But it has finally become clear that the goal of these efforts isn't to win the war against terrorism; indeed, nothing about Padilla, Guantanamo Bay or signing statements moves the country an inch closer to eradicating terrorism. The object is a larger one: expanding executive power, for its own sake...
...Guantanamo Bay stays open for the same reason that Padilla stays on trial. Having claimed the right to label enemy combatants and detain them indefinitely without charges, the Bush administration cannot retreat from that position without ceding ground. The president is as much a prisoner of Guantanamo Bay as the detainees are. Having gone nose to nose with Congress over his authority to craft stripped-down courts, guaranteed to produce guilty verdicts, Bush cannot call off the trials. The endgame in the war against terrorism isn't holding the line against terrorists. It's holding the line on hard-fought claims to limitless presidential authority.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Incoherent Insane Imperium
Dahlia Lithwick sees it.
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As I have often observed, a drunken monkey flipping a coin would make the right decision 50% of the time. So how is it possible that this gang of thugs gets it wrong every freakin' time?
In short: They aren't answering the question that we're asking. If the question is "How can we take advantage of a spineless media and an obeisant legislature to consolidate power in the hands of the executive?", you'd have to give them an "A". No, wait. An "A+"...with a gold star.
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