CNN’s Jake Tapper has managed to get his hands on the critical White House email suggested as the proof that the White House was more interested in removing references to possible terrorist attacks in the now infamous Benghazi talking points then they were in telling the truth to the American public.
The actual email, written in the days following the Benghazi attack, reveals something else entirely. We now know that whoever leaked the contents of the email to various media outlets last week seriously misquoted the document, choosing to paraphrase the content in a way that made it appear that the White House was focused on protecting the State Department’s back and covering up information.
And the plot thickens…
The Obama administration is nearing completion of a detailed counterterrorism manual that is designed to establish clear rules for targeted-killing operations but leaves open a major exemption for the CIA’s campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan, U.S. officials said.
The carve-out would allow the CIA to continue pounding al-Qaeda and Taliban targets for a year or more before the agency is forced to comply with more stringent rules spelled out in a classified document that officials have described as a counterterrorism “playbook.”
Maybe it’s just us, but creating a rulebook which fails to address the incredibly low accountability of a program that many believe should be held to the highest standards (if continued at all) seems kind of pointless. Thoughts?
Shame, shame on the President. Tweeting during a church service! What kind of example is he setting for Sasha and Malia?
from Bloomberg:
The one this morning came from St. John’s, the church across Lafayette Park from the White House, where the first family went this morning on the chilly and overcast day of the public inauguration ceremonies:
“I’m honored and grateful that we have a chance to finish what we started. Our work begins today. Let’s go. -bo”
The president and his family arrived at St. John’s at 8:35 am EST.
The service ended at 9:39.
BO tweeted at 9:25.
The tweets that are supposedly from Obama (as opposed to a member of his team) are all signed “-bo.” So, he can’t blame this one on his staffers.
Today we learned that this is a thing for some people. You know people schedule tweets all the time, right?
The story of Richard Blanco, the poet currently speaking, is super-fascinating. Here it is, in his own words.
Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.Hey Congress, this part was directed to you.
While the public scene begins tomorrow, Obama’s term began just a few minutes ago. He was just sworn in.
Solis to step down as Labor Dept. head
(Photo: Richard Vogel / AP file photo)
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will not return in President Barack Obama’s second term, the White House confirmed Wednesday.
“Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team,” President Obama said in a statement,” as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class.”
Just remember to extend those tax cuts costs $1tn dollars over 10 years. There is no way we can get back to a balanced plan that put us back on the path to living within our means, protects Medicare, invests in things we need, if you extend those tax cuts.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner • Discussing the role of the Bush-era tax cuts in the current fiscal cliff crisis. The Obama administration’s continuing stance? For higher wage-earners, the cuts must go away. The Obama administration in general is pushing for ways to raise revenue to deal with the debut crisis. But don’t expect any assistance from House Speaker John Boehner, who says that if Obama gets the $1.6 trillion in revenue he’s looking to raise, “He’s going to spend it.” What do you guys think is going to happen with the fiscal cliff?
It was like pulling teeth to get information yesterday…a lot of senators were frustrated. And you pick up major newspapers in the country and you find details not shared with you.Senator Lindsey Graham • Voicing frustration within the Senate GOP caucus that the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal received more detailed briefing on the Libya attacks than did congress. Senator Bob Corker called it “the most useless, worthless briefing I have attended in a long time,” and John McCain accused the Obama administration of holding the Senate in “disdain.” The closed-door briefing in question presumably also included Senate Democrats, but none have made hay about it in the way Senate GOPers have.
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Can’t say we were expecting this headline when we went to Politico this morning.
During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” host Chris Wallace asked Issa whether he had “any evidence” that the White House had been involved with the matter.
“No, we don’t,” Issa said.
The Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms apparently allowed some gun sales in Arizona to known Mexican criminals. Two of the guns involved were found at the scene of a firefight in which U.S. Customs Agent Brian Terry was killed.
In February 2011, DOJ sent a letter to Congress denying such sales, but retracted that claim in December. It is not clear if either Attorney General Eric Holder or President Barack Obama were aware of the program, and Issa acknowledged Sunday that he has not found evidence Holder was involved.
“I did not say that Eric Holder always knew,” Issa said.
Issa previously suggested at a National Rifle Association conference that the Obama administration attempted to stir up controversy with Fast and Furious in an effort to push an assault rifle ban. This is despite the fact that the Bush administration, which opposed gun control, used similar programs.
The brother of al Qaeda’s second-in-command, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike, said Washington’s use of the remote-controlled weapons is inhumane and makes a nonsense of its claims to champion human rights.
U.S. officials said on Tuesday that Libyan-born al Qaeda operative Abu Yahya al-Libi was killed by a drone strike in Pakistan, in what was described as a major blow to the militant group.
The attack is likely to fuel an increasingly fierce debate about the legality and morality of the drones, which have become one of the chief U.S. weapons against al Qaeda but which opponents say stretch the definition of the legitimate use of lethal force.
READ MORE: Drones ‘inhumane,’ dead al Qaeda man’s family says
Yes, this is very much definitely fodder in a long-standing debate.
If this facility is so secret that the name cannot even be seen by the public, then why in the world would the Obama administration allow filmmakers to tour it?Representative Peter King • Expressing his dismay over news that director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal were given access to Seal Team Six and information about the death of Osama bin Laden for their upcoming movie Zero Dark Thirty. Information which the Obama Administration has steadfastly defended from Freedom of Information Act inquiries, Congressional committees, and anyone else not involved in making movies about war-zones. Oh, and they received a tour of the complex that Seal Team Six used to prepare for the operation. You know, nothing special. source (via • follow)
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