“The DOJ is entitled to take whatever position it wants, however self-serving and unitary, but now there is no avenue for judicial review and so that is the end of the story.”

Cheers,

He essentially said that if the DOJ wrote a legal opinion NO ONE could be prosecuted because the DOJ had written an opinion saying a particular action was legal. If the opinion changed later, then everything was covered. Looks as if he’s just given the entire administration a get out of jail card for ever.

I wonder what Bush’s strict constructionism justices on the Supreme Court are thinking now?

Comment by Bobwurst — February 7, 2008 @ 2:30 pm

You took the words right out of my mouth!

All those who allowed this peice of shit to be confirmed should be hanging their heads in SHAME. While at the same time working on a way to reverse their very bad decision.

Point is, many authoritarian states have all sorts of fine-sounding laws and constitutional-provisions. What distinguishes them from us (as we used to be) is that the executive was bound to them here, whereas there, the executive simply would declare their actions “legal” according to those principles, whether or not they were, and act with impunity.

Good laws and a good constitution aren’t enough. We need a willingness to enforce them, and a refusal to put up with this sort of sophistry.

In other words, “tell it to a judge, Mukasey!”.

There will be no stopping all of the other programs that are going on while we bicker about this one “technique.” Rather, they are coming up with new words to describe the old “techniques” so that they can keep using them even after Congress (once again) make such practices illegal — until 2001 that meant for the Unitary Executive as well.

The next administration, D, R or I, will do similar things, if only because Congress, for the past 7 years, has given this President the green light, he’s said it’s stopped people from being killed (no proof, but he did give his word) and the next President doesn’t want to be the one reading My Pet Goat while the CIA briefer who covered his ass is laughing it off at Langley.

Gitmo will not be closed, unless Dick Cheney leaves his property to the US government, in which case all “enemy combatants” will be housed with Dick.

Extraordinary rendition will still take place, will be used more often and now will not need to be talked about like it never happens. We did it, we do it, what you gonna do about it World? Yeah, thought so.

All US troops in Iraq will not be home by 2010.

There will be no impeachment , of anyone, for anything.

Pardons all around on January 19, 2009.

I am enraged.

~Sean

Barry Goldwater: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

He’s tough on terror.

He’s sure we’ll be attacked again if a Dem is President.

He’ll be the example we need to define torture.

His 5 Sons can alternate turns with the water.

We’ll show it live on TV & sell tickets to erase the deficit.

If he dies he goes down in Mormon history as a martyr.

If he lives, he can testify that boarding isn’t torture.

We’ll promise not mess his hair up during the procedure.

If he cries, we’ll ’suspend’ the operation.