07-21-2004 

QUOTABLES:

"Last year, when I was in the Archives reviewing documents, I made an honest mistake. It's one that I deeply regret." -- Sandy Berger, regarding taking top secret info from the National Archives.

"Right after the documents were taken, John Kerry held a photo op and attacked the president on port security. The documents that were taken may have been utilized for that press conference. They were then destroyed, according to Mr. Berger," said Sen. Gordon H. Smith, Oregon Republican.

“Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said National Archives staff watched Berger through a glass door as he appeared to put pieces of paper in his jacket pocket.”  – report in the Baltimore Sun.

“Two law enforcement sources said archives officials had suspected Berger removed documents during an early visit, and made sure they secretly coded and copied records for the next time he came.” – report in the Baltimore Sun.

“The source said the records Berger returned through Lindsey were not the same records the staff had suspected were missing, which suggested that more records were missing than the staff had realized. "That's when they started coding the documents," .” – report in the Baltimore Sun.

“One crucial legal issue will be whether the evidence indicates that Berger's removal of the classified documents was inadvertent, as he and his lawyer assert.” – LA Times report

"What information could be so embarrassing that a man with decades of experience in handling classified documents would risk being caught pilfering our nation's most sensitive secrets?" asked J. Dennis Hastert, the House speaker.

BUSH BEAT

Bush wants Peace

"The enemy declared war on us, and you just got to know nobody wants to be the war president," said President Bush, in response to Democrats arguments that the liberation of Iraq is not part of the wider war on terrorism. President Bush made the remarks at a Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"I want to be the peace president," he said. "After four more years in this office, I want people to look back and say, 'The world is a more peaceful place.’"

"A free Iraq will not only make America's short-term security interests better, it'll make our long-term security interests better because the way to defeat the radicals who promote terrorist activity to frighten us and drive us out of the world is to spread freedom," Bush said.

The President also pointed out that more than 30 countries helped liberate Iraq, and more than 40 countries have been involved in helping to rebuild Afghanistan. Sen. John Kerry recently bought TV ads saying that America is going it alone and that the U.S. needs our traditional allies to win the war on terrorism. Kerry offers this suggestion despite the fact that France and Germany have expressed the desire to weaken America’s influence and power in the world.

President Bush also cited improvements that have been made in Lybia’s giving up weapons of mass destruction and improvements in Pakistan as further proof that the world is a safer place under his administration.

 Just POlitics