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Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques Being Used on Iraqi Prisoners

Neo Culpa: Neoconservatives Say Iraq War Undermined by White House Incompetence

Sandinista Leader Ortega Poised to Win Nicaragua Presidential Election

Election Protection 2006: Coalition Sending Voting Monitors to Polls, Sets Up Toll-Free Hotline

Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques Being Used on Iraqi Prisoners

Specialist Alyssa Peterson died in Iraq in September, 2003. The military listed her death as the result of a "non-hostile weapons discharge." But newly uncovered military documents reveal Peterson actually shot herself with her service rifle. The documents also show her suicide came just two weeks after she refused to take part in further interrogations of Iraqi prisoners and had asked to be reassigned. We speak with the reporter who broke the story. [includes rush transcript]

Did the torture of Iraqi prisoners lead an American soldier to take her own life? The question is being raised on the heels of new-disclosed military documents kept under wraps for the past three years.

Specialist Alyssa Peterson was twenty-seven years old when she died on September 15th, 2003. She was the third female soldier to lose her life in the Iraq war. Peterson was assigned as an interrogator to a US air base in Tal Afar. The military listed her death as the result of a: "non-hostile weapons discharge."

But the newly uncovered military documents reveal Peterson actually shot herself with her service rifle. The documents also show her suicide came just two weeks after she refused to take part in further interrogations of Iraqi prisoners and had asked to be reassigned. Peterson had taken part in just two interrogation sessions. James D. Hamilton - Peterson's first sergeant -- told investigators: "It was hard for her to be aggressive to prisoners/detainees, as she felt that we were cruel to them." Military officials refused to describe what techniques Peterson had objected to and said all records of them had been destroyed.

Kevin Elston, the reporter who broke the story. Elston is host of Weekend Edition on the Arizona radio station KNAU. He speaks to us from Flagstaff, Arizona, Specialist Alyssa Peterson's hometown. Read Kevin Elston's article about Peterson's story.

Neo Culpa: Neoconservatives Say Iraq War Undermined by White House Incompetence

Vanity Fair is reporting a number of prominent neoconservatives who advocated for the invasion of Iraq are now criticizing President Bush's handling of the war. The list includes former Pentagon advisers Richard Perle and Kenneth Adelman; former Presidential speechwriter David Frum; and Michael Rubin, a former senior official in the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans. We speak with David Rose, contributing editor at Vanity Fair. [includes rush transcript]

As millions of Americans head to the polls today, the war in Iraq is looming large. According to a new Washington Post/ABC News survey, thirty one percent of Americans rank Iraq as the election's top issue. That's just one point shy of matching the total who answered health care, immigration and terrorism -- combined. Fifty-three percent of Americans also say the war in Iraq was not worth fighting.

Well, a new article in Vanity Fair is reporting a number of prominent neoconservatives who backed the invasion of Iraq are now criticizing President Bush's handling of the war. The list includes former Pentagon advisers Richard Perle and Kenneth Adelman; former Presidential speechwriter David Frum; and Michael Rubin, a former senior official in the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans. Richard Perle admitted that huge mistakes were made in Iraq. Perle has criticized Vanity Fair because he claims he was promised his remarks would not be published until after the mid-term election. The article is called "Neo Culpa." It's written by Vanity Fair Contributing Editor David Rose.

David Rose, contributing editor at Vanity Fair. He joins us from Oxford, England.

Sandinista Leader Ortega Poised to Win Nicaragua Presidential Election

Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega has a clear lead in Nicaragua's presidential election. With votes tallied from more than 60 percent of polling stations, Ortega has over 38% of the vote, nearly 8 points ahead of his conservative, Washington-backed rival Eduardo Montealegre. The race has drawn heavy attention from the Bush administration and U.S. officials have threatened economic sanctions and withdrawal of aid to Nicaragua if Ortega is elected. [includes rush transcript]

In Nicaragua, Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega has a clear lead in the country's presidential election. With votes tallied from more than 60 percent of polling stations, Ortega has over 38 percent of the vote, nearly eight percentage points ahead of his conservative, Washington-backed rival Eduardo Montealegre. Ortega needs to win at least 35 percent and hold a lead of 5 points to take victory in the first round and avoid a runoff.

He is expected to be confirmed as the winner with a final batch of returns on Tuesday. As results trickled in, thousands of Sandinista party supporters celebrated in the streets of Managua on Monday night.

Montealegre dismissed the partial results, saying he would face Ortega in a run-off. He also highlighted what he called voting irregularities, saying "In a democracy, that is unacceptable." But international observer teams declared that the election was orderly and lawful.

The race has drawn heavy attention from the Bush administration. The White House has threatened economic sanctions and withdrawal of aid if voters elect Ortega. The former president is trying to regain power for the first time since 1990. In recent weeks a number of current and former U.S. officials have warned about the consequences of an Ortega victory. Oliver North recently traveled to Nicaragua and said a victory by Ortega would be "the worst thing" for the country.

Roberto Vargas, veteran Nicaraguan diplomat from 1979 to 1991. Served as Charges de Affaires in Washington, D.C., Director of the North American Directorate at the Foreign Ministry in Managua, and finally Nicaraguan Ambassador to China.

Election Protection 2006: Coalition Sending Voting Monitors to Polls, Sets Up Toll-Free Hotline

With new registration rules, faulty computer voting machines, and stringent identification requirements, many Americans are concerned over whether their vote will be counted on this 2006 Election Day. Well, three major civil rights groups have formed a new coalition to offer voters some Election Day assistance. The Election Protection Coalition is sending monitors to voting centers across the country. They've also established a toll-free hotline for voters to call in case they experience problems at the polls. The coalition is lead by the People For the American Way, the NAACP, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Lawyers' Committee is part of the Election Protection Coalition.

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.