hasn't returned. I don't believe a moment of it. The whole thing is created to destroy America's free enterprise system and our economic stability."

On Bishop Desmond Tutu: "I think he's a phony, period, as far as representing the black people of South Africa."

On Islam: "I think Mohammed was a terrorist. I read enough of the history of his life, written by both Muslims and non-Muslims, that he was a violent man, a man of war."

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Religious Right

Here's the spin-master at it again on the Charlie Rose Show. Check out the end: so now de-Baathification wasn't Bremer's doing? it was the Iraqi's? I suspect that if there was an Iraqi behind this policy it was probably Chalabi who was the American backed darling at the time. Also, notice how she totally ducked the Tenet accusation.

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Iraq War, Rice

Halliburton VP, Sherry Williams testifies at a Senate hearing about the company's dealings with Iran. NYC Comptroller, William Thompson (D) was also at the hearing.

Federal sanctions prohibit American companies from conducting business with Iran. Halliburton used a loophole to sell oil services to Iran via a subsidiary in the Cayman Islands.

Labels: Cheney, GOP Hypocrisy, Halliburton, Iran, Oil, Senate, World news

Well it's easy to see why the Republicans are not so thrilled with this year's batch of GOP candidates. Giuliani, in particular, did not come off as presidential as his lead would suggest. In fact, given the format, folks like Huckabee & Romney came out looking just as good as the former mayor. McCain also showed that he has a chance to get back on track.

As this clip shows, I believe the constant attacks on Hillary if not curbed by the GOP candidates, will only serve to help her overtake Obama, as many Dems will begin to give her a pass on her Iraq vote and rally around her.

It's funny how you hear Rudy somwhere toward the end of the debate mention that as the Dems gathered for their debate, there was no mention of Islamic Fudamentalism.
Well some words you didn't hear tonight from them were Katrina and poverty was only mentioned by Rudy only as a response to a question and his answer was put in the context of fighting crime.

Labels: Comment, Giuliani, GOP Hypocrisy, McCain

In response to a question on "FOX News Sunday" yesterday about George Tenet's accusation that Bush administration neocons (Cheney, Perle, Feith) were pushing hard for war with Iraq despite Saddam having no links whatsoever to 9/11, Bill Kristol invoked Bill Clinton and said Tenet was not only a "mediocre" DCI, but also a "crybaby."



read more | digg story

Labels: Fox propaganda, GOP Hypocrisy

Tenet: "Slam Dunk" Comment Misused, Ex-CIA Director Explains Phrase He Says Bush Administration Has Dishonorably Clung To - CBS News

(CBS) Ex-CIA Director George Tenet says the way the Bush administration has used his now famous "slam dunk" comment — which he admits saying in reference to making the public case for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq — is both disingenuous and dishonorable.

It also ruined his reputation and his career, he tells 60 Minutes Scott Pelley in his first network television interview. Pelley's report will be broadcast Sunday, April 29, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy, Intelligence, Iraq War

Gingrich admits having affair in '90s - Politics - MSNBC.com

WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.

"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."

Labels: GOP Hypocrisy

JUAN GONZALEZ- New York Daily News- New York, N.Y.: Sep 6, 2006. pg. 7

Copyright Daily News, L.P. Sep 6, 2006

After nearly five years of lies from top city and federal officials about the health dangers from the toxic dust released by the World Trade Center collapse, the truth has finally begun to emerge.

Back on Oct. 26, 2001, in a Daily News front-page story headlined "A Toxic Nightmare at Disaster Site," I reported that hundreds of tests conducted by the federal Environmental Protection Agency revealed far more elevated levels of toxic pollutants in the air and dust in lower Manhattan than the public had been told.

That shocking story was immediately attacked by top officials in then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration, by the EPA boss at the time, Christie Whitman, and even by the city's main business group, the Partnership for New York City, whose top official labeled it "irresponsible journalism."

Yes, there were some "spikes" in toxic emissions, Whitman and Giuliani Health Commissioner Neal Cohen admitted, but no long-term danger.

Despite their assurances, thousands who returned to lower Manhattan came down with new physical ailments, especially among the city's first responders and recovery workers, but also downtown residents and office workers.

Yesterday came the first conclusive proof that those assurances from City Hall and the EPA were horribly wrong. We got an inkling, as well, of the huge public health toll our city now faces.

Nearly 70% of 9,500 Ground Zero responders and workers monitored by Mount Sinai Medical Center over the past five years have new or worsened respiratory problems. Some may be sick for the rest of their lives.

But this astonishing illness rate cannot simply be attributed to honest human error.

Three years ago, an investigation by the EPA's own inspector general's office revealed that in the first days after 9/11, White House aides rewrote agency press releases to downplay any dangers in order to reopen Wall Street quickly.

Government documents uncovered by this column since 9/11 showed city and federal officials hid important information about the true extent of contamination.

The city's Department of Environmental Protection, for example, found high levels of asbestos in 27 of the first 38 air samples it took in lower Manhattan before Sept. 17, 2001. But the city didn't publicly disclose those results until five months later.

On Sept. 12, 2001, Dr. Ed Kilbourne, a top federal scientist, warned in a strongly worded memo to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention against the quick reoccupation of buildings in lower Manhattan because of possible dangers from asbestos and other toxic material, but he was ignored.

On Oct. 6, 2001, Associate City Health Commissioner Kelly McKinney complained that health and safety protections for Ground Zero workers were not being enforced. McKinney offered to have "[Department of Health] personnel ... issue [violations] for noncompliance." But City Hall did not immediately act on his recommendation.

Those at the top simply ignored the warning signs.

Now, thousands are sick, more will get sick in the years to come and an unknown number will die before their time.

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg finally recognized this huge problem. He announced the city will provide health treatment to anyone sickened by Ground Zero contaminants - at no out-of-pocket cost to the victim. His program also will treat office workers and nearby residents, thus implicitly recognizing that more than Ground Zero workers have been affected.

It is, however, small consolation to the sick New Yorkers who expected their leaders to tell them the truth when it mattered.

jgonzales@nydailynews.com

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

Labels: 9-11, Giuliani, GOP Hypocrisy, Ground Zero