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Probe Into Bush Policies Urged

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

President Barack Obama has been reluctant to probe Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies, but his Democratic allies aren’t likely to let the matters rest. “I’ve always preferred my idea of a commission of inquiry to look at all these issues,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said Sunday. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California and head of the intelligence committee, suggested that the administration of former President George W Bush broke the l
aw by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress.

The Wall Street Journal, anonymously citing former intelligence officials, reported yesterday the secret program was a plan to kill or capture Al-Qaeda operatives. The Journal’s sources said the plan, which was halted by CIA Director Leon Panetta, was an attempt to carry out a presidential finding authorized in 2001 by Bush. The Journal said the agency spent money on planning and maybe some training, but it never became fully operational. The plan was highly classified and the CIA has refused to comment
on it.

The assertion that Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, ordered the program kept secret from Congress came amid word that Attorney General Eric Holder is contemplating opening a criminal probe of possible CIA torture. A move to appoint a criminal prosecutor is certain to stir partisan bickering that could prove a distraction to Obama’s efforts to push ambitious health care and energy reform. Obama has resisted an effort by congressional Democrats to establish a “truth commission,” saying the nation should
be “looking forward and not backwards.

Regarding the 8-year-old counterterrorism program, Feinstein said the Bush administration’s failure to notify Congress “is a big problem, because the law is very clear.” Congress should investigate the secrecy because “it could be illegal,” Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said.

According to Feinstein, Panetta told Congress late last month that “he had just learned about the program, described it to us, indicated that he had canceled it and … did tell us that he was told that the vice president had ordered that the program not be briefed to the Congress.” “We were kept in the dark. That’s something that should never, ever happen again,” said Feinstein.

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, said he agreed with Feinstein that the CIA should keep Congress informed. But Cornyn said the new assertion “looks to me suspiciously like an attempt to provide political cover” to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats. Pelosi has accused the CIA of lying to her in 2002 about its use of waterboarding, or simulated drowning, which many people, including Obama, consider torture.

This continued attack on the CIA and our intelligence gathering organizations is undermining the morale and capacity of those organizations to gather intelligence,” said Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. Reports about the counterterrorism program, Cheney’s role in directing its existence be kept from Congress and the attorney general’s consideration of a special prosecutor came on the eve of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Feinstein and Cornyn
spoke on “Fox News Sunday.” Durbin appeared on ABC’s “This Week.” Gregg spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Leahy spoke on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

- AP

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Stop the War Coalition barred from Downing Street

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Anti-war campaigners were refused access to Downing Street yesterday to deliver a letter calling for troops to be pulled out of Afghanistan.

About 100 noisy demonstrators crossed Whitehall to take up a position in front of the gates leading into the street, chanting and waving banners.

And a group of four protest organisers were told they would not be allowed access to hand the letter in to No 10.

MP Jeremy Corbyn and veteran peace campaigner Tony Benn were among the group hoping to take the letter to Downing Street.

But they were told it had “been decided” they would not be allowed in.

Mr Corbyn said: “It’s a shabby way of treating the majority of British people who are alarmed by the loss of life in Afghanistan.”

The rally was organised by the Stop the War Coalition to mark the death toll of British military personnel in Afghanistan, which has surpassed that of troops in Iraq.

Stop the War Coalition convener Lindsey German said: “They wouldn’t allow us in and when I asked why not the policeman at the gate said, it’s been decided’. By whom we don’t know.”

Demonstrators were asked to cross back over the road and position themselves behind the barriers.

But they continued to occupy the space in front of the Downing Street gates, chanting: “What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now.”

The letter to be handed to Prime Minister Gordon Brown read: “The tragic deaths of 15 British soldiers in just over one week, including three who were barely 18 years old, has highlighted the need for British troops to be withdrawn from an unwinnable and unjustified war.

“The argument that British troops are in Afghanistan to bring stability, security and democracy is simply refuted by the facts.

“The lesson of history is clear. The Afghan people have always resisted any attempt to invade or occupy their country. All attempts to do so over the past 150 years have only brought horrific levels of death and destruction, both to the Afghan people and the invading armies.”

Mr Benn said it was an “unwinnable war”.

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Politicians cost public £500 million each year

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Britain’s politicians apparently cost the taxpayer £500million a year.

The number of political professionals has grown by ten-fold in the past decade to 29,000 and the cost of paying them has risen just as sharply, figures show.

Worse, there are concerns public money may be finding its way into party coffers as leaders force elected members to give a proportion of their income to the party.

The figures were revealed after a freedom of information request by the BBC.

They show the amount spent on politicians has risen as a result of devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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£24m: The cost of tracking your emails and phone calls

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

The Home Office has revealed the multimillion-pound cost of monitoring the UK’s communications.

Home Office policing and security minister, David Hanson, told Parliament last week that millions are now being spent to fund ISPs’, telcos’ and mobile operators’ retention of communications data under the European Data Retention Directive and Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) code of practice on data retention.

Data retained under the legislation includes the details of the duration, destination and location of electronic communications, although not details of their content. The data retention legislation has proved unpopular with civil liberties groups who view it as an infringement of privacy.

According to Hanson, the cost of “sponsor[ing] systems to enable communications service providers to store communications data” over the last five years has topped £24m.

For 2008-2009, the Home Office spent £3.6m funding retention under the ATCSA, and £6.6m under the European Data Retention Directive (EUDRD).

The figure represents a significant year-on-year fall for ATCSA retention, with the 2007-2008 costs hitting £5.7m. In contrast, the amount spent on retention as a result of the EUDRD increased substantially from the 2007-2008 figure of £2.6m.

Jo Best

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IBM biometrics ID cards contract to last 7 years

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

IBM’s contract to supply technology for ID cards will last seven years, despite the possibility that a change in government could scupper the scheme.

The company and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) announced the contract term on Friday. In April, IBM was awarded the contract to administer the National Biometric Identity Service (NBIS) database, which will hold identifying information such as facial images and fingerprints. The NBIS is used for biometric passports and for the National Identity Register (NIR), which will be used in issuing ID cards under the government scheme.

“This contract will provide a secure database for storing facial and fingerprint images for the next generation of biometric passports and will support the delivery of the National Identity card,” said IPS chief executive James Hall in a statement on Friday.

The Conservative Party has pledged to scrap the ID cards scheme if it wins the next general election, which will be in 2010 at the latest. On Friday, the party said that it would take a close look at all ID card-related contracts if it came to power.

“We will scrutinise these contracts closely but the Conservatives are committed to dropping the ID cards scheme and the national register,” shadow immigration minister Damian Green told silicon.com sister site ZDNet UK on Friday.

The Conservative Party told ID card contractors in June that its “firm policy” is to abandon the National Identity Scheme. It urged contractors not to sign any new deals, and warned against “poison pill” contractual break clauses designed to prevent the cancellation of the project.

Former home secretary Jacqui Smith acknowledged in March that to cancel two of the ID card contracts would cost £40m. The Home Office told ZDNet UK that cancelling IBM’s NBIS contract would incur costs.

“There would be a cost in the event of the contract being broken,” said a Home Office spokesperson. “The cost would depend on the length of time that had elapsed after the contract was signed.” The spokesperson added that termination clauses in contracts are normal.

IBM will mainly use its own hardware and software to operate and integrate the NBIS database, and is the prime contractor, the IPS said on Friday. The company said on Friday that it has subcontracted work to Atos Origin, which will provide integration and operations support, and to Sagem Sécurité, which will supply biometrics services and software.

The IPS and IBM have also signed a deal for the company to supply a replacement for the UK Border Agency’s Immigration and Asylum Fingerprint System, which holds visa applicants’ biometrics.

National Identity Scheme contractors also include CSC, which has a contract to upgrade UK passport application systems.

Tom Espiner

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