The Ever Confused Administration

Why say that?
Well, in the aftermath of September 11, former Justice Department member John Yoo and other Administration lawyers began advising President Bush that he did not have to comply with the Geneva Conventions in handling detainees in the war on terror. (As you may know, Yoo also wrote an infamous torture memo which argued that interrogation techniques only constitute torture if they are "equivalent in intensity to...organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death.") The State Department's legal team pushed back against the administration's interpretation of international law, writing in a January 2002 memo, "Even those terrorists captured in Afghanistan...are entitled to the fundamental humane treatment standards of...the Geneva Conventions."

Their arguments went unheeded as hard-liners such as Yoo forcefully argued that in wartime, the president had virtually unlimited powers to defend the nation. In the recent Hamdan ruling, the Supreme Court came down squarely on the side of the dissenters at the State Department. "This is an extremely damaging decision for presidential power," said one administration official. "And it was largely a self-inflicted wound."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) said Sunday that the Bush administration briefed the panel on a 'significant' intelligence program only after a government whistle-blower alerted him to its existence and he pressed President Bush for details. On May 18, Hoekstra sent a letter to Bush, notifying him that the administration's failure to keep the intelligence committees apprised of undisclosed programs could be a "violation of law." Yesterday on Fox News, Hoekstra explained, "I want to set the standard there, that it is not optional for this president or any president or people in the executive community not to keep the intelligence committees fully informed of what they are doing." The criticism comes from a lawmaker who has been an important ally of the president. Referring to the undisclosed, "significant" intelligence program that the administration had been hiding from Congress, Hoekstra said the program was revealed to the committee only after an administration whistle-blower alerted Congress. "This is actually a case where the whistle-blower process was working appropriately," Hoesktra said. Hmmmm -methinks Hoekstra may be looking to retain his seat in an upcoming election by 'acting' like he is providing a bit of friction against the unclothed Emporer In Chief. See attached letter posted to blog.

They're Back! Quickies
Karl Rove was asked about the outing of Valerie Plame last week. He reportedly said that after a “careful, thoughtful, aggressive investigation,” the person responsible for leaking should be fired.

Do-nothing Congress. Lawmakers return today from a weeklong break and will resume work on a long list of unfinished — and possibly insurmountable – tasks. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), said: “I’m not sure what this Congress has accomplished.”

A sharp rise in bloodletting between Shiites and minority Sunni Arabs has raised new fears of a slide to all-out civil war. A day after more than 60 Iraqis were killed in a dramatic escalation of sectarian violence in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki pleaded for Iraqis to unite as brothers.

Tom DeLay is planning an aggressive campaign to retake the House seat he quit in June if an appeals court lets stand a ruling by a federal judge last week that his name must stay on November’s ballot–even though he has moved to Virginia.

thanks to C A P for the above info...