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The Truth About Ahmed Chalabi: Why the US Turned Against
Their Former Golden Boy--He Was Preparing a Coup
9-11 Widow Sues the Bush Administration for Intelligence
Failures
Gore Vidal on the "United States of Amnesia"
The Truth About Ahmed Chalabi: Why the US Turned
Against Their Former Golden Boy--He Was Preparing a Coup
U.S. troops raided Ahmed Chalabi’s headquarters and
home in Baghdad yesterday morning. Chalabi, the head of the
Iraqi National Congress, provided false intelligence on Saddam
Hussein. Now, this former close ally of the Bush administration
has fallen from grace. We speak with journalist Andrew Cockburn
of the Independent and Counterpunch.
In dawn raids yesterday, American troops and Iraqi police
surrounded the headquarters and home of one of Washington's
top allies in Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi-head of the Iraqi National
Council. US troops put a gun to his head, arrested two of
his aides, and seized documents. Only five months ago, Chalabi
was a guest of honor sitting right behind Laura Bush at the
State of the Union. What brought about this astonishing fall
from grace of the man who helped provide the faked intelligence
that justified last year's war? That is the question posed
by veteran independent journalist and author Andrew Cockburn
in a new piece on counterpunch.org. He joins us on the line
from Washington DC.
- Andrew Cockburn, is an independent journalist who frequently
writes for the Independent and Counterpunch. He is co-author
of the book "Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of
Saddam Hussein." His latest piece, published on counterpunch.org
is called "The Truth About Ahmed Chalabi."
9-11 Widow Sues the Bush Administration for Intelligence
Failures
Ellen Mariani’s husband Neil died in flight 175 on
September 11. Mariani refused a compensation package from
the government of up to $1.8 million. Instead, she sued President
Bush, Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and
other administration officials under RICO-the Racketeering
Influenced Corrupt Organizations act.
This week, the 9/11 Commission wrapped up its latest round
of public hearings. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge and
former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani were among the officials
who testified at the hearings which took place in New York.
There were many protests outside the hearings this week and
inside as well, with protesters disrupting the proceedings
several times. Among those who were in town for the hearings
were a number of family members who lost loved ones on September
11. Tomorrow night at Riverside Church in New York, there
will be a forum on what organizers are calling the unanswered
questions surrounding 9/11. Among the speakers will be former
chief UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, as well as Ellen
Mariani who lost her husband Louis on September 11. He was
onboard United Airlines flight 175.
Ellen Mariani has refused to accept any money from the US
government's compensation fund--which could be as much as
$1.8 million. Instead she has filed a lawsuit against President
Bush, Vice president Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and
other administration officials. The suit is filed under RICO-the
Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations act.
- Ellen Mariani, the wife of Louis Neil Mariani, who died
when United Air Lines flight 175 was flown into the South
Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11. She has
filed a RICO lawsuit against President Bush, Vice President
Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.
- Philip Berg, Ellen Mariani's lawyer. He is a former Deputy
Attorney General of Pennsylvania and a former candidate
for Governor and U.S. Senate.
Gore Vidal on the "United States of Amnesia"
Acclaimed author Gore Vidal’s new book is called "Imperial
America: The United States of Amnesia." We spoke with
Vidal recently about the Bush Administration historical memory,
and 9/11.
Gore Vidal is one of America’s most prolific and best-known
writers. He has written more than 22 books and more than 200
essays -- a collection of his essays won the National Book
Award in 1993.
Vidal is the author most recently of Perpetual War for Perpetual
Peace and Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Bush-Cheney
Junta.
Taken together, the books constitute a comprehensive attack
on America‚s imperialist ambitions and the military
industrial complex.
Writing in the Scotsman, critic Gavin Esler called Perpetual
War "the finest serious critique of America's use and
abuse of power in the 21st century that I have read."
I had an opportunity to speak with Vidal recently. We’re
going to play some of that interview. He begins by discussing
his thoughts about the United States post 9-11.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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