Obama in Flint, MI
Hello everyone. I'm blogging from Flint, MI, where Obama will hold a town hall starting at 12EST. The town hall will be a big unity event--with some of our Congressional delegation and other top officials joining Obama to unify the Democratic Party. This follows our State Central Committee meeting--which was held Saturday--at which the same message of unity was emphasized.
How to Get the Transcripts
Here's how I would go about getting Mukasey to release the transcripts.
A Response to Dean: The Failure, So Far, Has Been Congress'
John Dean is pointing fingers at the wrong entity for going soft on this Administration. The fault has been with Congress, not the Special Counsel.
$225,000 in Credit Card Debt
Are the $225,000 in credit card balances Cindy McCain has just another example of the Sugar Momma Express, or does she really have that expensive of taste?
At the Risk of Being Churlish
I'm sorry Tim Russert passed away. But I'd like to see the media give the same kind of eulogy for all the men and women who have died in George Bush's war as they're giving Russert.
Revenge of Article III
The opinion restoring Habeas does more than give 200 Gitmo detainees their day in court. It also makes a stand for the power of the Courts.
Matt Apuzzo Pushes Back
Matt Apuzzo gets cranky in good cause. And DOD and DOJ pout.
The Rule of Law Prevailed
I'm just getting off a conference call with the Center for Constitutional Rights, one of the organizations that has been pushing for Habeas at Gitmo for years. Gita Gutierrez, one of the CCR lawyers that's been fighting this fight the longest, said of the ruling that "unambiguously the rule of law prevailed."
Here's some of what they believe the opinion to mean:The 40 to 60 people who have already been determined
Happy Habeas Day
Apparently, Anthony Kennedy understands a few things about the Constitution that many seem to have forgotten.
The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times.
Which means the detainees in Gitmo and elsewhere will have their day in a real court, not the Show Trials put together at Gitmo.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay have rights under the Constitution to
What Databases Are You Using? We Won't Tell...
Apparently, the FISA Court wanted more details about the FBI's databases for raw wiretap intelligence in October 2005.
Scottie and Condi and the Niger Intelligence
My posts on Scottie McC's book have, thus far, treated issues closely connected to the CIA Leak investigation (well, except for the post in which he calls cracking down on deadbeat dads "trivial").
In this post, I want to look at how he deals with the underlying issue--the Niger intelligence and the White House's response to it.
The Missing Emails and the OVP Coverup
Both the defense and prosecution introduced a bunch of articles referencing the Plame leak--and particularly OVP's role in it--between September 27, 2003 to October 12, 2003. But some are missing--most importantly, a bunch that came out while Libby was in Jackson and Cathie Martin was apparently in DC making statements claiming Libby wasn't involved.
The FISA Fix and Obama's Profile In Courage Leadership Moment
The desperate push on FISA by the Bush Administration, complicit and subservient Republican Congressional leaders, and their telco partners is about to explode onto the forefront again. We are either a nation of laws that protects citizens and their right to seek redress for being wronged by their government and it's agents, or we are a nation of self serving men like George Bush and Dick Cheney that can do, and get away with, whatever illegal and immoral acts they desire. Barack Obama could put an end to this today if he wanted. It is time for a Profile In Courage.
Four News Outlets and the Libby Exoneration
Scottie McC describes his reluctant efforts on October 4, 2003 to exonerate Libby this way:
"Were you involved in the leak in any way?" I asked him.
"No, absolutely not," Scooter replied.
"All right," I said. "I plan to tell reporters that you did not leak the classified information, nor would you condone doing so.
Keith O and Scottie McC and Chairman John C
Scottie McC seems prepared to testify more broadly about Plame (and about pre-war intelligence) than Chairman Conyers thus far envisions.
Scottie McC's Chronology: October 4
Scottie doesn't want you to know it, because he invents excuses for why he was hesitant to exonerate Libby. But it seems pretty clear he suspected that Libby was involved in the leak of Plame's identity.
Scottie's Briefing
How does Scottie's September 29, 2003 briefing match up with his description of it? Not badly--but there are some key differences in what he reported in his book and what he said in his briefing.
Condi's Sunday Shows
Waxman wants Condi's FBI transcripts. Here's why.
Scottie to Conyers: It's a Date!!
According to Roll Call, Conyers has cordially invited Scottie McC for an HJC chat on June 20 (h/t egregious).
"I have extended an invitation to Mr. McClellan to testify before the Judiciary Committee after discussions between Committee staff and his attorneys," Conyers said. "In his book, Mr. McClellan suggests that senior White House officials may have obstructed justice and engaged in a cover-up regarding the Valerie Plame leak.
Scottie McC's Chronology: September 29
I showed that Scottie McC's chronology obfuscate some important details about conversations on September 27. In this post, I'll show what that means for his description of the events of September 29, the day when Bush told him that Rove did not leak Valerie Wilson's identity.
