My Favorite is Number Eight

I’m normally loathe to link to stories most readers will likely find themselves, but I’m making an exception for The Bush Administration’s Top 10 Stupidest Legal Arguments of 2007, put together by my friend and law-school classmate Dahlia Lithwick. Here are the headings, arranged by increasing stupidity:

10. The NSA’s eavesdropping was limited in scope.
9. Scooter Libby’s sentence was commuted because it was excessive.
8. The vice president’s office is not a part of the executive branch.
7. Guantanamo Bay detainees enjoy more legal rights than any POW’s in history.
6. Water-boarding may not be torture.
5. Everyone who has ever spoken to the president about anything is barred from congressional testimony by executive privilege.
4. Nine U.S. attorneys were fired by nobody, but for good reason.
3. Alberto Gonzales.
2. State secrets.
1. The United States does not torture.

Dahlia explains each Stupid Legal Argument in detail, so make sure to surf over to Slate at your earliest convenience.

UPDATE: I meant to say that Cheney’s ridiculous claim about the VP’s office was my favorite…