Anger Mounts Within Democratic Party Over Inaction On Bush Terror Tactics

Washington Post:
A growing clamor among rank-and-file Democrats to halt President Bush's most controversial tactics in the fight against terrorism has exposed deep divisions within the party, with many Democrats angry that they cannot defeat even a weakened president on issues that they believe should be front and center.

The Democrats' failure to rein in wiretapping without warrants, close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay or restore basic legal rights such as habeas corpus for terrorism suspects has opened the party's leaders to fierce criticism from some of their staunchest allies -- on Capitol Hill, among liberal bloggers and at interest groups.

"Strikingly Negative" Iraq Report Leaked To Preempt White House Doctoring

Washington Post:
Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration.

The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq.

Greenwald: New FISA Law Means Admin ‘Can Listen To Every Single International Call That You Make’

ThinkProgress:
The White House has engaged in an all-out spin operation to downplay its new warrantless wiretapping powers. Yesterday, White House spokesperson Dana Perino falsely alleged that the new law returns the FISA law to “its original intent.”
After the New York Times explained that “by changing the legal definition of what is considered ‘electronic surveillance,’ the new law allows the government to eavesdrop on conversations without warrants,” spokesperson Tony Fratto issued a statement attacking the Times, arguing that it is “highly misleading” to say Congress has broadly expanded Bush’s authority:

[U]nder FISA, court approval is required for the government to target an individual located in the United States, and nothing in the new law changes that

Fratto’s claims are baseless. Today on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, former constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald, who blogs at Salon.com, debunked the White House’s claim that the new FISA law requires “court approval” prior to spying on an “individual located in the United States.” In fact, as Greenwald explained, the law now allows the government to “listen to our conversations, read our e-mails, with no connection to terrorism, with no proof that anyone has ever done anything wrong” — without judicial oversight.

You can watch the video of Glenn here

Cohen drafts Gonzales Impeachment articles with Former Reagan DOJ official

Rawstory:
A freshman Democratic Congressmember from Tennessee is working with a former Reagan-era Justice Department lawyer to introduce Articles of Impeachment against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, according to a report in Monday's Commercial Appeal.

"In a telephone interview from Memphis on Monday, [Rep. Steve] Cohen said he and his staff are working with former Reagan Justice Department lawyer Bruce Fein to draw up articles of impeachment against Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales," wrote the paper's Bartholomew Sullivan

Way to go Cohen!! If only Middle Tennessee could have a Congressman like him, instead of that dirtbag Constitution shredder Jim Cooper.

Chocoholic squirrel turns treat thief

Well, I couldn't find a picture of a squirrel eating chocolate, so this will have to do.

ABC News:

A squirrel with a sweet tooth heads to a Finnish grocery shop at least twice a day to steal Kinder Surprise chocolate-shelled eggs.

The manager of the store in the central Finland town of Jyvaskyla, Irene Lindroos, says she has named the critter the 'Kinder squirrel' because of its taste for the confectionary with a toy inside.

"It always goes after them. Other sweets do not seem to interest it as much," she said.

"It removes the foil carefully, eats the chocolate and leaves the store with the toy."

Unfortunately, she says the bushy-tailed thief does not clean up after itself but leaves the wrappers behind.