Truthout roundup 8/29

Putin Asserts Link Between US Election and Georgia War
http://www.truthout.org/article/putin-asserts-link-between-us-election-and-georgia-war
Philip P. Pan and Jonathan Finer, The Washington Post: "Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he had reason to think U.S. personnel were in the combat zone during the recent war in Georgia, adding that if confirmed, their presence suggested 'someone in the United States' provoked the conflict to help one of the candidates in the American presidential race. In Putin's first extended remarks defending Russia's military intervention in Georgia, which has drawn international condemnation, he blamed the Bush administration for failing to stop Georgian leaders from launching the Aug. 7 attack on the breakaway province of South Ossetia that sparked the war."

Chalabi Aide Arrested on Suspicion of Baghdad Bombings
http://www.truthout.org/article/chalabi-aide-arrested-suspicion-baghdad-bombings
Nicholas Spangler and Hussein Kadhim, McClatchy Newspapers: "US forces have arrested a deputy of Ahmad Chalabi, who was once the Bush administration's favorite Iraqi politician, and implicated him in bombings that killed Americans and Iraqis, Chalabi and Iraqi government officials said Thursday. The US military alleged that the arrested official was working with the 'highest echelons' of the Iranian 'special groups' criminals, referring to what the US military says are Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq."

As Reagan Era Closes, Republicans Lack Shared Identity
http://www.truthout.org/article/as-reagan-era-closes-republicans-lack-shared-identity
Steven Thomma, McClatchy Newspapers: "They'll praise him, invoke his legacy and summon his blessing on their quest to hold the White House. But as Republicans gather at their national convention in St. Paul, Minn., to nominate Sen. John McCain, they face the prospect that the era of Ronald Reagan is ending after dominating their party and American politics for nearly three decades. The winning coalition that Reagan built of economic, foreign policy and social conservatives is splintered."

VIDEO: Barack Obama The American Promise
http://www.truthout.org/article/barack-obama-the-american-promise
"It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it. For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own. Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America."

VIDEO: Al Gore Seize the Opportunity
http://www.truthout.org/article/transcript-al-gores-address-democratic
Al Gore: "With John McCain's support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to fact; their readiness to sacrifice the long-term to the short-term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few, and short-circuit the rule of law."

McCain Chooses Palin, Alaska Governor, as Running Mate
http://www.truthout.org/article/mccain-chooses-palin-alaska-governor-running-mate
Michael Cooper and Elisabeth Bumiller, The New York Times: "In a surprise move, Senator John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate on Friday, shaking up the political world at a time when his campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, McCain officials confirmed."

US Marine Acquitted of War Crimes by Civilian Jury
http://www.truthout.org/article/us-marine-acquitted-war-crimes-civilian-jury
Catherine Elsworth, Telegraph UK: "The Californian jury took six hours to find Jose Luis Nazario Jr. not guilty of fatally shooting or causing others to shoot dead four Iraqi detainees during fierce fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, on November 9, 2004."

Eugene Robinson So Many Miles From Selma
http://www.truthout.org/article/so-many-miles-from-selma
Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post: "'I cried on Monday when Michelle spoke,' Rep. John Lewis told me Wednesday at the Pepsi Center, 'and I know that on Thursday night at the stadium I'll cry again.'"

Comcast to Make Monthly Internet Use Cap Official
http://www.truthout.org/article/comcast-make-monthly-internet-use-cap-official
The Associated Press: "Comcast Corp., the nation's second-largest Internet service provider, Thursday said it would set an official limit on the amount of data subscribers can download and upload each month."

Luc Bronner "We Are All White Mice!"
http://www.truthout.org/article/we-are-all-white-mice
Luc Bronner, Le Monde, evokes the great social experiment humanity is embarked upon as new constraints on human behavior obtain a planetary level.

VIDEO: Barack Obama The American Promise
http://www.truthout.org/article/barack-obama-the-american-promise
"It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it. For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own. Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America."

VIDEO: Al Gore Seize the Opportunity
http://www.truthout.org/article/transcript-al-gores-address-democratic
Al Gore: "With John McCain's support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to fact; their readiness to sacrifice the long-term to the short-term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few, and short-circuit the rule of law."