U.S. Cites Planning Gaps in Iraqi Assault on Basra Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker first learned of the Iraqi plan on Friday, March 21: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki would be heading to Basra with Iraqi troops to bring order to the city. But the Iraqi operation was not what the United States expected. Instead of […]
In a 2006 conference entitled Executive Powers in Wartime held by the Federalist Society, John Yoo summarized his position using a "functionalist" approach. After drawing on arguments in some of the Federalist Papers that the Executive Branch could act more quickly and secretly than the Congress, he moved on to a historical argument. He mentioned […]
I must say that John Yoo is an interesting character. He is something of a creation of the Federalist Society, or else he’s a natural "fit." It’s hard for me to get my mind around what drives these people. But they are part of the Right Wing Power House including the American Enterprise Institute and […]
Memo justified warrantless surveillanceSecret Memo That Justified Warrantless Domestic Surveillance Comes to Light For at least 16 months after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001, the Bush administration believed that the Constitution’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures on U.S. soil didn’t apply to its efforts to protect against terrorism. That view was expressed […]
Call It the Abu Ghraib Memo By Dan Froomkin April 2, 2008 The Justice Department memo released yesterday is a key link in the chain of evidence connecting the monstrous abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere straight to the White House. President Bush has described the torture and murder of prisoners […]
I remain awed at the blogsphere’s pundits and their capacity for research. This one comes from Balkanization via emptywheel. The topic is, of course, the recently released John Yoo Torture Memo [1][2] from March 14th, 2003. Recall that John Yoo‘s predecessor, Jay Bybee, co-author of an earlier August 1st, 2002 Torture Memo, had left the […]
Feith was standing in for Rumsfeld at a 2003 interagency ‘Principals’ Meeting’ debating the Middle East, and ended his remarks on behalf of the Pentagon. Then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said, "Thanks Doug, but when we want the Israeli position we’ll invite the ambassador." on Douglas Feith from The Green Light [Vanity Fair] … […]
I expect this piece in Vanity Fair will be the definitive article about the descent of the United States government into the realm of the barbaric. It’s hard to actually read it in one sitting. Note the repeated use of deceit to cover where they’re headed at each step along the way. Note the role […]