Truthout roundup 8/8

Georgia and Russia on the brink of war over separatist region; Justice Department extends attorney firings investigation to encompass senior White House officials; Ohio files lawsuit against Diebold for missing votes; US commander accuses Pakistan's intelligence agency of complicity with Afghan militant groups; in 2008, Florida remains an election battleground; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

t r u t h o u t 08.08

Russia, Georgia on Brink of War
http://www.truthout.org/article/georgia-launches-attack-rebel-region
The Associated Press reports: "Russian troops moved into South Ossetia hours after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Georgia that its attack on the breakaway region would draw retaliation, Russian television reported Friday. The Russian move comes after Georgian troops launched a major military offensive earlier Friday to regain control over South Ossetia and the president accused Russia, which has close ties to the separatists, of bombing Georgian territory."

US Attorney Scandal Probe Enters White House Circle
http://www.truthout.org/article/us-attorney-scandal-probe-enters-white-house-circle
Murray Waas reports for The Huffington Post: "The Justice Department investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys has been extended to encompass allegations that senior White House officials played a role in providing false and misleading information to Congress, according to numerous sources involved in the inquiry. The widened scope raises the possibility that investigators will pursue criminal charges against some administration officials, and recommend appointment of a special prosecutor if there is evidence of criminal misconduct."

Missing Ohio Votes Spark Lawsuit
http://www.truthout.org/article/missing-ohio-votes-spark-lawsuit
In The Columbus Dispatch, Mark Niquette writes: "The touch-screen voting setup used in half of Ohio's 88 counties doesn't work properly, and the former Diebold Election Systems should pay as a result, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said in a court filing yesterday. The move comes fewer than 90 days before Ohio voters go to the polls in an election that could decide the presidential race, but Brunner says safeguards will be in place by then in the affected counties to mitigate any risks. 'We will make the equipment work, but this is not something that Ohio should be satisfied with for the long term,' Brunner said. 'Our goal is to have Ohio taxpayers compensated for this equipment that doesn't function properly.'"

US General: Pakistan Intelligence Complicit in Afghan Violence
http://www.truthout.org/article/us-general-pakistan-intelligence-complicit-afghan-violence
According to Agence France-Presse: "The top US commander in Afghanistan Thursday publicly accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate of 'some complicity' over time with militant groups fomenting violence in Afghanistan. Lieutenant General David McKiernan's comment in an interview with CNN was the most unambiguous statement yet on the matter by a senior US military officer, reflecting growing US frustration over the insurgent violence in Afghanistan."

2008 Election Forecast: All Eyes on Florida, Again
http://www.truthout.org/article/2008-election-forecast-all-eyes-florida-again
Rachel Kapochunas writes for Congressional Quarterly: "Florida has been hotly contested in each of the past four elections. Bill Clinton finished 100,000 votes behind President George Bush in 1992, but four years later he carried the state by 303,000 votes. George W. Bush , after his virtual tie - just 537 votes - with Al Gore in 2000, won the most decisive victory of the four in 2004 - by 381,000 votes over John Kerry. John McCain got off to something of a head start this year in Florida as a result of the asymmetrical ways in which the parties handled the state’s decision to hold a Jan. 29 presidential primary that violated both national parties’ scheduling rules. The Democratic National Committee prevailed upon its candidates to not campaign for primary votes and initially stripped the state of all its Democratic convention delegates (waiting until nearly the end of the nominating process to restore half of the delegate votes). The Republican National Committee, by contrast, took just half the state’s convention delegates away at the start and did not dissuade GOP candidates from campaigning for Florida primary votes. As a result, McCain had a high profile en route to his pivotal primary victory by 5 percentage points over Mitt Romney. 'Under normal circumstances John McCain - with his background, with his persona, his high level of public and generally positive awareness - would carry Florida,' Bob Graham, the former Democratic senator and 2004 presidential hopeful, says. 'But 2008 is not going to be an average year.'"