The Daily Muck

The U.S. military’s operating manual for the Guantanamo prison camp was leaked on Wikileaks.org yesterday, revealing that visitors from the International Committee of the Red Cross were denied access to some prisoners (something the military has repeatedly denied). The manual was not classified and the military has confirmed its authenticity. (Reuters, Wired)

Meet representative Ric Keller (R-FL). According to Evangelical leader James Dobson, Keller was “the obvious choice for those who care about the biblical values upon which our nation was founded.” The only problem, as Harper’s points out, is that Keller has proven to be a “true, unreconstructed, all-American family values hypocrite.” Check out the details of his apparent affair with a 23 year old staffer, his suspect payments to her, his divorce from his ill wife, and then his subsequent marriage to that staffer. (Harpers)

President Bush is getting serious, or is seriously worried about his legacy. His new executive order calls for a system of imposing accountability on federal agencies. Each agency must appoint a “performance improvement officer,” measure progress, and set goals. The objective is to ensure that “no dropped batons” – except maybe Iraq — go “from this administration to the next administration.” (Washington Post)

Members of a Sunni Muslim group that was formed with American support to fight Sunni militants said yesterday that an extensive U.S. air and ground attack “deliberately” killed at least seven of its fighters in the “hideous” attack. A U.S. military spokesman said the operation targeted Al-Qaeda associates — “At this point we have no indication that we were engaging any ally of any sort.” (McClatchy)

European Parliament members will reopen an investigation into whether European governments and secret services accepted and concealed secret U.S. flights carrying terrorism suspects across Europe. The probe was reopened after a Russian documentary showed new evidence of a secret prison and flights in Ukraine. (Reuters)

FBI investigators are not the only ones who believe that Blackwater is responsible for wrongful deaths. The family of a U.S. soldier who died on Blackwater flight 61 in the Afghanistan mountains has the green light to sue Blackwater for negligence and incompetence. The Seattle Weekly has details of the case and a shocking transcript of cockpit conversations before flight 61 clipped a mountain ridge. Among the things Blackwater pilots and personnel discussed was whether they should be paid for having so much fun and what heavy metal music they should play. (Seattle Weekly)

FBI investigators assert that Blackwater’s killing of 14 Iraqi civilians on September 16 was unjustified. The FBI and a U.S. attorney will continue their investigation and then issue a “prosecutive memo” that outlines the evidence and assesses whether a crime has been committed. Though investigators have found that some of the dead Iraqis were fleeing the scene, Blackwater “turret gunner Paul’s” statement to State Department investigators claimed that he was merely returning fire on Iraqis. (Washington Post, ABC News)

If you are obsessed with earmarks check out earmarkwatch.org. The new Web site, created by prominent watchdog groups will help you track down the latest pork, including the $1 million that went to “Darn Tough Socks for Marine Corps Merino Wool Cushion Boot Sock,” sponsored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT). (Washington Post)