I have nothing against religion and that is all fine and well,the thing is,is that having bought and pain powerbrokers that use power and influence for self gain of stripping rights away from Americans is treason.Jane Harmann should be investigated and given no time out box and impeached immediately. She has always tried to spy on americans to help the Bush administration in the name of National security. Shame on this traitor. Don’t you think that the government is completely corrupt?

Wh-e-e-e-e-w!

Yes, everything. Each point has its place, but 1, 5, and 6 …

And why now indeed?

Well I am a liberal and I hate to see the bush crime family and friends blame the terrorists. We are an empire that destroys every thing we touch. Jane Harmann is part of the problem. I dont care about the two sided coin of corporatism forcing their consumeristic economy on the kind people of the world. You see there are no enemies unless you are told that on corporate tv. The fear factor is a calculated attack on our souls. The only enemies we have are our rampant corrupt officials starting wars to build pipe lines in the middle east,the ones that do economic strip mining where ever they can get their greedy little fingers. I hope Obama hasn’t been puppetized by out corrupt government or we will end up sending our poor people to fight their corporate wars. Every member of congress and the government have stock in war and prisons. The lobbyists make sure that the loudest voice is the richest voice. The rich own you. The rich own the airwaves and the intellectual rights to the human history. They control the wage slaves and the military. They will never share. Money has no heart people. Turn off the TV. Get the bums out of office. Jane Harmann should be fired immediately. She has been caught alowing foriegn spys to lobby to keep her in the anti constitutional NSA spy ops. I also feel that 911 was partly an inside job,so this spying stuff should be us spying on our own government. The government’s only job is to hoard money. This country will be a police state if we let it. Elections always seem to put fat cats into office.

Oh doctor, the whole thing is a must-read! For those in a hurry I suggest page 2.

Rep. Harman might be in some deep doo, but the bigger question to me at the moment is, to repeat, why is so much stuff coming out in the press now?

Lo and behold, it’s time for Harmon to spend more time with her family. Maybe Harmon just ran out of people who needed her favors.

it’s coming out now so that emanuel winner can promptly dismiss any prosecution and the masters of the universe can rub in our faces just how screwed american democracy is

Good morning, pups. It’s Cohen and Krugman in the NYT today. Mr. Cohen, in “Israel, Iran and Fear,” says Israel craves closure on a past that holds the specter of annihilation. But that cannot be achieved by a retreat into victimhood. Prof. Krugman gives us “Erin Go Broke,” in which he says the slogan “Erin go bragh,” used as a declaration of Irish identity, could also be read as a prediction for the world economy.

Here they are.

The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and the biscuits are out of the oven. Monday. Sigh. Oh, well, time for another cup of tea to get my heart started and then on to do what needs to be done. Have a great day.

frp, the tpm article;

This raises lots and lots of questions -- not least of which is why this is coming out right now.

because of the torture outrage, it’s not going away unless something distracts our attention

this is one of the shiny objects I spoke about, if this one does not distract us there will be more

we need to stay focused on the war crimes obama refuses to prosecute

Josh asks the same questions.

I agree: this is a shiny object, for the reasons you state.

Has anyone asked Pelosi who lobbied her on Harmann’s behalf?

This is more than a shiny object. It is serious corruption and treason. Don’t forget that one of W’s great skills was to commit crimes all over the place.

But also with an implied threat. I suppose it’ll be a while before we know how specific.

And doesn’t this give someone quite the headache figuring out who the “whistleblower” is?

Furthermore, suppose there’s something, say, formally analogous but of arguably higher intensity, that we haven’t heard about yet, involving someone, you know, else?

More good Qs. There is so much more that went on that we don’t know about. There always is.

Point 2 (”This is known because of an NSA Wiretap”) may be less of an issue here than you suggest.

According to the article, this particular wiretap was court-approved and specific (the kind approved by a judge), not Congress-approved and illegally sweeping (the kind approved by Obama and Jane Harman).

As for “why now?” I see this as maneuvering in the AIPAC spy trial, which is supposed to start *tomorrow*.

About two months ago the defense was able to get the judge to allow a former director of the Information Security Oversight Office to testify on AIPAC’s behalf. It’s thought he’ll testify that the information the spies are charged with passing (ignoring the far more important backchannel anti-Iraq disinformation that came in from Israel and was passed up the war planning chain, that’s not part of the trial) shouldn’t have been classified in the first place. This is a big deal, although not definitive, since the prosecution can of course call rebuttal witnesses, perhaps many, to suggest that the information was indeed sensitive and qualifies under the Espionage Act.

If the defense is going to argue that the information shouldn’t have been classified, the prosecution will likely want to show how AIPAC acquired and used other NDI (national defense info) in the past.

Since that latest development happened about two months ago, that’s about the right time frame for those who believe AIPAC and Israel did in fact spy on the US to attempt to even the playing field by talking to reporters, who would then have to surreptitiously get confirmations and write a story.

2. This is known because of an NSA Wiretap.

pre-caffeinated thoughts:

So was it Jane Harman or AIPAC which was suspected of having ties to Al Qaeda?

Where is the part of the congressional oath of office which promises allegiance to AIPAC, ’cause I keep missing it…?

I wonder whether the economic climate has caused any AIPAC cutbacks in its inventory of congresscritter?

How’s Pelosi gonna play this? Illegal wiretap shows activity which shows that a California female Rep needs to be gotten gone?

We have 300+ million people in this country. We can’t find 535 United States citizens . How many in congress have duel citizenship and duel allegiances. What percent of the congress has duel citizenship,Arlien?

abu is now shark bait, he’s there to lure us away from crimes of torture, he’s there to throw a stick in the spokes, to divert our attention, he’s there to slow the bus to which he is being thrown under, to highjack the train, to…errr

I ran out, did I get enough cliché’ in there?

we all knew there were lawmakers high profile people being blackmailed, I want to know all the names, who was blackmailed, I would love it if we could somehow shred the actual blackmail but we need to know who was and who has their fingerprints on it

How many in congress have duel citizenship and duel allegiances.

Wouldn’t it be fun to see Michele Bachmann’s name on the AIPAC payroll?

jayt@19, that would be a joy

I’m sure everyone’s noticed these people campaign against their own vice and their own flaw

if they are campaigning against homosexuality it’s likley they are in the closet, if they call us fascists it’s becuase that’s what they are, if they call it “the patriot act” it’s the antithesis of patriotism

in fact it actually becomes more likely she is an alien guilty of sedition since that’s here meme

Congress was “on holiday” for two weeks…….this didn’t come out week before last…….or last week. The news “breaks” just as they come back in session? Interesting, that.

I want to know all the names, who was blackmailed,…

I’m thinking that the NSA computers are probably not programmed to recognize nefarious republican activity.

“It does not compute.”

your post gave me an epiphane;

this might just be a shot across the bow, a warning to anyone thinking about charging them with war crimes, this is;

“we have a file on you”

that’s the shot across their bow, this serves quite a few purposes for these criminals

there are still cheney moles and tools in government, cheney MUST be locked up for what he’s done but more, for what he continues to do

I agree, but I think the suspect timing suggests this whole matter has been held carefully in reserve for use as a shiny object.

I am thinking they do, they spyed for blackmail, they didn’t do it to the oposition party, they did it to the oposition period, I am pretty certain their spying activities are at least if not more so directed at repuclicans

this is;

“I’m gonna make you an offer you cannot refuse”

I agree this is more then a shiny object, but shiny and diverting it is never the less

don’t forget, to get us diverted from the torture outrage there would have to be something as outrageous

the torture is an international war crime, this is a political crime

QuietObserver alerts us to this macabre little bonbon:

Amid the furor over the release of the torture memos, Obama heads to Langley for private meetings, and then delivers “a public message to the [CIA] workforce about the importance of CIA’s mission to our national security.”

I am SHOCKED, shocked I tell you, the person responsible for shopping torture memos to forgive crimes is against releasing those memos
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

*sounds like a diary*;

Michael Hayden, who was replaced as CIA chief earlier this year by President Barack Obama, assailed Obama’s decision last week to release “Top Secret” memos detailing the interrogation techniques as “really dangerous” for US intelligence efforts.

surprise surprise, he doesn’t want his crimes exposed, I cannot for the life of me figure out why

Why use a “bright shiny” that might actually have substance when you can use something as totally stupid as whining about Obama having the audacity to shake the hand of chavez or smile at him. That seems the focus of today’s news stories…..but they’ll get around to the one under discussion here in short order. :-(

the “bright shiny” is directed at us, not the repukelicans who are already defending their despot

when it comes to distracting us they need a real bright shiny not a fake one

A political system and culture beyond “reform” merely by electing the right candidate. See David Simons interview on Bill Moyer’s Journal. Very bleak assessment of inner cities in the U.S. and an oligarchic politcal system that serves only the oligarchy.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/jour…..watch.html

I heard a teaser last nite on 60 minutes about some break through alternative energy but didn’t get to see it, I can’t find a referance on the googles, did anyone see it?

edit

I found a referance, something about cold fusion but I would love to see the clip

double edit, found the clip

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…..2167.shtml

surprise surprise, he doesn’t want his crimes exposed

perris, perris! Maybe you should read the ThinkProgress version of the story, to convince you that Hayden is worried about no! such! thing!!

He thinks The Tairests sit around and gear their training to the worst that they think the U.S. would do to them if they get caught. You know, help an embassy get blown up and it’s no supper for you, plan a suicide attack on a major city and in addition get fitty cent blasted at you, etc. They tabulate this stuff into flat databases and everything, Hayden apparently thinks, which emboldens them in their nefarious plans —kind of “One God, Jihad, and Look-up Tables” doctrine, if you get my drift. Everything depends on keeping those tables inaccurate so The Tairests will be surprised as the dickens when any of those things, or say driving while in Afghanistan, gets them waterboarded hundreds of times or used for swingkick practice.

I was going to diary this last night, but things ran late.

[Sorry perris, I’m afraid you ran into the buzzsaw of my newly elevated level of disgust with these knaves.]

The most important question to ask is why was the NSA wiretapping her without a warrant? The answer is either than the suspected Israeli agent was the target and Harman wandered into the web coincidentally, or Harman was the target, in which case we need to know why a member of the US Congress was targeted by the NSA. The second most egregious act is the Attorney General’s intervention into the situation which appears to be an overt act calculated to obstruct justice, i.e., an express or implicit offer not to investigate Harman’s potentially criminal conduct in exchange for Harman’s help in staving off a congressional investigation into the NSA’s use of unwarranted wiretapping/eavesdropping. Gonzales isn’t that bright, which means that Karl Rove was probably lurking in the background of this scandal.

Congress needs to investigate whether Harman, Gonzales and Rove conspired to obstruct justice if the Attorney General will not. The means, opportunities and motives are all present and such an investigation by either the AG or Congress would not involve the political hot potato of potential war crimes charges.

Jane Harman should be ejected from the party. Her “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act” alone should leave no doubt as to what kind of representative she is. Now this.

the Attorney General’s intervention into the situation which appears to be an overt act calculated to obstruct justice,….

heyheyhey – that was Abu’s *job*, fer chrissakes.

I can’t believe that the guy still seems to be unemployed. Da Wiki says that he wants to write a book, but nobody wants to publish it.

I’m thinking that he’d be the perfect corporate counsel for AIG, ShittyBank, etc., and could re-settle quite comfortably into his old practices in front of congressional committees.

“Counselor, where did our money go?”

“Umm, I’m trying to recall whether I ever remembered to look into the issue of all that I’ve forgotten, but I think, bu cannot recall for certain, that I forgot to look into whether I ever remembered in the first place. That being said, I’m quite sure that as I sit here this morning, I don’t remember a goddamned thing. What was the question again?”

Interesting, this graf from the CQ article:

The identity of the “suspected Israeli agent” could not be determined with certainty, and officials were extremely skittish about going beyond Harman’s involvement to discuss other aspects of the NSA eavesdropping operation against Israeli targets, which remain highly classified.

Was she set up? Did they know it, hence the backing off prosecution? Was this done to ensure her continued cooperation?

She likes fusion centers, too.
***********
” In my view, fusion centers hold great promise.

• Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano agrees with me, and has said recently that fusion centers are “the centerpiece of state, local and federal intelligence-sharing for the future.” “

http://www.house.gov/apps/list…..rHrg.shtml

It’s difficult to say which is the worst, and it is pointless besides. The problem is that together they are geometrically worse than all of them added together.

If there ever was any doubt that some sort of criminal proceedings needs to be initiated against ALL who participated in the Bush saga, this puts that doubt to rest forever. The only way to ever regain our self-respect is to root out the rot that has crept into our government and burn it. Without that, America can never be that famous “city on the hill” and “a beacon for all.”

Is there now any question that AIPAC is merely a tool of the current rightwing Israeli government? The nutjobs in the current Israeli government continue to destroy peace in the Middle East by their quest for territory. That government is egged on by both Jewish and Christian religious zealots intent on fulfilling their own religious fantasies. AIPAC has gone beyond mere lobbying to that of subverting the United States government. It is past time to reconsider American support for the now corrupt rightwing zealots in the current Israeli government.

The press only shares what is not embarasing to power or money. Independant news is the only news. The airwaves belong to us but Colin Powell’s son made sure that corporate power monopolized our media. Yes the government is getting worse and worse. We as Americans can do better than this. Accountability is only for the poor. Loss is only for the poor. Welfare is for the elite and corporate america. We really really are heading into fascism. Watch what happens as we stand by. The vote really doesn’t steer our politicians right. Every politician is rich and does not look out for us. College is for the rich. Security and starvation is for the poor. God bless the child. The snake that eats it’s own tail is not getting nutrition.

Rep.Harman can count herself lucky it was AIPAC she was taking up cause with. Had it been Iran or China this “scandal” would have been truly front page,top of fold in pedigree.

AIPAC is putting fixes in? Israel has tentacles reaching across and into many parts of WashingtonDC?

This is news?

One can expect any Israeli/AIPAC doo found out to be scooped up and hid away soon enough. Israel and it’s American based agency surely are firmly planted in WashingtonDC well enough to snuff out undesireable spotlighting.

Israeli interests are well served in WashingtonDC. Better than American interests. President Obama early on making sure he got some deep kowtows in to both AIPAC and Israel. If Iran or China were doing what Israel does in WashingtonDC they would be fully gone after. Israel? Nah.

The timing is odd. NSA/CIA unhappy about things being revealed? Doo throwing now taking place to serve purposes of misdirection or political bow warning shot/ payback?

siphoned off by the IOKIYAR filter.

Blackmail — that was my first reaction in reading the story… No doubt Harman got her hands caught in the cookie jar, but the Bushies were right there to use it to their advantage! Who else did they do it to?

Long since a serious problem, they tried to make Harman speaker. More needs to be said about DiFi, Lieberman, Schumer, …

The reason the Bushies illegally wiretapped is to blackmail EVERYONE and ANYONE, along with Congressman Jane Harman, to doing whatever the Bush Crime Family wanted.

Why now?

That part of this is easy to answer. It was pretty clear during the last 8 years that what we knew, horrific as that was, of official criminality was only the tip of the iceberg. To take only the particular area of official criminality related to this story, illegal surveillance, it was clear that the gummint must actually have committed some really egregious abuse we weren’t hearing about, because otherwise they would have simply sought the approval of a rubber-stamp Congress beforehand for whatever expansion of FISA they wanted. Congress would have approved anything even half-way legitimate. We knew, even 5 years ago, that what they actually had done with wiretaps must have been so radioactively beyond the pale that even the rubber-stamp Congress wouldn’t be able to help them out of their hole.

But it was also clear that we weren’t going to be getting the full story until after Dubya was no longer in charge of the fed govt’s prosecutors and law enforcement agencies. Forget about Congress taking the lead on getting the truth out. Ditto for the fourth estate. And whistleblowers couldn’t get the truth out for fear of winding up in Gitmo. Obama may be double plus reluctant to have his DoJ pursue the official criminals of the Dubya era, but he can also be counted on to be at least reluctant enough to pursue whistleblowers with the rigor that would be required to keep the story from coming out. Darth Cheney can no longer order dissenters’ home planets blown up, and that’s pretty much what it took to keep the lid on.

Which is worst? Well, the Israel stuff is quite bad, but that is very unsurprising that our politicians are under AIPAC’s direction. That Alberto Gonzales is a sleaze? That is not news. That Jane Harman cares more about her skin than the safety of the country? Also unsurprising. The most disturbing part of it for me is that it will be another shocking revelation of criminal activity from the Bush White House that will go unpunished.

How do we start all over without destroying everything?

was it maybe IDF veteran, Israeli citizen Rahm?

Oh remember on 911 when there were 3 Israeli people caught in a van full of explosives and they were called spies,when released they talked of more sinister things going on that day?

or perhaps Israel is a unofficial territory of the USA and is giving all details they deem worthy knowing. Nah!

I saw building 7 fall at free fall speed on 911 and that was certainly fishy. The side benefit is that our oil companies have all that northern oil in Iraq and a real large base from where we can launch our corporate army.
The elite think that we buy this anti muslim stance. I don’t!

I fear oil companies and corporations more. These elite can bring us to our knees anytime they need fear in our hearts. Why worry.

I really wonder why large countries need such corrupt governments?
I remember when the New York Times reported the wiretapping controversy and the whistleblower was left jobless. Harmann came to the rescue of that mess back in 04. Then she defended in a way,the genocide of the armenians. How about peace and sharing of wealth for a change. No one needs a mansion.