War children is just a shot away....

We dined at a local Indian Restaurant here in northwest DC the other night. I overheard the Indian owner discussing world politics with some customers at another table. It was his view that there would soon be a war between Pakistan and India. This may not qualify as "actionable intelligence" here in Washington. But, you never know.

Watching the Detectives

"The Democratic-controlled House last night approved and sent to President Bush for his signature legislation written by his intelligence advisers to enhance their ability to intercept the electronic communications of foreigners without a court order."-Washington Post

I'm not real keen on giving the Bush Administration this power when they can't even stop the people who crossed our borders illegally traveled 1500 miles into the United States to stand on street corners in our communities in broad daylight. They can not even enforce our borders so I don't expect to see to much from this program except the erosion of our liberties. Here is the money quote from Democrat Rush Holt:

"I'm not comfortable suspending the constitution even temporarily," said Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.), a member of the House intelligence committee. "The countries we detest around the world are the ones that spy on their own people. Usually they say they do it for the sake of public safety and security."

Perhaps representative Holt was channeling another former representative with those remarks:

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." -James Madison

I think the message is clear that even the watchers need watching.
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Bush colonoscopy and torture

CAMP DAVID, Md. -- Doctors removed five small growths from President Bush's colon Saturday after he temporarily transferred the powers of his office to Vice President Dick Cheney under the rarely invoked 25th Amendment.-Associated Press

Well, I guess the good news is that doctors found something other than his head up there. And I guess it's good Cheney resisted attacking Iran during his Presidency today.
Meanwhile in intelligence news:

President Bush set broad legal boundaries for the CIA's harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects yesterday, allowing the intelligence agency to resume a program that was suspended last year after criticism that it violated U.S. and international law- Washington Post

It seems that those currently conducting or condoning these interrogation techniques have forgotten the results of the British who used many of the same techniques on Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland in the early 1970's that we are using in detention centers on Iraqi and Afghanistan detainees. As one Irish IRA member said when the British started to use torture it helped increase the number of recruits for the IRA tremendously.