Back Off

Putin warns U.S. over missiles - 12 Oct 2007 at 10:33am - In a tense start to talks on a range of thorny issues, President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned U.S. officials to back off a plan to install missile defenses in eastern Europe or risk harming relations with Moscow.

Will the Bush administration be as sensitive to Russian concerns over the missile shield as it seems to be to Turkish concerns over "Armenian genocide" labeling -- or will it not give two kopeks?

Turkey Defiant On Possible Iraq Invasion - 12 Oct 2007 at 11:15am - Turkey's prime minister has vowed to pursue Kurdish militants into northern Iraq if his military sees fit, even if it means severely compromising his country's relationship with Washington - the latest development in a fast-building diplomatic row.

Troops: Blackwater Shooting "Criminal" - 12 Oct 2007 at 11:30am - The first U.S. troops to arrive on the scene after Blackwater USA guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians found no evidence that the Iraqis fired any weapons at the guards, the Washington Post reports. The soldiers called the incident "criminal."

This would seem significant, in light of what the U.S. military does and doesn't consider illegal with regard to its own conduct.

CIA investigates conduct of its inspector general 12 Oct 2007 at 3:00am - The internal inquiry is prompted by senior agency officials who say they were criticized unfairly in the watchdog's reports on secret overseas prisons. CIA Director Michael V. Hayden has mounted a highly unusual challenge to the agency's chief watchdog, ordering an internal investigation of an inspector general who has issued a series of scathing reports sharply critical of top CIA officials, according to government officials familiar with the matter.

Lawmakers back CIA's inside critic - 12 Oct 2007 at 2:18pm - WASHINGTON -- Congress will "aggressively preserve" the independence of the CIA's internal investigator, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Friday in response to reports that the CIA has launched a critical review of its inspector general's work.

Torture claimants urge PM to lift veil on inquiry - 12 Oct 2007 at 12:34pm - Three Arab-Canadians who allege Canadian security officials contributed to their torture overseas are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make the inquiry into their cases fully public.

Texan mayors threaten court to stop border fence - 12 Oct 2007 at 1:39pm - LAREDO, Texas (Reuters) - Texan mayors on the border with Mexico are threatening to take the U.S. government to court and are encouraging ranchers to do the same to block construction of a fence to keep out illegal immigrants.

Thought for the day:
Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends. -Woody Allen (1935 - )