Analysis: Gonzales supports wartime powers

[struggle4progress]

By CURT ANDERSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON -- Sickened. Outraged. Deeply troubled. Alberto Gonzales used those words Thursday in an effort to persuade skeptical senators that neither he nor President Bush condoned torture.

But Bush's pick as the next attorney general made it clear he believed the president - and by extension U.S. soldiers and agents - must be given wide legal latitude to protect America from terrorists.

One crucial issue is whether the president, acting as commander in chief during wartime, has authority to bypass U.S. laws and international treaties in the interest of protecting national security. Justice Department memos endorsed by Gonzales in 2002 concluded the president does have that power, including authority in some circumstances to disregard the Geneva Convention treaties regarding treatment of war prisoners.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzales made clear that although parts of those Justice Department memos have been discarded since prisoner abuse came to light, the principle of broad presidential wartime power remains very much in favor in the Bush administration. <snip>

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1152&slug=Gonzales%20Analysis

[MasonJar]

1. Just what America needs...a brainfried, dry drunk who is usually

on vacation, mentally always, have power over life on our planet.