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The Daily Muck
ABC’s “The Blotter” asserts that “only three have been waterboarded.” Make that four, if you include Daniel Levin, the acting assistant attorney general in 2004. Levin, tasked with reworking the administration’s legal position on torture, was so concerned about the use of waterboarding that he took the plunge himself. Levin, who was shocked by the controlled drowning, penned a new memo calling “torture abhorrent,” but stopped short of calling waterboarding either torture or illegal. And, well, the administration quickly replaced him. (ABC “The Blotter,” ABC News)
Having already built and deployed a private army, Blackwater USA is now building its own CIA. Under the guidance of former CIA associate director of operations Robert Richer and the former head of counterterrorism at CIA Cofer Black (think rendition and enhanced interrogation), Total Intelligence Solutions promises to “open doors” for clients around the world. (Washington Post)
A little late to the game. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has decided to vote for Attorney General nominee Mike Mukasey, despite his concerns with Mukasey's answers. (Huffington Post)
What's a little drug-trafficking between friends? Fred Thompson is trying to steer clear of the record of one his key fundraisers, Philip Martin. Martin has given his time, money and even his plane to support Thompson's presidential run. But back in 1979 Martin pleaded guilty to selling several pounds of marijuana (who didn't back then?) and in 1983 he pleaded no contest to trafficking cocaine and bookmaking. (Washington Post)
If the Bush administration gets credit for ruining only one virtue, my vote may be for the perversion of loyalty. Apparently former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is following in Bush's footsteps; The New York Times examines how Rudy puts on blinders to the misdeeds of people he trusts. Case in point: Bernie Kerik. (NY Times)
Dr. Cyril Wecht, the Pennsylvania coroner who became a victim of the U.S. Attorney scandal, is striking back. In a court filing last week, his attorneys are seeking a hearing to determine whether their clients' prosecution was politically motivated. (Post Gazette)
Members of Congress may have cut back on earmarks by 50%, but they are still enjoying a healthy diet of pork. The new military appropriations bill includes $1.8 billion in projects not requested by the Pentagon. Twenty-one members, led by representative John Murtha (D-PA), have scored $1 billion in earmarks that primarily serve their home districts. (NY Times)
Administration officials are grappling with what needs to be done to close Guantanamo and move detainees to American soil, a maneuver that would require granting them even more rights, such as granting them hearings with federal judges rather than military judges. (NY Times)
Comments (7)
Dee Illuminati wrote on November 5, 2007 10:18 AM:On Blackwater being privy to OSI (Open Source Intelligence) ohh the exclusivity~
And to think, for a retainer you can buy access to those contacts similar to what Janes Defense Weekly or Stratfor.
Yawn~~ Yawn~~
And the conclusions might even be tailored to the client's request for due dilligence, oh tell me what I need to hear~~
Yawn~~ Yawn~~
Nell wrote on November 5, 2007 11:05 AM:"former head of counterterrorism at CIA Cofer Black (think rendition and enhanced interrogation)"
One item above, you're implicitly criticizing an administration official for not calling torture torture; the next minute you're using cowardly euphemisms yourself.
PLEASE! Use plain English and stop playing along with the ongoing degradation of language. Not "Enhanced interrogation" -- torture.
meander wrote on November 5, 2007 11:43 AM:"A little late to the game. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has decided to vote for Attorney General nominee Mike Mukasey, despite his concerns with Mukasey's answers."
Is anyone surprised? Once again Sen. Specter gives speeches against Bush's agenda, and then folds when it is time for a vote. Will reporters ever catch on to his game and append clarifications to his comments about the next controversial subject? For example, they could write 'on several previous occasions, Sen. Specter has talked about opposing Bush, only to change his mind at the last minute and support Bush.'
Scott L wrote on November 5, 2007 12:27 PM:A honest question- What will be the response of the U.S. government when a foreign government in the course of questioning a American citizen uses water boarding?
Dee Illuminati wrote on November 5, 2007 12:50 PM:Scott L asks the question, but the larger question is this... what happens when a US citizen is kidnapped, held, tortured, and then a sealed confession is handed to a judge whom cannot disclose it's contents (as it contains state secrets) and the defense attorney cannot view it either (as it contains state secrets) to refute charges, and then executed?
And then later the oopps moment when we see that a mistake has been made similar to Abdallah Higazy or Rafid Alwan?
This was precisely the scenario that Lindsey Graham made in the Senate confirmation hearings on the A.G..
And really.. leaving this country or serving overseas with the 'new rules' seems more dangerous now as the US has concluded Kangaroo courts to be valid means of criminal law.
I don't think that the DOS reluctance to serve overseas is that over-reactive, especially when one considers that they stand that chance of the above scenario if aprehended!
AnnieW wrote on November 5, 2007 2:04 PM:"what happens when a US citizen is kidnapped, held, tortured, and then a sealed confession is handed to a judge whom cannot disclose it's contents..."
It depends. For many in the US now that support torture and the loss of due process, if the American has an Arabic sounding name they'll just assume the American IS a terrorist.
If the American is a liberal activist or an environmentalist, the same thing. They'll assume they were an environmental terrorist and it won't raise their ire.
I'm beginning to doubt much would raise the ire of many unless it was themselves or a family member.
The Oracle wrote on November 6, 2007 12:27 AM:NEWS FLASH:
Blackwater, as part of its global militarization efforts and following its creation of a CIA clone division, has also established a Torture School, where U.S. taxpayer-funded Blackwater employees can learn all the techniques and nuances of torture.
Based on the School of the Americas model, Blackwater employees will learn about the joys of waterboarding and other ways to forceably extract information from people, without leaving any physical marks. Of course, students will be students and there are bound to be some screwups, but there's plenty of remote areas on Blackwater's military compound to bury any of their "mistakes."