Well we kinda knew that.

12-11-2008 - Levin, McCain Release Executive Summary and Conclusions of Report on Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody : Senator Carl Levin: News Release

Gist: Torture ordered at the highest level.

Executive summary here.

Monty Python explains "enhanced interrogations"

via boingboing

Lieberman: The New McCarthy

The toxicity of Joe Lieberman's treason accusations

Money quote:

Lieberman, of course, spent several years warning Americans not to criticize their Leader with regard to the War. Just two weeks ago, Lieberman went on Meet the Press and prompted an angry outburst from Chuck Hagel after Lieberman sat there smugly accusing Hagel and anyone else who opposes the Glorious Surge of wanting the U.S. to lose in Iraq. In the same appearance, Lieberman also looked straight into the camera and said that the U.S. was "attacked on 9/11 by the same enemy that we’re fighting in Iraq today" -- a claim so transparently false that even the President long ago abandoned it.

But yesterday, Lieberman reached what might be a new low. During the confirmation hearings of Gen. David Petraeus, Lieberman provoked this truly reprehensible exchange with Gen. Petraeus, as summarized by The Washington Post's Thomas Ricks:

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) asked Army Lt. Gen. David H . Petraeus during his confirmation hearing yesterday if Senate resolutions condemning White House Iraq policy "would give the enemy some comfort."

Petraeus agreed they would, saying, "That's correct, sir."

Using the terms to" give comfort" and the "enemy" in the same phrase has no conceivable objective other than to invoke accusations of treason. The Constitution's definition of "treason" is exactly that -- giving "Aid and Comfort" to the enemy. For Lieberman to purposely track the Constitution's treason language when describing opponents of the "surge" plan -- and to invite the new Iraq War Commander to agree with his accusation -- reveals so inescapably what Lieberman is. That's just the basest and most despicable smear one can imagine.

As usual Greenwald's analysis is spot on. Read the rest.

Posts You Should Be Reading

Glenn Greenwald on how ICE (formerly US Customs) knowingly kept a murderer on its payroll. It wasn't until a DEA agent and his family were almost killed that anyone said anything. And then it was the DEA agent in question -- he was fired. Go read it, its horrifying.

Dr. Pauly on surviving Vegas

Deadspin on Eastern Illinois linebacker Lucious Pusey who legally (and understandably) changed his last name to Seymour, and his hilarious email to Deadspin telling them he was no longer a Pusey. I will, of course, be legally changing my name to Micah Pusey. Heck I can still even be mcsey, just the sey will come from the end of my name not the beginning. And now that I think about it, why didn't he change his name to Seymour Pusey? That's pew-SAY BTW.

Greenwald slams another dunk

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: The fruits of democracy:

"Hugo Chavez was overwhelmingly re-elected yesterday as Venezuela's President. Opposition to the United States played a significant role in his successful campaign, as he promised 'a more radical version of socialism and [to] forge a wider front against the United States in Latin America.'

Over the last two years, the Palestinians democratically elected Hamas leaders. The Lebanese have democratically elected Hezbollah to play a major role in their parliamentary government. The Iranian-allied militias in Iraq are led by factions with substantial representation in the democratically elected Iraqi Government. And the Iranian Hitler himself was democratically elected "

First off, if you aren't reading Glenn Greenwald regularly, you should be. Always insightful, he nails home point after point regarding several issues -- especially lawless indefinite detention ala Jose Padilla and illegal warrantless surveillance (side note: Firefox doesn't recognize the word warrantless -- it tells me its not a word, good for Firefox, the word shouldn't be in an American's vocabulary).

Today, Greenwald led with a post on the spread of democracy and its inverse relation to friendly foreign governments. It seems all one needs to do in the current world political climate is run an anti-Bush, anti-American-foreign-policy, campaign and its the secret to getting elected around the world. Even our staunchest allies are feeling the sting, Tony Blair's approval rating sits at 27%, and he has resigned his role as Labor Leader following his current term as Prime Minister. Obviously the new British government will not be openly hostile to America, but undoubtedly the British peoples' perception of Blair as Bush's poodle contributed to his historic fall from record high approval ratings in his early (pre-Bush) days in office to his current near record low popularity. The message from voters around the world -- and as the Democrats showed in the midterms in the United States as well-- is clear, "Supporting Bush's foreign policy is bad for you at the ballot box. Opposing America's current foreign policy is good for you come election day."

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: "

Of course Gonzales begins his Opening Statement by quoting Osama bin Laden and Zawahri. We used to quote Madison, Jefferson and Lincoln to decide what the principles of our Government are going to be. Now we quote Al Qaeda. The Administration wants Al Qaeda and its speeches to dictate the type of Government we have. It is the centerpiece of everything they do and say."

The Great Glenn Greenwald

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Putting the terrorist threat into perspective:

"All of this seems obvious at this point. The total number of Americans killed by Islamic terrorists in the last 5 years -- or 10 years -- or 20 years -- or ever -- is roughly 3,500, the same number of deaths by suicide which occur in this country every month. This is the overarching threat around which we are constructing our entire foreign policy, changing the basic principles of our government, and fundamentally altering both our behavior in the world and the way in which we are perceived."

Read the whole post. It's brilliant which seems to have become Greenwald's norm.