More on the Field Trip to Gitmo
Just wanted to point to two tiny details about the "field trip" of the War Council (Addington, Yoo, Haynes, Gonzales, and Rizzo, plus friends) to Gitmo on September 25, 2002.
Conyers (et al) to Archivist: How Successful Were They at Destroying Evidence?
As John Conyers has suggested, if the Bush Administration destroyed Philip Zelikow's dissent to Bradbury's torture memo, it's a violation of the Presidential Records Act, in addition to--potentially--evidence of criminal intent.
If It Sounds Too Good for the Goss, It's Worth a Second Gander
Something stinks about Porter Goss' claim to have stood against torture in December 2005: Robert Grenier, head of Counterterrorism, was fired a month later for being insufficiently pro-torture.
If Condi Says "Nixon" Directly Rather than Through Anonymous Sources, Does the NYT Hear?
If Condi had said, "By definition, if it was authorized by the President, it did not violate our obligations in the Convention Against Torture," to the NYT via anonymous sources, THEN would they consider it news?
Rice and Goss Turn on Cheney
People close to Condi Rice and Porter Goss appear to be significant sources for a NYT article adding new data points to the torture narrative. They're self-serving. But if Condi and Goss want to turn on Cheney, I'll take it.
Did Mitchell and Jessen Have the Three OTHER Torture Tapes? Or the Egyptians?
The letter DOJ sent a letter to Leonie Brinkema to explain why it had neglected to admit there were torture tapes it didn't disclose to her during the Moussaoui trial. The whole letter makes a lot more sense if James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen had had the tapes.
Torture Tapes and Briefings
Michael Isikoff suggests that John Durham may be focusing on the Moussaoui requests for testimony from Abu Zubaydah and others. That may put CIA knowledge and intent to destroy the tapes much earlier.
Zelikow's Dissent and Rockefeller's Question
Yesterday, I showed how Steven Bradbury's May 30 Memo was a failed response to Congress' insistence that the Administration consider whether its torture program complied with the 8th Amendment. Well, that's precisely what Philip Zelikow's dissent was about.
Addington's Multiple Choice Torture Memos
When asked about his role in the Bybee One memo at the HJC hearing last year, Addington repeatedly made it clear he was answering the question ONLY as it pertained to Bybee One. I would bet the answers would be far different if he were asked about Bybee Two.
The Next Anti-Union Myth: Obama Gave Them Chrysler
The finance press is started a new meme--that Obama gave the union Chrysler and hurt some poor little hedge funds in the process.
Exclusive!! Pro-Torture Spooks Continue to Play Journalists for Chumps!!
It's the Moonie Times' Eli Lake and Bill Gertz's turn to do the pro-torture spooks' bidding again. Pity they misrepresent a letter Silvestre Reyes writes, let Hoekstra continue to lie about briefings, and show no awareness of the appropriations process.
Bradbury's Bellybutton
Here's the quality of Bradbury's legal work. He argues we can waterboard people because, under torture, they confess to things that prove they're very important and scary people so we can then point to them to argue it's okay to waterboard.
Judge Bybee, Can You Say Panic?
Judge Bybee doesn't seem to know what to do to respond to Pat Leahy's invitation to come chat.
What Did BushCo Hide By Not Revealing Surveillance Activities?
EPIC reports that Bush didn't keep up with its required reporting on certain kinds of surveillance activities. Sort of makes you wonder what they're hiding, huh?
The Gestation of Bradbury's Torture Memos
One of the reasons Jay Rockefeller wrote a narrative of the OLC memo process tied to torture was to document just how little the Administration gave a shit about what Congress had to say about the program--particularly it's demand that the torture program comply with the Convention Against Torture.
When Did John Yoo Start the Bybee Memo?
When did John Yoo start writing the Bybee Memo? In March, 2002, after Abu Zubaydah was captured? Or just a few months after 9/11?
Condi's "Position of Responsibility"
These two YouTubes ought to be watched in tandem. Together, they give a whole new meaning to the term "position of responsibility."
Obama and State Secrets
Obama says he's interested in fixing state secrets. I think he's just trying to get ahead of a bus that is already moving.
JP MorganThe Banks Forces Chrysler into Bankruptcy
The UAW was willing to negotiate, but the banksters weren't. So Chrysler will now enter bankruptcy.
The Obama administration will announce at noon today that it will take Chrysler LLC into a historic bankruptcy to force a cut in debt key to a partnership with Fiat S.p.A. after three firms refused a sweetened offer.
With the UAW late Wednesday ratifying cost cuts in its contract and cuts in the money due its retiree
Condi: If It Smells Like Nixon, It's Criminal
Condi channels Nixon to defend torture.
