Of Georgetown Law and Abu Ghraib

Campus Report ^ | April 14, 2008 | Malcolm Kline

[bs9021]

Of Georgetown Law and Abu Ghraib

by: Malcolm A. Kline, April 14, 2008

A gathering of academics and human rights activists at Georgetown Law last week delivered some predictable broadsides at the Bush regime but also some unexpected critiques of the Clinton Administration, from which nearly half of the panelists came.

Of the seven Clinton alumni to hit the podium, more than half made the case for American relativism and brought up Abu Ghraib, frequently in the same sentence:

• President Clinton’s chief of staff, John Podesta, now a visiting law professor at Georgetown, evoked the “image of Iraqi civilians strapped with electrodes at Abu Ghraib.”

• “You don’t have to submit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if you have a developed body of law,” Clinton-era Secretary of State Madeleine Albright claimed in arguing for U. S. inclusion in the ICC. Then, the Georgetown professor averred, “We might have a problem with Abu Ghraib and no habeas corpus.” The latter, presumably, is a right denied terrorist suspects.

• “Others may question our commitment to human rights in that we apply it to others but not to ourselves,” James Sasser, Clinton’s ambassador to China asserted.

• “If we are going to report on human rights in every country, we should make sure our own record is good on torture and interrogation,” John Shattuck, who served in the State Department in the Clinton years, said. “We should close Guantanamo and restore habeas corpus.” Shattuck is currently a senior fellow and lecturer at Tufts.

More than 300 registered for the conference, although fewer were in evidence. The conference was preceded by a video that not only brought up Abu Ghraib but also featured plummeting poll numbers on America’s approval rating abroad and quotes from former President Jimmy Carter....

[rod1]

Oh my. The Podman and Not-So-Bright on the same program. What a wasteful carbon footprint.

[Apercu]

And how many died at Abu Ghraib?.....The moral & intellectual dishonesty of these people is astounding.

[ANGGAPO]

I don't think he understands the terrorists intentions. The Army does understand them, all to well. So when we catch one he can be sure that he will be well treated, just like the Americans who were captured.