ROLLING STONE - January 26, 2006
CIA Plot to Dupe Iran With Falwed Nuke Backfires
In a secret - code named Merlin - the CIA apparently recruited a Russian scientist to deliver plans for a nuclear bomb to Iranian agents. According to State of War, a new book by New York Times reporter James Risen, the idea was to dupe Tehran by inserting design flaws into the blueprints, causing the Iranians to waste years building a fission bomb that would ultimately fizzle. But the plan backfired when the Russian scientist noticed the all-too-obvious flaws and offered to help the Iranians fix them. Though initiated under President Clinton in 2000, Merlin was endorsed by the Bush administration, which may have tried the same ruse on North Korea.
Bush Bypasses Senate to Appoint Unqualified Crony
While the Senate was adjourned for Christmas, President Bush used his power of "recess appointment" to install Julie Myers as the nation's top immigration official. Myers makes up for her complete lack of experience with some high-level connections: She is the niece of former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers and the wife of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff's chief of staff. Bush's backdoor appointment avoided a showdown with Republican Sen. George Voinovich, who told Myers at her confirmation hearing that Chertoff should appear before the Senate and explain "why he thinks you're qualified for the job. Because based on your resume, I don't think you are."
President Reserves Right to Torture Terror Suspects
On December 15th, the president finally appeared to endorse the anti-torture statue authored by Sen. John McCain, declaring flatly that "this government does not torture." But when Bush signed the law on December 30th, he added a loophole: a "signing statement" asserting his authority to "protect the American people from further terrorist attacks." As a senior administration official explained, the statement allows Bush to waive the law - and torture terror suspects - in the name of national security. McCain quickly issued a statement noting that Congress refused to grant the president such a waiver - and pledged "strict oversight" to ensure the Bush implements the new law.
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Source: January 26, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone.
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