Remember When that "Recidivist" Jabir al-Fayfi Saved American Lives?
It's recidivist season again, when the DNI releases data about how many Gitmo detainees have "reengaged" and fear-mongering reporters (including, uncharacteristically, Mark Hosenball) then describe how many "recidivists" from Gitmo there have…
Holder's Unproven Claims about Anwar al-Awlaki the AQAP Leader
Perhaps it's because of all the dubious reasons the Administration continues to keep its case against Anwar al-Awlaki secret, but Eric Holder gave the impression of not knowing precisely what evidence the government had shown against Awlaki.
Or,…
Congress and Killing Oversight: Eric Holder v. Ron Wyden
Eric Holder today said that giving "appropriate members of Congress" information on the "legal framework" of its operations where "lethal force is used against United States citizens" is a key part of robust oversight.
That is not to say that…
Eric Holder's View on National Security: Three Branches. Except for When the Third becomes Inconvenient.
Eric Holder's speech--which starts with a defense of civilian trials and ends with dead American citizens--fails to achieve its impossible task. Granted, Holder frames his defense of civilian trials in efficacy, not rule of law (in language…
How Good Are DOJ's Reasons for Burying Its Case against Anwar al-Awlaki?
Today's the day Eric Holder explains how his Department decided it was okay to kill a US citizen with no independent legal review, even while he says we should use civilian courts to, uh, give terrorists due process.
Now, at least as of late…
Granholm, Cherry Endorse Trevor Thomas
Trevor Thomas got some very nice props last night in his effort to win the Democratic nomination to beat Justin Amash in MI's 3rd Congressional District: the endorsement of Jennifer Granholm and her former Lieutenant Governor, John Cherry. From…
According to DOD Inspector General Definition, Bradley Manning Did Not "Leak"
The unclassified version of the DOD Inspector General report on leaks within DOD over the last three years (that is, during the Obama Administration) defines "leak" this way.
Unauthorized disclosure of SCI [Secure Compartmented Information]…
Judge Cebull's Smart Response To His Incredibly Stupid Act
I was going to delve deeper into the Cebull insult of Obama case after Friday's events, but I now have something else I need to get to, so this is a shorter take. As you will recall, the intertoobz blew up at the end of last week, starting…
NYT Finally Weighs in on CIA-on-the-Hudson
Perhaps six months late, the NYT figured out (with no sense of irony about that delay) that if Ray Kelly can spy on Muslims with impunity--as he appears to have done--he can do it to anyone.
It is a distressing fact of life that mistreatment…
The King/Schumer Christie/Booker Smackdown
I confess I'm enjoying the spat developing between New York and New Jersey's top politicians over the NYPD's spying on New Jersey Muslims. First Christie dared to call Kelly arrogant.
“He’s Ray Kelly, so what’re you gonna do? I mean,…
Did Catholics Pay to Snip Roy Blunt?
I confess, since I wrote this post I've been obsessing about Roy Blunt's balls.
It's not just that I believe every supporter of the Amendment that bears Blunt's name should be willing to tell taxpayers whether they've used birth control to…
Most Blunt Amendment Supporters Likely to Have Used Birth Control
I confess. I'm contemplating calling all the Senators who voted for the Blunt Amendment yesterday to ask for a statement detailing:
What the Senators' history of reproductive choice has been, including details on what kinds of birth control…
In Memogate Cross-Examination, Ijaz Claims to Have Transcript of Zardari, Kayani Phone Conversation
Following up on his original video deposition from late last month, Mansoor Ijaz, once again by video link from London, was subjected to cross-examination yesterday and today by the judicial commission investigating the Memogate scandal. Ijaz…
An Interesting Day at Gitmo
While I actually think these two item are coincidental, note two things that happened on the Gitmo front yesterday.
First, contrary to the claims of Gitmo prosecutors made last month, no inmate ever got a copy of Inspire. Thus, the entire…
Michigan Dems Should Bill Mitt $5 Million
The MI GOP, which believed it could guarantee a win for Mitt Romney but produced only a delegate tie, voted to ignore the election results and give Romney the win anyway.
Michigan’s two at-large delegates to the Republican National convention…
Clear and Present Climate Blindness
This Micah Zenko and Michael Cohen essay, attacking the "threat inflation" in foreign affairs, is generating a lot of buzz. DDay wrote about it here, and Paul Pillar has a worthwhile addition here. At one level, I'm positively thrilled that…
Unintended Consequences: Rohrabacher's Inept Balochistan Meddling Provokes Pak Rebuke of ISI, MI for Extra-Judicial Killings
On February 8, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) held a hearing on Balochistan, which he followed up on February 17 with a resolution calling for an independent Balochistan. As I reported on the hearing, Rohrabacher mispronounced Balochistan…
Drones: Counterterrorism But Not Strategy
As one of the few civilian Americans who has been present in a zone where the US operated its drone campaign, David Rohde has a fairly unique perspective from which to comment on the tactic. And while in this long piece on drones, he recognizes…
Senate Judiciary Committee: Closing the Barn Door after the Barn's Been Foreclosed
Sometime this week, the long-awaited terms for the foreclosure settlement will be released, giving banks immunity for much of the fraud and forgery they committed in the course of taking homeowners' houses.
Which makes the timing of this…
Grand Rapids Dem Telling People to Shut Up about Choice Again
Even as Rick Santorum was losing MI, largely because he attacked women's autonomy, the same local operative who told me I wasn't well-informed enough to express an opinion on my own congressional district's politics was telling Howie Klein he…
