The question of whether we move forward and forget about Bush versus look into our recent past seems answered. We’re not going to sweep it under the rug. It just ain’t going to happen. So how do we answer Senator McCain? McCain opposes probe of interrogation practices Google News [AP] 07/12/2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. […]
Officials: CIA program targeted al-Qaida leaders AP By PAMELA HESS WASHINGTON (AP) — A secret intelligence program canceled by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June was meant to find and then capture or kill al-Qaida leaders at close range rather than target them with air strikes that risked civilian casualties, government officials with knowledge of […]
The Assassination Squads: Two Points By: emptywheel July 13, 2009 12:31 am Siobhan Gorman reports that the secret program that Leon Panetta just revealed to Congress is an assassination squad. A secret Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill […]
Each time some new revelation about the Bush Administration’s response to 9/11 comes out, I find myself looking at the dates. I’m always amazed at how early they are – all from a short period, right after the attack. What we saw was "homeland security" – particularly in airports. What we heard was tough guy […]
In the beginning, they were bold, those Dark Siders, Dick Cheney and David Addington. If it were a spy novel, you might see what they did as almost heroic. For example, the illegal domestic surveillance program was instituted rapidly after 9/11, dreamed up by Vice President Dick Cheney and N.S.A. Chief Michael Hayden. Soon, John […]
I had a few moments in college when I considered going into Law. My roommate at the time was in Law School. One night, we were talking and he said, "You think being a lawyer is about right and wrong?" He went on to describe the alternative – due process, the right to having the […]
Independent’s Day NEWSWEEK By Daniel Klaidman July 11, 2009 … These are not just the philosophical musings of a new attorney general. Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush […]
Intel official: Cheney, Tenet kept CIA program secret Washington Times By Eli Lake July 12, 2009 Top Bush administration officials, including former CIA director George Tenet and former Vice President Richard Cheney, opted not to brief Congress on a secret program disclosed last month by CIA director Leon Panetta, according to an intelligence official with […]
Report: Bush Surveillance Program Was Massive The Associated Press 10 July 2009 by: Pamela Hess …The report says too few relevant officials knew of the size and depth of the program, let alone signed off on it. They particularly criticize John Yoo, a deputy assistant attorney general who wrote legal memos undergirding the policy. His […]
In the lead-up to the night visitors attempt to get Ashcroft to sign off on the renewal of the program, Jim Comey and Jack Goldsmith were called to the White House to a meeting that included Vice President Dick Cheney. The obvious purpose of the meeting was to convince them to sign off on the program. […]