Did John Brennan Have a Role in DOJ's Decision to Prosecute Jeffrey Sterling?
John Brennan apparently plays an interesting role in the events surrounding Jeffrey Sterling, whom DOJ indicted for allegedly leaking details of the MERLIN program to James Risen.
James Risen first wrote about Sterling--profiling his employment…
Did NYT's Editors Alert the Government to Risen's Source?
Let me start by pointing to two data points about the case of Jeffrey Alexander Sterling--the apparent (and alleged) source for James Risen's reporting on MERLIN.
First, as DOJ's press release alleges, Sterling first contacted Risen in February…
CIA Doesn't Want You To Know It Gave Iran Nuclear Blueprints
Here's what I think happened with Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, the former CIA officer who just got arrested for leaking classified information to James Risen.
As I noted in the timeline, Sterling was assigned to an operation in November 1998.…
James Risen's MERLIN Source Arrested
DOJ has announced the arrest of James Risen's source for the MERLIN story (though they don't admit Risen and MERLIN are the leaks in question).
Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, 43, of O’Fallon, Mo., was charged in a 10-count indictment returned…
If POTUS Can Order Assassination of US Citizen w/No Due Process, Can He Order Torture, Too?
Glenn Greenwald and Mark Mazzetti tell the story of 19-year old American citizen Gulet Mohamed who was taken into custody by the Kuwaitis after the US, while Mohamed was staying with an uncle in Kuwait, put him on the no-fly list. In the two…
What a GOP-Managed Reading of the Constitution Looks Like
Bob Goodlatte is the guy the GOP put in charge of today's reading of the Constitution. He apparently chose to read the 10th Amendment--the foundation of state's rights--himself. The 10th Amendment is supposed to read:
The powers not delegated…
David Ignatius Confuses Joe McCarthy and Dan Burton
David Ignatius got it wrong, IMO, when he asked whether Darrell Issa is going to be the next Joe McCarthy.
When you see the righteous gleam in Issa's eye, recall other zealous congressional investigators who claimed to be doing the public's…
Excluding Atheists from the Military Just as You Let Gays Openly Serve
Let me try this one out on you. The guy whose "Learned Helplessness" theories made it possible for Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell to make a killing (heh) on torturing detainees has figured out a way to make a killing--$31 million in sole source…
They Don't Even Use the "Time with the Family" Excuse Anymore
Apparently, the White House has decided it had one too many adults on its economic recovery board, so now Paul Volcker has been decided to step down.
I realize that "has been decided" is not proper grammar, but look at how Reuters refers…
Calling Obama's Bluff on His Signing Statement
The ACLU has a fascinating letter to Obama pertaining to his signing statement threat. It basically calls his bluff on his "pretend" problems with Congressional restrictions on his ability to close Gitmo. It does this, first of all, by pointing…
Scalia Kills Corporate Personhood
Eli alluded to this in his post on Antonin Scalia's claim that women and gays are not included under the 14th Amendment, but I wanted to expand on it.
Scalia, one of corporate America's biggest friends on SCOTUS, just killed corporate personhood.
What…
Gul Rahman: Another Case Where Torture (and Homicide) Failed to Elicit the Location of Extremist Leaders
The US government has a long history of refusing to turn over evidence on its torture program, most recently when DOJ refused to cooperate with a Polish inquiry into the black site at which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times.
So…
Robert Gibbs to Leave White House, Will Join "Professional Left"
Robert Gibbs has made it official: he's leaving the White House. (Applause!!!)
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary and close confidante to President Obama, said Wednesday that he will step down and become an outside political adviser…
OMB’s New Security Memo Suggests WikiLeaks Is Media
A number of outlets are reporting on the OMB memo requiring agencies to review their security procedures in response to WikiLeaks.
Now, this memo is explicitly a response to WikiLeaks. It's a follow-up on a memo sent in November that names…
Peter the Material Support for Terror King's Slippery Slope
I highlighted the NYT editorial that criticized Peter King's planned hearing to fearmonger against Muslims the other day. In spite of the fact that the NYT backed off of highlighting King's own ties to terrorism, instead focusing on how he ultimately…
9th Circuit Punts On Perry Prop 8; Certifies Standing To California
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bmazWe have unexpectedly quick news out of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the Perry v. Schwarzenegger Proposition 8 marriage equality appeal. the 9th has dismissed Imperial county's attempt to intervene, and certified the remainder of the case to the California Supreme Court for a determination of the issue of standing, which it held to be a state law issue.
Why Not Monopolize the Term "for Prevention"?
Eight years ago I went to a conference for young breast cancer survivors. It was pretty useful to be around a bunch of other women who, like me, had been diagnosed with breast cancer in their twenties and thirties. It was also useful to hear…
DOD, State, and Obama's "Pretend" Desire to Close Gitmo
Robert Chesney had an interesting observation about the inter-agency group Dafna Linzer reports is working on some kind of statement with regards to Congress' restrictions on Obama's ability to move detainees from Gitmo to the US: the apparent…
Tim Griffin: Rove's US Attorney Project Comes Full Circle
Remember the entire point of Karl Rove's plot to fire a bunch of US Attorneys and replace them with partisan hacks? It was to advance the political career of the new USAs.
Perhaps his most prominent success on that measure is Chris Christie.…
A Signing Statement to Protect Presidential Powers Obama Won't Commit to Use
That's the short version of this Dafna Linzer story on Obama Administration plans to combat Congressional efforts to keep Gitmo open forever. Obama will include a signing statement with the appropriations bill asserting that limits on what he…