A Field General Departs

How can one write a swansong on Fran and omit Hurricane Katrina? Of course, how can one write an investigative report on the White House's Katrina response and make no mention of the hospital with the largest patient death toll? Fran omitted LifeCare's 24 patient deaths. Did she do so as a favor to The Carlyle Group, the private equity underwriter who purchased LifeCare just weeks before landfall?

Surely, as Carlyle closed in on the ManorCare deal, some members of the media picked this up and queried Fran, the White House, or members of Congress. If Carlyle can fail patients in one of twenty one long term acute care hospitals in a time of crisis, what can they do with 500 mostly nursing homes? Not a peep there either as the Justice Department played Santa and approved the deal just before Christmas. Fran left with so many unanswered questions.

So much for freedom of speach. This blog is sensored. Just replace the *** for the N word

*** s

It's a shame that US citizens don't stick togther like the *** do

I've seen the outcry for so called constitutional protection, however when it comes to our property rights, where are all the constitutionalist then? Most screamikng the loudest are the very individuals that would take a family off their land, restrict the use of the land and all will do so under the guise of Environmentalism.
Give me a break, most are Socialist, that is until they feel the Enemy is at risk. As for a disbarring Townsend, only an attorney would feel this way. The rest of America think she should become a Federal Judge.

What is most apparent to me is the decline of integrity in our Congress. The lack of respect our most trusted offices are continually discredited for none other than Political Gain. I find the actions of the leaders of both the House and the Senate to be despicable. Our Intelligence Comminity is in need expanded surveilance only because we live in a different time, a time where the enemy has the opportunity to utilize the Internet in a much more sophiscated manner than most Americans understand. The enemy is not only Intelligent and Talented, but they have numerous resources available to them because we do enjoy the Freedoms most in the World do not. Of course there should be a Sun Set on the legislation. There also should be a restriction against sharing information with the IRS.

We have Checks and Balances within our three branches of government, however our congress should take those responsibilities seriously. Our congress sacrifices our fighting Men and Women every time they fight openly with the President. Regardless which Party the President belongs to , we to show the Office the respect it warrants.

I have often wondered just how much the Al Quaeda and the Taliban contribute to the D's? George Soros must be their chief financial Contributor.

Very interesting comments so far. I agree with all of you

I think the greatest threat to our security is continued dependence on foreign oil from unstable sources. The bad acts of this administration and continued lying and deceit have tarnished us for easily a generation in the eyes of the world. Prices now for oil are inflated by over a third based on threats to supply, not actual stockpiles or consumption. Thus the market is self-destructing on threats that people like Townsend have a direct hand in shilling for the Oil people running things. Rattle a sabre, make a buck on the futures exchange, and finish the middle class. She wants to go make some of the bucks now, instead of wildly beating the drums of war. Buy E-85 and end the racket. Buy Canadian Tar Sands output and get off the racket. Exchange home heating oil units to earth coupled heat pumps and get off the racket. Site Nuclear and improve grid and get off the racket. It is not a war of carbines for the intelligent, but Carbons. Get off the racket. It is a pre-21st century commodity that has been used to destroy our economy by several fat cats.
Townsend? Elegant spokesmodel for perpetual fear and a shill for the destruction of our liberty into an Oligarchy. She is off to dance with them that brung her.

I absolutely love it. She says that they just have to spy on Americans, and we should support it. She should give back her law school diploma and be disbarred!!!!

If Fran Townsend is such a Patriot, Bush supporter and a believer that this country is sooo vulnerable to terrorism that she supports the dismissal of civil liberties.........................why is she leaving????? At least she sparred us the usual, "to spend more time with my family" joke................She's leaving because she's knows a sinking ship when she sees one and dumps praise on the loser as she closers the door behind her. Just like the American people are going to do to the entire Republican party in 2008. You reap what you sow.

"A Field General"? Is it a joke? She is just an advisor to the President on couner-terrorism issue, not in charge of any specific organization or entity, and there are many organzations within the administration that are charged with such tasks. Folks at Newsweek should contain their feminist urge to portary women bigger and more important (and more masculine, or in non-traditional, trail-brazing role) than what they really are.

Fran Townsend should continued to be laughed at as part of the failed leadership of George Bush. She is part of the problem and I applaud her decision to step down as a reminder of the crumbling wall of the Neo-conservatives that this country is getting pretty sick and tired of. These guys need to go wire tap someone else and go bankrupt some other country and go exploit some other labor force. I'm sick of the Neo-cons!!!!

After reading this article, I have two simple questions for Mrs. Townsend. First, how is it this Administration and by extension, Mrs. Townsend, fail to appreciate that Congress and the American people, after six years of many acts of illegal governance by this Administration, will not simply capitulate their constitutionally guaranteed rights/responsibilities in response to yet another rallying cry by the Administration under the veil of national security. This Administration has been proven utterly wrong on so many different occasions that they will not be given the benefit of the doubt. Actually, quite the opposite at this point.

Secondly, why/how is it so many members of President Bush's inner circle, while assisting him in rallying cry after rallying cry relative to how much power this President must be given to execute the War on Terrorism proceed to then decide to leave the public sector and go into the private sector, presumably for much more money? Either these individuals are not nearly patriotic enough to warrant these positions within government and/or they were complicit in either lying or exaggerating to Congress and the American people just how dangerous the threat really is to America. While I appreciate how demanding and stressful these jobs must be to execute, I cannot appreciate an individual leaving after a few years when the country is evidently still very vulnerable to attack. Simply put, it's called public service for a reason.

"The substance is absolutely clear. We need this." -- Just like we *needed* to go into Iraq over aluminum tubes, uranium, and mobile labs. If these boneheads were known for doing their job right in the first place and not having a track record of abusing their power, this wouldn't sound so much like cry wolf rhetoric.