Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
– The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, II.ii

One of my favorite quotes.

http://www.wnbc.com/politics/9239941/detail.html

I’m a bit naive but why hasn’t there been the push against Clinton in the blogshere that we see with Mighty Joe? Is it just a lost cause going against the Clinton Juggernaut?

Thanks.

“A federal judge yesterday threw out the case of a German citizen who says he was wrongfully imprisoned by the CIA, ruling that Khaled al-Masri’s lawsuit poses a “grave risk” of damage to national security by exposing government secrets.”

hat tip to Mary @ 156. Indeed, another chapter of Kafka.

In John Yoo’s book defending the President’s Constitutional authority to engage in any military action without consent of the Congress, he says the only power the Congress has with respect to controlling Presidential warmaking is the power of the purse.

The Congressional Research Service reported recently that the adminstration “diverted” about 2 billion dollars from other appropriations to preparations for the Iraq war.

Why haven’t you and your fellow Senators responded to the President taking actions that even John Yoo has deemed an unconstitutional usurpation of Congressional authority?

There are, according to a number of reports (most recently George Packer in the New Yorker, Fred Kaplan in the Atlantic), permanent bases that have been built in Iraq. These bases, if fully staffed, would result in a permanent presence of between 30 and 40 thousand troops in Iraq.
Do you support indefinitely maintaining a force level of this magnitude in Iraq?

Follow ups:

How does this affect the notion that Iraq’s government is sovereign?

How is that the US was able to commit the resources to build these bases in the absence of an Iraqi government (which still has not come together)? With whom does the US have a force agreement?

Unfortunately for the DSCC, unlike Paul Hackett, Ned Lamont apparently has the cash to go the distance, or at least part of it. Makes it harder for them to play kingmaker.

I know this has been mentioned b4 (btw Hugh & al-Scooter – I liked your posts and even followed all the DiRita emails al – , I just didn’t post bc I thought you knew how appreciated you were. Sorry.) but the el-Masri dismissal is another chapter from Kafka.

http://tinyurl.com/o79xu
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis agreed with government arguments that moving forward with Khaled el-Masri’s case would risk national security by exposing state secrets about CIA activities vital to the U.S. war on terrorism.
Thank goodness Judge Ellis made it clear – as clear as DOJ has already made it – HEAVEN FORBID that any part, parcel or portion of our judicial system should be seen as actually D*I*S*A*P*P*R*O*V*I*N*G of rendition. I can only imagine the collapse of the universe that would ensue if someone, somewhere, actually said that maybe they might just kinda sorta disapprove of rendition – especially of, ya know, innocent people.
“Nor does this ruling comment or rule in any way on the truth or falsity of his factual allegations,” he wrote. “Nothing in this ruling should be taken as a sign of judicial approval or disapproval of rendition programs; it is not intended to do either.”
Thank you Judge Ellis, Judge Trager, John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales and all the President’s Lawyers. It is a relief that no one, anywhere, might think there was any disapproval of rendition. Let’s shy away from that values judgment on child sacrifice while we’re at it, ‘kay?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
And while we’re at Kafka – Gitmo. Where they have several hundred detainees. The “worst of the worst:” (and oh yeah, a few Chinese escapees from persecution, UK residents who wouldn’t spy for them, kidnapees, purchased at a bazaar for a bargain price guys, etc.) that “have” to be held there without trial bc, well, gosh, otherwise we might miss out on all the tremendous info that we are getting!!!!! You know, that info you get when you —- don’t question them.
http://tinyurl.com/pxcbm Only about a fourth of detainees get questioned.
Kudos to the Rear Adm for telling the truth, but WTH? How many billions a month are we spending on the “war on terror” and we can’t get around to questioning the “worst of the worst” bc we just don’t have interrogators or questioners? Ummm + Hmmm. But asked if some prisoners might have gone years without being questioned, he replied, “I would think there are, but I just don’t know.”

Pssst – you forgot to coordinate with Judge Ellis. You were SUPPOSED to say: “Nothing in this failure to question for years should be taken as a sign of approval or disapproval of shipments of old men, teenagers, and Taliban prisoners to GITMO