Report Faults 2 Authors of Bush Terror Memos

[EVAY]

Regardless of the recommendations concerning discipline, the reports seem to be contiguous in their conclusion that Professor Yoo had little to no legal basis for his opinions.

I don't really care what happens to Professor Yoo or those who signed off on his work. What has always bothered me is the willingness to just accept Professor Yoo's legal arguments as proof of the propriety of certain American actions over the 8-9 years. Indeed, those memos form the basis of virtually all of the conduct of the GWOT beyond the military theater of operations (and, to some extent, have defined even how we actually fight that war). Will those who have abided by Professor Yoo's opinions in supporting those actions now rethink their position with respect to things like torture and detainment?

I doubt it, don't you? I mean, the raising of the question and the search for a legal as opposed to a moral rational sort of says it all, doesn't it?

I mean, I used to run into this in corporate culture, i.e., the question is not whether or not it is moral or ethical, the question is 'how much trouble are gonna get in if we do it? Thus, the decison-makers are, at best, amoral, nothing more. They only want to know if they have 'cover' for something, or else they want to make sure that if they go ahead and do something that they think or know is wrong, that the person who wants the thing done is as much on the 'hook' for it as they are. If they don't do this, they know damn well (from bitter experiences) that they are gonna be left 'twisting slowly slowly in the wind' while the politicans or policy makers who directed them are busy saying 'Well, I nevah!'

[Darrin]

Humor us, Darrin. Not everyone's familiar with the US Cons ution. What part of it applies to the conversation?

http://www.thecre.com/fedlaw/legal22/warpow.htm

[Winehole23]

I can see that. That's not strictly topical, but it's in the general neighborhood.

Bottom line: Congress is too gutless to wage war and has been for a long time. Congress doesn't really want the authority, but reserves ing privileges.

[Winehole23]

So long as the President feigns due consultation, everything's copacetic.

[Winehole23]

Most likely. The cynical pragmatist in me thinks that it would be a rather dangerous precedent to apply intellectual honesty to politics.

It's done all the time...

....and duly ignored.

[Winehole23]

...