Able Danger is Alive and Well

It just goes without a specific name, and its data mines operations are privately owned.

ChoicePoint is famous for being the largest and most sophisticated aggregator of public records on U.S. citizens and residents. The company has built an enormous electronic cache of more than 19 billion records — all of which are legally obtained — that it mines to locate criminals and suspects, their family members and known associates, and their hidden financial assets. Most of ChoicePoint’s customers are other companies — insurance providers trying to spot potential scam artists applying for policies, for instance. But the company’s work for the government is significant and growing. Using its DNA analysis lab, ChoicePoint helped identify victims of the September 11 attacks. And the following year, the company helped locate the Washington-area snipers by leading investigators to the blue Chevrolet Caprice that the two killers used in their spree. (ChoicePoint compiles hundreds of millions of motor vehicle registrations.)

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Gov. Kathleen Blanco: MegaFailure

TIME Mag names Blanco one of the nation’s worst governors. Via the inestimable Michelle Malkin:

Failures aren’t born. They’re made. Before Hurricane Katrina, it wasn’t the job of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to plan for the evacuation of the elderly and poor from New Orleans. Afterward, she wasn’t in charge of the federal response. But it was her job to give her constituents heart by looking decisive, steadfast and capable. Even if she wasn’t.

When it mattered most, Blanco appeared “dazed and confused,” says Bernie Pinsonat, a bipartisan political consultant in Baton Rouge, La. When NBC’s Matt Lauer asked her whether it was hard to find words to reassure the public, she tried to muster optimism, then circled back to despair. “You know, our people out here are so fearful. They’re so worried … It’s a nightmare.”

TIME’s criticism is weaker than it ought to be. Blanco not only appeared dazed and confused, she was dazed and confused. And while she wasn’t in charge of the federal response, she was in charge of most of the major mistakes. When her citizens needed her to act decisively, she slept on it. When they needed food and medicine, she blocked it. When they needed steady law and order, she excused looting. Blanco made the disaster much worse than it should have been. And then she hired a Clintonista to help spin the disaster back on Bush. Her performance was a disgrace.

Kathleen Blanco isn’t really one of the nation’s worst governors. She is the worst governor in the nation, and ought to be removed from office.

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It’s Official: America is Perfect

How else explain why Jesse Jackson and Ralph Nader have weighed in on the Terrell Owens deactivation? (thanks to bWb)

The Cowboys-Eagles game tonight, btw, is huge. HUGE. The Eagles are struggling and have lost their best weapon. McNabb is hurt and his O-line is weak. And the D is shaky. The Cowboys are coming off a bye, and may be the NFL’s healthiest team. The defense is stingy, and the offense is explosive with one of the best backfields in the league. They already clubbed the Eagirls 33-10 a few weeks ago at Texas Stadium; a win tonight in Philly gives them the first sweep over the Buddybowlers in a generation. A loss would put the Eagles at 4-5 and pretty much out of the race in the scary-strong NFC East. The winner of tonight’s game gains on the Redskins and Giants, both of whom lost yesterday.

So this one’s big. The Eagles have their backs to the wall with the Cowboys in town and that may be enough to motivate them. But if the Cowboys play to their potential, this one won’t be close.

WELL: Did I say this one wouldn’t be close? What was I thinking?

Generally speaking, when you can’t run and you can’t pass you can’t win. The first two of those were true of the Cowboys tonight, but not the third. Down 20-7 with less than 4 minutes left, Bledsoe finds Terry Glenn twice—his first two catches, and the second a long TD—and it’s 20-14. On the ensuing drive, safety Roy Williams picks off a Donovan McNabb toss and takes it to the house. After the extra point, the Cowboys take the lead for the first time of the game, 21-20.

And that’s how it ended. But not before McNabb went down for what looks like a season-ending injury and after he played one of his best games of the season. Hats off to McNabb and the Eagles, who shrugged off the T.O. thing and dominated the game for 56 minutes.

The Cowboys hit 6-3 and are tied with the NY Giants for the NFC East lead. The Eagles fall to 4-5 and if McNabb doesn’t come back, their season is on the brink.

For Cowboy fans, this win makes up for the bitter loss to Washington early in the season, which was nearly a flip of this game—the Cowboys dominated for 58 minutes but fell in the end. Tonight’s victory over the Eagles was a big win.