Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe, always one to take the political "right" side of an issue, is already congratulating George Bush for working with the Congress on ways to hold "war on terror" prisoners.
In today's
Op-Ed piece About our Dictator, Jacoby, while coming to Bush's defense, appears to gloat about how cooperative or non-dictatorial Bush is behaving after the recent Supreme Court Decision
Hamden v. Rumsfeld. But the game is not over yet and one thing Jacoby should know is never gloat until the game is over.
To build his case for a non-dictatorial Bush, Jacoby cites a long forgotten decision by Justice John Marshall against then president Andrew Jackson. In that case, Jackson was violating a US treaty against Native Americans. In defiance of Marshall, Jackson said,
"John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it."
Jacoby holds Jackson up as a dictator and quotes Bush in contrast,
"We've got people looking at it right now to determine how we can work with Congress, if that's available, to solve the problem."
I do not see contrast. I see the same defiance, but obscured in Bush's version of Orwellian "double speak."
Saying "We've got people looking at it right now..." is meaningless. We have people looking at The Hope Diamond in the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. Some "lookers" look for weak spots in security to aid their malicious intent. Bush's jewel thieves are studying Hamden v. Rumsfeld the same way.
Bush continues, "...to determine how we can work with congress, if that's available..."
The implication of this statement is obvious; a congressional solution may or may not be available. And this is a hint of Bush's strategy. If the Rubber Stamp RepublicansTM do not give him what he wants, he will blame the congress while he drags out his non-compliance.
Jacoby's defense of Bush is premature. The "illegal Guantanamo detainees" game is not over it is at halftime. The other team just scored a few points with the judges' ruling However, Bush and his team knew they might lose the lead on that play. And like any team, they have a strategy for the second half that includes a completely new set of fouls.
Mark
Smart Mass, Dumb Mass
Which "M" is Silent?