3 Candidates' Passport Files Breached

Isn't the justice dept in house?

when investigating the executive branch the justice dept is IN HOUSE...
thats why we started that special prosecutor law.. but since the only time this admin turned to a special prosecutor(even a republican one), it didn't turn out well and they had to swift boat Fitzgerald. I think it would take force to make them do it again.

When he's on offense he's unstoppable.

Well, not quite

I wonder if Barack Obama bin laden went to Yemen or another Muslim country lateley?

yea.. and so you think those white collar union workers will vote for mccain in nov because obamas black?
somehow I doubt that union workers would vote for someone anti union.

interesting article as well the guy suggests that intergration which is often the battle cry of the right is actually more damageing to race and cultural realtions than keeping people seperate.

The salient fact is this: in settings where the two races deal more directly with each other, and get to know each other better, through shared public schools, workplaces, public conveyances, universities, etc., they seem to like each other less, not more.

and surprisingly.. aparrently racism is a northern thing.. because besides for texas(which I thought was in the south) he won the white vote in the south.

interesting article.. but it doesn't go indepth enough.. at most these people may stay home.. but the dems primaries have been in record numbers.. The gop havent,, many of the gop may also stay home.. one from dispondance over the party and two as mccain seems to be a bit centristic to the base.
the question is which party will have more stay home.. since the dems are hitting records in the primaries.. it still looks like this race is the dems to lose no matter the final color.

Let's not forget those Republicans, growing in number, that are disgusted with the war and see McCain as Bush lite.

We need a true conservative, unlike McCain

I wonder if Barack Obama bin laden went to Yemen or another Muslim country lateley?

Let's all chip in and buy Philip a ticket to Yemen. One-way of course.

The salient fact is this: in settings where the two races deal more directly with each other, and get to know each other better, through shared public schools, workplaces, public conveyances, universities, etc., they seem to like each other less, not more.

That's a load of crap as an argument for segregation... you can't dislike anything at all if you're not being exposed to it.

Think of it this way: I didn't dislike George Bush when was Governor of Texas (I don't live in Texas), but ever since he became President, I've generally disliked him. When he had no effect on my life, I didn't care about him, one way or the other. Now that he's throwing our economy away and destroying our credibility in the world (affecting me), I do.

Duh, you miss the point. It's not about politically damaging. It's about improper access to confidential information. Security breaches and all that stuff.

They can use information obtained in the file, like social security numbers, to look up credit reports, pull personal information, and gain access to accounts. Not only could it hurt politically, but it could easily amount to identity theft as well.

Over 280 IRS employees were fired recently for breaching. It happens..not right... but it happens.

And now they are reporting that people have been looking at passports info for all 3 candidates. That seems to point to curiosity than political mischeif.

Don't try and convince the Obamaites of that. You'll be called a racist, righwingnut or both:

WASHINGTON -- The State Department says the passport files of the three presidential candidates — Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain — have been breached.

McCormack says the department is still reviewing options for dealing with that person.

No truth to the rumors that the options include disciplinary action to include having to sit through a sermon preached by Jeremiah Wright without bursting into laughter.

What would be in a passport file that would be politically damaging?

Maybe it was a subtle threat, make your enemies insecure, retain control. The Bush Admin has much to answer for and their time is running out to put as many protections in place as possible... Just a theory.

and say one of their passport files showed they were in an odd country like aphghanistan, lebannon.. or perhaps in a non odd country but convieantly at the same time as someone else we don't like.. like "why was mccain in syria at the same time as osama"
it doesn't matter if there is any reality.. you an make suggestions.
But to IV, once again you miss the point.. it isnt "if you have nothing to fear.. so what"
the point is they are private and privacy doesn't mean illegality.. it means privacy. If it wasn't private, we would all see it.
If you see no problems then post your SS here.

We all have the right to know where these possible presidents have been! It should be public knowlege!

that's not the point.. it is often hard for the non criminal to find the criminal use for something innoculous.
I am not an id thief, but I attempted to put the idea in words that people can understand.
I agree we should have the right to know where they have been but that's not all the info in those files.

I wondered how long it would take...

guy asks a legit question and doesn't accuse.. so whats your problem IV?

he is asking anyone naysayers and tin foil haters alike.. what would be their motivation, how woulds this help them..
answer.. not much. maybe if their was damaging info in the dems files they could use it to help mccain but there are far more subtle ways to do that.
You really don't have to be condescending to everyone, IV. The guy just asked a question.. that could have easily came out of your mouth.,

Thanks for confirming my thoughts, Joules. I wasn't ruling out the possibility that there was no malicious intent here, just trying to consider all angles.

It's a perfectly legit question. This happened when W's dad was in office and it was politically motivated, trying to find some dirt on Bill Clinton, if he went to USSR or eastern bloc country during Vietnam war (if my memory is correct).

But my question is - why are we again outsourcing government work to contractors? We're outsourcing the war and we have no control over those contract "workers". From initial reports it looks like these guys/gals snooping into the passports were fired but our own government knows very little else about them.

We have created systems and structures designed to fail. The men at the top can claim they didn't know or it's not their fault. But it is. They've created the system. We've seen it with civilian killings in Iraq. We've seen it at Abu Ghraib. We've seen it with Hurricane Katrina. We've seen it with the mortgage crisis. And on and on. Our wonderful politicians have created conditions (and put the people in place) that will inevitably produce certain outcomes. Then when those outcomes happen they claim shock, surprise, ignorance and innocence. But in a way it's all our fault too, for letting these politicians to be elected and for these systems to be put in place.

why are we again outsourcing government work to contractors?

because they arent hindered by that pesky thing called the constitution?
black water has no duty to follow the rules of combat.. and isnt even subject to our laws according to this admin.

just throughing it out there.. I have no evidence this is the case..i use black water as the questions over their legal status have been int he news recently.

When you foster a climate where citizens have no privacy, that every facet of their lives is open to government prying, why are we surprised when it happens?
The only true secrets kept these days is how our government governs. Secret meetings, secret agendas, who they meet with, what was discussed, burning tapes and erasing hard drives, it's no wonder paranoia is rampant.

Cliff

But my question is - why are we again outsourcing government work to contractors?

Well, you might want to ask Lyndon Johnson about that. It's only been going own now for over forty years. Care to guess how Ross Perot made EDS? I'll make it easy for you -- Social Security and Medicare.

Actually we have been doing it since the revolutionary war. Some would have you believe that all that's wrong with government started with social security and medicare. Outsourcing has it's place but all too often it is used improperly. For instance in Katrina where expensive clean-up contracts were let to contractors who hired sub-contractors who hired sub-contractors. The middle men made most of the money while the people who actually did the work made relatively little and the tax payer got soaked. Republicans will tell you that government doesn't work and then they do their best to prove it.

are you not outraged?? that our private info entrusted to the federal gov, is so easily made not private? Especially when we are talking about our future leadership? This is down right dangerous.
it doesn't matter to me if it was dem or gop or indepant or prankster kids.
And I will get outraged if it turns out for political reasons.. but right now
I am outraged over a breach in the executive department.
The government exepcts us to be ok with the massive ammounts of extraordinarly private info it has started to collect on all of us since 9/11 and yet they have a very very bad record of safe guarding that info.
You should be outraged as well

I think JoulesBeef is right. The core issue here seems to be whether or not our private information is really secure. Regardless of whether or not there was any political motive involved, the fact that these breaches occurred over an extended period and went unreported is worthy of outrage all by itself.

so I guess your suggestion is don't try to make it safer.
we should just ignore this as it is impossible to do it better? there are no better procedures?
Why not just post it on the net then.

I will agree this crap will always happen.
I do not agree there is no reason to get outraged. I do not agree there arent better methods at safeguarding our info.
I do not agree this is no big deal.

Calm down. I never said we should not try to make it safer. But as long as a human being has access it will never be perfectly safe. Plus, I never said you should not be outraged. I am not outraged by definitely concerned, and will express my concerns to my Congressional delegation

Apparently the administration does not share your feeling about nothing to hide Philip. They hide everything.

But if they hid everything, then you wouldn't know they were hiding everything. What are they hiding? Better question may be what are you hiding? Does left mean fascist?

Does left mean fascist?

No.

Pastorgate

Peace on earth and goodwill toward men?

yeah, peace and goodwill doesn't put food on the table, I know Liberal Idealism, that will feed you, yeah right!

Hopefully when Obama becomes president, health care will become available to everyone including mental health care which some so desperately need.

Health care or health insurance? And how are we going to pay for it?

Both IV and we already pay for it. Our streets are full of people, homeless and others that desperately need mental health care. We need health care to return people to productive members of society rather than dead or crippled. American businesses already pay for it in lost productivity and their overhead for medical insurance. Every industrialized country in the world has addressed this issue, but ours, due to the constant and successful fear mongering of the right is still limping along with a broken system.