Spike the Yoo Findings, Get a Judgeship?
Last week, I suggested that the role Mary Patrice Brown played in softening the conclusion of the OPR report on John Yoo deserved closer scrutiny. Less than a year ago, Eric Holder shifted the head of OPR into a different DOJ role. Almost immediately,…
Nixon The Obama Campaign Goes to China
One of the most telling anecdotes in this must-read Edward Luce skewer of the way a small circle of Obama advisors (Rahm, David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett, and Robert Gibbs) dominates his Administration is this story about his trip to China.
On…
And Now They're Disclaiming Responsibility for their Briefings
Surprise, surprise. Just days after Crazy Pete Hoekstra did what Crazy Pete Hoekstra attacked Nancy Pelosi for last year--accused the CIA of lying--he's now caught in another position he has criticized Pelosi for--not objecting in a briefing…
The SWIFT Battle Heats Up
Last year, I tracked European objections to continued US access to SWIFT data. In November, some Germans balked at pushing an agreement through before the new European government was put into place. In December I described the interim agreement…
C Street to Jenny Sanford: Keep Fucking Mark, Even While He's Cheating on You
I really had no interest in reading Jenny Sanford's book. But I might have to read it only to get clarity on this tidbit that Ruth Marcus writes about. (h/t Rayne)
After one of the all-too-rare pre-affair moments in which Jenny gets angry,…
"The president himself does not have to sign off on kill orders."
That's the most striking line from the most recent post from Mark Hosenball, in which he tries to understand the process by which US citizens are placed on a list to be assassinated. Here's Hosenball's fuller explanation.
...strikes specifically…
Pay $25,000 and become a "Best School" in Michigan
This is a story about the intersection between market-driven public policies and dying journalism. As those two forces have intersected, nine Michigan school districts have paid $25,000 to a PR firm for the privilege of calling themselves--and…
Corporatist Dems Killing another Public Option
This story is several days old. But I wanted to go back and show how, after a pack of lobbyists killed one attempt to get government to use its power to save money and improve health care, another pack of lobbyists are trying to do the same…
Where Will Brennan Land in Rahm v. DOJ Spat?
As Jason notes, David Axelrod has already taped a CSPAN response to Jane Mayer's piece on Rahm's spat about distractions like "the law" and "human rights" with Eric Holder and Greg Craig. In it, Axe appears to try to distance the White House…
Mayer on Rahm
I first teased out Rahm Emanuel's role in reversing Obama's early efforts to reclaim our country from torture last July. In August, my comments at Netroots Nation focused on Rahm's role in preventing accountability for torture. I kept tracking…
BAE Settles US and British Anti-Fraud Investigations
Speaking of improper influence in defense contracting, BAE just settled the British and American fraud investigations against it.
BAE Systems will admit two criminal charges and pay fines of £286m to settle US and UK probes into the firm.
It…
Republicans Prepare to Kill Jobs; Democrats Angle for Majority Leader
Brian Beutler reports that the Republicans are prepping to make sure no additional support for jobs gets passed next week.
Senate Democrats want to vote on the first installment of a jobs package as early as Monday, amping up the pressure on…
Hopey Changey Bipartisany Bush!
I've been puzzling all week since this happened last Saturday (January 30, from the pool report).
President Bush 41, with former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush rolled up to the White House at 9:35 for a meeting with POTUS. At 10:09, the two emerged to…
Shelby Tries to Shut Down US Senate to Benefit Foreign Company
There has been a lot of discussion of how foreign companies will be able to influence elections and politics given the Citizens United deal. But foreign companies are already dominating our politics.
Consider Richard Shelby's decision to…
Obama Had 60 Votes For Dawn Johnsen's Confirmation Last Year; Johnsen Stalled Again This Year
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bmazThe failure of the Obama Administration to support the Dawn Johnsen nomination, a far less than good faith effort that finally resulted in Johnsen's nomination being killed by operation of Senate Rule, was not due to a lack of 60 votes for cloture on the nomination, but instead was to permit the abuse of the OLC, just as the Bush Administration before them, in order to cover up governmental illegality.
ZOMG! A Congressperson Accuses CIA of Lying to Congress
Just take a look at these traitorous accusations a certain Congressperson made about the CIA yesterday:
misleading and some might say lying to Congress by the intel community
The [intelligence] community covered it up,
this committee…
Assassination Permission Slips and Hall Passes
Yesterday, Dennis Blair gave the House Intelligence Committee an explanation of the "specially permission" that the Government grants itself before it places a US citizen on its kill list.
The U.S. intelligence community policy on killing American…
Google Boondoggle With No Such Agency
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bmazGoogle is entering a partnership with the NSA.
Holder to Republicans: Stop Being Such WATBs about Miranda Warnings and Mukasey's Decisions
Eric Holder just sent the following letter to a bunch of whiny Republican Senators trying to make an issue about Americans respecting the rule of law. (I'm posting the whole thing bc there's a lot of excellent smack down in it.)
Dear Senator…