The DNI Is Well-Meaning. Really. Except with Those He Claims Want No IC.
The DNI wants to make nice with Democrats. But that doesn't stop him from making baseless accusations against them.
Cell Phone Remittances
Western Union, Radio Shack, and Trumpt Mobile are teaming up to facilitate using cell phones to transfer remittances.
The Taliban and the Towers
Barnett Rubin explains why the Taliban has been blowing up cell phone towers in Afghanistan. It's a good old-fashioned protection racket.
The Thaw that Started Five Months Ago
The press is agog that Hillary and Richard Mellon Scaife made nice last week. But that peace-making follows five months after an earlier one between Bill Clinton and Richard Mellon Scaife. I'm not sure what that means, as far as Scaife's motives (I presume the Clintons would just like his support, or, barring that, would like him to avoid funding a bunch of wingnut bloodhounds to sniff their panties and boxers). But it does suggest the thaw is much more than a one-off thing.
The Rhetoric of More of the Same
The summary of Paulson's proposed changes to our banking system is a remarkable document. It uses a bunch of rhetorical moves to deny the current crisis, all so it can propose loosening regulation, rather than tightening it.
Not Even John Yoo Approved of the Illegal Wiretap Program
I do hope that Eric Lichtblau's book gets enough coverage this week to further stall Jello Jay's attempts to ram through telecom immunity. The excerpt in the NYT today reveals that when the illegal wiretap program started in 2001, it had no specific legal authorization--not even from the compliant John Yoo!
Robert S.
Networks or Newspapers; Dewey or Lippmann?
Eric Alterman provides a valuable service by explaining the historical dialectic between Walter Lippmann and John Dewey. But he doesn't really seem to understand Dewey as you might apply it to the dynamic between traditional journalism and blogging.
The DNC Email Ruling
The Democratic National Committee has been suing the DOJ in DC District Court to obtain some 68 pages of emails relaing to the US Attorney purge. There are two issues to be contemplated here. The first is the relative propriety of Huvelle's decision, and foundation therefor, in the DNC case, and the second is what implications it may have for the greater mass of contentious email issues that are percolating in our midst.
Questions
A few questions about news stories that surfaced while I was on vacation.
What's Wrong With This Picture? Wilkes Sprung From Slammer!
Almost like it was a Friday evening news or document dump coming out of the Bush White House, news has just hit the wires that convict Brent Wilkes has been released from prison pending appeal.
Wheel Squirrels Stumble Into Bear Nuts - An Economic Update and Forum
A couple of days ago, we discussed what really happened, and what the longer term implications might be, in the Bear Stearns forced sale/bailout over the March 15-16 weekend. There have been several things that have come out since then that are right on point with what we were all chewing on. Consider this an open forum for all things economy related.
Listening To You - Mukasey Plays The Emotion Card
The Bush Administration and their never say die FISA/Immunity push are like cockroaches. You can't kill em, and they never go away. Well, they're back again. Attorney General Michael Mukasey has graduated from DC water carrier to full fledged traveling snake oil salesman for the Cheney/Bush Administration and their sordid attempts to cover their own criminal wrongdoing via retroactive immunity for telcos. We need to saddle up and get ready as well; because next week is time to get back to work on slaying the twin headed FISA/Immunity beast.
Bushco Rolled Out A Parade Of Liars To Squelch Lichtblau, Risen & NYT
A fairly significant article just posted at Slate by Eric Lichtblau on the jaded history of the publication, and withholding of publication for well over a year, of his and Jim Risen's seminal story on the criminal warrantless wiretapping by the Bush Administration. Some of it we knew, some of it we guessed and some of it is first impression. As a whole however, it is stunning to digest.
Mr. Siegelman Goes To Washington
The House Judiciary Committee wants to see Don Siegelman. I have not yet seen anything additional as to details, such as who other witnesses would be, exactly what Conyers hopes to accomplish, etc. Perhaps we should help the Judiciary Committee out and come up with a game plan for them. Any suggestions?
The New Colombian Gold and What the FARC Is Up With Weapons Dealers?
As you may recall, there is a lot of spooky intrigue raising it's ugly head lately in South America. The latest piece of this convoluted puzzle comes today with the announcement that the FARC uranium has been "found".
Sometimes You Eat The Bear, Sometimes The Bear Eats You - Stearns Thoughts
What was the the Bear Stearns takeover/bailout about anyway? Who really benefitted in the present? What does it portend for the future? I don't have these answers; but I have a lot of questions and the ground seems to be morphing so fast on this that not only are we not getting answers, the real questions are getting left behind in the wake. To paraphrase Wilson Pickett, we need to "slow this mustang down" and think about what has occurred and where it will lead us for the future.
Crewsing For A Bruising: The NSA Responds To EOP
Three days ago, Saturday March 22, we discussed the hard driving charge being mounted in DC District Court by the National Security Archive and CREW in relation to the destroyed missing White House emails. In that post, we dissected the Administration's pleading and support documents. Today, we do the same in relation to the reply pleading and supporting affidavit just filed by NSA/CREW.
What To Get Teh Woman Who Knows Everything
I am here to tell you, keeping this here car known as the Emptywheel blog well maintained, full of fuel and on the road is more work than it looks like. Marcy not only does that consistently day in and day out, she does it with a style, grace, competence and consistency that is unmatched in the blogosphere. The effort she leads here is not only informational and enjoyable reading, it is of demonstrated importance in the effort to expose and repair all of that which is currently broken in our government. So, if you have a couple of extra Euros, please contribute to keeping this the finest forum in the toobz.
Who Let The Dogs Out? The Hounds Of Hatfill and the Federal Rules of Evidence
Okay, earlier I made a mostly flippant comment on the dogs in the Hatfill case. Despite it being mostly in jest, that comment had what I consider to be a critical, if not the critical, point in it. From what it appears, the only bit of "evidence" (and I use that descriptor loosely here, and in the generic sense, because I don't think there was any proper evidence at all) against Hatfill that served as the basis for identifying him was that the dogs had alerted. How well does the dog scent evidence hold up to scrutiny? Not so well it turns out.
Feith Based Initiative At The Pentgon
The latest breaking news out of the Pentagon is that the US mistakenly shipped ICBM warhead nuclear triggering mechanisms to Taiwan in stead of the helicopter batteries that Taiwan ordered. When our government can't even keep track of our nukes and warhead triggers, Grover Norquist can pretty much pull the drain plug; the job of eviscerating the United States Government "down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub" is about complete.