The Washington Post just published the first part of its Bob Woodward "State of Denial" piece which is a preview of Woodwards new book on the current administration..

I’ll be busy the next hours, but if you want to comment on it, here is some space.

From what was pre-previewed so far, I regard the deep involvement of Henry Kissinger urging  Bush and Cheney to never to retreat from Iraq as the most disturbing issue.

Once a war-criminal, …

A German daily reports the existance of at least three secret CIA prisons in Pakistan. A German doctor, says he has treated a child in one of those prisons for tuberculosis.

I have so far found no note on this report in the English speaking press, so here is my translation.

Cont. reading: Secret CIA Prisons in Pakistan

Your open thread for news & views  …

Billmon:

I think there’s a long post, if not a book, to be written about this particular truth, which is the Jeckyll-and-Hyde split between appearances and reality in 21st century America — the America where prostitutes pose as journalists (or vice versa), "Christian" activists lobby for legalized torture, generals swagger like Rambo in front of the cameras but cringe before their civilian masters in private, libertarian law professors write secret memos justifying the creation of a police state, sworn enemies of big government gorge themselves on pork, vomit, then gorge some more, and U.S. Senators with the racial values of a klavern leader masquerade as "compassionate conservatives."

Land of Opportunity

Rumsfeld was in Montenegro a few days ago and asked for troops for the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. When the boss of the mightiest military of the world from a country with 300 million inhabitants has to ask help from the 2,500 strong force of 650,000 inhabitant country, something must be in a dire state.

The U.S. is losing in Iraq and, together with NATO, has no chance to win in Afghanistan.

The only question left is to the degree of escalation (war on Iran, a draft, a fundamentalist coup in Pakistan, …) that will (need to?) happen before, under some excuse, defeat is conceded.  If lucky, we will get rid of NATO during the process and imperialism under the false flag of freedom and democracy will be dispised for some time.

Some quotes on the status of the Global War of Terror:

Cont. reading: GWOT Status

Billmon:

Help is on the Way

By Nori Boustani
RBN Foreign Service
Thursday, September 27, 2007

Spencer Koni, a former U.S. lawmaker who has been jailed without charges in Washington for more than 100 days, was briefly released from detention last Thursday to attend a memorial service, where he shouted out allegations of torture and other harsh treatment, according to his lawyers and other witnesses quoted by a human rights organization.

"For the past 20 days, prison officials have chained my hands and feet. I am being tortured,"  Koni loudly announced to bystanders at the memorial service for Koni’s father before being rushed away by his guards. Several people at the event relayed the incident to Human Rights Watch.

A spokesperson for President Bush said Koni was rightfully jailed as he had engaged in supporting hostilities against the Unites States. "He is handled according to the Military Commissions Act issued by the U.S. Congress. The President will faithfully execute that law in the manner Congress intended."

"I am held in solitary confinement and interrogated four times a day," Koni reportedly shouted. "They wake me up in the middle of the night to interrogate me. They are trying to turn me to a mental patient." Referring to U.S. President George W. Bush he added, "They are forcing me to denounce my beliefs, to repent for my activities, and to ask forgiveness from Bush and Cheney."

Koni had long challenged the U.S. judiciary and intelligence services for human rights abuses during his tenure as a legislator from 2000 to 2006. He made frequent visits to prisons and publicly called for the closure of secret CIA detention centers in his efforts to expose what he called inhumane practices.

He was arrested at a rally June 12 and has been held at a military brig in Washington DC with no access to lawyers, according to Human Rights Watch officials and attorneys working for his release

One of Koni’s lawyers, Ben Davids, told the Reuters news agency in Tehran that "Koni’s wife had noticed signs of physical impact, especially on his head."

Reuters also quoted Davids as saying Koni was under pressure to write a letter requesting a pardon.

The Attorney General referred to the issue as a military question outside the scope of the Department of Justice. According to U.S. law, the status of special prisoners like Mr. Koni can not be challenged in court.

The Department of Defense had earlier issued a statement in reference to Koni’s situation. "The support of hostilities against the people of the U.S. is a serious danger to our fight in the Long War of Terror. Mr. Koni has put himself into this situation by his unacceptable behaviour. In due time, he will learn how to pull himself out of it too."

—
Reference: 1, 2

You have to concede that to him – he IS a smartass.

There is the planed drop in oil-/gas-prices which of course will fit Rove and his party. There is the superb voter turnout strategy and there is the self-absolution of this administration on torture. But even Balkin misses that last, most important, point.

The bill’s "terror" relation and its late introduction has the superficial
function, so far successfully, to frighten the Democrats in Congress to not
oppose it. They could be called weak on the t-word. In Republican voter
strategy minds, this meens week on terror, but in any clear liberal mind is simply weak on opposing torture and basic values.

Cont. reading: Smartass Rove

The White House is further rewriting the torture and self-absolution legislation that is currently sailing through congress.

Now the real targets turn out to be you and me. The new version of the law would allow the CIA and the U.S. military:

Cont. reading: We Are All Targets Now

News & views …

So Billmon is back into blogging hibernation. No wonder I woke up at two in the morning, about when he posted. Something felt just wrong.

While Billmon was on a roll, I had scaled back from posting here (the last days I didn´t even read all comments – which was a first in more than two years).

The sum of the parts here is much too valuable to lose it. So while Billmon is mute, I’ll be back to a post per day, starting with this caffeine induced rambling.

While pausing here, I was happy to give in to the urging of a dear friend. Lukas had asked to build a crane – a BIG crane.

Cont. reading: Balance

Billmon:

So, if you’re one of those people who’ve e-mailed to tell me that you check every day to see if I’ve posted something new, you should stop now. You’ll only be disappointed.

Between Sets

Billmon:

I never knew Izzy Stone, but I have to believe he would have found it very tiresome.

Talking I.F. Stone Blues

Billmon:

Aliens

Billmon:

Just Like a Comma

Billmon:

I have to admit: the old boy’s subtle, ironic sense of humor never fails to impress. But then, he is a man of wealth and taste . . .

Jesus Camp

News & views … 

Billmon:

You gotta hand it to those terrorists: That’s one fiendishly clever disguise.

The Hard Core

Billmon:

How I’m Feeling At the Moment

Billmon:

Well, at least we now have moral clarity.

See No Evil