White-House Overwrote E-Mail

E-mail messages sent and received by White-House personnel during the first three years of the Bush-administration were routinely "recycled,". During the period in question, the Bush presidency faced some of its biggest controversies, including the Iraq-war. White House spokesman Tony Fratto said he has no reason to believe any E-mails were deliberately destroyed. The court filing said tapes were recycled before October 2003, and at that point, the White House "began preserving and storing all backup tapes."

Two federal statutes require presidential-communications, including e-mails involving senior White House aides, to be preserved for the nation's historical record. Some historians responded to the court disclosure yesterday by urging that the White House's actions be thoroughly probed. "There certainly could have been hugely important-materials there . . . and of course they're not owned by President Bush or anybody in the administration, they're owned by the public," said presidential historian Robert-Dallek.

Via Washington-Post

RIP - Bobby Fischer

Former world chess champion Bobby-Fischer, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, has died at the age of 64. American-born Fischer was the US's first and only world chess champion, winning the title in the classic Cold War showdown against Russian Boris Spassky in 1972.

Fischer - the youngest international grandmaster ever at 15 - settled in Iceland in 2005 having been granted citizenship after detention in Japan.

Via In2Peace

US strikes Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Seen on: YouTube

It's one of the biggest air-strikes in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. The US military says it carried out a 10-minute bombardment of suspected Al-Qaeda safehavens.

Iraq-Offensive: Clear out militants

US forces are solidifying control over some of the most persistent militant strongholds of Al-Qaeda in Iraq northeast of Baghdad, drawing on a new counterinsurgency model.

In Kuwait, President-Bush conceded that until last year, "our strategy simply wasn't working," with Iraq riven by sectarian violence and Sunni and Shiite militants strengthening their grip.

"Al-Qaeda ... will continue to target the innocent with violence," Mr. Bush said. "But we've dealt Al Qaeda in Iraq heavy blows, and it now faces a growing uprising of ordinary Iraqis who want to live peaceful lives."

Via CS-Monitor

CIA Torture-Tapes

Seen on: YouTube

Michael Ratner: What the tapes represent is essentially The US torturing people.