Molly Ivins: The day the Constitution died (must read)

[Dudley_DUright]

When, in future, you find yourself wondering, "Whatever happened to the Constitution?" you will want to go back and look at June 8, 2004. That was the day the attorney general of the United States -- a.k.a. "the nation's top law enforcement officer" -- refused to provide the Senate Judiciary Committee with his department's memos concerning torture.

In order to justify torture, these memos declare that the president is bound by neither U.S. law nor international treaties. We have put ourselves on the same moral level as Saddam Hussein, the only difference being quantity. Quite literally, the president may as well wear a crown -- forget that "no man is above the law" jazz. We used to talk about "the imperial presidency" under Nixon, but this is the real thing.

<snip>

The damage is incalculable. When America puts out its annual report on human rights abuses, we will be a laughingstock. I suggest a special commission headed by Sen. John McCain to dig out everyone responsible, root and branch. If the lawyers don't cooperate, perhaps we should try stripping them, anally raping them and dunking their heads under water until they think they're drowning, and see if that helps.

And I think it is time for citizens to take some responsibility, as well. Is this what we have come to? Is this what we want our government to do for us? Oh and by way, to my fellow political reporters who keep repeating that Bush is having a wonderful week: Why don't you think about what you stand for?

more...

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=17092

[displacedtexan]

1. Bush* doesn't need to "come to Jeezus."

He needs to "come to Runnymede!"

[WhiteTara]

6. How about the Hague

[struggle4progress]

2. Again: "When America puts out its annual report on human rights abuses...

we will be a laughingstock."

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Molly asks the right questions...

"Why don't you think about what you stand for?" That's one I would like to ask of all Republican voters!

[indepat]

4. My LTTE urging Ashcroft not be confirmed was in the hope of shaming

at least one of my state's two Rethug senators to vote not to confirm: it was not published until after the fact, making the writer look like so many sour grapes. Nothing Ashcroft does or fails to do should shock no one.

[Eloriel]

7. I never worked on anything so hard as I worked on trying to

keep Ashcroft from being confirmed. There were hundreds of thousands of us, I'm sure.

Just as with the efforts to get just one Senator to stand with the CBC re the FL electors, no one was listening.

[FleshCartoon]

5. You go, Molly!

A truth-teller from the word go, and now reminding her "colleagues" that it's time to do the same:
"Oh and by way, to my fellow political reporters who keep repeating that Bush is having a wonderful week: Why don't you think about what you stand for?"

[Miss Authoritiva]

8. The rest of the world has been laughing for a long time.

"When America puts out its annual report on human rights abuses, we will be a laughingstock."

This is just the first time that most Americans have been forced to acknowledge the atrocities committed in our name (and real-time digital color photos are always good learning aids). In most of the world, people already knew.

The Bush people were just stupid enough to drop the "c" from covert operations.

[Martin Eden]

9. Wow. Molly is really outraged.

She usually peppers her observations with wry humor, even when she's skewering deserving villains with her pointed barbs.

Too bad more Americans aren't equally outraged.