A former senior intelligence official familiar with the matter said that Brennan made his decision after he received signals from senior Obama transition officials that they were reconsidering his nomination because of the criticism of his tenure at the agency by liberal commentators, bloggers and others.

"The decision not to fight would not have been Brennan's," said the former senior intelligence official, who asked to remain unnamed because of the sensitivity of the issue. "He's not the kind of guy who would run away from a fight."

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/244/story/56489.html

The backlash against Brennan's prospective nomination, either to lead the CIA or become the director of national intelligence (DNI), began on Saturday with a letter to Obama signed by nearly 200 practicing psychologists and academics involved in the field.

Brennan's letter did not specify whether the psychologists' letter or criticism from the liberal blogosphere was the primary reason for his withdrawal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/25/obama-white-house-cia-brennan

Mr Brennan's role in preparing wildly erroneous intelligence about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction before the war in Iraq was expected to come up at confirmation hearings. He was also an advocate of "enhanced interrogation techniques," which human rights advocates have branded as torture. Mr Brennan has also drawn criticism for his role in the secret wiretapping of US citizens....

Melvin Goodman, a retired CIA intelligence analyst, had lambasted Mr Obama for relying on "discredited cronies" such as Mr Brennan who was chief of staff and deputy executive director under the former CIA chief George Tenet. [The Independent]

http://tinyurl.com/5nptw9

Regardless...it means no one should stop fighting. Yes, congratulations.

Rove planning to ‘name names’ of Bush haters in his new book.

“There were people who never accepted the legitimacy of George W. Bush and acted accordingly,” he said. […]

Also reserved for between the covers of Rove’s book is his checklist of the “great many of the political actors in this town (who) never accepted him as a legitimate president.”

“I’ve got behind-the-scenes episodes that are going to show how unreceiving they were of this man as president of the United States,” Rove said, adding: “I’m going to name names and show examples.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/07/rove-haters

A classic from the archive (March 1999) brought to mind by Scott McClellan's current choices

As bombs fall in Belgrade and George Stephanopoulus' memoir hits number one on bestseller lists, President Clinton has to be wondering who in the room is taking notes for the next kiss-and-tell....But the political pre-nup could become Stephanopoulus' legacy....Its routine adoption, even by politicians whose secrets seem unmarketable, could represent the establishment's late but lasting verdict on Stephanopoulus' crime.

It went over so well then, he wrote it again!

Huffington Post http://tinyurl.com/4rdwae

"Actually, this is not how it's done, and it's not acccurate. The thing is, all of us have access to the bills that are introduced in either chamber."

That's usually the case with bills that are not controversial. But as one who has searched for bills and amendments related to FISA, war reauthorizations, torture, etc., I can tell you that those are not posted in a timely manner at the web sites you listed. Often, the only information we get about what's coming is from some congressional aides who "leak" the information to the press, groups like the ACLU, and bloggers like Glenn.

Sometimes draft bills end up online shortly before a vote, but only because some people (again, the ACLU, Glenn) are able to get their hands on them. Trying to find out what's happening with many of these bills before it's too late - and sometimes it is - can be maddening.

From the Center for Constitutional Rights

Arar v Ashcroft- Rally & Argument- New York, NY, Second Circuit Court of Appeals

More information: http://tinyurl.com/6ge748 (link @ sig)

Arar Argument - 3:00 ET

Thanks for the reminder. C-Span is still broadcasting something else at the link you provided. The Arar hearing can be watched online here: http://c-span.org/Watch/C-SPAN3_wm.aspx (and at sig).

Maher Arar, after today's hearing:

“I hope the respected judges have listened to my lawyer's oral arguments with their hearts and do not fall in the government's trap of portraying my case as simply an immigration matter,” said Maher Arar. “The panel has the historic opportunity to hold the United States officials accountable for their actions. Doing so will prove to the rest of the world that America is still a country where the law rules and where wronged human beings, regardless of their religion and color, can obtain justice through the courts.”

http://tinyurl.com/5o3vlr

One of the judges asked the same question Judge Walker asked in the telecom case last week: Why not wait for the Obama administration? The defendants' attorney didn't really have an answer to that.

Rove said this, too:

"President Bush's former political director says the national security team named by President-elect Barack Obama "represents, to a substantial degree, continuity" especially in hot spots like Iraq and Afghanistan."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28014972/

Did the world suddenly come to an end when Bush's high level intelligence personnel turned over (some positions more than once)? Those changes did come in a post-9/11 world, after all.

Words on my shit list (so far): ideology, pragmatism, continuity

But on the bright side, my vocabulary is expanding.

You did a superb job in both formats.

(For those who don't know about Noam's own manufacturing of consent in the academic field where he found his fame & celebrity, try Dan Moonhawk Alford's Great Whorf Hypothesis Hoax http://www.enformy.com/dma-Chap7.htm)

Can you please provide additional criticisms of Noam Chomsky's work - preferably by those who have not or will not work with "departed hypothesized co-investigators?" http://www.enformy.com/mediums.htm