Today's Headlines and Commentary

Conservative opposition to CISPA, the most prominent of the cybersecurity bills under consideration on the hill, is mounting, writes Brendan Sasso at The Hill. Google has acknowledged its lobbying efforts to get the issue on the table, The Hill also reports, but has not taken a public position on it. Meanwhile, Ron Paul has this op-ed in the paper calling CISPA the new SOPA. And President Obama is still pushing back on the House's refusal to include privacy protections in the ultimate bill. Brendan Sasso also is on this story. SecDef Leon Panetta is not buying Iran's claims that it's copying the U.S. drone that crashed there last year. Carlo Munoz at The Hill covers his remarks, as does the AP. Seeking to get the Fourth Circuit's decision in his civil suit overturned, Jose Padilla has filed a petition for certiorari. Read the AP story here, and SCOTUS Blog's Lyle Denniston's post on the petition here. The petition itself is available here. Quote of the day:

It is hard to conceive of a more profound constitutional violation than the torture of a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil. With the court of appeals' holding that Mr. Padilla's claims of torture — and those of any future victim of similar abuses — are nonjusticiable, our legal system has arrived at the bottom of the slippery slope.

A new GAO report on the Missile Defense Agency  points out major issues with its acquisition strategy, writes Shaun Waterman at the Washington Times. Just in case you don't think we have enough spy agencies: The DOD has established a new organization called the Defense Clandestine Services, which will work with the CIA to strengthen espionage operations abroad. Greg Miller at the Washington Post reports, as does Eric Schmitt at the Times. Dina Temple-Raston reports today on NPR's Morning Edition about Adis Medunjanin's trial in New York, over his alleged role in the 2009 New York City subway bombing plots. So it's looking like there won't be any guaranteed U.S. funding for Afghan security forces starting in 2014, says Carlo Munoz at The Hill, based on a draft document that's circulating. The final version will be agreed to by NATO's annual conference in May. Not to worry, though, because it seems that NATO is also under the impression that Afghanistan will be prepared by 2014 to take full responsibility for security in the country when NATO withdraws. Graham Bowley at the Times reports on NATO's recent statement. The AP updates us on the Bradley Manning trial: the Army private is seeking to have the charges against him dismissed. The government has filed yet another request for additional time for it to file its motion to dismiss in the New York Times's suit for access to the Anwar Al Aulaqi memo, writes Basil Katz of Reuters. Iran unplugged internet connections accessing oil terminals yesterday in response to escalating cyberattacks on the Oil Ministry, says Thomas Erdbrink at the Times. Andrew Tilghman has this piece in the Army Times on confusion on the battlefield around rules of engagement (ROE) in Afghanistan. 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.