That's Why They Call It "Domestic" Surveillance
EFF came up with a really good response to the telecom claim that the Executive Branch can decide which telecoms get immunity because it's part of the inherent authority tied to foreign affairs.
EFF's response? This isn't foreign surveillance, you dummies, it's domestic surveillance.
Hey FBI?!? Who Put the Tin in Your Anthrax?
The FBI's case against Bruce Ivins continues to crumble. In this installment, we learn there are ingredients in the samples used in the attacks that are not present in Ivin's so-called "smoking gun" flask of anthrax.
Funny Telecom Games on Retroactive Immunity
For some reason, the telecoms don't want to talk much about what Vaughn Walker has asked them to talk about.
The Guy Who Refused to Wiretap Illegally Is Off to Jail
The full 10th Circuit just decided to send Joseph Nacchio off to jail after reinstating his insider trading conviction.
A federal appeals court reinstated the insider trading conviction of former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio on Wednesday and said he could be ordered to begin serving a 6-year prison sentence.
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S.
Michelle's Buff Arms
I can't tell whether Jodi Cantor's screed about Michelle's triceps says more about insecurities she might have about her own reporting or about her own triceps.
Darrell Issa's Burning Concern about White House Emails? Not So Hot...
Funny. Last week, Darrell Issa thought the matter of missing White House emails was an urgent matter. This week? He couldn't care less.
China Auto: Crouching Tiger, Looming Giant
The turmoil in the auto business isn't just with the American manufacturers; it is global, striking even the supposed gold standards such as Toyota and Honda. But there is opportunity in chaos, and China looks to capitalize on that.
Sully Goes to Washington
Sully, the hero of the US Airways "Miracle on the Hudson" just told Congress we need to value labor more. Do you think they'll listen?
Kirk Lippold, Gitmo Architect, Still Making Torture Cool
Kirk Lippold, one of the architects of Gitmo, is back, complaining that Obama has let a Gitmo detainee free. But, surprise surprise, in their quotations of Lippold, the press ignores Lippold's significant ties to Gitmo policy, instead simply referring to him as the USS Cole Commander.
The AIPAC Prosecution Suffers A Crippling Blow
Most of you know about the AIPAC criminal case that has been simmering below the main media radar since it was filed in May, 2005. In a nutshell, the indictment alleges that Lawrence Franklin a DOD/Pentagon official working in Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's office (with everyone's favorite public servants Doug Feith and Paul Wolfowitz) passed top-secret information to Steve Rosen, AIPAC's then-policy director, and Keith Weissman, a senior Iran analyst with AIPAC. An important ruling in the case was handed down On February 17 that is a crippling blow to the prosecution.
Roland Burris' Bad PR Strategy
As Roland Burris' allies--and the Politico--would have it, his biggest problem right now is that the media strategy he employed to manage his admissions that he has much deeper ties to Rod Blagojevich than he let on was insufficient to the task.
Will the House Hold Rove in Contempt before March 4?
I can't help but notice that Rove has blown off Congress just in time to be held in contempt before the Appeals Court gets Obama's brief on the Miers/Bolten suit.
CREW: Obama and Greg Craig Stand with the Dead-Enders
CREW responds to my post suggesting the support for the Bush position on White House emails might be the position of Bush Dead-Enders.
The Appeals Court Gives Obama His Week
Obama now has the one additional week he asked for to broker a deal between the Bushies and HJC regarding testimony on the US Attorney scandal.
Monday, 9AM, Roland Burris Is Still Senator
I was gone a whole week, and Burris didn't even resign? That makes him more stubborn than either Rove or Gonzales.
Condi's Whole Life, in Three Volumes, Worth Slightly More than David Plouffe's Two-Year Campaign
Apparently, the market values David Plouffe's work getting Obama elected to be worth the same as the entire Administration tenure of most members of Bush's inner circle.
Inauguration Week Was a Busy Week for Dead-Enders
You know that story about how Obama is helping Bush to cover-up the email destruction? Check the date.
Scott Shane's Love Affair for Dick Cheney and Kit Bond
Scott Shane wrote an article that is really about investigating Dick Cheney. But the whole thing is completely neurotic about any discussion of Cheney.
Lebanese Recipe For Economic Health: Go With What You Know
It seems that whether it is Henry Paulson, Tim Geithner or the yammering dipsticks on CNBC, it seems the there has been a headlong rush to seek analysis, wisdom and solutions from the very self proclaimed geniuses that put the US and the world in the problem to start with. Aren't there any big bankers/finance ministers that really got it right? Yes, his name is Riad Toufic Salame and he is Lebanon's Central Banker.
And Now the Appeals Court Jumps in the Fray
Why won't the Appeals Court let Obama try to broker a deal between Harriet Miers and the House Judiciary Committee?