Did Russians or al-Qaeda poison "Deadhead" Britain's top spy?

SUPERSPOOK Alex Allan may have been an assassination target of the Russians or al-Qaeda, security experts said last night.
The 56-year-old chairman of the Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee is in a coma in hospital and has had toxicology tests to see if he has been poisoned.

Another theory is that Britain’s top spy — whose 58-year-old Australian wife Katie Clemson died from cancer in November — may have taken a drugs overdose.

Mr Allan plays guitar and is a fan of ’60s rock band Grateful Dead. He runs a lyric and song-finder website for the group.

Grateful Dead Lyric Site Run by British Spy Cheif

I first saw the Dead in the mud at Bickershawe in 1972, and was so knocked out I went to all the Lyceum concerts after that. I have been a Deadhead ever since, and saw them whenever they came to Europe, but sadly never managed a US tour.

I got fascinated by the imagery in Dead lyrics, and this project was born out of that. It took a long time in the gestation, mainly because I have had a succession of busy day jobs.

I was Principal Private Secretary to the (British) Prime Minister, first John Major and then Tony Blair after the Election. (It's the same job as 'Bernard' in 'Yes, Prime Minister' for those who watched that!).

Yes, Tony Blair's group at Oxford University was named "Ugly Rumours" after the cover of Mars Hotel, though it was another member of the group rather than him who was the Deadhead.

Secretive Agency Under the Spotlight

Soon after accepting the post of CIA director two years ago, Michael V. Hayden set an unusual goal for his scandal-beset agency: virtual invisibility.

"CIA needs to get out of the news as source or subject," he said in an internal memo to his staff in 2006.

Two years later, that goal is far from met, as Hayden has tacitly acknowledged. In a retirement ceremony last month marking the end of his military career, the Air Force general stressed the need for the agency to "stay in the shadows" while ignoring what he called the "sometimes shrill and uninformed voices of criticism."

Happy Birthday America, 232 Years Young

The United States Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration was a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...

BARACK OBAMA: My Position On FISA 

I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise.

This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush administration's program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.

But I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any president or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I've said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility..........

John Dean: In Pledging to Work to Remove Retroactive Immunity for FISA Violations, What Kind of Action Is Obama Contemplating?

The Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential standard-bearer, Senator Barack Obama, surprised many when he announced that he would support the legislation passed by the House of Representatives on June 20, 2008 amending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). While the House legislation was called a compromise, it was virtually identical to the earlier, rejected proposals that the Bush Administration had requested and that organizations like the ACLU had fought for months – and continue to fight – to defeat........ Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence J.M. McConnell sent Speaker Pelosi a letter for the record analyzing the provisions. This letter stated, among other things, that: “The framework contained in the bill for obtaining retroactive liability protection is narrowly tailored. ... The liability protection provision does not extend to the Government or to Government officials and it does not immunize any criminal conduct.” (Emphasis added.)

Because this legislation addresses only civil liability, Senator Obama has a unique opportunity to show that his leadership as President would, in fact, bring a change to Washington. Indeed, he can both support the amendments now pending (for the reasons he stated), and make clear that as President he will request that his attorney general determine if criminal actions should be taken for the blatant violations of the criminal law. Actually, he has already said this, but in a larger context..........

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McCain's TV Biopic, Reconsidered

“I’m voting for McCain ... but I gotta tell ya, I really like Obama.” So laughs Peter Markle, the director of the 2005 movie “Faith of My Fathers,” based on John McCain’s best-selling memoir. Markle, who has voted for Democrats and Republicans, said he’s choosing the Arizona senator this time around based on the personal connection the two forged during production of the movie about the senator’s Vietnam War POW experiences.

With all the attention currently being lavished on Oliver Stone and his upcoming feature film about President Bush, we thought it might be interesting to go back a few years to check out the McCain biopic....

When the AP takes sides

In March, at a conference of the nation’s newspaper editors, two of the Associated Press’ top political reporters greeted John McCain with a box of Dunkin’ Donuts. One of the reporters was careful to get McCain his favorite kind — “Oh, yes, with sprinkles!” he said — and then passed McCain a cup. “A little coffee with a little cream and a little sugar,” the AP’s Liz Sidoti said.

Shortly thereafter, at the same conference, AP Chairman Dean Singleton quizzed Barack Obama about whether he would send more troops to Afghanistan, where “Obama bin Laden is still at large.” In other words, the AP gives McCain tasty treats, and confuses Obama’s name with the 9/11 mastermind.

The Candidates' Vices: Craps, Poker

The casino craps player is a social animal, a thrill seeker who wants not just to win but to win with a crowd. Unlike cards or a roulette wheel, well-thrown dice reward most everyone on the rail, yielding a collective yawp that drowns out the slots. It is a game for showmen, Hollywood stars and basketball legends with girls on their arms. It is also a favorite pastime of the presumptive Republican nominee for President, John McCain........The backroom poker player, on the other hand, is more cautious and self-absorbed. Card games may be social, but they are played in solitude. No need for drama. The quiet card counter is king, and only a novice banks on luck. In this game, a good bluff trumps blind faith, and the studied observer beats the showman. So it is fitting that the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, raked in so many pots in his late-night games with political friends.

The Far-Right's Patriotism Problem...

Jonah Goldberg continues to demonstrate how the right-wing is manipulating public discourse in order to confuse and conflate patriotism with rabid nationalism. Make no mistake, this is a coordinated effort to deliberately replace substance with its symbol, meaning with an emblem, and essentially strip language down to nothing but trinkets.

This is not a new phenomenon of course. We have seen such careful linguistic choreography before, when past authoritarian ideologues have distorted language in order to stifle individualism and dissenting views.

For a people to be controlled, they must first be robbed of honest discourse and open debate. Distorting language and stripping it of real and honest meaning is the first tool and the best mechanism for transforming a democracy into an authoritarian state. An informed populace is a dangerous populace.

THE ULTIMATE BUSH BLUFF / ELECT McCAIN OR WE BOMB IRAN

Facing a growing domestic economic disaster and a failed Iraq war and occupation, a defiant George W Bush will issue his final face saving bluff to his ignorant base ~ elect McCain or we will bomb Iran. Bush see's himself as a patriot and is not about to let the growing Obama wave dismantle his Middle East neocon castle in the sand.

Cindy's fortune: An asset and a liability

In 2004, Republicans demanded fuller disclosure about the considerable fortune of Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Now, the GOP is reaping what it sowed.

Having established a recent precedent for increased scrutiny of spousal finances, the party now finds its own presumptive nominee, John McCain, under an unwanted spotlight over the fortune of his wife, Cindy.

The ACORN Obama Knows

If you don't know what ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is all about, you better bone up. This left-wing group takes in 40 percent of its revenues from American taxpayers -- you and me -- and has leveraged nearly four decades of government subsidies to fund affiliates that promote the welfare state and undermine capitalism and self-reliance, some of which have been implicated in perpetuating illegal immigration and encouraging voter fraud. A new whistleblower report from the Consumer Rights League claims that Chicago-based ACORN has commingled public tax dollars with political projects.

Republican Campaign Against Likely Democratic Voters Begins

The GOP's latest accusations are long on rhetoric but short on facts.

Across the country and on the Republican National Committee website, a handful of GOP office holders and party officers are trying to discredit recent voter registration drives and record-setting turnout by Democrats in 2008 primaries, saying efforts seen as benefiting Democrats are rife with "voter fraud."

Consider the following examples.......

Groups Sue U.S. for Data On Tracking By Cellphone

Two civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government yesterday, seeking records related to the government's use of cellphones as tracking devices.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the government in federal court in Washington under the Freedom of Information Act. Last November, the ACLU had filed a FOIA request with the Justice Department for documents, memos and guides regarding the policies for tracking people through the use of their cellphones. The groups also want to know how many times the government sought location information without first establishing probable cause that a crime was taking place.

Kieth Olbermann Airs Extensive List of McCain Flip Flops (Video)

John McCain has claimed that the 2008 election “is about trust and trusting people’s word … Senator Obama’s word cannot be trusted.”

Keith Olbermann asks if the American people trust someone who has flip flopped on so many issues. He then goes on to enumerate GI educational funding, lobbying reform, campaign reform, immigration, gay marriage, abortion, nuclear waste … torture of detainees, the Iraq War … and a long, long list of other issues on which McCain has shifted positions.

  Report: McCain campaign shakeup promotes 'Bushworld veterans'

Apparently undeterred by accusations that he is running for George W. Bush's third term, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is shaking up his campaign staff to promote several "Bushworld veterans" to top positions, according to a new report.

Politico's Jonathan Martin reports that Steve Schmidt, a senior communications aide in the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign, is now in charge of the "day-to-day operation" of McCain's White House run. The shakeup has created some confusion within McCain's team about who's really running the show.

  Obama: After 9/11, 'we were asked to go shopping'

In a bastion of the religious right, Barack Obama is talking up the importance of volunteerism, part of a flag-draped week focused on God, country, service, veterans and freedom - and on cribbing themes from the successful campaigns of President Bush.

Wednesday's main message was the need to boost service by all Americans in all spheres - the military, overseas and in neighborhoods.

General Clark: Outrage over my comments a 'manufactured issue'

Republican presidential candidate John McCain seems to finally have found a winning issue. It's not the economy, or the war, or his plan to sell coastlines to oil companies; no, the McCain campaign has spent most of the last 48 hours gnashing its teeth over some inartfully phrased criticism.

McCain's rolled out a slew of surrogates to take to the phone lines and unleash varying degrees of "how dare he" on Gen. Wesley Clark, a supporter of Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Clark is not backing down from his observation, first aired Sunday morning, that McCain's honorable service as a Vietnam veteran and POW does not automatically mean he has the right judgment to be commander in chief.

Tough Week for Senator Norm Coleman

Over the weekend, National Journal broke a potentially damning piece on the cozy relationship between Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and a St. Paul-based GOP operative named Jeff Larson. It seems that not only has Coleman been getting a sweetheart deal ($600 per month) to live in a bedroom of a Washington home owned by Larson, but he'd also missed two rent payments (which he paid retroactively after a National Journal reporter inquired about the arrangement.) The Journal also revealed that Larson was sitting on another of Colman's rent checks for three months -- cashed only after the reporter came on the scene.

Lawyers prepping litigation against telecom immunity

Would argue immunity an 'unconstitutional' violation of separation of powers

Fear not, foes of oversight-free domestic surveillance. Even if Senate Democrats follow their House counterparts and endorse immunity for telecom companies, the battle to hold those companies accountable will not end there.

While the prospects of reining in President Bush's expanded spy powers seem to be dwindling in Congress, lawyers and activists are already gearing up for court challenges if lawmakers pass an unacceptable bill. Critics say pending civil lawsuits that the administration and Congress are trying to get rid of are the only way to shed any light on the likely illegal spying authorized by President Bush and facilitated by the nation's telecommunications firms.

Canadians prefer Obama over own leaders: poll

"Some would read (the results) as an indictment of our political leaders," the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo told CTV.ca. "Others would say it's an acknowledgement of the phenomenal nature of Obama's appeal. He really is a prototype of his own; he's broken the mold."

Stephane Dion trailed far behind the other leaders, just ahead of Republican presidential nominee John McCain:

Barack Obama: 26 per cent
Stephen Harper: 21 per cent
Hillary Clinton: 16 per cent
Jack Layton: 9 per cent
Gilles Duceppe: 6 per cent
Stephane Dion: 5 per cent
John McCain: 3 per cent

Happy Canada Day, 141 and Still Looking Good

 

Senator Webb: McCain Should 'Calm Down' on Using Military Service

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) waded into the debate over John McCain's military service Monday to say that the Republican should avoid using military service in politics.

Webb, a Barack Obama supporter, was on MSNBC's "Countdown" to talk about his G.I. Bill to increase education benefits for returning veterans which is now law. Webb criticized both McCain and President Bush for not supporting the bill. Then, unprompted, Webb weighed in on the debate over retired Gen. Wesley Clark's remark that "riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down" isn't "a qualification to be president."....

McCain Campaign Accuses Obama Camp Of Coordinating With Senator Webb To Attack McCain

Now the McCain campaign is accusing the Obama campaign of coordinating with Jim Webb to "attack" McCain's war service.

On MSNBC last night, Webb told McCain that he should "calm down" with the use of his military service in the campaign, adding that it was time to "get the politics out of the military."

Now the McCain campaign is responding to Webb, arguing that Webb's comments prove that Obama "can't control his surrogate operation." McCain spokesperson Brian Rogers sends us this.....

General Wesley Clark Stands By McCain Criticism

Despite heavy criticism, Gen. Wesley Clark is standing by his statement this weekend that Sen. John MCain's military experience doesn't qualify him to be commander-in-chief. "I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war," Clark said of McCain on Sunday. "But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded -- that wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall."

That statement from Clark has come under withering criticism from McCain's campaign and was rejected by Sen. Barack Obama, both of whom (along with the media) distorted Clark's words by painting them as an attack on McCain's military service. (Notably, several U.S. veterans, including Iraq vet and VoteVets.org chairman Jon Soltz, and Lt. Gen. Robert Gard Jr. have come to Clark's defense.)

McCain considered one-term pledge?

According to a new report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain considered taking a one-term pledge at the outset of his campaign.

In January, during a Q&A held in a small New Hampshire town, a woman asked John McCain if he has the stamina for eight years in the White House. McCain, who would be the oldest president in US history at the start of his first term, told the woman, "If I said I was running for eight years, I'm not sure that would be a vote-getter." The comment was reported by the Boston Globe.

McCains Delinquent On Tax Bill

This isn't exactly the kind of story that speaks positively of John McCain's ability to manage the public's finances.

Newsweek is reporting that John and Cindy McCain failed to pay taxes on a California property for the past four years. This is especially odd considering that the McCains are worth an estimated $100 million, and could easily afford to pay the bill.

McCain: On Some Issues "Obama's Word Cannot Be Trusted"

ABC News's Bret Hovell reports: At a fundraiser tonight in Louisville, Ky., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that the word of his opponent for the White House, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., "cannot be trusted."

"You know, this election is about trust, and trusting people's word" McCain told a crowd of donors to his campaign. "And unfortunately, apparently, on several items, Sen. Obama's word cannot be trusted."

General Wesley Clark hits McCain's military credentials

“I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.”

"He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded — that wasn't a wartime squadron,” Clark said.

A Win by McCain Could Push a Split Supreme Court to Right

For much of its term, the Supreme Court muted last year's noisy dissents, warmed to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s vision of narrow, incremental decisions and continued a slow but hardly steady move to the right.

But as justices finished their work last week, two overarching truths about the court remained unchanged: It is sharply divided ideologically on some of the most fundamental constitutional questions, and the coming presidential election will determine its future path.

Senator Hagel, Republican for Now, Says He Has No Plans to Back McCain

Senator Chuck Hagel declined to endorse his party's likely presidential nominee, John McCain, and said he would consider serving as secretary of defense in a Barack Obama administration. Hagel, who last year considered a White House run as an independent, said he would remain a registered Republican: ``I don't know forever, but right now I'm not considering changing my registration.

Longshots in the Veepstakes

Politico asked 14 consultants, campaign staffers, political historians and key fundraisers to name their most unconventional — but reasonably viable — picks. (And just in case it hasn't, we've let them offer their picks on background, so they can offer the names they really mean.)

Among Republicans, two traits were esteemed above all others: business experience, which could help to offset McCain's weakness on economic issues and tap into voter concern about the struggling economy, and youth, for the obvious reasons.......

Microsoft, Google, PayPal all want to share your ID

George Orwell may have been a little bit early with his predictions in the novel 1984, but Microsoft, Google, and PayPal are joining forces with Parity, Equifax, Novell, and Oracle (among others) in creating the Information Card Foundation (ICF).............They hope that the proposed information profile will keep data secure by allowing sites access only to specific login data and would also reduce the dependence on passwords, thereby thrawrting phishing scams. The proposed model references a virtual wallet that would store the data, including government verified information, and provide it for sites which need legal confirmation.

Poll: Should McCain Learn to Use a Computer? (Video)

Speaking at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York Monday, McCain deputy e-campaign director Mark Soohoo responded to a comment about McCain's self-professed computer illiteracy by saying that McCain is "aware of the internet."

The comment, caught on video and uploaded to the web on Tuesday by Micah Sifry, one of the two organizers of the conference, quickly made the rounds on the web and on Twitter.

John McCain doesn't work weekends

Since effectively capturing the Republican nomination when Mitt Romney dropped out of the race on Feb. 7, John McCain has held just one public campaign event on a weekend.

Instead, after workweeks full of fundraisers, town hall meetings and interviews, McCain has been, in campaign parlance, “down” on nearly every Saturday or Sunday for 20 weeks, largely sequestered away from the news media.

  Colbert: Florida Congressmen Wexler 'flip-flopping' on

cocaine being 'fun thing to do' (Video)

Rep. Robert Wexler gave one of the most memorable interviews to Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert two years ago when he jokingly said cocaine was "a fun thing to do" and extolled the virtues of prostitutes, knowing his comments wouldn't hurt his prospects in an uncontested 2006 election.

The Florida Democrat wasn't so gullible in an interview Thursday night.

Obama is shifting toward the center

Barack Obama, as he introduces himself to the broader voting public, is emphasizing centrist -- even conservative -- positions on hot-button issues.

In recent weeks, he toughened his stance on Iran and backed an expansion of the government's wiretapping powers. On Wednesday, he said states should be allowed to execute child rapists. When the Supreme Court the next day struck down the District of Columbia's ban on handguns, he did not complain.

Isikoff: Bush wants satellites for domestic spying (Video)

MSNBC’s Alex Witt talked to Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff about a new proposal by the Bush administration to use satellites for domestic surveillance.

Isikoff told MSNBC, “The Homeland Security Department is talking about expanding the program to use military satellites really, for domestic purposes. They say the primary driver is natural disasters — like the recent flooding in the midwest — to pinpoint areas that are most hard hit and to help with responses, first responses. But they also leave open the possibility that this could be used for other purposes, law enforce many purposes. Tracking potential terrorists but also tracking potential drug operations.”

The Pentagon's Stealth Corporations

At $34 billion, you're already counting pretty high. After all, that's Harvard's endowment; it's the amount of damage the triple hurricanes -- Charley, Ivan, and Jeanne -- inflicted in 2004; it's what car crashes involving 15-to-17-year-old teenage drivers mean yearly in "medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life loss and other related costs"; it's the loans the nation's largest, crippled, home lender, Countrywide Financial, holds for home-equity lines of credit and second liens; it's Citigroup's recent write-off, mainly for subprime exposure; it's what New Jersey's tourism industry is worth -- and, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, it's the minimal figure for the Pentagon's "black budget" for fiscal year 2009 -- money for, among other things, "classified weapons purchases and development," money for which the Pentagon will remain unaccountable because almost no Americans will have any way of knowing what it's being spent for.

FISA Warrentless Wiretap Vote delayed till After Independence Day

Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) threw as many procedural roadblocks in front of the bill as they could, and they managed to prevent the Senate from ramming it through with little debate. A vote on the FISA update is now scheduled for July 8, after Senators return from a weeklong recess; they also will consider an amendment seeking to strip telecom immunity from the bill, although its chances of passing are slim.

FISA Vote Tied to Telecom Donations

When scores of House Democrats joined Republicans last week to reauthorize a controversial White House spying program, many critics attributed that support to election-year jitters. But as liberal voters continue to bash Democrats on the issue, some campaign finance reformers charge that political contributions from the telecom industry, which benefited handsomely under the bill, probably also swayed votes.

In an analysis released Tuesday, Maplight.org, a nonprofit campaign finance watchdog group, found that lawmakers voting Friday in support of the wiretap deal averaged roughly twice the donations from the nation's leading telecoms -- Verizon, Sprint and AT&T -- over the last three years as those voting against it.

Telecom Amnesty Flip-Floppers Got More Telecom Dollars

Democrats who switched from opposing to supporting legal amnesty to telecoms that aided the government's warrantless wiretapping program received twice as much money, on average, from telcom political action groups than Democrats whose opposed the idea in March and again last Friday, according to an analysis of campaign donations by Maplight.org.

AT&T Whistleblower: Spy Bill Creates 'Infrastructure for a Police State'

Mark Klein, the retired AT&T engineer who stepped forward with the technical documents at the heart of the anti-wiretapping case against AT&T, is furious at the Senate's vote on Wednesday night to hold a vote on a bill intended to put an end to that lawsuit and more than 30 others.

The Bush administration now wants to watch you from the sky

A Bush administration program to expand domestic use of Pentagon spy satellites has aroused new concerns in Congress about possible civil-liberties abuses.

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment denying money for the new domestic intelligence operation—cryptically named the "National Applications Office"—until the Homeland Security secretary certifies that any programs undertaken by the center will "comply with all existing laws, including all applicable privacy and civil liberties standards."

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