Some Canadian Bacon Is More Equal than Some Carnitas
The funny thing about this Josh Marshall column against (other peoples') dual citizenship is that he didn't need to go to the issue of dual citizenship at all. He wrote it in response to a proposal to let NYC non-citizens vote in municipal elections.
I’m…
Peshawar High Court Rules US Drone Strikes in Pakistan Are Illegal, Comprise War Crimes
In a remarkable ruling (pdf), the Peshawar High Court has ruled that US drone strikes carried out within Pakistan are illegal, that they are war crimes and that they must be stopped immediately. The court also directed Pakistan's military to…
Harold Koh Relitigates the Argument He Already Lost
The NYT thinks the takeaway "news" of Harold Koh's speech on Forever War is his call for more transparency on drone killing. Yet that Koh supports more transparency on drones is not news. Daniel Klaidman has been reporting that since January…
Shorter Mac Thornberry: the Armed Services Committees Do Oversight, Not Intelligence
As Bobby Chesney lays out, the GOP Chair of the Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, has introduced legislation to codify oversight over kill-or-capture missions.…
John Galt's Trail of Death and Destruction Continues to Grow
John Galt has been a deadly and destructive guy lately, with the largest of his most recent attacks taking place in the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh on April 24 where the death toll has now tragically topped 900 and the fertilizer…
Declaring "Wars" the President Didn't Ask For
I'll probably have a few posts on Harold Koh's speech opposing what he calls the "Forever War" at the Oxford Union. For now, I want to look at his argument against a new Authorization to Use Military Force.
I strongly disagree with those who…
Sheldon Whitehouse: Cybertheft Is [May Be] Biggest Transfer of Wealth in History
In an attempt to scare Congress into passing the cybersecurity legislation they failed to pass last year, Sheldon Whitehouse scheduled a hearing on cybersecurity today. In the hearing -- and in this op-ed he penned with Lindsey Graham -- he…
Imran Khan Injured, Doctors Order Rest Ahead of Saturday's Election
Yesterday, former cricket star Imran Khan was injured when he fell off a lift that was raising him and a number of bodyguards to an elevated stage for a rally in Lahore. Prior to the injury, Khan and his PTI party were seen as slightly trailing…
Human Rights Groups to Obama: Don't Let John Brennan Cover Up the Torture He Condoned
Eight human rights organizations just sent a letter to President Obama urging him to appoint a high level White House official to coordinate the Senate Intelligence Committee torture report out of the White House. Like the letter Mark Udall…
Dunford Once Again Shows Complete Lack of Budget Awareness
When we last heard from General Joseph (We Are Winning in Afghanistan, We Really Are!) Dunford, he was showing total incompetence in terms of budget awareness in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had…
Brennan Cedes to Feinstein on Torture Tape Destroyer But "Defiant" on Torture Report
The WaPo reports that the woman who helped Jose Rodriguez destroy the torture tapes will not -- as had been floated -- officially lead the Clandestine Services.
A female CIA officer who was the first woman to lead the agency’s clandestine…
Former Bush Special Counsel Scott Bloch Bullies Journalists and Threatens 1st Amend Speech Before Criminal Sentencing
When this blog last substantively left the continuing saga of Bush/Cheney Special Counsel Scott Bloch, it was with these words:
So, between August 2, 2011 and December 21, 2012, a period of nearly a year and a half's time, the DOJ has done…
The Folks Who Brought You Military Detention in the NDAA Are Rewriting the AUMF
Yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee announced a hearing to revisit the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force. In addition to a bunch of DOD figures (but not the recently departed Jeh Johnson, the DOD-connected person who said the…
G-Men Want Mike Rogers to Lead FBI
In what is presumably an attempt to forestall a Lisa Monaco nomination, the FBI Agents Association just endorsed Mike Rogers to be their next boss.
The FBI Agents Association is expected to announce its endorsement of Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.),…
How Do You Abet Terrorism While Working a 70 Hour Work Week?
A number of people pointed out in the days after the Boston Marathon attack that the family members of James Holmes were not only not harassed in the days after he killed 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora. The press ultimately obeyed their…
Sad Victory for Pakistan's Taliban: Child Diagnosed With Polio in Region Where Vaccinations Were Denied
While much attention is appropriately focused on the horrific and brutal attacks by Pakistan's Taliban on secular political parties as the country approaches elections in its first-ever transition from one civilian government to another, we…
The Blame Game Begins: Who Will Be Held Responsible for Creating the Afghan "Vertically Integrated Criminal" Government?
Last Sunday, the Beltway professed to be shocked -- shocked!! -- that the CIA has been bribing Hamid Karzai for years.
Moreover, there is little evidence that the payments bought the influence the C.I.A. sought. Instead, some American officials…
The Find Every Terrorist at Any Cost Industry
As a thought experiment, replace the word "terrorist" in this paragraph with "soldier" or "military."
All terrorists fundamentally see themselves as altruists: incontestably believing that they are serving a “good” cause designed to achieve…
Shorter FBI: You're a Threat to "Community" If You Want to Kill the Same Guy US Government Wants to Kill
There's a lot that's stark raving insane about the FBI's latest entrapment scheme, involving 18 year old Abdalla Ahmad Tounisi, who had planned to go fight jihad in Syria.
But my favorite is the argument FBI makes about the threat to the…
The Transnational Crime Organizations the Presidents Didn't Mention
Yesterday's joint press conference with President Obama and Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto was an opportunity for the two leaders to lay out their take on the new limits imposed by Peña Nieto on counter-narcotics partnership.
Peña…