Monday, February 1, 2010

Institutional protection, part 2

The DOJ has rendered its judgment of John Yoo, et. al, and in a surprise to no one, it is a toothless one. They used 'poor judgment' concludes the report, kind of like when one regretfully chooses fish over steak at dinner or merlot over cabernet. This conclusion evidently waters down the more heady judgment of an earlier draft, which draft had recommended sanctions and possible disbarment.

But that draft was written in the heydays of moral accountability, the end of the Bush years. Now that we live in the we-only-look-forward-and-not-backwards Obama administration, all past government crimes can see the light of day with no fear of liability.


So, now we can see the clear trajectory: DOJ lawyers can be accountable only to the DOJ; and the DOJ will not hold its own accountable because that would harm the DOJ's image.

When are we going to have an independent arbiter for these crimes?

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