The CIA IG Report: Is Waterboarding KSM 183 Times Really Effective?
Not only did the CIA IG Report reveal that KSM had been waterboarded 183 times. But it did so as part of a larger discussion challenging the efficacy of such methods.
Debunking the Torture Apologists' "Half the Intelligence" Claim
The torture apologists are out there claiming that we got "half" of what we "know" on al Qaeda from torture. But as the May 30, 2005 Bradbury memo makes clear, they're talking about sheer number of reports, not quality of information.
The Torture Memos and the FBI-CIA Dispute
David Johnston wrote an article shortly after Bush brought the High Value Detainees to Gitmo. It helps elucidate a lot of the details we're seeing in the torture memos. And the torture memos serve to explain why the FBI-CIA dispute he portrayed took the form it did.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Was Waterboarded 183 Times in One Month
According to one of the OLC memos, KSM was waterboarded 183 times in one month.
The CIA Directors Protecting Themselves
The AP reports that George Tenet and Porter Goss have criticized Obama's release of the torture memos.
Of course they would. Those memos, after all, implicate both of them legally.
Do CEOs Really Matter?
There's a BusinessWeek report that confirms two things I've been arguing for a while: that Bob Nardelli will be ousted no matter what happens with Chrysler in the upcoming two weeks.
Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli confirmed in a letter to employees today that he will likely be replaced as CEO of the automaker in the coming weeks as the company faces either an alliance with Italian automaker Fiat or a bankruptcy
Convertino Gets His Source
The ironies surrounding Richard Convertino continue to mount.
Burning Down the House Lawn
Today, in between reading torture memos, I burned my front lawn.
On the al-Haramain Decision
Here's my thoughts on Walker's al-Haramain decision.
BREAKING NEWS: Judge Vaughn Walker Keeps Al-Haramain Alive!
The decision just came to me hot from a source involved in the case. Judge Walker has entered his order on al-Haramain.The court has determined to let the case precede!
The CIA IG Report and the Bradbury Memos
One of the most troubling aspects of the Bradbury memos is the way they admit the CIA program had not been safe--particularly with respect to the way waterboarding and sleep-deprivation had been practiced--even while declaring those programs legal.
The Bybee Memo Can't Be Used for Good Faith Defense on Water-Boarding
The May 10, 2005 "Techniques" memo makes it clear that the torturers who claim the Bybee memo legalized their water-boarding of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah are wrong.
That's because the torturers didn't do what the memo authorized.
The OLC Memos, "Erroneous and Inflammatory Assumptions," and John Rizzo's Lies
Obama says the OLC memos will correct our "erroneous and inflammatory assumptions" about detainee treatment. On the contrary, the memos make it clear the degree to which John Rizzo was lying to OLC lawyers about detainee treatment.
The Torture Memos
ACLU has them posted:
August 1, 2002 John Yoo memo
First May 10, 2005 Steven Bradbury memo
Second May 10, 2005 Steven Bradbury memo
May 30, 2005 Steven Bradbury memo
And while you're over at ACLU, consider showing them some love for all their great work prying these out of the government.
Consider this a working thread.
Obama on the OLC Memo Release
My thoughts on Obama's statement on the release of the torture memos.
The 6-Month Review
By reviewing the terms of the review that Holder was preparing, we may get a better sense of how the FISA program was out of compliance.
Feingold (and ACLU): I Told Congress So
Russ Feingold points out that he has warned Congress something like this abuse of the warrantless wiretap authority would happen. Good.
Did Holder Know About the "Significant Misconduct" When DOJ Claimed Sovereign Immunity?
On April 3, DOJ submitted a filing that argued that no citizen had the ability to sue if she had been wrongly wiretapped under Bush's illegal wiretap program. On August 15, we learn that DOJ's Inspector General "recently" learned of "significant misconduct" in the wiretap program. Did Holder know of that "significant misconduct" when his DOJ made those expansive claims?
Lichtblau and Risen Report Illegal Wiretapping of Americans ... Again
Surprise surprise. The warrantless wiretapping program is still illegally wiretapping Americans.
Does This Explain DOJ Reluctance to Turn Over AIG Monitoring Documents?
TPMM notes that DOJ has been reluctant to turn over to the Oversight Committee the documents pertaining to its Delayed Prosecution Agreement with AIG. Here are some data points that might begin to explain why DOJ would be reluctant to reveal what they knew about AIG and when they knew it.
