US Intelligence/Covert Ops

The American Way of Spying

Spencer Ackerman : Non-Fiction

The history of American intelligence-gathering is rife with incompetence, dysfunction and contempt toward legislative oversight.
Surveillance Bill: The Worst of All Worlds

Aziz Huq

House Democrats capitulate to pass a surveillance bill that further compromises our privacy and limits accountability of the government and telecoms. Will the Senate fight back?
Hothead McCain

Robert Dreyfuss : John McCain

The GOP nominee favors unilateralism and "rogue state rollback."
Wiretapped Out

The Editors : George W. Bush Administration

The House stalemate with the White House over electronic surveillance creates a rare moment to reconsider an array of unconstitutional post-9/11 laws.
Will the Senate OK More Bush Spying?

Ari Melber : Civil Rights & Liberties

Democratic leaders are poised to validate Bush's illegal surveillance, giving up even more ground than their Republican colleagues did. Why?

2007

Dodd Refuses to Cave on Domestic Spying

Ari Melber : Privacy Rights

As his fellow Democrats rush to pass the President's intelligence bill, Christopher Dodd stands his ground.
Protecting the Wiretappers

Aziz Huq : Civil Rights & Liberties

Telecommunications giants already are shielded from lawsuits for future warrantless spying; now the White House seeks to absolve them of past misdeeds.
The Real Lesson of the Padilla Conviction

David Cole : Civil Rights & Liberties

If it had followed the rule of law from the outset, the Bush Administration could have brought many terrorists to justice by now.
Data-Mining Our Liberties

Aziz Huq : Constitutional Questions

Despite blistering criticism of warrantless surveillance, the Bush Administration rammed a law through Congress that authorizes spying on our calls and e-mails. How did they get away with it?
Outsourcing Intelligence

R.J. Hillhouse

Key aspects of national security, including intelligence and analysis used to create the President's Daily Brief, have been turned over to private corporations.
Hiding the Ball

David Cole

Bush's about-face on warrantless surveillance demonstrates what a difference a Democratic majority makes.

The Culture of Leaks

David Corn : Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

The political culture of Washington is fueled by gossip, intrigue and leaks. It was a combination that turned toxic in the Valerie Plame Affair.
Render Unto Syria

Robert Scheer : Syria

Will anyone in the somnambulant White House press corps dare ask the President why he would "render" a Canadian to Syria to be tortured and imprisoned without charges?
Lawless 'Compromises'

: Torture

Prime midyear election issues: Torture and eavesdropping are illegal. We are a nation founded on the rule of law.
A Scandal If Not a Crime

: George W. Bush Administration

The White House behaved unethically by exposing Valerie Plame's identity. Escaping prosecution is not the same as escaping judgment.
What Valerie Plame Really Did at the CIA

David Corn

Valerie Plame was no mere analyst or paper-pusher at the CIA. She was an operations officer working on a top priority of the Bush Administration: searching out intelligence on Iraq's weapon's of mass destruction.
The Leak and the 'Truth'

David Corn : George W. Bush

If President Bush wants to tell the truth to the American public, he can make Cheney, Rove and Libby come clean about their role in the Plame affair.
Does the President Really Know Best?

Elizabeth de la Vega : President

OK, everyone who has studied the unitary executive theory of the presidency, raise your hand. Anyone? A former prosecutor examines what's behind Bush's legal fig leaf.