Gonzales Never Let Facts Get in the Way

Via NYTimes:

When the Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal opinion in December 2004, the Bush administration appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential authority to order brutal interrogations.

But soon after Alberto R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Thankfully, this monster is gone, but his actions as attorney general will give us fear of the position for years (much like Bush has done for the presidency). A completely open government is not necessarily a good idea, some things need to be kept secret, but blatant lies have come out of every partisan official in the executive and judicial (ok, and legislative too...) branches. This trend must be stopped. Blogs and online syndication of newspapers have helped keep people knowledgeable of government's missteps which should keep them more wary, but it only forces government officials to keep their skeletons better hidden. Keep politicians in line, pay attention and don't fall for their pandering and lying.

Urgent Lobbying for Telecom Immunity

Via Crooks and Liars:

As War and Piece puts it, U.S. intel agencies are in near panic mode over this, but Marcy Wheeler and Glenn Greenwald say they may be worrying over nothing as the Democrats are preparing to cave on this issue. President Bush is hell bent on letting telcos off the hook, contact your representatives in the House and Senate and let them know how you feel.

These companies should be working for the best interest of their customers, or at least their stockholders, they should not be working for the government. The government should not be allowed to pressure these telecoms into doing something illegal, yet, they have. At this point, these companies should not be let off scot-free for these transgressions, but the government should be bearing the largest backlash from these events. if we can't trust companies to maintain our privacy from the government, then we will be forced to live in fear from every company that has access to our privacy. That is not a possibility that should ever come up in a "democracy".

Fred, We Hardly Knew You

Via News For The Left:

Fred Thompson is breaking the law and it's time somebody did something about it. So, this morning, I filed an FEC Complaint against him. [...]

It is my contention that he has violated the 'testing the waters' exemption of election law. He has been presenting himself as a candidate for President, he has been raising large sums of money beyond what would be required to explore a possible candidacy, and he has signed a long term lease on a headquarters for his campaign. He has even spent advertising dollars, which are specifically prohibited by the law.

If this pans out, it should be a big hit to the combined ego of the Republican party. They have been waiting for quite some time for their fabled savior, Fred Thompson, to enter the race and crush the opposition. It really does seem unfair to be essentially counted as a candidate while skirting the rules. "Testing the waters" is important for candidates who are not immediately recognized front-runners, but with someone who has been as popular as Fred Thompson, candidacy is just a matter of time (or, possibly, was after this).