Scahill on the Blackwater Rent-an-Assassin Service

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emptywheel
Scahill argues that the Blackwater revelations mean Blackwater had a more integral part in building the Bush era counterterrorism strategy than did Congress.

Ambinder: Sorry I Was So Stupid, But I Was Right To Be Stupid

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emptywheel
Maybe I'm just getting tired of Ambinder's concern trolling. But his recent post excusing himself for being a chump on terrorist alerts really encapsulates what is wrong with journalism.

Blackwater's Nay-Sayer in HPSCI: Crazy Pete Hoekstra

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emptywheel
You know how Crazy Pete Hoekstra has led the chorus of those who claim Leon Panetta should never have briefed Congress on the secret assassination squads? To his credit, he's doing it even now that Blackwater's role has been revealed. “I think there was a little more drama and intrigue than was warranted,” said Representative Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. Um, yeah.
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The Wind And The Lion: Ted Kennedy Mans Up To Mortality

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emptywheel
Literally generations of politically active American citizens have been motivated to study and participate in the process by the men, and women, in the Kennedy family (I am one). The last of a kind is nearing the end, and he is thinking of his constituents until his last breath.
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A Chebby In The National Driveway & Lesson In Healthcare Messaging

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emptywheel
Barack Obama is bad and he's nationwide. And he's got a new ride. NASCAR was at the White House today; Obama could learn some lessons from them.

Chris Christie, Former US Attorney, Claims He's Still "Got" Federal Prosecutors, Talked with Them about State Jobs

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emptywheel
When Chris Christie said, months ago, that he's "got a group of AUSAs sitting in Newark," he probably wasn't expecting we would learn he has an "ongoing financial relationship" with one of those very same AUSAs.

The Secrets Novak Brings to the Grave

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emptywheel
Novak brings many secrets to the grave about his role in the Plame outing. Here are some of those secrets.

Chris "Nervous Wreck" Christie

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emptywheel
Why did "everyone" in the US Attorney's office know about Christie's loan to a subordinate, but Christie didn't declare it?

More on Christie's "Ongoing Financial Relationship" with Michele Brown

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emptywheel
This will just be a hodgepodge of details to follow up on this story, the news that former NJ US Attorney and current GOP candidate for Governor, Chris Christie gave one of his top AUSAs a mortgage loan for $46,000. Christie Has Made Other Loans Check out the original NJN report on this--around the 5:48 mark.

The Crazy Man Above the Garage

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emptywheel
In a weird article, Barton Gellman gets the whole logic of the Plame leak wrong. But he does provide nice stenography for Cheney's views.

More on Christie's Below-Market Loan Gift to a Prosecutor in His Office

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emptywheel
It sounds like Chris Christie's loan to an AUSA in his office ought to count as a gift under federal ethics laws.

Troy Davis Gets A New Hearing

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emptywheel
A few days ago I wrote about how bad legislation in the form of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 has turned federal juries and appellate courts into "death panels" by limiting and accelerating the appeal process, and thus the execution, of defendants in capital cases. The Supreme Court has just added to the voices against the Habeas limiting act by granting Troy Davis a new trial.

The $46,000 Question: What Are the Terms of Chris Christie's Loan to NJ's First AUSA?

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emptywheel
Does anyone thing it curious that Chris Christie gave the current First AUSA in the NJ Office a $46,000 personal loan?