A return to the lawless days of the Wild West

Saddle up! It sounds like team McCain-Palin are itching to return to the lawless days of the Wild West. I've got to hand it to the Republicans, at least they now admit they have little regard for our judicial system. The Bush Administration has spent eight years quietly dismantling the foundation of that system and McCain-Palin seem ready to pick up right where Bush leaves off. Here's a line from Palin's acceptance speech:

"Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?"

Sarah, let me point out the obvious: one thing that separates civilized societies from uncivilized (i.e. terrorists) is the rule of law. Her statement above is a low-brow swipe at Obama who says we should abide by the Geneva Conventions when dealing with terrorists. In his words:

"...we don’t have to treat these folks as US citizens. We don’t have to treat them in the same way that we would treat a criminal suspect in the U.S., but we should abide by the Geneva conventions. We should at least follow through on the same principles we followed though when dealing with Nazis during Nuremburg, that is not only the right thing to do but it also actually will strengthen our ability over the long term to fight terrorism."

And guess what, the Supreme Court agrees with Obama. In June, the Court ruled in a 5-3 vote that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees. The court ruled that the tribunals violate U.S. laws and the international Geneva Conventions.


So if you've enjoyed watching the Bush Administration toy with the laws of the land -- through "unitary executive" signing statements that give the President unprecedented power; stonewalling investigations by refusing to let administrative officials testify; pardoning Scooter Libby after he was convicted of compromising the identity of a CIA agent; using a secret electronic-surveillance system against U.S. citizens; allegedly using torture at Guantanamo; oh yeah, and an illegal war -- then vote for McCain-Palin because it sounds like they promise more of the same.