Last night, Wikileaks released their “Afghan War Diary”, over 90,000 internal military documents about the war in Afghanistan. They first gave them to three newspapers, who simultaneously wrote stories that appeared in this morning’s editions: the Guardian, the New York Times, and Der Speigel. The documents tell a story of civilian casualties, covert death squads, [...]

The lessons of the last week — notably, a reconsideration of the degree to which much of the intelligence community has been privatized and hidden in opaque contracts, as well as the WikiLeaks demonstration that the White House isn’t completely forthcoming about the problems in its war in Afghanistan — all demonstrate the need to give Congress the real oversight ability they lack now.

The DISCLOSE Act will get a vote on a motion to proceed tomorrow in the Senate, in all likelihood, with a newer version from Chuck Schumer that includes some changes from the House version, some good, some bad

According to intelligence reports, Pakistan Army and ISI, their spy service, are directly involved with supporting, plotting, and carrying out attacks on American soldiers.

BP CEO Tony Hayward, who has been much maligned for a series of verbal missteps during the Gulf oil disaster (though his company’s conduct and failures leading to the disaster would presumably be disqualifying as well) will leave the company, according to multiple reports and government officials. Hayward would continue on the corporate board through the end of the year, but would end his tenure as CEO by October 1.

it’s impossible to believe that this public disclosure of the “squalor” of our longest war will not have severe repercussions as governments and citizens around the world dig into the release materials. Given that the House is due to vote this week on “$33 billion supplemental bill to escalate the war in Afghanistan,” today would be a very good time to call your representative and express your disenchantment – 202-224-3121.

• Can we please leave this completely insane clusterf**k?
• Can we please leave this completely insane clusterf**k, cont’d.
• The headline that says it all.
• Quietly kicking Rand’s butt.
• Who cooked the planet?
• Sorry, Sharron — you can’t erase the crazy.
• Some thoughts on Netroots Nation.

Will the Obama Administration do the right thing and let the Bush Tax Cuts expire?

Kalapana – Naturally

While you work within the constraints put on any Speaker, to implement the agenda of the president who’s in your own party, please let San Francisco have real representation again. San Francisco values really matter to America. The City needs a Congressperson again. Let San Franciscans elect someone who needn’t compromise on their every viewpoint for the sake of the Speakership. You can do this, Madame Speaker. Please make it so. Finally, as I always close my letters and emails to you, more and more futile though they seem because of your dual role nowadays: Thank you for your service to San Francisco, to California, and to the United States of America.