The Democrats Had Already Conceded the War on Women
Curiously, in his chronology of the talking point, "the War on Women," Dave Weigel doesn't mention the actual terrorist attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic a few weeks back. Nor does Marc Ambinder in his thoughtful piece on the outrage mobilized…
Pakistan's Parliament Calls For End to Drones, Covert Agents in New Guidelines for US Relationship
In a key step toward the re-opening of NATO supply lines, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security presented a new set of guidelines for the relationship between the United States and Pakistan that was passed unanimously by Pakistan's…
The CIA's Four-Box of Death
Just to finish up with my continuing obsession with CIA General Counsel Stephen Preston's speech at Harvard (don't miss Josh Gerstein getting into the act with his fact check on the shooting of Osama bin Laden's wife), I wanted to look at Preston's…
Episode Three of Who Rules Your World? Begins: The Leak Retribution Event
Episode one of Who Rules Your World?, pitting Barack Obama against Rupert Murdoch, passed mostly under the radar. The "privatize education" event ended in an early draw when the darling of both contestants, Michelle Rhee, resigned in disgrace…
Chief Justice Chaudhry: Balochistan Burns While Police Watch
Showing extreme frustration over senior police officials not appearing before his hearing today on Balochistan, Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry lashed out at them:
Chaudhry had summoned Inspector General (IG) Balochistan…
The Libyan Gift That Keeps Giving: Sarkozy's Turn
In the last few days, Tony Blair has developed Alberto Gonzales-like levels of forgetfulness with regards his flip-flops on Libya as he tries to answer questions about the Abdel Hakim Belhaj rendition.
But it looks like Blair won't be the…
What Zimmerman's Charge Means (Or Doesn't)
Well, okay, the press conference by Angela Corey is over. Let us be clear, it was the performance of a politician and, not necessarily that of a grounded and by the book prosecutor. Seriously.
First off, Ms. Corey talked in repeated and continued…
Why Florida Is Charging Zimmerman Directly Instead Of By Grand Jury
As you may have heard by now, the Washington Post has broken the news that Florida officials, to wit Special Prosecutor Angela Corey, will charge George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin killing. The charging is expected late this afternoon, but…
CIA General Counsel: The Osama bin Laden Killing Was Legal Because ... "Triumph!"
In this post, I unpacked how the CIA General Counsel, Stephen Preston, managed to argue that "the CIA is an institution of laws and the rule of law is integral to Agency operations" even while admitting that courts had no review over many of…
CIA General Counsel: If the President Authorizes It, It's Legal
I do hope the Harvard students who listened to this speech from CIA General Counsel Stephen Preston--in which he purported to explain what a law-abiding agency the CIA is and which appears to be the CIA's effort to prove that the Anwar al-Awlaki…
Amid Cautious Optimism for P5+1 Talks, Iranian, Israeli Spies Arrested in Azerbaijan
As we approach the re-start of the P5+1 international talks on Iran's nuclear technology this weekend, there are multiple signals that Iran may be planning to make a major move aimed at reducing tensions. As CNN pointed out yesterday, Iran suggested…
At What Point Do Our Cyberwar Toys become WMD?
The other day, Ellen Nakashima reported on new cyberwar acquisition guidelines that will allow DOD, under certain circumstances, to deploy targeted exploits without the regular testing or oversight process.
The rapid process will take advantage…
Prediction: Latif Will Be Repatriated
The WaPo reports that the US is finally trying to resolve the cases of 50 non-Afghans we've had stashed at Bagram. It focuses on two Yemenis who may be repatriated.
The government of Yemen has agreed to closely monitor two Yemenis held by the…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Legal Henchman Andrew Thomas Gets The Axe
I have written several times over the years about the unethical antics of Andrew Thomas, the disgraced former elected County Attorney in Maricopa County Arizona. (See: here, and here and here for instance).
The article at the last link was,…
Data Mining Adoptive Parents along with Suspected Terrorists
I'm a sucker for groups of adoptive kids. Like the time when a group of Michigan families with adopted Ethiopian kids had a rambunctious reunion at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant, with the owner catering to the kids like a grandparent. Or…
Opening Week: Baseball and Bombs
The Yankees and Red Sox both finally won games yesterday after starting their seasons 0-3, while the Taliban have opened their season with a new offense.
The very fact that the US has been in Afghanistan so long that the press uses matter-of-fact…
The Guy Who's Always Right, Harold Koh, Changes His Mind
In her profile of Harold Koh's flip-flop on drones (and counterterrorism generally), Tara McKelvey shows that Koh joined the Administration with such certitude about his initial position--that drones were assassinations--he pissed everyone off.
“Everybody…
Gareth Williams Inquest to be Secret Tribunal
I've been blogging about British efforts to expands the use of closed material proceedings so it won't reveal embarrassing details about its cooperation in American torture in the future.
Which makes it interesting that Britain's Foreign…
Judge Issues Gag in Sandusky Case--After ESPN Exposes Tom Corbett's Conflicts
The judge in the Jerry Sandusky case, John Cleland, just gagged all the parties to the case. The Inky suggests the gag is targeted at Sandusky's lawyer, Joseph Amendola. Of course, Amendola and even Sandusky himself have been working the media…
DHS Inspector General Fluffs the Success of Secure Communities
Last Friday, DHS' Inspector General released two reports purportedly written in response to an April 28, 2011 request from Zoe Lofgren to determine whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS more generally were lying about the Secure…
