What would reconciliation with the Taliban-led insurgency look like?

NOTE: We have a live chat with ACLU National Security Project Director Jameel Jaffer today at 3 pm ET, noon PT. In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, arguably an influential philosopher for the Founders of this nation, he asserts plainly and without equivocation that “[w]herever Law ends, Tyranny begins.”

• War criminals, beware.
• The troubles at Treasury.
• Will someone tell Evan Bayh to STFU?
• Good news.
• A cool interactive chart on religion in the US.
• Longest recession since, well…
• Obama and blogs.
• The Rock Obama.

Economic News CNBC won’t be telling you

New video from Michelle Shocked, Pompeii. A timely song in which the band puts on their best Jimmy Buffet hat while Michelle explores and compares the demise of both Pompeii and the American empire. It’s classic Shocked singing honestly about her world without taking herself or life to seriously. Don’t miss tonight’s second video; another fantastic new song from Alela Diane.

Via Jeralyn this morning, I learned that the United States Attorney for Los Angeles spun his wheels, and confused his staff, with a contradictory set of memos about medical marijuana busts.The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles sent a confidential memo to prosecutors last week ordering them to stop filing charges against medical marijuana dispensaries, then abruptly lifted the ban on Friday, according to sources familiar with the developments.

Two new reports have been released timed to International Women’s Day and they present a dire picture of the conditions of women in Iraq. For all the talk of improvements and security gains, the women of Iraq report that their lives are harder, poorer and more dangerous than ever before.

Some of you may know that I usually take a health and fitness walk each morning down to the beach. My little piece of Long Island was still covered in snow, but on Friday morning I began to notice subtle signs of spring.

It began with the sunrise down at the beach.

Ten days after the election, I wrote what turned out to be, at the time, a somewhat controversial piece on the meaning of the hints by Obama that Hillary Clinton might be his Secretary of State, opining that it might portend a serious and affirmative play on middle east peace by the incoming Obama Administration. It is still in its infancy, but it appears that is proving true.

The Judge deciding whether or not to dismiss the Jose Padilla lawsuit against John Yoo, having read the memos released earlier this week, doesn’t seem inclined to dismiss the suit.