Blago Goes Quietly Into The Night
/
bmazDespite all the noise and antics in the months leading up to his criminal trial, Rod Blagojevich has gone quietly into the night and put on no defense whatsoever.
SSCI Unanimously Approves Nominee They Don't Like
As expected, SSCI just approved James Clapper's nomination to be DNI. Surprisingly, though, there were no dissenters. Not Russ Feingold, with his worries about transparency on DOD covert ops. Not Tom Coburn, who was concerned about the timing…
Jay Rockefeller's Surveillance Machines
I don't mean to be churlish. After all, Jay Rockefeller tried to conduct some kind of oversight over Bush's illegal wiretap program. He even went so far as to write out by hand a letter to Dick Cheney telling him the wiretap program sounded…
Obama Administration Wants to Make Domestic Surveillance Power Grab
The White House wants to add just four words to the law that empowers the government to collect information on you w/o a warrant. But it would represent a huge expansion of the what the government could (legally) collect on you.
The administration…
James Clapper Hedges on Providing Ongoing Updates on Special Ops Activities (and Other Disconcerting Answers)
As Josh Rogin and Marc Ambinder note, James Clapper is scheduled to get a vote tomorrow in the Senate Intelligence Committee on his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence. Ambinder reports that Kit Bond is most dissatisfied with…
So Why Can't Democrats Rein in the Intelligence Industrial Complex?
Jeff Stein had a piece on the response to the WaPo article on intelligence contracting the other day that started with this question:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long wanted more members of Congress to know what’s going on at the CIA,…
Judge Bolton Enjoins Arizona Immigration Law
/
bmazJudge Susan Bolton of the District Court for the District of Arizona has enjoined the most significant aspects of the Arizona Immigration Law.
Chevy Volt: Why Don't People Understand Two for the Price of One?
I'm a little amused by the uproar over the official announcement yesterday that the Chevy Volt will sell for $41,000.
Yes, I know, very few people have that money in their pocket.
I'm amused, first of all, because GM has been saying for…
Jay Rockefeller and the Torture Tape Investigation
I've been writing a lot about the way CIA gamed briefings with Congress so they could destroy evidence of torture: how they created potentially misleading records about the September 2002 briefings with destroying the torture tapes in mind,…
Nancy Pelosi: How Dare the Administration Say they Would Veto Intelligence Reform?
In a an interview with me on intelligence reform on Saturday, Speaker Pelosi suggested that the White House should either accept real reform of the oversight function--including some version of House amendments on GAO review of intelligence…
The AP's "Most Complete Published Account" that Leaves Out Torture
The AP's DOJ and intelligence writers have a story out on the Durham investigation that purports to be "the most complete published account" of the destruction of the torture tapes. Only, it ignores key details that have already been published…
Pelosi: Members Are Taking Votes ... You Don't Know What You're Voting On
In his review of the Wikileaks material on Afghanistan, Marc Ambinder notes that John Kerry referred to "serious questions about the reality of America's policy toward Pakistan and Afghanistan."
Will it raise skepticism in Congress? Absolutely.…
Leaving Las Vegas
I'm at the airport well in advance of my flight to leave Netroots Nation, and thought it overdue to check in, since I've been so quiet all week.
This year's Netroots Nation--the fifth (I've attended all of them)--felt utterly familiar, like…
Netroots Nation: Close Gitmo and Use the Legal System
Liveblog coverage of today's panel discussion, Close Gitmo and Use the Legal System at Netroots Nation 2010. Panelists featured are Adam Serwer, Matthew Alexander, Rep. Jerry Nadler, Vince Warren, and your very own emptywheel, Marcy Wheeler.
Surveillance, Spying, and Racial Profiling in Obama Era
I'm watching a panel on online surveillance with Safir Ahmed (who edited Anatomy of Deceit and all of Markos' books), Josh Gerstein, Farhana Khera, Michelle Richardson, and Adam Serwer.
Safir starts with a question about what has changed.
Gerstein:…
Closing Gitmo: Unintended (?) Consequences
As you all presumably know, I've been in the city of sin all week, doing two days of training and then, yesterday, attending some really good panels at Netroots Nation.
One highlight of the week for me will surely be my panel Saturday at…
Final Jeopardy Answer: Something That Doesn't Obstruct or Impede Justice
/
MaryAlex, I'm going with - "What is getting a prosecutor fired for not complying with your political agenda?"
The investigation (not of the U. S. Attorney firings despite misleading headlines) into the Iglesias firing is done. bmaz is ready…
Shocking Result In Dannehy US Attorney Purgegate Scandal!
/
bmazThe results are in from the Nora Dannehy DOJ investigation into the US Attorney firings by the Bush/Cheney Administration. And, shockingly, the Obama/Holder Department of Justice just cannot find any conduct, not one single instance, worthy of criminal prosecution.
FDL Talks Intelligence Contracting with Tim Shorrock
The Washington Post has been turning lots of heads this week with a big series on intelligence contracting. But we here at FDL have been talking about it for years, not least when we hosted Tim Shorrock--who wrote the book on intelligence contracting,…
Limp Daily Caller Attacks Journolist (Again) and Spencer Ackerman
/
bmazAbout a month ago, the semi-irrelevant "FishbowlDC" and Tucker Carlson's self indulgent sandbox "Daily Caller" impressed themselves by scalping Dave Weigel from his position at the Washington Post. Fresh off the closest thing to a victory these…