Holder Signals Approval (Preference?) for SJC Bill
Eric Holder's letter to Pat Leahy and DiFi appears to be an attempt to signal his preference for the Senate bill.
The Average Clunker Traded in for C4C Was 15 Years Old
The government has released final Cash for Clunkers numbers--so far I've glanced through the summary and additional statistics. And one stat I did not know was that the average age for the Clunkers turned in was almost 15 years, and the average…
Is Crazy Pete Hoekstra Lying and Demagoging Again?
Is Pete Hoekstra lying to the press to gin up fear again?
Mukasey's Hunting for a "Lone Wolf," Too
Michael Mukasey is sure--presumably relying on the same inaccurate news reports I'm reading--that Nidal Hasan is a member of a leaderless jihad--or a Lone Wolf.
Maybe We Can Have Prayer Treatments Instead of Reproductive Care?
Orrin Hatch and John Kerry have provided for "health care" for scientologists. I wonder how that's going to be excused if and when health care reform refuses to provide for care opposed by the Roman Catholic Church?
Lieberman's Hunt for a Lone Wolf?
In addition to worries that Jim White raises, I'm worried that Joe Lierberman's promise to hold hearings on the Fort Hood attack serves an attempt to expand--rather than sunset--the Lone Wolf provision of the PATRIOT Act.
DC's Newest Reality Show
Now that John Ensign has moved out of C Street, I propose a reality show to decide which moralizing hypocrite is best suited to replace him.
Thomas Fingar on the Politics of NIE/NIAs
Thomas Fingar gives some background on the 2002 Iraq NIE, the 2007 Climate Change NIA, and the 2007 Iran NIE.
Bart Stupak's C-Street Sepsis
As you reflect on the horrible vote that traded reproductive choice for health care, remember that the champion of that vote is one of C Street's top Democratic members.
Trashed: Formula One No Longer Made In Japan
As you all might know, we here at Emptywheel are car people. And one annoying thread ran common as a persistent undercurrent through all of our auto and auto bailout coverage over the last year, and that was how pitiful and incompetent the…
Obama DOJ Continues To FlimFlam Judge Lamberth On State Secrets
The state secrets doctrine was born on the wings of fraud and lies by the US government in the case of US v. Reynolds in 1953. As Congress struggles to rein in the unbridled use of the doctrine to cover up illegality by the Executive Branch…
Cheney Now Remembers CIA-Related Information!!
At first, I was surprised when reading about Cheney's apparently good recall about the orders he gave the CIA seven years ago, given how forgetful he was about having ordered Scooter Libby to leak Valerie Plame's identity. But when I looked closer, it became clear that he was just as forgetful about torture as he was about outing Valerie Plame.
Donate to First Draft So Athenae Can Continue to Call Out Bad Reporting
Go donate to First Draft so Athenae can write more righteous rants against bad reporting.
State Secrets Bill Passes House Judiciary, 18-12
The House Judiciary just passed Jerry Nadler's bill reining in state secrets abuse by a vote of 18-12, with Adam Schiff as the sole Democrat voting against the bill. One thing Nadler has added to his bill since it was first introduced are measures…
PATRIOT and State Secrets Mark-Up, 2.1
We're back, waiting to get a quorum. Watch along here.
Schiff: Strike ordinary pen register and trap and trace changes. Follow-up to Rooney amendment, potential unintended consequences on changing trap and trace. Avoid unintended consequences.
Smith:…
PATRIOT and State Secrets Mark-Up, Day Two
Liveblog from today's HJC hearing on PATRIOT reauthorization and State Secrets.
Condi's Response to Tenet's Request for a Review of Torture
More details revealed about the tension between CIA and the Department of Justice during June 2004.
PATRIOTs and Secrets Hearing, Day One Wrap Up
The Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee sure looked more like Democrats in Wednesday's PATRIOT Act hearing than most Democrats on the Senate side.
PATRIOTS and State Secrets Mark-Up Two
Follow along at home here.
Dan Lungren: NSL minimization. Deals with section of bill bc they did it on the Senate side. Strikes 2008 which calls for establishment of minimization procedures obtained pursuant to NSLs. If there are tangible problems…
Christie Starts Paying Off His Campaign Debts
Wasting no time in paying off Ralph Marra for politicizing a bust of a bunch of Democrats this summer, Chris Christie has already indicated he will name Marra to be his Attorney General. (h/t Main Justice)
Knowledgeable Republican sources…