Today the AP wire runs the story "White House near decision to close Gitmo" by Matthew Lee.
In it the expected tormented White House is progressively (if there was ever an anachronism it has to be "White House" and "progress" in the same sentence) being forced into the reality of accepting this hell hole should be shut down if they country is to retain any semblance of respect by its international neighbors when it comes to issues of international justice.
But lurking in the background is this observation:
And while Cheney hasn't said as much lately let's face it, 'Dick' (if there ever was a better double entendre....) hasn't likely changed his tune. Nor has Dubya. Cheney's argument is simple since they're "unlawful" they don't deserve rights. Fine. But you can't extend that argument to your own prosecutorial practices - you don't get to say "Since they're unlawful then we should be about to operate outside our own legal framework to detain them, interrogate and prosecute them." Just because Gitmo's closing maybe doesn't change the hypocrisy of the Office of the Attorney General and the manipulation of the current Justice Department mechanisms to suit a few people on Pennsylvania Avenue.
In it the expected tormented White House is progressively (if there was ever an anachronism it has to be "White House" and "progress" in the same sentence) being forced into the reality of accepting this hell hole should be shut down if they country is to retain any semblance of respect by its international neighbors when it comes to issues of international justice.
But lurking in the background is this observation:
- "Cheney's office and the Justice Department have been dead set against the step, arguing that moving "unlawful" enemy combatant suspects to the U.S. would give them undeserved legal rights."
And while Cheney hasn't said as much lately let's face it, 'Dick' (if there ever was a better double entendre....) hasn't likely changed his tune. Nor has Dubya. Cheney's argument is simple since they're "unlawful" they don't deserve rights. Fine. But you can't extend that argument to your own prosecutorial practices - you don't get to say "Since they're unlawful then we should be about to operate outside our own legal framework to detain them, interrogate and prosecute them." Just because Gitmo's closing maybe doesn't change the hypocrisy of the Office of the Attorney General and the manipulation of the current Justice Department mechanisms to suit a few people on Pennsylvania Avenue.
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