"Legal"
The NYT claims that Jim Comey agreed that waterboarding was legal. But that's not what they show. Rather, they show that Jim Comey probably agreed that waterboarding did not violate 18 USC 2340-2340A, which is just one of the laws that govern torture in this country.
All the News NYT Does Not See Fit to Print
The NYT got a handful of emails that made it clear that Jim Comey had attempted to dissuade the Bush Administration from torture. But instead, it reported that he had approved of torture. Here's the other stuff the NYT doesn't seem fit to tell you about Comey's emails.
The May 10, 2005 Opinions Were Retrospective
I asked in my earlier post on the NYT leak of Jim Comey emails what the big rush was in May 2005 that Comey couldn't use a week to fix the "combined techniques" opinion.
The emails themselves explain the rush--and that rush should have been the NYT story. On April 28, 2005, Comey wrote:
[Alberto Gonzales] mentioned at one point that OLC didn't feel like it could accede to my request to make
Pre-Emptive Strike on OPR Report: NYT Misrepresents Comey Emails, Claims He Approved Torture
Someone wants the NYT to prempt the OPR report. And the NYT has obliged.
Vaughn Walker's Chess Game: The New Rules
My understanding of where the Jewel suit against the people who authorized illegal wiretapping will go.
Bob Corker, After Begging for Auto BK, Wants Dealers Exempted
Last November, Bob Corker seemed pretty fond of bankruptcies for America's automakers. But now that those bankruptcies will affect small business owners, he's having second thoughts.
The Hill's Campfire Games on Intelligence Briefings
Crazy Pete Hoekstra finds a journalists to help him manufacture political controversy again.
Vaughn Walker's Chess Game: The Cases
The cases that will affect Vaughn Walker's chess game going forward.
House Judiciary State Secrets Hearing Open Thread
I'm a little late to the the House Judiciary State Secrets Hearing (committee stream here). Jerrold Nadler has had his opening statement--the big news in that was that Holder refused to make a witness available for this hearing. Jim Sensenbrenner is up noting that Obama has adopted Bush's approach on State Secrets.
Obama's Cairo Speech
For all the blistering that I, and many others here, give to Obama for his continuation of the Bush/Cheney duplicity on wiretapping, privacy, torture and Executive primacy issues, there are similarly a great many areas in which he is so many light years ahead of where we have been moribund for the last eight years that it is hard to remember we are still in the same galaxy. The Cairo speech was a remarkable reminder of the value of Obama.
12 to 16 Bottles, Not 5
Lawrence Wilkerson says the number 183, describing waterboarding, may describe the number of bottles used. That makes more sense if we remember that the interrogators were using far more water than Jay Bybee said they could use.
Bush Punted on GM and Chrysler ... But Not Cerberus
Yes, as we suspected, Bush punted on the auto crisis to leave the problem for Obama. But curiously, he did not punt on the auto finance crisis.
The al-Haramain Order From Walker
I am still waiting for a report from the scene, but hearing in Judge Walker's court on al-Haramain on the Order to Show Cause is over and here is Walker's order.
Vaughn Walker Dismisses Challenge to Retroactive Immunity
Wired reports that Vaughn Walker has dismissed EFF's challenge to retroactive immunity. (h/t scribe) Plus, Wired will probably be reporting on how Anthony Coppolino recovered from his long week of dancing in the al-Haramain suit. So by the end of the day, we should have a better idea of whether we'll ever hold the government responsible for violating FISA.
I'll be reading Walker's order as I drink my pre-flight beer (I'm going
Why Did CIA Hide Dick Cheney's Role in Briefing?
The WaPo confirms that, as I speculated, Cheney was the "not available" briefer. So why weren't we told?
Is Obama Fixing to Own Some Banks?
Rahm reveals that the principles of government ownership came up in the context of owning banks, not owning car companies.
Nadler and State Secrets
Yesterday, on my panel on torture and accountability, Nadler explained that lawsuits need to be one means to accountability.
Cheney 'Fesses Up that Rapport, Not Torture, Got Intelligence
Cheney's backing off his claims that torture worked.
Bye Bye American Pie
As most of you know by now, automobiles are personal to me. I grew up around cars, car people and car racing. And I grew up in America of the 60s and 70s. Whence I came from Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie & Chevrolet wasn't just a slogan, it was a root truth and way of life. Did that music die today?
Obama: They Said We Couldn't Fast-Track Chrysler, Now I'm Doubling Down
Obama announces success with Chrysler, doubles down with GM.