What Is It about those GOP Appointees and their Email Computer Files?
In the latest episode in the ongoing saga of disappearing GOP emails, the WSJ reports that Scott Bloch, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, invited Geeks on Call in last year, apparently to delete a bunch of emails computer files.
The head of the federal agency investigating KarlRove's White House political operation is facing allegations that heimproperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a privatecomputer-help company, Geeks on Call.
[snip]Recently,
That's What I Like in a Financial Advisor
He opines, from deep inside the Beltway, that "real America" is doing just peachy in this economic crisis.
"We obviously have problems in the housing sector and we have problemsin the financial sector, but ... real America is doing just fine," hesaid.
From which I assume he means those "real Americans" who have neither investments nor a house nor a low income.
And then, he gets out while there are still lifeboats available.
Top White
Time Gives Up on the Truth
The whole Joe Klein affair is another of the things I'm hoping to return to on Monday. But for now, take a look at their "correction."
In the original version of this story, Joe Klein wrote that theHouse Democratic version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act(FISA) would allow a court review of individual foreign surveillancetargets.
More Intriguing than a Boy-for-Hire
There was a rumor floating the Toobz yesterday that Trent Lott got out of the Senate in a hurry because of boy trouble--perhaps something that Larry Flynt dug up. That rumor has since been denied by the boy in question.
But Scott Horton points us to something that is rather more intriguing:
Enigmatic Terms
Luckily, Harry Reid has put off the Senate vote on the FISA amendment, because I never finished my series showing that the current amendment will legalize data mining. Man oh man oh man, am I looking forward to meeting the deadline I'm on, celebrating a late Turkey Day with friends this weekend, then going into a blog and bill paying frenzy next Monday.
Christian Forgiveness
Remember how Dick Cheney very charitably forgave Harry Whittington, the old man who had the audacity to get hit by Dick Cheney's birdshot?
Well, Aravosis catches Bush doing Cheney one better: Bush has the kindness to forgive Gore for winning the the 2000 election.
Bush forgives Gore for Bush stealing the 2000 election.
They're Still Paying for Intell Pork
Steven Aftergood has an important post describing the squabble between the intelligence appropriations subcommittees and the intelligence committees. He explains how, even though the intelligence committees are trying to exercise more oversight over intelligence activities, the appropriators (which have increasingly become the defense subcommittee appropriators, as more intelligence activities have moved under DOD) have undercut those efforts.
The efficacy of intelligence oversight in the Senate has beendrastically undermined by procedural hurdles that
Geragos' Intentionally Non-Responsive Subpoena to Lisa Myers
This is odd.
As I explained earlier, Brent Wilkes' lawyer Mark Geragos is trying to subpoena a bunch of lawyers and journalists, in hopes (he claims) of discovering who was leaking about the Wilkes/Foggo indictments before the indictments came down, and in further hopes of getting Wilkes' convictions thrown out because of governmental misconduct.
The Lisa Myers Subpoena
I read Wilkes' motion to subpoena journalists and others with great interest. I'll return to three details later:The naming of Seth Hettena as the journalist who allegedly showed Mark Geragos a copies of two indictments; Geragos had earlier refused to give prosecutors Hettena's name. The lack of a subpoena for Dan Dzwilewski, the Special Agent in Charge who retired suddenly in the midst of this whole scandal and, presumably, one leading
The Monday before Tuesday
I don't believe we're going to wake up at the end of tomorrow, after the Annapolis conference, and discover peace has broken out across the Middle East. I'm not developing some newfound faith in Condi's ability to negotiate real diplomatic deals. But I am intrigued by the degree to which pieces are falling into place, just on the eve of tomorrow's conference.
First there was the news that Syria will attend the
CALEA
looseheadprop has a post at FDL that deserves more attention. Particularly this paragraph:
In 2005, in response to a petition dated March 10, 2004 by the DOJ and FBI, [Ed. note, if you only have time to click on one link—this is it!] the FCCissued a report and Order that said that CALEA applied tofacilities-based broadband Internet access providers and providers ofinterconnected (with the PSTN, Public Switched Telephone Network)Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) services.
Trent and Mitch
As you've no doubt heard, Trent Lott will announce that he has decided to spend more time with his K Street friends.
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott(R-Miss.) is planning on resigning from the Senate this year and maymake a formal announcement as soon as today.
If he resigns, Lottwould become the sixth Republican senator to announce they werestepping down this election cycle.
Does this Sound Familiar?
Where have we seen this before: a Bush Administration gives vague guidance to our favored military dictator in a turbulent neighborhood, and the dictator takes a step that might destabilize the whole region.
The Bush Administration knew that Pakistani strongman PervezMusharraf planned to institute emergency rule but did not act or speakout about the plan, according to officials with knowledge of thediscussion who spoke anonymously in Friday's Wall Street Journal.
"In the days
It Takes Astute Observation, Not Mea Culpas
Mark Halperin has a hysterical op-ed in the NYT today, designed to be a mea culpa for the failures of presidential campaign journalism. Halperin reveals the reason behind the press corps' obsession with horse race politics--they all read Ben Cramer's What It Takes--and then admits that success in a political horse race does not necessarily equip someone to run the country.
For most of my time covering presidential elections, I shared theview
Speaking of the Saudis
Check out who Bandar Bush bin Sultan hired to defend him in the BAE bribery investigation:
Prince Bandar, a confidant of the Bush family, recently retained the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director Louis J. Freeh, as well as one of the fathers of the F.C.P.A., the retired federal judge Stanley Sporkin, to represent him.
The Saudis Have Been Busy
The Saudis appear to be moving three chess pieces at once. I won't pretend to know what the moves mean. But I'd suggest that the coincidence of the three moves might suggest they're taking an upper hand in the US policy-making in the Middle East.
Nawaz Sharif
First data point: after preventing former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from returning to Pakistan several weeks ago, the Saudis now appear to be forcing his
Probable Cause
I can't say I'm surprised by this news--that some courts are approving government use of cell phone GPS data without first requiring the government to demonstrate probable cause.
Federal officials are routinely asking courts to order cellphonecompanies to furnish real-time tracking data so they can pinpoint thewhereabouts of drug traffickers, fugitives and other criminal suspects,according to judges and industry lawyers.
In some cases, judges have granted the requests without requiringthe government to demonstrate
Thanksgiving Football Trashtalk Thread
Say, did you know that the last time the Detroit Lions won on Thanksgiving Day, they beat the Packers?
And if you want to answer the absurd quiz, click through to NFL.com, which apparently needs to have four entries for all of its quizzes. How else to explain the presence of Kitna who, though he has moments of inspiration, is not in the same league as the other guys, particularly not Manning
Stop Making Scottie McC Rich!!
Cannonfire is right. People have gotten way too excited over this Scottie McC "revelation." I'd advise you all to look closely at what John Dean had to say about the flap on Olbermann:
Dean: Well, there's very little that's specific in this. I actuallythought about calling the publisher today. He's a very ablepublisher--Peter Osnos, Public Affairs, good journalist.
