Why Was Eli Lake Getting Documents Democrats on Oversight Committee Not Getting?
I'll be livetweeting the Oversight Hearing on the Benghazi attack.
Elijah Cummings, in his opening statement, laid into Darrell Issa for his partisan treatment of this investigation. He revealed, among other things, that the Committee didn't…
"Brave" Taliban Gunmen Shoot Fourteen-Year-Old Girl in Head Because She Dares to Blog About School
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwEUOXriqHo[/youtube]
Three years ago, at the age of 11, Malala Yousafzai gained attention for her outspoken defense of education for girls in the face of Taliban oppression that vowed to bar girls…
Is Obama Preparing the "Vote for Me or Mitt Will Indefinitely Detain You" Pitch?
Jesselyn Raddack catches Obama promising to start talking about civil liberties on the campaign trail.
So on every issue domestically we’ve got differences, and I haven’t even -- we haven’t talked about the fact that my opponent feels…
Not The Onion? PressTV Claims British, Israeli Scientists Developing SARS Virus Targeting Arabs
After Iran's Fars News Agency was fooled last month by an article in The Onion, you might think Iran's press would be a bit more careful in what it chooses to publish, but PressTV today seems to have topped "rural white American voters prefer Ahmadinejad…
Big Bird Says Neither Obama Nor Mitt Know Who Our Bankster Enemies Are
[youtube]bZxs09eV-Vc[/youtube]
This ad is justifiably getting a lot of attention. It's well made, dramatic. And somewhat damning to Mitt Romney.
Seriously though. How does this help Obama?
Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski. Criminals.…
The Evolution of the "Obama Doctrine" after Benghazi
The other day, I wondered whether using three C-130s to bring a team of FBI Agents to Benghazi was overkill. And while I was able to get some kind of explanation (1 transport, 1 decoy, 1 to bring the toys), given this report on all the Special…
Jonathan Chait Is Wrong about Debate Formats
[youtube]MiGZzNEZmHY[/youtube]
I'm not all that hung up on Obama's terrible performance in last Wednesday's debate or in the upcoming ones.
But I do think Jonathan Chait is wrong that the Jim Lehrer format was Obama's best chance because…
Emptywheel: Over 1 Million Amazing Readers Served
Sometime after 2AM ET last night, emptywheel.net received its 1 millionth visitor.
I had planned a big party to celebrate the milestone, but have been buried, as always and missed the event.
But I do want to thank all of the readers here…
Yet More Reason to Question Rafallah al-Sehati's Role in Benghazi Attack
You can't necessarily fault Eli Lake for the title the Daily Beast gave his latest entry in his efforts to help Romney surrogate Jason Chaffetz turn the Benghazi attack into Obama's Jimmy Carter: "Exclusive: Libya Cable Detailed Threats." Who…
Despite Military's Rosy Spin, Truth Coming From Afghanistan Highlights Civilian Casualties, Coming Political Meltdown
Even though ISAF continues its political spin claiming that the military's strategy leading to Afghanistan assuming full control of security in 2014 is progressing as planned, new information from two independent sources indicates that the situation…
Romney Surrogate Jason Chaffetz Goes to Dangerous, Scary Libya
Apparently, Jason Chaffetz would have you believe that Libya is so dangerous it requires we take a full-time military stance. But not so dangerous he can't do a quick political stunt "fact" "finding" trip to Libya with little warning. Predictably,…
What Kind of Custody Is It When You Secretly Hold an American at a Military Base?
Here's a fairly minor point about the Gregory Saathoff report on Manssor Arbabsiar, the Scary Iran Plotter.
For the 12 day period when he was being secretly interrogated without a lawyer, he was being held at a military base.
Although at…
Why Would the US Government Have Deconfliction Issues with Manssor Arbabsiar in 2010?
Before I look at the other ways Gregory Saathoff's report opining that Manssor Arbabsiar is not manic hurts the government's case, I want to discuss a rather curious citation Saathoff includes.
Troutman, D. (2010, January 13). Email to Virginia…
FBI's Shrink-for-Hire Undermines Their Case While Trying to Rebut Manic Defense
When last we heard from Dr. Gregory Saathoff, he suggested doing and managed production of a thoroughly hackish report trying to argue that the anthrax case against Bruce Ivins was solid. (See also this post, and Jeff Kaye's post laying out…
Triple Crown Trash Talk
An outstanding weekend of sports is on tap. And, believe it or not, we are going to lead off with baseball. The end of the regular season was as compelling as has been seen in a very long time. While most of the attention was focused on the…
Arsonist Burns Landmark Toledo, OH Mosque
If you've ever driven north on I-75 into the Toledo area, you've surely seen the magnificent white building seemingly arising out of the farmland at the juncture with I-475. It's not just a gorgeous mosque, it's one of the landmark buildings…
The Senate Report on Fusion Center Fails to Ask or Answer the Most Basic Question
As I suggested the other day, there is a lot to recommend the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report on fusion centers.
But while it meticulously supports its claims about the waste and inefficacy of fusion centers, it seems to miss…
Time to Fund State Like We Fund DOD
Two more updates in the continuing effort to make Benghazi into Obama's Jimmy Carter.
Jake Tapper offers up an email showing the State Department's Under Secretary for Management denying a request on May 3 that the Libyan Security Support…
Shorter Stafford Smith to Obama: "Don't Drone Me, Bro!"
On Saturday, a march is planned into South Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Three groups are involved in the march: Reprieve, of the UK, headed by attorney Clive Stafford Smith, CodePink, of the US, headed by…
Computer Returns
The Chinese computer company, Lenovo, which bought IBM's PC division in 2004, has announced it will be opening a small production facility in North Carolina next year.
The world's No. 2 personal-computer maker says the PC production line now…
