One of the best pieces in the blogosphere examining the legal landscape of the NSA wiretapping comes from Orin Kerr, law professor at George Washington University, on the right-leaning law blog, The Volokh Conspiracy. Kerr begins: Was the secret NSA surveillance program legal? Was it constitutional? Did it violate federal statutory law? It turns out these are hard questions, but … Read More
Bush And The NSA Wiretapping
This topic has been churning in the blogosphere and media for 48 hours now (at least), and I have nothing new to add. But I am absolutely appalled at the poor defense given to the action, as a matter of constitutional law. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution is quite simple: There shall be no warrantless search and seizures of … Read More
Cheney Vs. The Bees
"Some have suggested by liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein we simply stirred up a hornet’s nest. They overlook a fundamental fact: We were not in Iraq in September 2001 and the terrorists hit us anyway." That’s what Dick Cheney said two days ago. Yes, he’s still making the connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. It’s a sickness, in my view. … Read More
SCOTUS Update: Rumsfeld v FAIR
This is arguably one of the most important cases of this term, and I simply didn’t have time to summarize it before oral arguments today. Below is a summary from the folks at SCOTUSblog. Before I begin, I want to make a prediction that the Solomon Amendment will survive this case. The Court is simply too conservative to let it … Read More
Easy Question
UPDATE AND BREAKING NEWS: The American Civil Liberties Union will file a lawsuit today against former CIA director George Tenet and three American contractors challenging the CIA’s abduction of a foreign national for detention and interrogation in a secret overseas prison, RAW STORY has learned. The suit alleges that Tenet and other CIA officials violated U.S. and human rights laws … Read More
9/11 Commission Give Bush Failing Grades
The 9/11 Commission’s last report gives Bush failing marks in fighting the War on Terrorism, which has been set aside so that Bush can engage in a War in Iraq. Read the report (PDF)
More on Bush’s “Victory In Iraq” Strategy
Here’s the real problem with Bush’s "Victory in Iraq" strategy. We’re supposed to be fighting al Qaeda — they are the bad guys who pose a threat to us. Where’s the "Victory Against Al Qaeda" plan? Sure, the Bush "Victory in Iraq" plan seeks to prevent al Qaeda from establishing a foothold in Iraq, but of course, al Qaeda never … Read More
Easongate
Back in February, CNN executive Eason Jordon made comments to the effect that the U.S. military targeted journalists. The rightwing blogosphere went ballistic, decrying Jordon’s comments as absurd and unsubstantiated. The whole thing was dubbed "Easongate", and within days, Eason Jordon resigned. Turns out Eason Jordon wasn’t far off the mark: US President George W. Bush planned to bomb pan-Arab … Read More
So, Do We Torture Or Not?
It seems to me a rather simple question: does the United States support the use of torture? Last week, Cheney was lobbying Congress to allow the use of torture under "certain circumstances" (which I take to mean – "Mondays through Saturdays"). So, we DO advicate torture. But at the same time, Bush answered: "We do not torture". And he’s the … Read More
“Bring It On”
sez Matt, and I think he’s right: This effort to launch a probe, not of Bush’s secret torture prisons but if who spilled the beans on the secret torture prisons is, of course, absurd and shameful. So I agree with Lindsey Graham: Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said: "Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees. The real story … Read More
Bush’s “I Am Not A Crook” Moment?
President Bush, today: "There’s an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again. So you bet we will aggressively pursue them but we will do so under the law. We do not torture." What does he mean by that? We obviously DO torture. Abu Ghraib was the tip of the iceburg. The servicemember in Iraq … Read More
Wilkerson Keeps Talking
You may recall Colonel Laurence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Colin Powell who recently caused a…hullabaloo when he shocked, shocked everyone with his report of the existence of a cabal that has hijacked foreign policy under Bush. Well, Colonel Wilkerson now tell us the orders to torture prisoners came from the highest levels of government, specifically Cheney’s office. … Read More
Worse Than Abu Ghraib
We all know now what happens at U.S. detention facilities — like Abu Ghraib and Gitmo — that are known and work (in theory) within the law. Can you imagine the torture that goes on in the recently-revealed "secret" prisons? The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in … Read More
I’m Not Buying It
From CNN: A man once considered a top al Qaeda operative escaped from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan . . . Come on. He just escaped? From a U.S. detention facility? How does that happen? There has to be more to this story. . . . and cannot testify against the soldier who allegedly mistreated him, a defense lawyer … Read More
This Is An Important Post Because This Is What It Is All About
Neo-cons were certainly thrown today by Senator Reid’s invocation of a rule calling for a closed session of the Senate. Mostly, they just said that Reid was throwing a "temper tantrum", which is of course, bullshit. Not to mention a childish response to a serious concern. In order for the Senate to discuss matters of intelligence, it is prudent — … Read More