From the editorial:

What was the administration doing, and what was it willing to continue to do, that its lawyers concluded was without a legal basis? Without an answer to that fundamental question, the coverup will have succeeded.

From a nearby column:

Tenet insists that the CIA program disrupted terrorist plots and saved lives. It is difficult to refute this claim -- not because it is self-evidently true, but because any evidence that might support it remains classified and unknown to all but those who defend the program.

These assertions that "torture works" may reassure a fearful public, but it is a false security. We don't know what's been gained through this fear-driven program. But we do know the consequences

Discussing of the NSA data-mining programs without discussion of the CIA rendition and interrogation programs provides only half the picture. As has been said before, anything bad enogh to appall John Ashcroft would have to be pretty damn bad. We've been told on several occasions by several people that the program has saved lives. A look at the list of people who have been indicted on terrorism charges would suggest otherwise. Clearly, whatever's at the bottom of this heap smells pretty awful.

Chaff, originally called Window by the British, and Düppel by the WW II era German Luftwaffe, is a radar countermeasure in which aircraft or other targets spread a cloud of small, thin pieces of aluminium, metallised glass fibre or plastic, which either appears as a cluster of secondary targets on radar screens or swamps the screen with multiple returns.

AKA shiny objects by the thousands!

If there were sufficient critical mass in favor of impeachment it would have happened years ago. Never underetimate the power of inattention!

mention that the HERO Ashcroft is also the EVIL Ashcroft that signed off on the program from the beginning

shooter remains constitutionally incapable of seeing that it's not a game or a pissing match but that the actual ISSUES matter. James Comey is a lifelong Republican and is currently General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin.

Certainly an unlikely hero for leftists but when the issue is the Constitution and the Rule of law, we're Americans first.

Except shooter, who is clearly a traitor.

The problem is that anybody with eyes has known that this has been going on all along. Bushco is a symptom. As long as people are going to cheer the Repub candidate who's most willing to employ torture, the problems we're facing are not going to go away.

If, as Glenn notes, even Fred Hiatt is suddenly noticing that there's a problem, then things might be turning around. Our declared efforts should always be toward arriving at the truth. If that happens to cause an avalanche as corrupt officials come tumbling down, then all the better. But the resignations and or impeachment preceedings should be the result of the investigations - not the goal of them.

Novae sprinkle space with new elements that create life.

I find your optimistic attitude refreshing but I personally don't have 5,000,000,000 years to wait around for some good to come from all this!

Nobody expect the political process to "right itself" If the political perocess is to be righted it's through the active participation of everyone here plus thousands of others. What doesn't go over here is the notion that things are hopeless so we should stop trying.

I happen to be among those who think that calls for impeachment are still premature, not because they aren't justified but because the momentum among the public is not there yet. But seeing as how we're pretty much at a one damning revelation per week pace, by August things might look a whole lot different.

In nab's world we'd be routinely torturing gang-bangers and illegal immigrants so what's another "jihadi"?

Fred Hiatt continues his awakening process with another Editorial in The Washington Post this morning

Do you suppose that Fred Hiatt's awakening is perhaps due to the credentials and "membership" that Comey has.

As I pointed out yesterday Comey is now General Counsel and a Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin. That makes him (unlike Richard Clarke or Paul O'Neil) someone who's membership in the "in" crowd is unassailable.

Good catch re: Bush suddenly stressing FISA in his public pronouncments. Even with the very limited knowlege we currently have about the program, it's easy to forget that at the time all this was happening, we had no knowlege of it whatsoever!

turning James Comey or Jack Goldsmith into the Maverick Supreme Ethical Heroes is both inaccurate and counter-productive, given their hearty endorsement of the virtually full panoply of Bush lawbreaking.

Turning them into examples of how there's a difference between right-wing idealogues in general and Bushco true-beleivers in particular may help in the effort to peel people with principles off of the torture train...

Now that that's clear to everybody I'd like to post this little reminder:

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?D=2006-11-02&ID=170612&HC=5

And, of course, the DNA database of all African-Americans who participated in the class action lawsuit would have to be administered by the US government.

In turn, this would prove to be a treasure-trove of DNA evidence in outstanding and future criminal investigations, as DNA obtained as part of civil court actions is available for such criminal inquiries.

It could result in the arrest and imprisonment of thousands of African-Americans. And thus the circle would be complete.

Posted by Anonymoose 2006-11-02 08:53||

This guy is so bad, I'd bet that John Bolton would think he was creepy!

I strongly urge you to buy Glenn's first book, or go spend some time looking through his old Blogspot archives. The issues you raise in your post have been covered extensively and thoroughly.

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com

I think it has a lot to do with encouraging cooperation from witnesses who might be more reluctant if they thought they were throwing their leader under a bus. I stiil council patience.