Bush Era Lawyer Yoo Must Testify in Padilla Case

Photo from source, Raw Story

I never dreamed after Democrats swept both houses of Congress and the Presidency that it would be so hard to put a Bush Administration member in the courtroom. Good god, how much more of a "perfect storm" do you need? I still don't get it. We know they did wrong, everybody knows it. Even Republicans know it, they just don't care.

I still don't know what the downside would be if the Democrats stepped up their game. Their base would finally be satisfied, the 25%ers who still think George W. Bush was great at presidentin' will never be on their side anyway. And the oh-so-important middle? They were the ones who made sure that the Democrats got elected this time in the first place, because they were sick of the power grabbing and reality-spinning. Right? Am I missing something here?

Well, it looks like one of them is going to have a day in court, at any rate.

[Excerpt]

Ex-Bush attorney Yoo ordered to testify in Padllia case

Former Bush administration attorney John Yoo was ordered on Friday by a federal judge in San Francisco to testify in an appeal brought by Jose Padilla, an American citizen who was held for more than three years and allegedly tortured while in U.S. military custody. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Hat-tip to Stupid Monkey Planet

Bush Administration Fighting John Conyers

Photo from source, TPM Muckraker

Earlier this week, I posted an excerpt from a story about Congressman John Conyers, and his threat to subpoena Bush Administration officials about the torture memos. As you might expect, The Decider's flying monkeys are flapping and screeching, and they have no intention of cooperating. Get 'em, John. . .please?

[Excerpt]

Administration Officials to Conyers: Catch Us if You Can

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) knew he was going to get a fight. And he's getting one. [snip]

Yesterday Conyers released some of the correspondence he's been having with lawyers for Addington, Yoo, and Ashcroft. As expected, none of them want to testify, and they're not short on reasons. . .

Read more at: TPM Muckraker

John Ashcroft Unaware of Torture Memo?

Photo from source, TPM Muckraker

It's a very strange world when former Attorney General John Ashcroft is the good guy. First there was that whole hospital room fiasco, where he refused to take part in a Bush Administration scheme, and now this. He was left out of the loop on the "torture memo," most likely because he would not have approved it. What a cast of characters.

[Excerpt]

Ashcroft Didn't Sign Off on Yoo Pentagon Torture Memo

More evidence that John Yoo was the most powerful deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's history. The Washington Post reports this morning that when Yoo issued his now-infamous March 14, 2003 memo to the Pentagon, neither Attorney General John Ashcroft, nor his deputy Larry Thompson "were aware. . ."

Read more at: TPM Muckraker