In Spy Case, Obama's Justice Department Holds Fast to State Secrets Privilege

[kpete]

Source: Wired

In Spy Case, Obama's Justice Department Holds Fast to State Secrets Privilege
By David Kravets EmailFebruary 13, 2009 | 1:29:51 PMCategories: State Secrets

The Obama administration on Thursday invoked the state secrets privilege for the second time in a week, this time in a closely watched spy case weighing whether a U.S. president may bypass Congress and establish a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

The move came days after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the department was reviewing all the litigation it inherited from the Bush administration in which the privilege was invoked.

Also this week, the Justice Department invoked the privilege before a federal appeals court to scuttle a case brought by five U.S. prisoners who claim the CIA was behind their kidnapping, which brought them overseas where they claim they were tortured.

The litigation tactics underscore that, while the Obama administration has denounced many of the policies of the Bush administration, it has so far not changed litigation tactics in defending lawsuits challenging those policies.

Read more: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/02/obama-invokes-s.html

[ixion]

1. damnit... enough of this fascist, unconstitutional, unAmerican BS!!!

really. I'm sick of it. And hearing that someone I voted for supporting it makes me mad as hell.

[Proletariatprincess]

5. I'm afraid that fascism is no longer un American.

The constitution? It's just a list of suggestions.
Power concedes nothing without demand. The Imperial presidency is here to stay since the day impeachment was taken off the table by Pelosi.

[jody]

2. Change you can't believe in. n/t

[biopowertoday]

3. Presidents like to keep their power once given to them.

[avaistheone1]

19. Yes, and absolute power corrupts.

This really stinks.

[cosmicone]

4. I want all my money back!!! n/t

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

17. me too

had the same feeling.

[pmorlan1]

6. What the H is going on?

This is truly distressing news. For some reason we just can't seem to climb out of the "looking glass". Things are getting scary again.

[Piewhacket]

7. Mr. President... skip the talk and fix this now.

the things you are calling secret... aren't.
and we have no secrets worth this!

[midnight]

8. Perfectly said.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. He made this call...

[Piewhacket]

11. Then he can unmake it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. That would be a flip flop, not a style I would expect Obama to use

[Piewhacket]

15. He can blame it on that Pinata guy. Big miscommunication. So hard..

to get good help. Etc. Etc..

[ohio2007]

9. Who keeps secrets

Predator drones flown from base in Pakistan, U.S. lawmaker says
Sen. Feinstein's surprise disclosure likely to complicate joint campaign against Taliban militants

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A senior U.S. lawmaker said Thursday that unmanned CIA Predator aircraft operating in Pakistan are flown from an airbase inside that country, a revelation likely to embarrass the Pakistani government and complicate its counterterrorism collaboration with the United States.


snip

At a hearing, Feinstein expressed surprise at Pakistani opposition to the ongoing campaign of Predator-launched CIA missile strikes against Al Qaeda targets along Pakistan's northwest border.

"As I understand it, these are flown out of a Pakistani base," she said of the planes.

..........





http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-090213-pakistan-us,0,1099409.story

Wonder if motar fire will start landing inside Pak bases ?
:nuke: ...... :hide:

[buckrogers1965]

12. Was afraid that this new administration would try to keep the power

Not even really their fault, should have never let Bush get away with it, and now any president can just point at the precedent that Bush set and justify nearly anything.

[OnyxCollie]

16. You are correct.

In game theory, the struggle over the balance of power is called a "game". The game has two or more players. All players know the rules and make moves in accordance to them. Players make moves with expectations of opponents' responses. The moves are made with anticipation of receiving the biggest benefit.

Because the power is so important, it must be obtained by any means possible, the most extreme being the use of force. (Game theory normally applies to foreign affairs, and the use of force is war. As applied here, the war would be between branches of government.)

Players can choose to follow the rules and compete for power, or they can choose not to play and so forfeit any claim to power.

A player may choose to break the rules. If this occurs, opponents must decide whether to follow the original rules, a disadvantage that will lead to their demise, or abandon morality and play by the new rules.





Welcome to the next level.

[Solly Mack]

13. K&R

[liberalsince1968]

18. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.