Put on your tinfoil hats, folks. We’re going for a ride.

The news about the FBI’s knowledge of former Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s psychotic episodes and drug addiction got me thinking about the process I once went through to get my security clearance.

When you apply for a security clearance your past is laid bare. You fill out a form listing three or more character references. A team of federal detectives, then goes out and interviews them, getting even more references. These are checked, and then cross-checked.

You also are asked somewhat personal questions. Among other things, you may be asked whether you’ve ever committed a crime, what your sexual orientation is, and/or whether you’ve done drugs. What surprised me later to learn is that the investigators don’t really care what your answers are as long as you’re honest. Chances are they already know the answers, in fact. What they are looking for is anything in your past that can be held against you.

The reasoning is simple: they want you beholden to Uncle Sam and no one else. If you’ve got a deep, dark secret somewhere that would be devastating to you if revealed, you will understandably do whatever you could to keep it secret. If a foreign agent were to discover your secret, you could be easily blackmailed into doing whatever they wanted, up to and including betraying your country.

I thought of my trip through this security-clearance gauntlet when the Hookergate story first surfaced of crooked Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Cunningham was up to his neck in hookers, illegal cash, and God knows what else when he was brought down along with Jack Abramoff. Sidestepping for a moment the question of whether he is the world’s biggest idiot, Cunningham’s antics were an obvious threat to his security clearance and so became easy leverage against him. Abramoff could play Cunningham like a Top 40 station, getting The Duke to do whatever he wanted.

It’s simple stuff, really. Spycraft 101. Prehaps that what attracted Cunningham’s fellow partier, Kyle “Dusty” Foggo. That Foggo was the number 3 person at the CIA should raise some eyebrows. Coincidence? The CIA is obviously quite familiar with these techniques. They own these techniques. This should raise the question: why was the CIA involved in the compromising of a congressional representative?

I’ll say that again: why was the CIA involved in the compromising of a congressional representative?

The news stories make it seem that Foggo was a party boy who just happened to get caught with the other party boys. Boys will be boys, ha ha. Nothing to see here, folks. Just some overgrown frat boys having a little fun.

But its no joke, people. The CIA was involved in the bribing of congressmen. Doesn’t that alarm you a little?

Foggo was appointed to his high CIA post by its new Director, Peter Goss. Goss has been rumored to have attended Foggo’s parties, although his spokesperson denied it. Goss and Foggo were said to be “good friends.”

Let’s go a little deeper and speculate on the nature of Foggo’s hiring. Could it be possible that Foggo had some dirt on Goss and leveraged it to gain his position? Goss’s sudden and never-unexplained resignation when the Hookergate story broke certainly raises yet-unanswered questions.

I find today that the CIA is not cooperating with the investigation of Dusty Foggo, according to the Wall Street Journal. Strange, isn’t it? Why is the CIA reluctant to turn over documents for an investigation into a misbehaving direector? I’m sure the CIA isn’t pleased with the publicity this case has already gained. One would think they would be eager to wash their hands of it and hang Foggo out to dry. After all, if the CIA was unaware of Foggo’s extra-curricular activities, why wouldn’t they choose to cooperate?

Methinks they doth protest too much.

The CIA wrote the book on blackmail. It’s a commonly-method to gain the cooperation of foreign agents. Who’s to say it isn’t also being used against domestic agents: our own politicans? Crooked guys like Cunningham were sitting ducks and ripe for the picking. Foggo, Brent Wilkes, and Abramoff used Cunningham like an ATM machine. Surely the CIA saw an opportunity here!

In fact, if they could target Cunningham (and obtensibly Goss), what would stop them from going after others? Why wouldn’t they push for the appointment of compromised (and thus CIA-friendly) officials for important posts? The CIA has assets with which to frame domestic media coverage. Why not use them to generate support for their preferred candidates?

I smell a story here as big or bigger than Watergate, one that could shake the very foundations of our alleged democracy when it breaks. The real question is: when will Americans start paying attention?

Read more about the shady characters involved in Hookergate at Firedoglake.

While everyone else was enjoying their holidays, the Grinch … er, George W. Bush decided to expand his powers yet again, this time claiming the right to open mail without a warrant. He asserted this right with one of his dubious signing statements upon the signing of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.

“The [Bush] signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming,” said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington.

“You have to be concerned,” a senior U.S. official agreed. “It takes executive-branch authority beyond anything we’ve ever known.”

Bush is acting like a spoiled brat who, when told by his parents to do something, says “that’s fine, but I’m going to do it my way, anyway.” Apparently the law does not apply to him. I’m not sure I really want to see the nation bogged down in another presidential impeachment, but someone, somewhere needs to hold this idiot accountable.

Come to think about it, isn’t that what the Supreme Court is supposed to be doing? Why isn’t it doing its job?

You know someone at McClatchy (owner of the N&O) is out of touch with they seek a reaction “from the left” and quote Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Take a look at this YouTube clip to see how steel frame buildings usually burn. Then take a look at how WTC7 burned, which as you know was never hit by a fuel-laden airliner. As the clip says, any questions?

About every two weeks I walk right past the hole in the ground that used to be the World Trade Center. There’s a window in a building facing the site with a big peace sign in it. Next to it is another sign saying “DISSENT IS PATRIOTIC.” Seeing that sign at the scene of the biggest crime in American history gives me a little more hope in this country. Continue reading →

I’m signed up for CNN’s “Breaking news” email alerts. This one made me chuckle:

Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 11:08:03 -0500
From: CNN Breaking News
Subject: CNN Breaking News
To: TEXTBREAKINGNEWS @ CNNIMAIL12.CNN.COM

— President Bush’s policy in Iraq “is not working,” the Iraq Study Group said in releasing its long-awaited report.

Gee … ya think? How much did we pay these clowns to come up with such earth-shattering conclusions?

What I would’ve given to be a fly on the wall during this exchange! Senator-elect Jim Webb mixed it up with President Bush today during an informal meeting between new senators and the President. Check out this exchange:

At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,� Bush retorted, according to the source.

Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t. It’s safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won’t be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.

I’ve admired Webb after reading about him in The Nightingale’s Song. I’m glad he’s not backing down from the President. People like Jim Webb are just what Dubya needs – someone to wake him up from the fantasy world he’s been living in the past six years.

Vernon Robinson says he is quitting politics. What are we going to to when we’re up to our eyeballs in godless, flag-burning, gay, illegal-aliens?

Heckuva job, Rummy!

What’s ironic is that after the attacks of September 11th, I actually sent him an email telling him how happy I was that he was SecDef during this troubled time. Boy how quickly my opinion changed.

Now the question is who will take his place?

[Update]: Bush is nominating former CIA chief Robert Gates. Looks like a winner to me.

I’m glad Bush waited until after the election to fire …er, accept the resignation of Rummy. I don’t think the Democratic victory would have been nearly as decisive if Bush had made the move a week or two ago.

Wow. Is it just me, or does today somehow feel different?