Just found this terrifying little nugget, courtesy of Kos diarist AlyoshaKaramazov, from today’s White House press briefing with Scott “I can’t comment on the details of an ongoing investigation” McClellan:
Q: Last Thursday the White House threatened to veto the defense bill if it includes standards for the humane treatment of prisoners, drafted by Republican Senator John McCain. And also on Thursday the Pentagon refused to comply with a court order to release photos and videos of prisoner abuse in Iraq. Don’t these documented cases of abuse suggest that the U.S. military should adopt higher standards for the humane treatment of prisoners?
MR. McCLELLAN: A couple things, and I appreciate the question. We did put out a position paper that is available for you to look at, talking about some of our concerns when it comes to the defense authorization bill that the Senate is moving forward on. We certainly would have concerns if there are amendments that some people seek that would interfere with the President’s ability to effectively conduct the global war on terrorism. And there are some amendments that people have suggested that we believe might be unnecessary or duplicative. We want to make sure that there is nothing that restricts the President’s authority to be able to do what he needs to do to protect the American people and prevent attacks from happening in the first place, and bring to justice those who seek to murder innocent civilians.
Nothing. Not a Congress, not a court, not a Constitution, not a law, not an election, not common sense, not morality, not international opinion, not the press, not a conscience, not a pretzel, not a mountain bike, not a Segway scooter, not his own damn promises, not a whistleblower, not protecting American intelligence assets, not My Pet Goat, not 1,782 dead servicemen, not countless tens of thousands of dead Iraqis, not Osama bin Laden running around loose… NOTHING will restrict this president’s authority!
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
Everything old is new again.
