"America's Secret Afghan Prisons", the result of a year long investigation from Afghanistan, by reporter Anand Gopal, conducted on behalf of The Nation, The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute and TomDispatch.com, has been released. The report appears today at Tom Dispatch, tomorrow at TheNation.com and will be on newsstands Friday in the next issue of The Nation.

The report examines counter-terror policies in Afghanistan. What it finds:

• widespread and feared American "night raids" in Afghanistan
• a network of secret prisons on U.S. military bases in Afghanistan where detainees from raids are held.
• allegations of prisoner abuse, and in some cases disappearances.

[More...]

Justice Alito's reaction to President Obama's criticisms (perfectly appropriate criticisms imo) of the Citizens United decision (PDF) has led to criticism of Justice Alito's actions. Glenn Greenwald writes:

[T]he behavior of Justice Alito at last night's State of the Union address -- visibly shaking his head and mouthing the words "not true" when Obama warned of the dangers of the Court's Citizens United ruling -- was a serious and substantive breach of protocol that reflects very poorly on Alito and only further undermines the credibility of the Court. It has nothing to do with etiquette and everything to do with the Court's ability to adhere to its intended function.

There's a reason that Supreme Court Justices -- along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- never applaud or otherwise express any reaction at a State of the Union address. It's vital -- both as a matter of perception and reality -- that those institutions remain apolitical, separate and detached from partisan wars.

I think this analysis is fundamentally wrong. I'll explain why on the flip.

I saw a headline yesterday that said ICE agents arrested 457 people in 83 cities last week in coordinated raids that were part of the largest anti-drug operation the agency has ever conducted. Of the 457 people arrested, 151 were U.S. Citizens.

I checked ICE's website and here's the press release. The headline is "476 gang members, associates and other criminals were put on ICE during Project Big Freeze." Gang members? That's a headline grabber. The key word is "associates" and "other criminals." If you run a car repair shop and your phone number is dialed from a gang member's phone, you can be called "an associate." It's a term that means nothing. If you have a DUI or a theft record, you are an "other criminal."

They throw around the favored phrase de jour: "Transnational criminal street gangs."

"Project Big Freeze is the largest nationwide ICE-led enforcement operation targeting transnational gangs with ties to drug trafficking organizations."

So who'd they get? A cartel leader? A narco-terrorist? Not quite. According to the press release, the three big catches were:[More...]

For the most part, I thought President Obama's State of the Union address was excellent. The TL kid and I decided we'll give the President an A and the speech an A-. (Update: CBS poll: 83% of Americans approve the proposals in the speech)

The reasons the speech isn't getting an A: His reference to:

• Allowing (only)those who "play by the rules" to contribute
• "Those who obey the law should be protected by the law." Everyone should be protected.
• No commitment to closing Guantanamo and repatriating those who haven't been charged
• No commitment to criminal justice reform
• Vague on intentions for social security

Obama gets an "A" because of the leadership he displayed, his passion in delivering the speech and the confidence he inspired in us. We think our Government is in good hands.

How would you score the speech and the President?

Here is the text of President Obama's SOTU Address as prepared for delivery:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
January 27, 2010

Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the President shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For two hundred and twenty years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They have done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility. And they have done so in the midst of war and depression; at moments of great strife and great struggle. [More...]

I'll live blog it.

I believe the Secretary of State is absent tonight. One Cabinet member is designated to be absent, just in case a Tom Clancy book breaks out.

Maybe it's me, but not quite so rousing a reception for the President as compared to last year.

A special moment with Tim Geithner. Ugh.

Speech stuff on the flip. Barb has the speech. Follow along and see how much Obama changes it. On the health bill - the scheduled lines - "As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we’ve proposed. [. . .] Here’s what I ask of Congress, though: Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people."

President Obama's State of the Union address begins at 9pm ET. If you are not by a TV, you can watch live on C-Span here or at the White House website.

The topics: "Restoring security for middle class families after a lost decade of declining wages, eroding retirement security and escalating health care and tuition costs," unemployment, health care, and the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.

The wait is over. Apple held its news conference today and unveiled its much anticpated Tablet, called the iPad. And, contrary to speculation it would cost $1,000., the price will be between $499 and $699. They will be available in a few months. Here's more: [More...]

NYTimes:

Weeks after rescuing the American International Group with an $85 billion taxpayer loan in late 2008, Federal Reserve Board officials rejected a proposal that would have forced the insurer’s trading partners to return $30 billion in cash that they had received from A.I.G. in the preceding months. The Fed chose instead to let the banks keep the cash and to receive additional billions from taxpayers.

This decision was made, internal documents show, after two Fed governors expressed concern that such a plan might be “a gift” to the company’s trading partners, including Goldman Sachs and Société Générale, a major French bank.

(Emphasis supplied.) Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should resign.

Speaking for me only

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's answer on the the question of why AIG counterparties (most prominently Goldman Sachs) is laughably absurd:

Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, excoriated the New York Fed’s decision to pay 100 cents on the dollar to A.I.G.’s counterparties, including $2.5 billion to Goldman Sachs. “Isn’t it true that the New York Fed gave Goldman Sachs a better deal than it could have ever expected from A.I.G. or any other market player?” Mr. Kucinich asked.

Mr. Geithner replied: “Under the laws of the land, we did not have the ability. So we faced a very simple choice: Let A.I.G. default, or prevent it. And there was no way — financial, legal or otherwise — we could have imposed haircuts, selectively default on any of those institutions, without the risk of downgrade and default.” Mr. Geithner added that the negotiating position of A.I.G. was weak. With the ability to threaten default or allow A.I.G. to restructure in bankruptcy, negotiators were not in a position to make banks to take less on their contracts.

This is ridiculous. I'll explain why on the flip.

Steve Benen cites the new NBC/WSJ poll for this statement:

Dems'success is inextricably tied to Obama's standing. [. . .] [T]his should point Democratic lawmakers in the right direction on health care, though the message isn't getting through.

Nothing in the poll (or in any actual election results) supports this argument. Consider the NBC poll:

Ezra Klein calls tonight's SOTU from President Obama "the most important [speech]" of his Presidency. Perhaps so. But since the Village Dems and bloggers have declared Obama irrelevant and impotent, does tonight's speech matter to anyone but Obama? Kevin Drum writes:

[I]s President Obama going to rally the nation behind the cause of ambitious, wide-ranging healthcare reform in tonight's State of the Union address? It sure doesn't sound like it. [. . .] If Obama isn't willing to step up and take ownership of passing the current plan, what chance is there that Congress is willing to get out on a limb and take the risk itself? Not much, I'm afraid. I sure hope Obama and his advisors screw up their courage on this and do the right thing before the end of the day.

Perhaps. But it is hard to square the calls for Obama to "step up" with the earlier Village argument that Obama was a slave to the whims of the Senate.

Speaking for me only