Porter J. Goss, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, in 2005 approved of the decision by one of his top aides to destroy dozens of videotapes documenting the brutal interrogation of two detainees, according to an internal C.I.A. document released Thursday.

Shortly after the tapes were destroyed at the order of Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., then the head of the C.I.A.'s clandestine service, Mr. Goss told Mr. Rodriguez that he "agreed" with the decision, according to the document. He even joked after Mr. Rodriguez offered to "take the heat" for destroying the tapes.

Whistleblowers prosecuted, war criminals untouched.

I have heard of the vile discharges before, but this takes it to a whole new level

how can any document signed under those conditions be worth 1/100th the value of the paper it is printed on?

"I expected better of Obama..."

Why, it's almost like the Obama DOJ is operating out of the Authoritarian Handbook or something.

But, good to know that we've established what's important - hunting down and vigorously prosecuting those who dared to expose the illegal acts of those at the highest levels of government - and made clear that those at the top will not only be tolerated, but they can "move forward" with no fear of reprisal or accountability.

Cameron, the highly touted youthful Kennedyesque New Tory with his royal family lineage came off as stiff and humorless as he appeared either too uptight from too much debate prepping or too locked in to a strategy of not making a mistake.  Smart and quick, but too often wooden and flat in delivery.  

Nick Clegg (who looks a little like a college-age Stone Phillips) actually stole some of Cameron's pre-debate youthful glamour and charisma as he came off more relaxed than Cameron and was, given his party's minor party status, freer to engage the other two in attack while he also established himself as a solid and serious liberal pol.

Lively format, despite the many rules, with a no-nonsense moderator who kept things moving at a very brisk pace as he would interrupt whenever a candidate invoked the name of an opponent to allow that person to immediately respond.  The candidates amazingly were cooperative in cutting short their remarks when the mod stepped in, and the 90 minutes was relatively free of repeated cross-talk and of a sense of a free-for-all.

At least we know that it will not be Cancellera making it look easy.

How often is this used as a main charge, and how often is it used to add to the number of charges?

Could, say, a bank robber be charged with obstruction for fleeing from law enforcement?

The White House ripped CBS News on Thursday for publishing an online column by a blogger who made assertions about the sexual orientation of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, widely viewed as a leading candidate for the Supreme Court.

Ben Domenech, a former Bush administration aide and Republican Senate staffer, wrote that President Obama would "please" much of his base by picking the "first openly gay justice." An administration official, who asked not to be identified discussing personal matters, said Kagan is not a lesbian.

CBS initially refused to pull the posting, prompting Anita Dunn, a former White House communications director who is working with the administration on the high court vacancy, to say: "The fact that they've chosen to become enablers of people posting lies on their site tells us where the journalistic standards of CBS are in 2010." She said the network was giving a platform to a blogger "with a history of plagiarism" who was "applying old stereotypes to single women with successful careers."

Sorry to post something not in the spirit of the thread... But maybe some can stretch here and say Kagan is not to be trusted as she is too conservative..

Digby's qualifier mat help:

None of this is meant as an endorsement of Kagan. I'm hoping the administration picks someone far less amenable to executive power than she seems to be.

Angry Fox News executives ordered host Sean Hannity to abandon plans to broadcast his nightly show as part of a Tea Party rally in Cincinnati on Thursday after top executives learned that he was set to headline the event, proceeds from which would benefit the local Tea Party organization.

Rally organizers had listed Hannity, who is on a book tour, as the headliner of the four-hour Tax Day event at the University of Cincinnati. The rally, expected to draw as many as 13,000 people, was set feature speakers such as "Liberal Facism" author Jonah Goldberg and local Tea Party leaders. Participants were being charged a minimum of $5, with seats near Hannity's set going for $20, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, which reported that any profits would go to future Tea Party events. Media Matters for America noted that Hannity's personal website directed supporters to a link to buy tickets for the Cincinnati rally.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041505502.html

He's also pushing for tough financial regulations:
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/obama-says-hell-veto-financial-reform-without-deriv atives-controls.php?ref=fpa