Emails released by the White House contradict some of the quotes from versions of the same emails Republicans in Congress leaked to the media. The White House recently released the emails in response to allegations of a coverup by Obama Administration officials relating to the administration’s knowledge of Al-Qaeda’s involvement in the attacks on the [...]

Today the US State Department pulled out all of their government personnel from Benghazi – essential personnel and non-essential alike. In the wake of the attack on the US consulate, they have determined the city too unsafe, even after residents drove militia groups operating in Benghazi from their bases. The FBI has still not reached [...]

US intelligence agencies have officially described the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11 that killed four Americans as a planned terrorist attack carried out by militants friendly to Al Qaeda. That’s distinct from it being an Al Qaeda attack, though the decentralized (and also battered) nature of the organization means [...]

Other than the payroll tax legislation, the big news in the Senate this week is the defense authorization bill, traditionally seen as must-pass legislation. It seems like every year there’s some big controversy over this bill.  This time that comes in the form of a measure that would mandate indefinite detentions of terrorist suspects in [...]

The fact is that the entire US program of extra-judicial assassinations by drone requires a bit more study and debate, but this is especially true when the targets are US citizens. In that case, the Constitution comes into play, and the right of due process of the law. But we never really had such a [...]

You have to hand it to US authorities. They have linked Iran to pretty much every terrorist organization on the planet, including Shiite militias in Iraq, Sunni militias in Iraq, the Afghan Taliban, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and on and on and on. There’s always a wealth of unprovided evidence for these claims, despite the logical [...]

Mike Allen regurgitates the scoop from official sources about a “treasure trove” of data found on site in the bin Laden compound. The assault force of Navy SEALs snatched a trove of computer drives and disks during their weekend raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, yielding what a U.S. official called “the mother lode of [...]

Amid the spectacle of cheering crowds in celebration of the death of a man who himself murdered thousands of Americans, World Trade Center survivor Harry Waizer spoke best for me. “I just can’t find it in me to be glad one more person is dead, even if it is Osama bin Laden.” But if I [...]

The word in Yemen as of Friday was that President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 32-year rule was nearing its final days. He entered talks with the opposition to leave the office of the Presidency, if the country could be put into “safe hands.” Saleh had previously offered to step down within a year, but the protest [...]

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the President in Yemen clinging to power after a string of defections and mass protests, has agreed to an opposition plan to reform the Constitution and hold parliamentary elections by the end of the year. He has not yet agreed to leave his post early, which is the key demand of the [...]

Clearly, David Petraeus is holding out for more time in Afghanistan, saying that the infusion of 30,000 new troops just finished, and that US forces need a longer assessment. He is sure to present a too-rosy picture of what’s happening on the ground, too. But I think the best tool for Petraeus to stave off [...]