Bush Crosses the Rubicon

Via Rubicon:

Yoo Better Watch Out, Yoo Better Not Cry

In his usual underhanded, undemocratic way, George Bush signed a secret order in 2002 allowing the National Security Agency to monitor telephone calls, emails, and other communications of hundreds or even thousands of American citizens and foreigners in the US. The laws that Congress passed governing the NSA forbid it from spying within the United States, but Bush was not deterred by a mere matter of legality. After all, what is the will of an elected, representative Congress (OK, somewhat representative) when placed against the divine whim of the emperor?

[snip]

Which of those minions provided the carefully reasoned legal cover for such illegality? John Yoo, of course, the evil designer of so much other dangerous mischief growing out of the "war on terror":

• The NSA activities were justified by a classified Justice Department legal opinion authored by John C. Yoo, a former deputy in the Office of Legal Counsel who argued that congressional approval of the war on al Qaeda gave broad authority to the president, according to the Times

• That legal argument was similar to another 2002 memo authored primarily by Yoo, which outlined an extremely narrow definition of torture. That opinion, which was signed by another Justice official, was formally disavowed after it was disclosed by the Washington Post.

Mr. Silvey goes on to suggest torturing Yoo by reading him The Federalist Papers. This would, however, surely lead to organ failure and death since Yoo's brain would undoubtedly explode.