In short, the report on Abu Zubaydah reads partly like an attempt to glue together a lot of contradictory information–without assessing the credibility of any one piece of that information–and an either willful or unconscious effort to tell a narrative that justifies what those in charge of Gitmo were doing.

While FBI says it’d be nice if the folks holding the detainee consult with the lawyers in DC before delaying a suspect’s Miranda warning, they provide a great big invitation–”the agents on the scene who are interacting with the arrestee are in the best position to assess what questions are necessary to secure their safety and the safety of the public”–for them not to do so. And far be it for FBI Agents to refuse such a kind invitation!

DOD is reportedly preparing to charge Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri for his role in the Cole bombing for trial in a military commission. That’s worth keeping in mind because the Gitmo order is largely based on the protective order the DC District Court uses for habeas cases. The Gitmo order chose not to simply adopt the DC District order, though, suggesting the differences may have been crafted for people like al-Nashiri.

According to Bradley Manning’s Article 138 complaint, written in his own voice, Commander James Averhart put Manning on suicide watch on January 18 to demonstrate that he was, for all practical purposes, God.

Seems like old times. . . .

The Texas State Board of Examiners claims they haven’t enough evidence to challenge the legitimacy of CIA torture contractor James Mitchell’s professional license to practice psychology. This is but the latest in a number of legal defeats in the now years-long attempt to bring torturers to justice. The campaign to bring these criminals to justice spans the continent, from Berkeley to Texas, from Ohio to New York, while abroad, efforts to investigate or prosecute U.S. torturers have met varying fates in Poland, Lithuania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. What more can be done to expose the war criminals, and bring them before the law?

The “special factors” in this case — including Abu Zubaydah’s torture — mean American citizen Jose Padilla can’t sue for having been tortured and denied counsel.

SF Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders can’t stand the idea the Berkeley City Council might pass a resolution saying Berkeley welcomes the resettlement of cleared Guantanamo prisoners. So, she misrepresents recidivism rates from the government, and lies about the cases of two cleared detainees, one of whom was the only known victim of water torture at Guantanamo.

So, Mr. Banana Holder was happy to do his job when that job was getting Chiquita cleared from funding death squads, but now that his job says he should prosecute a former president for torture, he refuses to do it. Why won’t Mr. Banana Holder do his job and prosecute Georgie B.?

As we have heard absolutely nothing from Eric Holder, John Durham, the DOJ or the Obama Administration in relation to indictments or other results of the investigation Mr. John Durham has been conducting since January 8, 2008, nearly three years, I thought a letter was in order asking just exactly what their status was. Here is that letter.