The ACLU and Human Rights Watch Rally to Holder’s Defense

The Weekly Standard ^ | March 7, 2010 | William Kristol

[jazusamo]

The American Civil Liberties Union has an amusing full-page ad in the New York Times today (p. 8 of the Week in Review section). It morphs a photo of their onetime favorite, Barack Obama into...George W. Bush! What has President Obama done to deserve this comparison, the greatest insult the left has its disposal? “Many of us are shocked and concerned that right now, President Obama is considering reversing his attorney general’s decision to try the 9/11 defendants in criminal court.”

Well, get ready for more shock and concern, ACLUers -- it’s going to happen. President Obama (aided by his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel), is coming to realize how foolish he’s been to delegate so much authority on war on terror matters to his hapless attorney general and the left-wingers working for him at the Justice Department. He is going to reverse course on the KSM trial -- as he has on preventive detention and on the release of photos of alleged abuse by U.S. servicemen, and as I suspect he ultimately will on closing Guantanamo.

Speaking of those working at Justice: THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that another left-wing advocacy group, Human Rights Watch, is circulating a letter condemning what the letter describes as “a shameful series of attacks on attorneys in the Department of Justice who, in previous legal practice, either represented Guantanamo detainees or advocated for changes to detention policy.” The Human Rights Watch letter mischaracterizes the “attacks” as saying “that the Justice Department should not employ talented lawyers who have advocated on behalf of detainees.” In fact, the main issues in the debate have been whether Congress and the public are simply entitled to know who these lawyers are, and the question of whether former pro bono lawyers for terrorists should be working on detainee policy for the Justice Department. (Disclosure: I’m a board member of Keep America Safe, chaired by Liz Cheney, which has been involved in these dastardly “attacks”--in particular an Internet ad at the beginning of last week pressing Attorney General Holder to disclose the identities of seven DOJ appointees who were known (and celebrated by the left at the time) for advocating for or representing al Qaeda detainees before joining the administration, but who had suddenly become shrinking violets now that they are working for the U.S. government.)

Now Human Rights Watch has had a rough few months, as they have dealt with one scandal and embarassment after another—a strong public denunciation by their founder in the pages of the New York Times, revelations about fundraising in Saudi Arabia on the basis of their criticism of Israel, their senior Middle East analyst forced to resign when it was revealed he was an avid collector of Nazi memorabilia. They’re trying to rehabilitate themselves, and are therefore desperately trying to get every establishment Republican lawyer in town to sign the letter they’re circulating. Knowing establishment lawyers, I’m sure they’ll get a few -- the legal fraternity doesn’t like criticism of lawyers. That’s fine. If all this hubbub is the price we have to pay for the Obama administration adopting more responsible detainee policies that will do a little more to keep America safe, it’s worth it.

 

[jazusamo]

[antidemoncrat]

The ACLU (American Criminal Lunatics Union) is turning against the One? How dreadful.

[HiTech RedNeck]

A delicious little cat fight this is.

[jazusamo]

LOL!

Bring it on! Let’s hope it heats up.

[HiTech RedNeck]

MEOW!

[Brad from Tennessee]

Holder was a senior partner at Covington & Burling who represent a number of Gitmo detainees. Holder's job is to create a legal climate in which terrorists can ultimately sue the U.S. government in civil court for millions.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Obama isn’t bringing fascism and communism to America fast enough for these douche bags at the aCLU and “Human Rights” Watch.

[Huebolt]

Shakespeare had it right “First, we kill all the lawyers.”

[Stultis]

I'm old enough to remember with Human Rights Watch was the (relatively) more reasonable, objective and sober alternative to radical (supposed) “human rights” groups like the ACLU and Amnesty International.

That was almost like a different world. Now there is almost no center-left liberalism -- as opposed to (so called "progressive") leftism -- remaining on the scene. At least not so far as being represented by active organizations or movements of consequence. Every organ that was formerly center-left liberal appears to be racing to get to the left of their former “progressive” rivals.

Why is there no discernible protest from traditional center-left and centrist liberals about this wholesale takeover of institutions which formerly represented, or at least respected, their views? Liberals don't seem to give a damn that leftists have shoved them aside. Leftists don't even have to tell liberals to “shut up,” because they willingly remain silent. Why? What happened to liberalism?

[jazusamo]

I sure don’t know the answer to that.

For many years John Murtha was considered a conservative Dem and conservative Dems in his district kept reelecting him. In his later years he became more and more leftist to the point he finally became antiwar and got in bed with Code Pink. I don’t believe there’s any conservative Dems left and the moderates are disappearing fast.

[SunkenCiv]

...an amusing full-page ad in the New York Times... morphs a photo of their onetime favorite, Barack Obama into...George W. Bush! ...get ready for more shock and concern, ACLUers... Obama (aided by his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel), is coming to realize how foolish he’s been to delegate so much authority on war on terror matters to his hapless attorney general and the left-wingers working for him at the Justice Department. He is going to reverse course on the KSM trial -- as he has on preventive detention and on the release of photos of alleged abuse by U.S. servicemen, and as I suspect he ultimately will on closing Guantanamo.

The simpletons did not *have* to vote for Obama, so they've got no complaint coming. What a bunch of whiny losers. Thanks jazusamo.

[Stultis]

For many years John Murtha was considered a conservative Dem and conservative Dems in his district kept reelecting him. In his later years he became more and more leftist to the point he finally became antiwar and got in bed with Code Pink.

Or Al Gore, once a chosen, and self-chosen, darling of the centrist Democrat Leadership Council, then emerges in the aftermath of 2K as a full bore, barking moonbat.

This was (on the possibly large assumption that his centrism wasn't faked all along) a startling ideological transformation. And yet, no one, either in the media or anywhere else, evinced the slightest interested in the story behind this remarkable ideological shift.

Isn't that odd?

Imagine that Sarah Palin wakes up one morning and announces herself a socialist, shifts to praising ACORN for their good works, or anything of that sort. Naturally the MSM would heartily approve, but they would also want to know why. The appreciation that there was a story behind such a shift would be automatic, and the curiosity to know the story would be insatiable.

But when a liberal or centrist suddenly moves far left, everybody acts like nothing happened. It's strange. Even bizarre.