- ‹ previous
- 743 of 2794
- next ›
Wagging the Dog
Here's an interesting little tidbit from yesterday's inspector general report on the various domestic spying programs known collectively during the Bush/Cheney era as the President's Surveillance Program. The way it worked was this: the CIA at first, and later the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, produced a threat assessment every 45 days that was known internally as the "scary memo." 
That memo was the basis for periodic renewal of the PSP. If the memo wasn't scary enough, then no PSP:
CIA Office of General Counsel (OGC) attorneys reviewed the draft threat assessment memoranda to determine whether they contained sufficient threat information and a compelling case for reauthorization of the PSP. If either was lacking, an OGC attorney would request that the analysts provide additional threat information or make revisions to the draft memoranda.
....During interviews, ODNI personnel said they were aware the threat assessments were relied upon by DOJ and White House personnel as the basis for continuing the PSP, and understood that if a threat assessment identified a threat against the United States the PSP was likely to be renewed.
Italics mine. Now, the report dutifully goes on to say that the ODNI inspector general found the threat assessment process "straightforward, reasonable, and consistent," and that counterterrorism analysts believed the al-Qaeda threat to the United States was "overwhelming."
And yet — if that's the case, why would the scary memo ever lack "sufficient threat information" and need to be beefed up at the request of a CIA attorney? And why would the IG's report go out of its way to mention, without comment, that the drafters of the memo were well aware that it needed to be sufficiently scary to justify the PSP?
Beats me. I just work here. But without saying so directly, the IGs who wrote the report sure seem to be going out of their way to suggest that sometimes the surveillance program was driving the threat assessment rather than the other way around. Does that ring any bells?
And he recommends fragrant tissues
Given what is in the public record about Dick Cheney's persona, Mr VP's 1% statement right after 9/11 and the characters he assembled in the OVP, is that really in any way surprising?
A guy with a whole bunch of demons maneuvered himself into the majordomo role, was given free reign by his lazy-ass master, proceeded to excavate a dungeon under the manor and then started to live out his fantasies.
Instead of removing the moldering carcasses and disinfecting the place, the new tenant of the manor says that the stench wafting upward every now and then is indeed troublesome, but that he has taken hold of the keys to the dungeon and he promises that this part of the building won't ever be used again. To prevent the gag reflex he recommends the use of fragrant tissues.
The question is what happens when one of the future lords/ladies of the manor (or their majordomo) concludes that the skeletons left in the dungeon are actually quite useful means to scare people into going along with their designs of how to run the estate.
Which is why it was so
Which is why it was so important the Bush/Cheney be impeached. But they weren't ;-/
There were no pardons given
Bush pardoned nobody in advance, so any criminal investigation that comes out of this is not going to be Scooter Libbied. And from what I can tell, there's definitely enough material there to prosecute. Conspiracy to violate FISA, for example. John Yoo, I'm looking at you. David Addington is possible, but I'm guessing unlikely. Cheney is a big stretch, he's too careful, and too smart. Crazy, but smart.
I know it's not odds-on. But still I hope.
is not going to be Scooter Libbied ...
until a future Repuglican President is installed.
Are people getting tired of this?
I was traveling out of the Charlotte airport Thursday evening and apparently one of the four security checkpoints had shut down before I arrived. The lines for the other three checkpoints spanned the breadth of the airport check-in area, blocking access to the ticket counters and adding to the confusion. The delay was longer than an hour and many people in line were missing their flights.
Not once did I hear anyone say anything remotely like "This is a pain but at least we are safe from terrorism." People hated the lines and delay, deservedly so. In addition the canned announcement came on every fifteen minutes or so declaring the "Department of Homeland Security had determined the threat level was ORANGE" - oooooh. More than one person said something like "What is this, Russia?!"
So my anecdotal evidence says people are less scared and getting bothered by aspects of the patriot act.
So what does that mean for future laws? Who knows. People hated telemarketers for years before anyone would fight the industry long enough to pass a law regulating them. Until the financial firms want a law passed not much seems to happen.
Tripp
Who were they?
Who were the lawyers in the CIA's Office of General Counsel? Who gave them their orders? Was there any part of government that was operated according to law in the Bush administration? Any part at all?
Pets
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Betty
http://smallpet.info