White House documents found to be altered

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Daily Illini / College Community Network

Scott Althaus, professor of political science and communication, and Kalev Leetaru, coordinator of research in the Cline Center for Democracy, recently found that the U.S. White House Web site has modified, and in some cases, deleted key documents in the public record.

When the U.S. invaded Iraq, the U.S. government released a statement on the White House Web site listing the nations involved in the "Coalition of the Willing." However, over a period of several years, different versions of the three releases all appear to be originals. In the case of two releases from the U.S. government Web site, the original document is completely missing from the site.

"I think that it raises the question of whether or not we can trust the government to maintain public records of things that were said or done that later prove embarrassing," Althaus said.

A proofreader reviewing an article Althaus co-authored discovered that a previously recorded Web address led to a blank page. Althaus confirmed that the document had been deleted. Related lists of coalition countries also appeared to contradict one another.

Read more: http://media.www.dailyillini.com/media/storage/paper736/news/2008/12/05/News/White.House.Documents.Found.To.Be.Altered-3571806.shtml

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. Jeez, don't they know about Google and the Way Back Machine?

[intheflow]

7. Of course not!

Conservatives deny the existence of video tapes that document them saying asinine things all the time. Direct quotes are vehemently denied as vicious internet rumors. They live in a constant state of self-delusion and honestly believe they can persuade us to buy into those delusions as well.

[DallasNE]

22. Bush Thumbing His Nose At The Law Is Not News

He does it all of the time. The Nixon era Presidential Records Act was written to specifically prevent this type of abuse. The problem is the lax security in the Whitehouse. Criminal probes need names and I seriously doubt that this clearly criminal act can be traced. While Bush likes to spy on everybody else he sure goes to extreme measures to assure that nobody else can spy on him and hold him accountable.

[offog]

63. Yeah!

Of course Bush & Co. worry about being spied on. When you're a rat, you assume everyone else thinks like a rat too. If you're spying on political opponents, you assume they're spying on you too.

[wordpix]

65. I'm shocked I tell you. More outrage overload here

[roseBudd]

25. Problem with Wayback is you have to know the URL, w/o a bad link...

the missing docs may have not been discovered.

[Radical Activist]

2. Karl Rove's memory hole.

Can't we throw that fucker in jail?

[Wapsie B]

3. Shoot, they're lucky it exists at all.

By 1/20/09 all that will remain of the * administration are blank documents and empty hard drives.

[PatrynXX]

14. unless they dont know how to zero a hard drive

maybe they arent that tech savvy. o_O

Gotta love that way back machine. how else could one sneak a peak at what was once Elliot Spitzers call girl site :P

[Lil Missy]

4. No fuckin' shit....

:eyes:

[kimmylavin]

5. I'm shocked!

Shocked, I tell ya!

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Ditto...

[mrdmk]

8. The Bush Years = The Deleted Years

Except for the fact that Bush Jr. served as President from 2001 to 2009, most of the record will be expunged from history. Remember people have taken this administration to court under the Freedom of Information Act (FIFA) on numerous occasions. It would be a joke if someone did not feel as if they were hiding something.

[Demeter]

19. Bush Can Delete Everything, If We Get To Delete Him

and take back all the money from his cronies. Too bad people living in the Real World can't erase what Bush has done to them.

[wordpix]

66. and the I Don't Recall Years

[judasdisney]

9. Crimes? We couldn't possibly prosecute Republicans. That would be anti-Obama.

[PBS Poll-435]

10. As far as I know, the "Office of the President-Elect," ***teehee*** does not have a prosecutory arm

Can't we wait until our President-Elect is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States before we cave into rash, pre-conceived notions?

[judasdisney]

11. I'm thinking more of the Pelosi/Reid wing's excuses -- first, it was

we can't impeach or withdraw from war because that would spoil our chances in 2006.

Then we shouldn't spoil our chances in 2008.

Now the excuse will be "We can't investigate, impeach, prosecute or even complain because that's anti-Obama and partisan."

Seriously, what's the excuse for not CENSURING now (if there's no time to impeach)? It's "anti-Obama, anti-post-partisan, anti-forward-looking."

[condoleeza]

13. I am still hoping

that Pelosi and Reid aren't as worthless as that, but I fear your assessment is right. It's not too late to censure and certainly not too late to charge with war crimes. I will be happy with nothing less than that.

[judasdisney]

17. Welcome to DU, Condi. I hope that's really you.

Pelosi & Reid were complicit & signed-onto torture & warrantless wiretaps, as you know from your insider-perspective as a member of the Administration.

There will be no investigations.

[humbled_opinion]

21. I don't know about that for sure.

Obama understands the need for accountability and Eric Holder has an excellent track record. The world wants answers and we must somehow restore our credibility.

If there are no investigations I fear the Repukes will be able to use the Bush years as their justification of programs that work.

That will be a sad state that said,

I realy think I won't be able to handle it if all of the Bush crimes go unpunished and I know I won't be able to support Obama if he does not undo the legacy of Bush. Gitmo must be closed. Torturers must be held accountable, The Lies must be uncovered, Privacy must be restored. There can be no other way.

[Zhade]

68. If nothing is done, I will be.

I will finally know what a fucking sham this democracy is, and I will remove myself from its broken, corrupted apparatus.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. K&R. Heard about this on the news...

Is anyone surprised? I'm sure not. There is nothing that these miscreants won't stoop to...:grr:

[TWiley]

15. This seems to play along with shrub's recent comments.

He offered what was almost an apology, saying that the "intelligence failure" (aka the dumb-fuck himself?) conerning WMD and Iraq was regretable. A reporter asked a follow-up question "Would you still have invaded Iraq knowing what you know now?" He answered "That is an interesing question". These quotes are contextually true but not verbatim.

They delibertly lied to get us into this mess, and now they are delibertly lying to cover it up. Why would something as significant as the origional press release concerning the "coalition of the willing" be deleted?

Remember the sucessful coup over shrub's military service? This will go the same way down the road.

Like the other fiasco, the "document" will be factually true, but a provable forgery as it will be a replication of a non-existant document within the public record. Public memory will equate "forgery" with "facts are not true" just like they did in 2000.

The successionists (neo-confederates) are still re-writing the "official" civil war record as we speak. Watch that Ted Turner movie about the civil war sometime. It will make you scream. The confederates are written as the loving cartakers of slaves, and Union Generals are shown as brutal bigots.

[skepticscott]

16. Next they'll be telling us

that water is wet and the pope is Catholic...will the shocks never end??

[awoke_in_2003]

44. actually

the pope is a closet Mormon :)

[BelgianMadCow]

18. Heh, first! Do ursine mammals defecate in a forestial environment?

:P

[underpants]

20. Well to be fair at least they preserved the records of Reagan winning WWII and ending polio

[pipi_k]

41. You probably didn't know this, but

Reagan also single-handedly built the Great Wall of China and all the Egyptian pyramids.

[Zhade]

69. I think he was first on the moon, too. I mean, he was definitely from Mars.

NT!

[Lint Head]

23. Bush has altered the lives of thousands of people into death.

He altered the Constitution. What's a few documents.

:dem:

[minnesota_liberal]

24. Attributing the Bush admin's misdeeds to 'the U.S. government'

The news article and a quote from Professor Althaus himself attribute the Bush administration's misdeeds to 'the U.S. government' and question whether or not we can trust 'the government.'

That's like knowing full well who left a 'floater' in the swimming pool and then asking if we can trust the cleanliness of the pool.

[SpiralHawk]

26. Why do republicons HATE the truth?

A. Because they have so much corruption & FAIL to cover up.

[harun]

27. "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,"

[jetphixer]

28. Did NE 1 X pect NE THING DIFFERENT

Common get real: Did anyone reading this expect anything different from bush an his bunch? These people need to be in Jail.

[shadowknows69]

29. Have they used white out on the original Constitution yet?

[wizstars]

31. Nah, they just dumped...

...that G--d-D---ed piece of paper into the Recycle Bin.

[Lars39]

37. It's safe...Diebold is securing it.

http://www.diebold.com/charters.htm

:puke:

[sakabatou]

77. DUzy!

[wizstars]

30. It might be a good idea to start gathering up info on Jeb, just-in-case...

...the dumbfuc does try to run someday....

just sayin.....

[tomp]

32. what war? nt

[peace13]

33. Please! Can we impeach these people already?

It is clear that laws have been broken. They mock the heart of the society that they are supposed to be protecting.

[Broadslidin]

34. Once the American financial Mail Fraud Schemes are resurrected, Look Out....

After all,
the American president is simply
a reflection of its citizens.

Now go and get your government approved
reverse mortgage from Wells :smoke: Fargo, Sucker.

[AlbertCat]

40. After all, the American president is simply a reflection of its citizens.

Not when the elections were stolen and the Prez was not really elected.

[Broadslidin]

55. Oops. overlook my pitiful 'two week' American attention span....

The little gray :think: cells sure enjoy playing tricks
with the past.

[derby378]

35. IMPEACH!!

This ought to convince you fence-sitters that we should have impeached Herr Decided while we had the chance. Now he's going to get away with everything.

[Gregorian]

46. NO! We can't! It wouldn't be polite.

:)

Isn't this insane? He knew he was going to invade Iraq before he even got into office. Then he did.

You know, if I kill someone while unconscious, I still have to pay. Oh , never mind. We've been through all of this since the forum was created.

Justice!

[jfkraus]

36. At best they're incompetent asshats...

...at worst, criminals. Or both.

[Baby Snooks]

38. The magic of the computerized society...

The media itself does the same thing. Goes back and "edits" the original story online. And hopes no one notices.

Time to accept reality. This administration will never be charged with anything, will never be held accountable. Time, as they say, to move on.

You want to hold someone accountable? Hold the person responsible for ensuring this administration would not be held accountable accountable.

Madame Speaker. The Empress. Serving her Emperor.

[Eric J in MN]

39. No, newspapers say "Last Updated"

The Bush Administration changed documents without adding a last updated date.

[Baby Snooks]

50. How true...

I forgot that they do that. Hoping no one has cached the un-updated story. Makes you wonder which updated story finally hits the street.

The ethos of our society has become this warped "Can I get away with it?" instead of "Is this wrong?"

Helps immensely when you can just log on and edit and delete the paper trail.

[jimmil]

42. This is why no charges will be filed against Bush

They have no doubt erased or chenged all records that would implicate them in any crime. When you control the information you control everything.

[mistertrickster]

43. The Ministry of Truth says--"we've always been at war with Eastasia. We've never been at war with

Eurasia."

Less than two months until the dumpster lid of the dustbin of history slams shut on

WORST.
PRESIDENT.
EVER.

[Soylent Brice]

61. ...

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nichomachus]

47. Remember Kitty Kelley?

She wrote the book about the Bush Family. The book was murdered in the womb by a massive propaganda campaign that was so effective even people on the left wouldn't read it.

I read it. I found it to be well researched and pretty even-handed.

Anyhoo -- one thing she reported was that any time she went looking for documentation on something about the Bush Crime Family, the records were simply missing. In one case, an entire page had been ripped out of the book, a public record, where the information was supposed to be. It's as if there has been a squad going around expunging information about the family for years.

Researchers have found the same thing with the records of Prescott Bush's attempt to overthrow the government and install a fascist dictatorship. Despite Congressional hearings at the time, the records in the archives have been so scrubbed as to be almost useless, giving the Bushes the advantage of plausible deniability.

[Pryderi]

74. Remember in '05 when Scottie said, "That's accurate" and the WH changed the

transcript?
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/11/09/wh-alters-transcript/
That’s Not Accurate: White House Alters Transcript of Press Briefing»
There is a brewing controversy about what exactly was said at the White House press conference on October 31. Everyone agrees NBC’s David Gregory said this:

Q Whether there’s a question of legality, we know for a fact that there was involvement. We know that Karl Rove, based on what he and his lawyer have said, did have a conversation about somebody who Patrick Fitzgerald said was a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. We know that Scooter Libby also had conversations.

Congressional Quarterly and FNS both transcribed Press Secretary Scott McClellan’s answer as “That’s accurate.” The White House transcript lists McClellan’s answer as “I don’t think that’s accurate.”

[LuckyLib]

48. The entire * gubmint is purging the harddrives as we speak.

There won't be a damned thing left but the sound of crickets and the blank stares of the underlings too tied in to their civil service ranking to get out of town.

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

49. In other news, Cline Center for Democracy discovers world not flat

"I think that it raises the question of whether or not we can trust the map makers of our time to maintain and accurately illustrate the current representation of land masses and bodies of water." Althaus said.

[KamaAina]

51. Is the "th" in the wrong font?

oh, right, I forgot. Dan Rather is a eee-vulll lib'rul. If the Bushies are doing the same thing, it's four our own good. Because they told us so. :eyes:

[whistle]

52. No surprise there

[Stevethetruck]

53. bush crime family

Prescott bush, dubya's grandpappy had his banks shut down by the Government via the "TRADING WITH THE ENEMIES' act for actively banking for HITLER, after we had declared war. Prescott and Gen. Smeadley also had a plan to assassinate FDR and put our Govt. under Hitler's control.

Then G.H.W. "POPPY" bush, former director of he C.I.A. (who was in Dallas during the JFK assassination) brought you Arms for Hostages/Iran Contra, where he who illegally sold arms in Iran to fund Nicaraguan TERRORISTS and was using cocaine sales to fund the illegal actions against that DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED Govt. A director of the C.I.A. under President Carter, bush had Manuel NORIEGA installed as director of INTERPOL before Noriega started dealing drugs to both sides and bush had to shut him down. bush and Ollie North were running coke all over the world. Then bush and RUMMY sold nerve gas to the puppet dictator that they installed in IRAQ, SADDAM HUSSEIN. Our Govt. had nothing to say when Saddam used the nerve gas we sold him on his own Kurdish people. Remember the photos?

Then the was Neil bush, who brought us the SAVING AND LOAN SCANDAL.

Marvin bush, another good son owned the company that security for the World Trade Center, United Airlines, and Dulles International Airport.

Then along comes W! He shredded our BELOVED Constitution, tortured prisoners who were held without charges or representation, indefinitely, going directly against the GENEVA CONVENTIONS and abandoning HABEUS CORPUS (Innocent until proven guilty) which has been around since the MAGNA CARTA was signed in the 1200's! Not in AMERICA, anymore.

He spied on AMERICANS and ruined our reputation all over the world. He and 20 years of Repellican rule in the Senate and Congress, deregulated us right into this Depression. (keep calling it a recession but, eventually, you'll realize it's a DEPRESSION)

He DELIBERATELY lied us into a war of aggression against a country that had NOTHING TO DO WITH 911, had NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (he used them on the Kurds, remember?) and had done NOTHING to harm the U.S.A.

cheney and bush orchestrated the "FALSE FLAG" of 911 to SCARE us into going along with the ILLEGAL, UNDECLARED war on Iraq which has now cost the lives of over 4000 of our kids and 1.2 MILLION INNOCENT IRAQI CIVILIANS. (Hitler kills 6 million and is regarded as the worst person in history. How may does bush have to kill to get bad press?)

Now, you want Jeb bush to run? WHAT FUCKING REALITY DO YOU LIVE IN?

By the way, none of this is "THEORY". Check the facts, lookit up!

[VaYallaDawg]

57. Welcome to DU.

[BreweryYardRat]

82. Actually, Gen. Smedley Butler was the guy who blew the whistle on the coup attempt.

The corporate Fifth Columnists misjudged his patriotism, and when they approached him, he went to FDR with the information.

I really wish we'd been able to make Prescott Bush dance on air for his treason.

[unblock]

54. they forgot poland!

[louis-t]

56. Prosecute

Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute

Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute

Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute

Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute

Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute

Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute
Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute Prosecute

[JohnWxy]

58. what was that remark from a bushlodite back about 2000? - "by the time you guys (in the press)

figure out (that some story doesn't add up - e.g. WMD), we will have changed the story and moved on to another 'reality'." (as promulgated by the WH).

[L0oniX]

59. Who'da thunk it?

[Tempest]

60. 3 year imprisonment and a $2,000 fine

Unauthorized disposition of federal records, including their unlawful or accidental destruction, defacement, alteration, or removal from federal custody is against the law (44 U.S.C. 3106) and may lead to a $2,000 fine, a 3 year imprisonment, or both ( 18 U.S.C. 2071).

[pacalo]

62. This is just the tip of the iceberg on why "history will be kind" to the boy king.

We've known for some time that the WH web site is altered when something embarrassing happens.

And I also remember when Bush dismissed the WH's long-time archives director, who served many presidents' terms, & replaced him with one of his toadies.

[windoe]

64. **Name something** they have done that is legal or beneficial----

I consider just about every law they have passed to be illegal (unless I missed one!!) --especially since they stole the WH in the first place!


All the Brown & Root jails should be large enough to hold all the criminals.

[Zhade]

67. These people haven't been arrested WHY?

NT!

[mhatrw]

70. How many scores of Winston Smiths do you think they have working for them? n/t

[cascadiance]

71. This is a pattern... An FBI document was surreptitiously made "missing" too...

As Sibel Edmonds and the UK Sunday Times had verified that FBI document #203A-WF-210023 existed that contained "explosive" content in it, was claimed to "not exist" when a Freedom of Information Act request to get a copy of it was made later...

http://wecanchangetheworld.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/fbi-document-203a-wf-210023-and-the-sibel-edmonds-case-another-uk-sunday-times-article/

[sakabatou]

72. Gee, who would've guessed that they would've done this?

:sarcasm:

[pretzel4gore]

73. fyi, didya know nearly 600 of the passengers on Titanic were locked in?

they were murdered, in effect, yet the lying liar media bastards have somehow for almost 100 years never admitted the simply, evil truth, cuz, well it made the rulers of mankind look way too bad, and we can't have that.....can we

[stillcool]

75. Isn't ths really old news?

like 6 years old or so?
"I think that it raises the question of whether or not we can trust the government to maintain public records of things that were said or done that later prove embarrassing,"

[tbyg52]

79. Yep. Doesn't make it less important. nt

[lovuian]

76. they are just so stupid and yet no one prosecutes them

for going against the laws of this country

[tbyg52]

78. Yes, and why is that? We need to know. nt

[lowclass]

80. We all just walk down to the ministery of truth don't we?

[tbyg52]

81. Hey, lowclass!

Welcome to DU! :hi: