Journalists Name Former DC USA as Hatfill Leaker
Some of the journalists who reported Steven Hatfill as a "person of interest" in the anthrax investigation have revealed their sources. Thing is--I think this might actually make this case more interesting, because I'm not sure knowing the journalists' sources helps make Hatfill's case.
Back to War Against Eastasia...
In addition to trying to start a war based on the blatherings of Filipino Monkey, the Administration has reverted to its claims that the hammered ashtrays it is finding in Iraq are a sign that Iran is supplying insurgents.
Filipino Monkey ... Borat ... Same Difference
Turns out our Borat voice might belong to a jokester nick-named Filipino Monkey--one the guys in the Navy who made this video ought to know about.
emptywheel's Famous Football Trash Talk Thread* - Division Playoff Edition
We are now down to genuine pro football. No more Cinderellas; the teams that ought to be here are here. Who you taking? Why? The tundra is frozen, time to get it on!
Because You'd All Be Sad without a "Borat Visits the Straits of Hormuz" Update
The Pentagon continues its efforts to backtrack from releasing an obviously edited video with audio that sounds like it was taped by Borat in a studio. The debate just gets more and more laughable.
FBI Tells Librarians: "Sssshhhhh!"
The FBI doesn't want one of its top counter-terrorism agents to tell librarians that the FBI's counter-terrorism efforts are ineffective.
Tweety's Angst
This is something I've been meaning to raise, what with all the discussion of the Tweety effect. One of the reasons Tweety is being such a blowhard this campaign season (aside from the fact that it prominently features someone named Clinton), one of the reasons he's saying such godforsakenly stupid things is that he's absolutely infuriated that Olbermann, not Tweety, is the anchor of the network's election coverage.
Bank of America Buys a Big Chunk of the Shitpile
There are several things that concern me about the news that Bank of America has agreed to buy a big chunk of the shitpile. It allows BoA to take on a risky proportion of all the deposits in this country. And--people speculate--that its risk in this deal will be back by the Federal Government.
Are we just consolidating the risk of the Shitpile?
Is Dick Stealing from the US and Giving to His Friends, Again?
The Minerals Management Service has been one of the most corrupt parts of the very corrupt Bush Administration, repeatedly finding ways to give taxpayer oil to Dick and Bush's friends for free (or cut rates). It looks like they're at it again; a recent Department of Energy IG audit found that 28% of the oil that the MMS was supposed to deliver into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve never made it into the Reserve.
Polling the Clusterfuck
Maybe MI isn't as much of a clusterfuck as I thought. If nothing else, Huckabee looks poised to knock Mitt from the race, which will turn the GOP nomination into a contest between McCain and Huckabee. Which might make it very interesting indeed.
Pentagon: Maybe that Borat Voice Came from a UFO
The dispute over whether the tape released by the Pentagon showing the confrontation between five Iranian motorboats and three US ships gets even more absurd.
Dan Rather Gets Discovery
The Judge in Dan Rather's suit against CBS just granted him discovery.
I'd advise popcorn. Lots of it.
They Really Don't Want Us Learning About the Torture Tapes, Do They?
Surprise surprise. Bob Bennett is advising his client, Jose Rodriguez, not to tell Congress about how and why and when he destroyed the torture tapes unless they give him immunity. And Judge Kennedy has decided that he's not all that worried about the government destroying torture tapes in spite of orders not to do such things.
We're not going to find out more details about the torture tapes anytime soon.
Michigan's Clusterfuck: Prelude to a National Clusterfuck?
I'm not the only one calling MI's primary next week a clusterfuck--one of the state's top Dem consultants, Mark Grebner, thinks so too, though he doesn't use the word clusterfuck:
Of course, we may get lucky, but that's not really "a plan". With Clinton bouncing back tonight in NH, it's plausible that she and Obama will go round after round, with neither scoring a knockout.
Are We Faking It Again?
That's what the Iranians say. They say the US took video and superimposed audio to it with the menacing threat, "I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes," but that the threat (and the claimed throwing of small boxes in front of the US Navy ships) didn't happen.
Mark Foley Falls into Pelosi's Lap
Not literally, of course. She's not his type. But the Blotter is reporting that Florida investigators have asked the Speaker's help in accessing Foley's Congressional computer, which they had been prevented from subpoenaing because of the William Jefferson ruling extending Speech and Debate to Congressional materials.
Florida law enforcement officials investigating former Republican Rep.
Dickie Scruggs Timeline
A link to a great timeline on the Dickie Scruggs' case.
It's More than Just WHETHER the E-Mails Are On the Back-Ups
The judge ordering the White House to reveal whether the 10 million missing emails are on the backup tapes asked for more than that. He asked for enough information to begin to determine whether it's JUST the missing emails that aren't on the backup tapes.
Tip Your Hat
Jack Balkin gets at something I was trying to address the other day: the collapse of Reagan's three-legged stool and its benefits for the Democratic party.
Bush's failed presidency has left the Republicans scrambling to reconstitute the Reagan coalition. The wide range of different candidates-- from Giuliani to Romney to McCain to Huckabee to Paul-- offer different solutions.
Stupid DOJ Tricks: Don't Watch this Bush Ad
I have to admit. I find this ad totally unappealing. While Bush comes off as the same kind of mob-inciting thug as George Allen did in Macaca, Geoffrey Fieger's smug delivery doesn't make me want to have him represent me in any lawsuits. Still, it's marginally more subtle than most trial lawyer advertisements.