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September 15, 2006

Bush on Coercion and Eavesdropping: "Is It Safe?"

P
resident Bush objects to Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention -- which limits coercive questioning and applies to U.S. nationals -- because it is too vague. He wants Congress to pass a law defining CA3 with crystal clarity.

On the other hand, President Bush objects to FISA -- which limits his ability to spy domestically -- because FISA is too specific . . . too much crystal clarity, I guess.

What the president is trying to do with Congress's witting assistance, as Jack Balkin explains, is to expand his powers by (i) statutorily limiting the ban on coercive questioning under CA3, and (ii) nixing the statutory limits on his spying power.

The bottom line will be a president facing no limits on torturing people to find out whom he should be spying on. A perfect harmony.

Clearly, neither the president nor his advisors have seen the movie "Marathon Man" (or they've forgotten their cinema history). When someone's drilling into the nerves in your teeth, you'll say just about anything to make them stop.

So, after Congress finishes off CA3 and FISA, let's all say together: "Is It Safe?"

Posted by shertaugh at September 15, 2006 12:37 AM

Comments

Wow, you really are a fucking idiot.

Posted by: Infidel at September 16, 2006 11:41 AM

Before Marathon Man there was 1984 and Rm 101.

PS - love the crystal clear point by point refutation presented by the above commenter. Who says we don't teach Aristotle's syllogistics anymore?

Posted by: cavjam at September 21, 2006 9:25 AM