Free Republic

Former Attorney General Janet Reno and seven other former Justice Department officials filed court papers Monday arguing that the Bush administration is setting a dangerous precedent by trying a suspected terrorist outside the court system. It was the first time that Reno, attorney general in the Clinton administration, has spoken out against the administration's policies on terrorism detainees, underscoring how contentious the court fight over the nation's new military commissions law has become. Former attorneys general rarely file court papers challenging administration policy. Suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri is the only detainee being held in the United...

<p>That paragon of rectitude and competence, former Attorney General Janet Reno, disapproves of the way her successor, John Ashcroft, is doing his job. Speaking to university students in Minnesota Monday, Miss Reno suggested that Mr. Ashcroft had questioned the patriotism of critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the war on terror. "It is important that we bring people to justice according to the principles of our Constitution," Miss Reno declared. "The day we start giving up our freedoms, the bad guys have won." While this editorial page has criticized Mr. Ashcroft's handling of some issues (such as the administration's push for military tribunals), he has done an outstanding job in the wake of September 11 of mobilizing U.S. law enforcement action to prevent more terrorist attacks on Americans.</p>