Only slightly O/T. From "Raw Story"

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Backing_down_on_demands_for_Iraq_1005.html

Senate passes intelligence bill after Democrats back down on presidential briefings, CIA jails

After a stalemate of over two years, the Senate passed the 2008 Intelligence Authorization bill Wednesday, with Democrats ceding a key provision regarding pre-war Iraq intelligence that Republicans had decried.

Sources close to the Senate Intelligence Committee say one of the compromises Democrats made to ensure the bill’s passage was to remove language demanding the White House turn over all Presidential Daily Briefings on Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion. Democrats are said to have been hoping to establish whether President Bush mischaracterized intelligence in the lead-up to the conflict.

“The provision on the PDBs was dropped because Republicans objected and were blocking consideration of the bill,” a Senate source said Wednesday.

The request for the PDBs, which also included briefings for President Clinton on Iraq, was part of what is known as Phase II of the Senate investigation into Iraq prewar intelligence, the source added...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100801817.html?hpid=topnews

And these are the evil clowns to whom the Dems will cede more powers!

Leif Erikson Day? I thought that was only a holiday in Bikini Bottom! 8')

THIS little tidbit seemed to come and go rather quickly.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/07/AR2007100701448.html

Top Iraqis Pull Back From Key U.S. Goal

Reconciliation Seen Unattainable Amid Struggle for Power

By Joshua Partlow

Washington Post Foreign Service

Monday, October 8, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- For much of this year, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq has sought to reduce violence so that politicians could bring about national reconciliation, but several top Iraqi leaders say they have lost faith in that broad goal.

Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government. Instead of reconciliation, they now stress alternative and perhaps more attainable goals: streamlining the government bureaucracy, placing experienced technocrats in positions of authority and improving the dismal record of providing basic services.

"I don't think there is something called reconciliation, and there will be no reconciliation as such," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, a Kurd. "To me, it is a very inaccurate term. This is a struggle about power."

Of COURSE we're winning.

And the U.S. does NOT torture.

You know, it all depends upon what the meaning of "is" is.

Tangentially related, my buddy just sent me a link to a good Krugman article...

OPINION | October 8, 2007

Op-Ed Columnist: Same Old Party

By PAUL KRUGMAN

President Bush hasn’t strayed from the path of conservatism. On the contrary, he’s the very model of a modern movement conservative.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/opinion/08krugman.html?ex=1192680000&en=c97800055d04e65f&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Go show GG some love and vote @ the Blogger's Choice Award site

http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com/

Categories: Best Political Blog

and Best Blog Ever

(Repost)

O/T BUT...

Go show GG some love and vote @ the Blogger's Choice Award site

http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com/

Categories: Best Political Blog

and Best Blog Ever

I think once you get there, you can search for Greenwald from the home page, and then vote.

BTW, GG, "Warrntless" in the title, needs an "a"

Or, go read the new post up above.

What city do you live in? Me? Dallas

Ah well, I would've offered to buy you a beer. Feel free to give my regards to Gov. Goodhair.

Via Atrios/Eschaton

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5719566,00.html

Rocky Mountain News

Documents: Qwest was targeted

'Classified info' was not allowed at ex-CEO's trial

By Sara Burnett And Jeff Smith, Rocky Mountain News

October 11, 2007

The National Security Agency and other government agencies retaliated against Qwest because the Denver telco refused to go along with a phone spying program, documents released Wednesday suggest.

The documents indicate that likely would have been at the heart of former CEO Joe Nacchio's so-called "classified information" defense at his insider trading trial, had he been allowed to present it.

The secret contracts - worth hundreds of millions of dollars - made Nacchio optimistic about Qwest's future, even as his staff was warning him the company might not make its numbers, Nacchio's defense attorneys have maintained. But Nacchio didn't present that argument at trial.

The documents suggest U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham refused to allow Nacchio to present the argument about retaliation. Nottingham also said Nacchio would have to take the stand to raise the classified defense.

Prosecutors have said they were prepared to poke holes in Nacchio's classified defense.

Nacchio was convicted last spring on 19 counts of insider trading for $52 million of stock sales in April and May 2001, and sentenced to six years in prison. He's free pending appeal.

The partially redacted documents were filed under seal before, during and after Nacchio's trial. They were released Wednesday.

Nacchio planned to demonstrate at trial that he had a meeting on Feb. 27, 2001, at NSA headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., to discuss a $100 million project. According to the documents, another topic also was discussed at that meeting, one with which Nacchio refused to comply.

The topic itself is redacted each time it appears in the hundreds of pages of documents, but there is mention of Nacchio believing the request was both inappropriate and illegal, and repeatedly refusing to go along with it.

The NSA contract was awarded in July 2001 to companies other than Qwest....

It would lead one to infer that the entire NSA program was put into place (and contracts awarded) well BEFORE 09/11/01.

Clearly, retroactive immunity shouldn't be considered AT ALL, until Congress knows WHAT was being done, and WHEN it was being done.

This whole retroactive immunity proposition simply boggles my mind.