From Mother Jones:
At the White House, Joking about a Torture Investigation?
“I was asked to go on Hardball on Tuesday night to discuss the news that Spanish prosecutors are likely to recommend a full investigation be conducted to determine if six former Bush administration officials—including ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales—ought to be indicted for having sanctioned torture at Guantanamo. So I thought I’d ask White House press secretary Robert Gibbs about the matter.
This could become a true headache for the White House—a high-profile case in which Spanish prosecutors bring charges against Gonzales; Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense; David Addington, former counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney; William Haynes, a former Pentagon lawyer; and John Yoo and Jay Bybee, two former Justice Department officials. Several steps must occur before any prosecution proceeds. If the prosecutors determine a full criminal investigation is warranted–as is expected–it will be up to a Spanish judge to open a full-fledged inquiry that could produce indictments. He could decide not to accept the recommendation. And, of course, it’s possible that an investigation could end without indictments. The Spanish hook for the case is a simple one: Five Guantanamo detainees were either Spanish citizens or residents. And, by the way, Spanish courts claim jurisdiction that extends to other nations when it comes to torture and war crimes.”
This story and the next are pretty important I’d say.
From The End Run:
Former Obama Advisor and CFR VP says 100,000+ Troops, 10+ more years needed in Afghanistan
“Korb discussed Obama’s plans for Afghansistan at length. He said, “The indications are that, you know, he’s gonna be going big in Afghanistan.”
He acknowledged that this is a betrayal of what his supporters — many of whom are anti-war — were led to believe about Obama’s agenda during his campaign.
“A lot of people say, ‘Well, no. We voted for him because we didn’t want [to go] to any wars!’” Korb said with an amused smirk.
In a mocking tone, he continued: “And… you know on the ‘BLOGOSPHERE’ you should see the stuff. I mean, these people are mobilizing to stop going to Afghanistan.””
(snip)
“Korb went on to say (possibly still in presidential ventriloquist mode), “You’re gonna have to have at least 100,000 troops… and what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna put the troops in the areas to protect the population [inaud] where the Taliban is. That’s gonna be more casualities, okay? And you’re gonna have to do that, and it’s gonna be expensive.””
Funny how the attitude towards the blogosphere has changed. Remember during the election how the Obama camp loved using the internet to mobilize supporters?
But there’s no time for that. The Obama’s got a dog!
From CNN:
First dog Bo meets White House press corps
“Bo the Portuguese water dog made his White House debut under cloudy skies Tuesday afternoon, spending several minutes taking his new family on a lively romp over the South Lawn with frequent stops for hearty sniffs at his new surroundings.
Bo landed on all four feet at his fourth home in his six short months of life, fulfilling President Obama’s campaign promise to get his daughters a dog in return for all the time he spent on the road during the long presidential fight.
“He’s a star. He’s got star quality,” the president said of the black curly pup with white front feet and chest and a lion-cut tail.”
Sigh. I couldn’t believe how much reporters humped their desks in excitement over this damn new dog.
Posted by Vixen as News at 9:47 PM CDT