Today's Headlines and Commentary

Lots of developments over the weekend in the case of the American soldier who went on a rampage and killed 16 Afghan civilians. First off, he now has a name--Staff Sgt. Robert Bales--and the New York Times has his story. The Washington Post has more on the factors that may have contributed to the notorious incident. Staff Sgt. Bales is going to be represented by John Henry Browne, who has his own defense attorney brand of notoriety, reports the Associated Press, including "clients ranging from serial killer Ted Bundy to Colton Harris-Moore, known as the 'Barefoot Bandit.'" The Times tells us that "American authorities have continued to send detainees to Afghan prisons even though coalition forces ordered a halt to such transfers last year because of concerns about torture." This story comes from a report by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Open Society Foundations describing "what goes on in prisons run by Afghanistan’s police and intelligence service, and about how some American agencies may be abetting torture." And, to top it all off, the Times reports that President Hamid Karzai called the United States a "demon." Meanwhile, a lot of details have emerged about Osama bin Laden's last days. As Ben already noted, David Ignatius of the Post saw some of the documents seized at Bin Laden's Abbotabad compound and reveals that "before his death, Osama bin Laden boldly commanded his network to organize special cells in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Obama and Gen. David H. Petraeus." The Times and CNN have more on the late terrorist's plots. And Ignatius reflected on the documents again yesterday, calling bin Laden "the lion in winter." According to the Times, the CIA's drone campaign could be the wedge issue between the United States and Pakistan as they seek to rebuild their troubled relationship. The Los Angeles Times has this interesting story about what it's like to be a member of a drone crew: "Physically they may be thousands of miles from Iraq or Afghanistan, [but] psychologically, they're on the ground with troops." From the Frenemy Press comes this interesting editorial: Dawn, Pakistan's leading English-language newspaper, suggests that Pakistan should review its ties with the United States. Money quote:

Odd as it may sound, Pakistani policymakers may want to take a page from their American counterparts’ playbook. Here is the world’s only superpower headed for military defeat in a war it has accused Pakistan of helping undermine (something Pakistan denies). Here is also the world’s only superpower that has seen a major supply line to that war effort suspended for over three months by Pakistan. And yet the US administration has waited patiently for Pakistani policymakers to decide when they want to talk about how to reset ties with the US. Strategic patience, as the Americans refer to it, has been demonstrated because it is in the interests of the US to have a relationship with Pakistan. Pakistani policymakers should similarly try and put interests ahead of emotions in the days ahead.

Writing in Wired, James Bamford has a fascinating expose on the NSA's new data center which "should be up and running in September 2013." If you thought you had any privacy whatsoever, Bamford means to convince you otherwise. Another money quote:

Flowing through its servers and routers and stored in near-bottomless databases will be all forms of communication, including the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls, and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails—parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases, and other digital “pocket litter.” It is, in some measure, the realization of the “total information awareness” program created during the first term of the Bush administration—an effort that was killed by Congress in 2003 after it caused an outcry over its potential for invading Americans’ privacy.

Speaking of government agencies gathering intelligence, guess who is watching the watchers? Steve Aftergood of Secrecy News announces that the Government Accountability Office "has been conducting several projects involving oversight of intelligence agencies." The Wall Street Journal informs us that Muammar Ghaddafi's spy chief was arrested over the weekend in Mauritania. CNN states that Libya requested a Red Notice alert from Interpol,"a step toward [his] extradition." And Amnesty International just released this report entitled "The Forgotten Victims of NATO Strikes" in Libya. Julian Assange is planning to make good use of his time while detained, says Reuters. The founder of WikiLeaks "plans to run for a seat in Australia's upper house of parliament," which apparently he can do while under house arrest in Britain awaiting extradition to Sweden in connection with alleged sex crimes there. And if you're tired or cold the next time you're in LaGuardia airport, watch out! The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security knows you're up to no good in today's Moment of Zen. For more interesting law and security-related articles, follow us on Twitter, visit the Georgetown Center on National Security and the Law’s Security Law Brief, Fordham Law’s Center on National Security’s Morning Brief, and Fordham Law’s Cyber Brief. Email us noteworthy articles we may have missed at wakeman.lawfare@gmail.com and  singh.lawfare@gmail.com.