"Remember, an FBI agent [like Ali Soufan] always keeps his notes." Why Won't Obama Admin Release Them?
As Ali Soufan has been making the rounds rebutting Jose Rodriguez' self-serving lies, he has said something, repeatedly, that hasn't gotten a lot of attention.
Soufan has notes that prove Rodriguez is lying.
He actually first mentioned…
The Problem with Equating Travel Routes and Terrorism: 34 Dead Civilians
A few weeks back, Seton Hall published a report showing that since the DC Circuit reversed the habeas petition of Mohammed al-Adahi, "the practice of careful judicial fact-finding was replaced by judicial deference to the government's allegations.…
Despite Progress on Iran-IAEA Talks, US Envoy Emphasizes War Plans
Both Bloomberg and the AP's George Jahn reported yesterday that the second session of talks in Vienna between the IAEA and Iran produced progress and that additional talks are now scheduled for May 21 in Vienna. But don't look for news of this…
Judge Forrest's Invitation to Congress: Pass the Smith-Amash Amendment
As I noted yesterday, Judge Katherine Forrest stopped the government from enforcing Section 1021 of last year's NDAA, because it is having a chilling effect on the First Amendment protected activities of plaintiff's including Chris Hedges.
There's…
Judge Enjoins NDAA Section 1021 because Government Implies Speech May Equal Terrorism
The Court then asked: Give me an example. Tell me what it means to substantially support associated forces.
Government: I’m not in a position to give specific examples.
Court: Give me one.
Government: I’m not in a position to give…
Obama's Yemen EO Still Lets Our Spooks Pay the Targets of the EO
As I noted earlier, Obama just signed an Executive Order ostensibly targeting the US assets of those who undermine Yemen's stability, potentially including US citizens who do so. I've been comparing this EO to one of the analogous ones pointed…
The Jeremy Scahill Yemen Executive Order
For the record, I don't think the Obama Administration would be so brazen as to freeze Jeremy Scahill's assets because he reported critically on Obama's Yemen policy. But the Executive Order they're rolling out today is reportedly written so…
The Brits Move Forward with Secret Court Plan--Because, We Claim, They Can't Keep Secrets
There's one more tangential detail to the UndieBomb plot that deserves mention.
The involvement of a Saudi-handled infiltrator in the plot was revealed by May 8. The Brits knew then that it was not just the Saudis and CIA whose operation…
C Street Takes Care of The Family's Sex Problems, Again
Roll Call reports that former Representative [redacted] son, [redacted], got hired as Tom Coburn's District Staff Assistant. That, in spite of the younger [redacted] conviction on misdemeanor charges of criminal solicitation and sexual harassment.
Sen.…
Is It Okay to Admit the US Is Behind the Drone Strikes Now?
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism noted something interesting in its coverage of the latest drone strikes in Yemen. The government is admitting to drone strikes, and thus presumably to our role in them.
Two to three suspected ‘al Qaeda…
Human Rights First Reminds General Dempsey that Geneva Conventions Still in Place
I had meant to link to and comment on the Danger Room piece on the group of officers teaching "total war" against Islam at the Joint Staff War College.
For the better part of the last decade, a small cabal of self-anointed counterterrorism…
Separating Truth from Fiction at Parchin: Neutron Activation Can't Be Scrubbed Away
Both Marcy, here, and b, over at Moon of Alabama, have roundly criticized the cartoon released on Sunday by AP's George Jahn purporting to depict a chamber at Iran's Parchin site where various groups accuse Iran of carrying out work aimed…
MEK to Be Delisted as Terrorists in Reward for Engaging in Terrorism
The Foreign Terrorism Organization list really doesn't mean much if the way to get off it is by killing Iranian scientists at the behest of the US and Israel.
The Obama administration is moving to remove an Iranian opposition group from the…
NYPD Stopped 351,739 People Last Year for "Furtive Movements"
There's been a good deal of reporting on this report the NYCLU released last week, but the report itself must be read to fully understand the gravity of the stop-and-frisk abuse in NYC.
Consider this chart, for example, showing that Mike…
Jamie Dimon: Inspiring Fear Among "Wealthy Private Clients" Even in Disgrace
I've got that wonderfully satisfied yet mildly sick feeling I used to get after eating too many sweets as a kid, what with all the schadenfreude directed at Jamie Dimon and his $2 billion loss.
But I'm particularly struck by this story, in…
Afghanistan Meltdown Continues
As we get closer to the NATO summit next week in Chicago, the meltdown of Afghanistan continues. It is clear that the intent of the Obama administration is to maintain the stance that the surge of US troops into the country over the past two…
Colin Powell's Last Vial of Anthrax
Dammit, I gave away half the game, the "who" said these words.
I have seen some information that would suggest that they have been actively working on delivery systems.
[snip]
I'm not talking about uranium or fissile material or the warhead;…
Obama's Commitment to Atrocities Prevention Lasts Less than 3 Weeks
Remember how Obama rolled out a campaign to prevent atrocities three weeks ago? "Never again"?
The other day, here's how the Vice President expressed that fierce commitment to preventing atrocities in a meeting with a man whose country has…
Nearly Eight Years After Petraeus' "Tangible Progress" WashPo Op-Ed, Iraq Security Training Still a Failure
One of the topics I seem to find myself posting on the most frequently is the remarkable lack of accountability for the spectacular failure of David Petraeus' efforts to train the Iraqi security apparatus. Petraeus has repeatedly touted…
Son Of "Dumbest Fucking Guy On The Planet" Shills For More War In Afghanistan And Elsewhere
Old craven chickenhawks don't die, they just breed chickenshit progeny. And so it is with Douglas Feith, famously, and arguably correctly at the time, labeled "the dumbest fucking guy on the planet" by no less than real military man General…