Snark O' the Day: Christmas Comes Early for the Constitution (The Talking Dog)

Yes, now that Bush doesn't need them anymore, the Supremes will finally take a look at the limits on the executive's powers in what The Talking Dog calls "the second most important case of our lives."

Mr. al-Marri, you will recall from our interview with his attorney Jonathan Hafetz, was a legal resident studying at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, when, just like Padilla, was already in the criminal justice system when he was magically declared "an enemy combatant" and held in camera in a military brig in South Carolina, denied any semblance of legal or human rights, and, under every known legal definition of the word, tortured, whether or not a rack or thumbscrews were used....

Well, better late than never (though one fears too much damage has already been done). Now, at least, the Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in once and for all and close down the 747-sized loophole it left after Padilla... to wit, that Article II of the Constitution allows an executive override of the entire Bill of Rights and the remainder of the Constitution just because the President invokes the magical incantation of "national security". The Bush Administration, btw, is unabashed in continuing to assert that it can pick up anyone, illegal alien, legal resident, tourist, transiter, citizen alike... and deny them charge, trial or even counsel, torture them in endless solitary confinement, and not be legally accountable to anyone, ever, as long as the right magic words are recited.

We can now hope that the Supreme Court will address this, and close this loophole once and for all. (More)

The TD's comments led us to this piece by Andy Worthington,  The Last US Enemy Combatant: The Shocking Story of Ali al-Marri.  It's definitely worth a read if you're not cognisant of the facts.... 

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