Did the Saudis or the Yemenis Expose the Involvement of a Double Agent?
There's a remarkable moment in this CNN story reporting on the concern within the US that someone leaked the fact that a double agent was involved in foiling the UndieBomb plot. After quoting Peter King saying "a major investigation" would…
The UndieBomber's Signature Timing
As I suggested yesterday, I think the the Administration's decision to use signature strikes in Yemen may be tied more closely to the double agent UndieBomb attack revealed in the last two days.
After all, the plot didn't just happen yesterday.…
Government Invokes Valerie Plame to Argue CIA Acknowledgment that Bush Authorized Torture Is Not Official Acknowledgment
As you'll recall, back in April I went on a week-long rant about the great lengths--including submitting a secret declaration from the National Security Advisor--the Obama Administration had gone to hide a short reference to the September 17,…
Drone Oopsies in US Airpsace
As if on cue, Steven Aftergood just released this Air Force directive:
9.6.1. Air Force units with weapon system video and tactical ISR capabilities may collect imagery during formal and continuation training missions as long as the collected…
Did Another Saudi Double Agent "Tip" Us Off to a "Plot" Against America?
ABC reports that the UndieBomber 2.0 plot revealed yesterday in breathless fashion was exposed by a double agent that--given that he delivered the bomb to Saudi Arabia--was presumably being run by the Saudis just like all the other men the Saudis…
Terrorist Training Camp Busted in Central Florida
In a series of arrests that began over the weekend, authorities in Central Florida have now arrested ten individuals tied to the racist skinhead organization American Front. Initial arrests included two on Friday and five more on Sunday.…
Confessions of an Orwellian Oppenheimer
Drunken Predator has one of the smartest descriptions of what I agree are two of the biggest reasons to oppose drones. On one side, he describes "Oppenheimers" who oppose some international uses of drones out of concern for the way they expand…
It Takes an Attempted Terrorist Attack to Actually Test Backscatter Machines
Long after rolling out backscatter machines without proving their efficacy and safety, it looks like the machines will finally be tested. As the AP reports, the government is now testing the underwear bomb Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula planned…
NYT Covers the War on Terror Drugs with No Mention of Larger Context
This NYT article, which describes how the US has adopted the Special Forces approaches used in Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the drug trade in Central America, rather bizarrely makes no mention of the larger context--growing opposition in Latin…
Marja Serves as Microcosm of Military Failure in Afghanistan, But Failure is Country-Wide
Back in February of 2010, US President Barack Obama's surge of troops in Afghanistan began its offensive by trying to take the Marja district of Helmand Province. Then US commander of forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal famously…
What If the Biggest Risk ISN'T Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Giving Speeches?
The guy who covered up CIA's torture, Jose Rodriguez, worries that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed might give a speech during the course of his military commission.
Although he acted defiantly in court, Rodriguez said KSM would like nothing more than…
Kentucky Derby Trash Talk: A Run For The Roses & Missing Mary
If it is the first Saturday in May, it is Kentucky Derby day. And so it is again today. We dabble with the ponies occasionally here at the Emptywheel blog, from previous Derby Trash Talks, to our coverage of the historic battles of super filly…
The Padilla v. Yoo Decision Will Not Put Chong's Claim Up In Smoke
There has already been a lot of very good commentary across the internets and media on the notable decision in the 9th Circuit this week in the case of Jose Padilla v. John Yoo. Although many, if not most, commenters seem outraged, the decision…
The End of an Era? Final Japanese Nuclear Power Plant to Shut Down Sunday
Before the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011, about a third of the country's electricity was supplied by the 54 nuclear power plants scattered throughout the country. In the intervening time, those nuclear reactors…
Strikes in CA, Republicans in FL Admitting Loss of Quality: Fallout from Long-Term Underfunding of Higher Education
Back in early March, Catherine Rampell wrote in the New York Times about the ongoing trend since the mid 1980's to cut state funding for higher education, noting that it has led to cutbacks in some of the very few areas of instruction where…
The Bin Laden Document Dump
As MadDog noted, there is a big Bin Laden document dump today. Here is what appears to be the main 205 page pdf file released so far this morning. The first seven pages give a decent overview, lead off by this introduction paragraph:
This…
Chen Guangcheng: The Hollow Core of a Press Manipulation Presidency
I live in the Pacific time zone, a full three hours behind the news makers and breakers on the east coast. I woke up early yesterday, by my time, and found an apparent great story occupying my Twitter stream: Chinese dissident and activist Chen…
Jay Bybee's Colleagues Say OLC Lawyers Couldn't Know that Torture Was Torture in 2001-2003
The 9th Circuit has overturned a District court ruling holding that Jose Padilla could sue John Yoo for the torture and illegal detention that Yoo's OLC work authorized.
While the decision sucks, I'm not so surprised by it, even coming from…
Going to Jihad with the Medical Records You Have, Not the Jihad Fighters You Might Want
I want to apologize to Janice Rogers Brown. In this post, I suggested she agreed with the argument the government used to dismiss evidence that corroborated Adnan Farhan Abd al Latif's explanation for why he traveled to Afghanistan.
As I…
After Obama Slips into Afghanistan Under Cover of Darkness, Taliban Attack at Dawn
Despite ongoing claims from the military that "progress" is being made in Afghanistan (but see this post for a direct contradiction to the claim violence fell 9% in 2011), the reality of the fragile security situation in Afghanistan dictated…
