Gitmo and the G.O.P. Election Effort -BY Scott Horton

[kpete]

Gitmo and the G.O.P. Election Effort

BY Scott Horton
PUBLISHED March 29, 2008

............

In the view of the Bush Administration, this is all about securing convictions according to the proper broadcast and election timetable. Acquittals must be excluded. Hence, the rules are rewritten to bring all these lawyers under the “command” of Republican hacks in the Defense Department. Thomas Hartmann, who enjoys the highest confidence of his political superiors, is pulled out of the reserves and placed in the most sensitive position in the entire structure.

But even that is not enough, so Justice Department lawyers (likely the closest clones available for John Yoo, Jay Bybee and Steven Bradbury) are assigned to “coordinate” their work. They are the Bush Administration’s political commissars, there to keep an eye on the JAG prosecutors and report on any deviations from the party line.

The Gitmo Commissions look more farcical with each passing day. The military lawyers involved in them appreciate that fully, as is brilliantly shown in these papers. Where is Congress in this? It mandated professionalism, independence and precluded political influence. The measures imposed by the Bush Administration makes a mockery of that mandate, and promise, yet again, to embarrass the United States in the most spectacular fashion.

Perhaps you thought the worst Gitmo embarrassments were now past. Brace yourself: the worst is yet to come.

more at:
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/03/hbc-90002751

[90-percent]

1. Scott Horton

Man, this guy is running around fighting injustice all over the place.

More productive than even Superman on a good day for nailing the bad guys.

You go, Scott, keep up your heroic journalising! You definately repaired a gross injustice getting Seigelman sprung. Now on to prosecuting Karl Rove and lets win there, too. (to paraphrase RFK's famous last words.)

-90% Jimmy

[tanyev]

2. Stephen Cambone is an arrogant POS.

-Stephen Cambone, then the Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. . . repeatedly advocated for the Department of Justice to have a greater role in the military commission process. He stated that military attorneys did not have the sophistication to deal with the cases before the commissions and that, if they had skill, they would be in the private sector. Colonel Davis resisted involvement in the military commission process by the Department of Justice.