In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fearmongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor "politics as usual," but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate - which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.

This is from a sitting attorney in the Department of Justice who has been there for 26 years. We need a new president.

The Denver Post - Bush justice is a national disgrace

"There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse," Gonzales told senators on April 27, 2005.

Six days earlier, the FBI sent Gonzales a copy of a report that said its agents had obtained personal information that they were not entitled to have. It was one of at least half a dozen reports of legal or procedural violations that Gonzales received in the three months before he made his statement to the Senate intelligence committee, according to internal FBI documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Looks like lying to Congress and perjury to me, but that'd just be political. Sort of like feeding Congress a pile of crap so they'll do what you tell them to do. Time to find someone to indict the AG.

Gonzales Was Told of FBI Violations - washingtonpost.com

This week, we learn that Khan is "virtually a free citizen," and has been for "several months." What's more, Spencer Ackerman noted, "Musharraf refused to allow U.S. intelligence officials to question Khan, and Congress has raised questions over whether the proliferation network Khan created is truly out of business."

That's right, AQ Khan, the father of the Islamic Bomb. The same guy who told the North Koreans how to build one. Here's your war on terror at work.

A.Q. Khan, By Steve Benen - CBS News

The target was a meeting of Qaeda leaders that intelligence officials thought included Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s top deputy and the man believed to run the terrorist group’s operations.

But the mission was called off after Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, rejected an 11th-hour appeal by Porter J. Goss, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, officials said. Members of a Navy Seals unit in parachute gear had already boarded C-130 cargo planes in Afghanistan when the mission was canceled, said a former senior intelligence official involved in the planning.

Unbelievable... No I take that back. Totally believable. Everything these guys touch, they manage to turn into a steaming pile of shit. Every. Single. Thing.

U.S. Aborted Raid on Qaeda Chiefs in Pakistan in ’05 - New York Times

The FTC said in a report that, despite popular support for net neutrality, it was minded to let the market sort out the issue.

This means that the organisation will not stand in the way of companies using differential pricing to make sure that some websites can be viewed more quickly than others. The report also counsels against net neutrality legislation.

So much for equality.

FTC abandons net neutrality - vnunet.com

In his commutation decision, Bush left a $250,000 fine. Libby paid the fine on Thursday.

Yep, guess that fine was just a huge imposition...

White House Criticizes Clintons - The Huffington Post

Fred Thompson -- made exoneration of this convicted felon one of his principal missions over the last two years. And he does so while running around spitting out tough and righteous sermons about the need to restore the "rule of law": "It is a sad irony that a nation that is so dedicated to the rule of law is doing so much to undermine the respect for it," he said in the very same speech where he urged Libby's pardon. One of the prime defenders of Lewis Libby has the audacity to say such things with a straight face because he knows how broken our political and media institutions are.

Greenwald does a nice job boiling down just how screwed up the political right is.

Glenn Greenwald - Salon

"If the committees just want the facts, then they should withdraw the subpoenas and accept the president's offer, instead of this continued pattern of gross overreach and confrontation," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

I'm sorry, but after this week's series in the Post and the history of the administration of feeding complete bullshit to Congress (see Fredo's appearances before both the senate and house judiciary committees, the Katrina video, the WMD bunk, Scooter Libby lying to a grand jury to block the investigation into the Plame affair as a short list) accepting the Preznit's offer would be like thanking someone for handing you a blivet.

On a completely separate point, it's nice that the folks at Huffpo are now an AP distributor. Takes less hunting for real news minus what Paris Hilton had for lunch (which Yahoo can be pretty bad about).

Dems Call White House Out on Subpoenas - The Huffington Post

Defence Ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer said the film makers "will not be allowed to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult".

Guess the Germans don't care much for that whole e-meter thing.

ABC News: Verboten: Germany Bans Tom Cruise

Republicans’ use of caging has been a contentious issue ever since Debevoise’s ruling 26 years ago. In 1986, the judge found that Louisiana Republicans had violated the consent decree. In 1990, another consent decree was issued after the Republican Party of North Carolina and the re-election campaign of Republican Sen. Jesse Helms sent 125,000 postcards to mostly black voters to compile a list of voters to challenge.

Part of RICO means showing that the actions are longstanding and deliberate. Does 26 years worth of longstanding and deliberate work?

Ex-Justice official accused of aiding scheme to scratch minority voters