Today's Headlines and Commentary

The New York Times Editorial Board heard Ben's plea for an editorial about the Supreme Court's decision to deny habeas review to seven Guantanamo Bay detainees--and they have responded! Check it out here. It's all yours, Ben. The Washington Post tells us that the United States is expanding its intelligence gathering operations across Africa; Bobby comments here. The Washington Post also reports that Pakistan's closure of NATO supply routes is "costing the United States an additional $100 million a month to fund alternative routes [into Afghanistan]." CNN adds that the America's refusal to apologize for the airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers is still the major reason for the kerfuffle. The Miami Herald informs us that the feds have dropped terrorism charges against a Miami cabbie who was accused of sending money to the Pakistani Taliban. CNN's Security Clearance blog reports that nine suspected militants were killed by drones in Yemen. Speaking of drones in Yemen, a gentleman by the name of Ibrahim Mothana, a writer and activist in Yemen, argues in this op-ed in the Times that drones help Al Qaeda. The Washington Post editorial board argues that criminalizing the national security leaks "is misguided and will do more harm than good." Bruce Ackerman of Yale takes a similar stance in his op-ed in the Times. Money quote:

Telling Americans about secret presidential actions that threaten our fundamental law should never be considered violations of the Espionage Act. Such leaks don’t endanger our national security. They promote it, by preserving our constitutional integrity.

Brett McGurk, nominee for Iraqi ambassador, is facing opposition from GOP senators after...erm...improper emails he allegedly sent to a reporter surfaced. Methinks they would have opposed him anyway, but here's CNN on the story. As Wells already pointed out, several news stories broke about about the important issue in the 9/11 military commissions proceedings--what to wear on the big day, of course. Here's the Miami Herald. And, try as I might, I can't even describe today's Moment of Zen--it's just so Zen: