In the News
11 December 2008 7:00 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
File this under stupid. Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes, who is supposed to be a Democrat, wants to keep McConnel as Director of National Intelligence, and Hayden at C.I.A. Oh, but wait! It gets better. Reyes, who is supposed to be a Democrat, also wants to keep torture policy in place.
“We don’t want to be known for torturing people. At the same time we don’t want to limit our ability to get information that’s vital and critical to our national security,” he added. “That’s where the new administration is going to have to decide what those parameters are, what those limitations are.”
If Obama-Biden take Reyes’ advice it’s for a couple of very bad reasons. Keeping up appearances and keeping the right quiet, which will be at the expense of human rights lawyers and progressives. It will also reveal, if it happens, a lack of courage on the new Administration’s part. That said, one thing it won’t do is surprise me. Fear of being blamed for any type of an attack, even if it has nothing to do with keeping Bush’s torture techniques in place for comfort, is the ultimate incentive. It’s being called “continuity.” However, as Ambinder points out, Obama’s also not having any easy time finding someone who isn’t tied to Bush’s policies, but who also has the C.I.A. agents and case officers’ trust.
News on Afghanistan, which if the report is accurate signals we’re in for the long haul there, something Obama telegraphed during the campaign. It is something needed badly in Afghanistan, unless we’re going to pull out all together, which I never believed. Pentagon is calling it an “uplift” instead of a “surge.” Not crazy about the name, but the commitment is welcome.
Hard-pressed British soldiers in southern Afghanistan will be reinforced by thousands of American troops early next year, under plans being drawn up by Nato and US commanders. Alarmed by a Taliban resurgence, Washington plans to send 10,000 troops to Helmand province, a force large enough to outnumber the 8,000-strong British contingent which has been struggling to keep the enemy at bay. A further 10,000 American troops will be deployed elsewhere in southern and south-western Afghanistan, according to senior Pentagon officials. Commanders refer to the plan as a long-term troop “uplift”, as opposed to a short-term “surge”, such as that in Iraq last year.
British forces in southern Afghanistan are locked in a stalemate with Taliban insurgents, General David McKiernan, commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan said in Kabul yesterday. The insurgents were not winning, but the country was at a “tipping point”, he said.[...]
One thing that will put wingnut radio off their rants. KHQA retracted the nonsense about Obama meeting with Blago (h/t justlen).
The story, which discussed the appointment of a replacement for President Elect Obama’in the U.S. Senate, became the subject of much discussion on talk radio and on blog sites Wednesday. [...] It suggested that a meeting was scheduled later that day between President Elect Obama and Illinois Governor Blagojevich. … KHQA has no knowledge that any meeting ever took place. …
Poor wingnuts, who get more bad news. Blago’s SEIU contact isn’t Andy Stern. Bummer, nutters.
…as for other Blago news, a telephone conference call and the timing of Valerie Jarrett taking her name out of contention is getting some attention. Obama has got to know that trying to ignore something as big as what Blagojevich was doing isn’t going to work. Take a cue from the Clintons, answering questions about happenings in your state early and openly is the best bet.
Oh and evidently, Specter’s restless. If it’s based on Holder and the Rich pardon, Specter’s fishing. (Read the story at the link.)
I’m out all morning, so the floor is yours.
