One of our readers defends Yoo’s inconsistent positions on FISA and the War Powers Act by arguing that the secrecy of the NSA program prevented Bush from defending his decision to ignore FISA, whereas no such secrecy concerns prevented Clinton from defending his decision to ignore the War Powers Act. There are two problems with that argument. First, there is no...
I stand behind my description of Yoo, but Julian’s thoughtful post deserves a less facile response. So let’s consider Yoo’s claim about Clinton’s violation of the War Powers Act. Here is Julian’s explanation of why Yoo’s attack on Clinton is not inconsistent with his defense of Bush: His complaint about Clinton's violation of the War Powers Act is that...
They've been receiving considerable attention in the progressive blogosphere, but these quotes from John Yoo, circa 2000, are worth repeating for anyone who still doubts that he is nothing more than a shameless and unprincipled apologist for the Bush administration:First, I think, in order to achieve their foreign policy goals, the Clinton Adminisitration has undermined the balance of powers that...
The Sunday Times (UK) reports today on efforts by one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers, BAE, to develop a new generation of "green" weapons that minimize environmental harm. The company's efforts include: Bullets with lower lead content because, as the company states on its website, “lead used in ammunition can harm the environment and pose a risk to...
You have to appreciate the sophisticated foreign-relations analysis provided by American TV news. Here's how Brian Williams opened the NBC Nightly News last night:Good evening from Havana, Cuba, the host city for what is called the Summit of Non-Aligned Nations--in short, all of the enemies of the United States, really, gathered in one room.The Non-Aligned Movement includes, of course,...
Perhaps one of our intrepid readers could explain to me why this is a good idea: The US ambassador to Nicaragua has issued a vigorous warning to this small Central American country's electors against supporting Daniel Ortega, the veteran leftwing Sandinista leader and the frontrunner in November's presidential election. [snip] "It's one thing to be truly democratic. It's another thing to do what...
I haven't won my bet with Julian quite yet, but the winds seem to be blowing my direction:President Bush's nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations appears increasingly endangered in the Senate, prompting the administration to explore other ways to keep him in the job after his temporary appointment expires in January, officials said yesterday. The situation...
I want to add my thoughts on Britain's decision to jettison its double jeopardy rule. I couldn't agree more with Julian — Dunlop's conviction illustrates the importance of having a Bill of Rights that is not subject to revision every time politicians decide that obtaining a conviction is more important than 800 years of tradition. You can...
Tanzania has released Calixte Gakwaya, the ICTR defense attorney suspected of participating in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Although no explanation for the release was given, a day earlier the ICTR Registrar, Adama Deng, had expressed concern about Gakwaya's arrest to Tanzanian authorities, pointing out that the UN and Tanzania have agreed on certain immunities for lawyers representing Tribunal defendants. ...
A Japanese court yesterday dismissed a lawsuit filed against Japan by eight Chinese women who were forced to be "comfort women" for Japanese troops during WW II. The decision acknowledged that the troops had confined, beat, and raped the women, but denied them compensation on the ground that the 20-year period for demanding such compensation had expired. Seven other...
A federal judge in Argentina has overturned a presidential pardon given to Jorge Rafael Videla, one of the leaders of the junta that led Argentina during the Dirty War. Videla was convicted in 1985 on charges of abduction, torture, and murder, but was pardoned by former President Menem in 1990. Last year, Argentina's Supreme Court overturned amnesty laws protecting...
Breaking news: Chile's Supreme Court has upheld a lower court decision that stripped Pinochet of his immunity in a case involving Chile's infamous Villa Grimaldi prison, paving the way for him to face dozens of charges of torture and kidnapping. Here is Wikipedia's description of Villa Grimaldi:Villa Grimaldi was a complex of buildings used for the interrogation and torture...
