destroyed nearly 100 tapes of terror interrogations, far more than has previously been acknowledged. The revelation Monday comes as a criminal prosecutor is wrapping up his investigation in the matter. The acknowledgment of dozens of destroyed tapes came in a letter filed by government lawyers in New York, where the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit seeking more details of the Bush administration's terror interrogation programs following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. "The CIA can... (more)

The worldwide update on civilians killed in the Iraq war and occupationPutting the Data to Work Details in the IBC database and the analyses they enable 2 Feb 2009The Week in IraqHealing the wounds of the past 18 Jan 2009Post-surge violence: its extent and natureCivilian deaths in 2008 and earlier 28 Dec 2008Enforced security: solution or stopgap? Monthly death toll rising again 28 Feb 2008Civilian deaths from violence in 2007Analysis of the year’s toll from IBC 1 Jan 2008ANNOUNCEMENTIB... (more)

And he said he would respect us in the morning . . . From the New York Times. White House officials said Sunday that President Obama would sign a $410 billion spending bill that includes thousands of pet projects, known as earmarks, despite campaign promises to put an end to the practice. In appearances on television talk shows, Mr. Obama’s budget director and chief of staff both played down the issue. “This is last year’s business,” Peter R. Orszag, the director of the Office of Management a... (more)