Entries by emptywheel

If the UC Regents Are So Susceptible to Political Pressure…

Then perhaps they could be persuaded to fire unitary laughingstock John Yoo?

Normally, I find it inappropriate to engage the David Horowitzes of the world on their McCarthyist ground. But if the UC system is comfortable rescinding an offer they’ve made to Edwin Chemerinsky, then it seems fair to ask them to fire the lawyer who has elicited–by far–the most controversy in recent years (and that’s coming from someone who lives in

Share this entry

Banana Republic

The Sentencing Memorandum the government filed in the Chiquita case reveals something rather interesting. Chiquita was an equal opportunity terrorist supporter. You see, from 1989 to 1997, Chiquita paid protection money to FARC and ELN, left wing terrorist groups. Then, after FARC and FLN were declared terrorist groups in 1997, Chiquita switched sides, paying protection money to right wing terrorist group AUC instead.

Share this entry

Tribute

Omar Mora and Yance Gray have died in Iraq, just weeks after they contributed to a powerful op-ed in the NYT. In tribute to their lives, I think it only appropriate to return to their op-ed, which offers a far more honest assessment of progress in Iraq than the Petraeus and Crocker dog-and-pony show.

Share this entry

Our Blabby Director of National Intelligence

You’d think Conyers would be looking forward to having Mike McConnell in for testimony. After all, Conyers has faced such a long string of Administration witnesses who, basically, “do not recall,” he ought to be happy to have one who blabs too much. But Conyers is putting McConnell on notice that he’s none too happy about that, either.

At the hearing held in our Committee last week, a number of seriousconcerns were

Share this entry

Invite Admiral Fallon to Tell Us if We’re Safer

You’ve no doubt heard that General Petraeus has no fucking clue whether sustaining the surge and succeeding in Iraq will make us safer. (To some degree, this is appropriate, because his command is limited to Iraq, and his job is to do the best job in Iraq he can.) You’ve also probably heard that some at the Pentagon have their own plan to get us out of the Iraq, fast.

NEWSWEEK has

Share this entry

Now Why Would They Want to Bury Plea Agreements?

Readers of this blog no doubt know that Federal Courts have gone to lengths to make Courts more accessible to dirty fucking hippies citizens in recent years.

The policy of the Judicial Conference on privacy andpublic access to electronic case files has developed incrementally overthe past four years. The application of the policy to various types ofcases files has evolved to the point where the policy now provides forremote access to

Share this entry

I’d Love to See Conyers and Pelosi in a Spat

That may not be a mature sentiment, wanting to see Conyers and Pelosi in a spat. But after reading that Pelosi knee-capped Conyers on his subpoena of Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten, I have marginal hopes that this will piss off Conyers and escalate things in HJC, rather than bury them as Pelosi seems content to do.

House Democratic leaders have decided to postpone a vote on a criminalcontempt resolution against White

Share this entry

Is There Any Indication This Isn’t the Fault of OVP?

Via Secrecy News, I see that DCI Michael Hayden is lecturing the press on its obligations in the GWOT.Theduty of a free press is to report the facts as they are found. By sticking tothat principle, journalists accomplish a great deal in exposing al-Qa’ida andits adherents for what they are.

Justas they report on the terrorists, it’s the job of journalists to report on the howthe war against terrorism is being fought.

Share this entry

Whose Credibility Is Declining Faster?

Mike McConnell or General Petraeus?

Petraeus has become Fox’s latest pundit, while McConnell is claiming the amended FISA is responsible for those German terror arrests last week.

The government’s ability to eavesdrop on terrorism suspects overseasallowed the United States to obtain information that helped lead to thearrests last week of three Islamic militants accused of planning bombattacks in Germany, Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, told senators on Monday.

Share this entry