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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: December 2008

November 2008

• Last Secrets of the Bush Administration by Charles Homans, Washington Monthly, November/December. "Fortunately, an accounting of the Bush years is a less daunting prospect than it seems from the outset. If the new president and leaders on Capitol Hill act shrewdly, they can pull it off while successfully navigating the political realities and expectations they now face. A few key actions will take us much of the distance between what we know and what we need to know."
• History Reloaded: Changing The Past To Suit The Present by Thomas Claburn, Information Week, November 26. "The authors of a new report argue that revisions to the White House Web site reflect a willingness by the Bush administration to whitewash history."
• Potential CIA chief cites critics in ending bid by Pamela Hess, Associated Press, November 26. "President-elect Barack Obama's top pick to head the CIA blamed his sudden withdrawal from consideration on critics who blamed him for harsh Bush administration policies on interrogations, detentions and secret renditions." (Letter from John Brennan to President-Elect Obama)
• It's time for a Wiki White House by Dan Froomkin, Nieman Watchdog, November 25. "The next White House Web site should tell us a lot about whether Obama believes what he has said about bringing transparency and accountability to the government."
• Fears over covert DNA database by Stephen Fidler, Financial Times, November 17. "The unfinished work at the database -- part of a classified intelligence partnership of military, intelligence and law enforcement agencies -- has been referred to in public documents but has not been openly discussed by US government officials."
• Feinstein might head secretive intelligence panel by Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers, November 14. "Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California will find both spotlight and shadows if she becomes the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence."
• Bailout Docs Still Redacted by Ben Protess, ProPublica, November 13. "Treasury still won't reveal how much it's paying Bank of New York Mellon to keep the books for the government's purchase of toxic securities. In the publicly released copy of the contract, compensation figures for the bank, described by the government as the "prime contractor," are just as blacked out as they were a month ago."
• Democrats to White House: Preserve your records by Pamela Hess, Associated Press, November 13. "Senate Democrats on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees last week told the White House to preserve all records produced by the Bush administration and expressed 'particular concerns' whether Vice President Dick Cheney's office will comply with the law."
• Obama inheriting broad covert ops policies by Pamela Hess, Associated Press, November 11. "President Bush leaves President-elect Obama broad latitude for covert action in countries with which the United States is not at war, powers that Obama could scale back along with other Bush presidential orders now under consideration for rescinding. But he's not likely to do that."
• Google Earth helps yet worries government by Peter Eisler, USA Today, November 7. "Last month, the most powerful commercial satellite in history sent its first pictures back to Earth, and another with similar capabilities is set for launch in mid-2009. The imagery provided by those and other commercial satellites has transformed global security in fundamental ways, forcing even the most powerful nations to hide facilities and activities that are visible not only to rival nations, but even to their own citizens."

Older News: October 2008

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