Entries by emptywheel

Did Bush Lie to Vaughn Walker?

In another filing submitted after the 9th rejected Obama’s appeal yesterday, the Obama DOJ admitted that there was an “inaccuracy” in the classified filings that had previously been submitted to Vaughn Walker. Did Bush lie to Vaughn Walker?

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Obama’s FISA Headache

Obama’s headache from this al-Haramain ruling is not just because Judge Walker may well rule that Bush broke the law. There are three more reasons this is a big headache for Obama (and a potentiall great thing for us).

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Fleet Standard Fail

Not only is Obama’s auto task force full of people who don’t drive American cars, but the task force’s car owners as a group fail to pass CAFE standards.

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DiFi’s Whitewash

Just as Pat Leahy kicks off his investigation into Bush era crimes, DiFi is leaking news of her own investigation: a secret one that will have much more circumscribed scope than Leahy’s. Is she serious about this investigation–or just trying to tie Leahy’s hands?

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Obama’s Two “Ifs” on FISA: Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

Both main suits on FISA–the al-Haramain suit and the retroactive immunity suit–are about to go to the Ninth Circuit so that Court can define the meaning of “if” in each case. Obama argues those “ifs” should give his Administration the utmost flexibility to keep secrets–and avoid legal consequences for illegal wiretapping.

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