Rahm's Method of Politicizing DOJ
The NYT has an account of how Rahm and Jim Messina tried to give Eric Holder a minder a year ago.
Last winter, when Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called the United States a “nation of cowards” for avoiding frank conversations…
The Exigent Letter OLC Opinion
Update: Bob Schacht asked for more context, so here goes. This IG Report was the third DOJ's Inspector General, Glenn Fine, has done on the FBI's use of National Security Letters and "exigent letters," though this is the first to focus almost…
Second Working Thread on Exigent Letter IG Report
It has taken me a while. But I've finally gotten through the DOJ IG Report on exigent letters. Page numbers below will be to the PDF page.
Page 14: Footnote 1 notes there are Secret and TS/SCI versions of this report. Keep that in mind as…
Scott Brown and Do-Nothing Senate Will Cause 900,000 More to Lose Jobs
Count me among those who are grateful that Harry Reid scaled back the Senate jobs bill instead of letting MaxTax Baucus and Chuck Grassley use it to push through another estate tax break for Paris Hilton. That said, what he is pushing is another…
Of COURSE Blumenthal Is Running against Civilian Law
Gregg has a post up expressing shock that Richard Blumenthal, CT's craven Attorney General running to replace Chris Dodd, advocated against using civilian law for both Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the UndieBomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Gregg…
Dealing Away Civilian Law
In her piece on Holder's efforts to uphold the rule of law last week, Jane Mayer explained that Rahm Emanuel opposed the idea of civilian trials for the 9/11 plotters because it would piss off Lindsey Graham.
Emanuel, who is not a lawyer, opposed…
Toyota's Revolving Door and Failing Brakes
I've made a concerted effort to avoid piling on the Toyota recall story. But this excellent Bloomberg story--describing how two former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials helped Toyota avoid more comprehensive responses…
"The Same Old Game Playing in Washington"
The Sunlight Foundation has a superb report of the way in which Bill Tauzin, whom Obama attacked during his campaign for his slimy deal-making, pushed through a deal with the Obama White House that limited savings from the pharmaceutical…
Obama Prepares to Sacrifice Justice and National Security for Political Expediency
Check out the way the WaPo reports the news--based on three anonymous Administration sources--that Obama will be personally involved in choosing the location of the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial.
President Obama is planning to insert himself…
Obama to Shelby (and Others): Let Those Hostages Go
Apparently, Obama told Mitch McConnell that if the GOP didn't start releasing their hostages, he would recess appoint the whole lot of them. And, as a result of a direct threat, McConnell and his buddies released 27 of their hostages.
But…
Patterico Confirms NYT Owes Its Readers a Correction
I wouldn't think I'd need to explain this to a Deputy District Attorney for a major city like Patterico, but here are some of the definitions Merriam-Webster includes for the word "Bugger."
Bugger: (Noun) A worthless person
Bugger: (Verb)…
EU Parliament Rejects Interim SWIFT Deal
The EU Parliament voted today--by big margins--to end the temporary deal allowing the US access to data from SWIFT.
The European Parliament on Thursday broadly rejected an agreement with the United States on sharing information on bank transfers…
Meet Richard Shelby's Airbus Hostages: Frank Kendall
Since Richard Shelby continues to hold several of Obama's military nominees hostages to his efforts to help France's Airbus win a lucrative contract, I thought we ought to meet the professionals whose service Shelby sees fit to disrupt.
In…
"Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment by the United States Authorities" ... BEFORE the Bybee Memo
As Bill Egnor has reported (and Jim White mentioned here) a court in the UK has forced the government to release a passage of an earlier court ruling that it had fought to suppress. Assuming the passage has been released in complete form, the…
Kit Bond's Politico Projections
Before Kit Bond went on MSNBC this morning to call for John Brennan's resignation, he planted the same attack in what was one of the most ridiculous Politico articles I've seen since its last Dick Cheney blowjob.
For example, you know…
9th Circuit to Jeffrey White: Get Back to Work on EFF FOIA
The 9th Circuit wrote a really fascinating opinion in the EFF FOIA. The Circuit was dealing with three questions regarding EFF's FOIA of the documents pertaining to telecom lobbying leading up to the passage of PAA and FAA. Those three questions…
NYT Thinks TeaBugger James O'Keefe Entitled to Own Set of Facts
As I reported a while back, chief TeaBugger James O'Keefe had called on the FBI to release the videos he took while (according to the FBI) by false pretense, entering US government property with the intent of interfering with a phone system…
Republicans Trashing Law Enforcement because It Polls Well
The best explanation for why, after having been briefed that underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was in FBI custody (and therefore, anyone who watches TV would know, mirandized), Republicans more recently started attacking the Obama Administration…
Shelby Claims to Relent; Still Holds Military Nominations Hostage for Airbus
The WaPo reports, mistakenly, that Richard Shelby has released his holds on Obama's nominees.
But as Shelby's own statement makes clear, he is still holding up some of the military nominations to benefit Airbus.
The purpose of placing…
Is Obama's Bipartisan Healthcare Summit an Attempt to Recuperate the Cadillac Tax?
When Max Baucus delayed finalizing the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare bill last August in the name of getting bipartisan support from Olympia Snowe or Chuck Grassley, Republicans and teabaggers spent the month talking about death panels.…
