ABOVE THE LAW (a short rant)

This popped up on CNN yesterday:

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon Tuesday made public a now-defunct legal memo that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects, saying President Bush's wartime authority trumps any international ban on torture."

(the rest of the article is at http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/01/torture.memo.ap/index.html )


Supposedly the order is now defunct (yeah right- and have I got some real estate to sell you!). You know, I don't care. I suspect that they still have something similar or worse right now. But the fact remains: this administration puts itself ABOVE THE LAW.

I first saw it last night, and I'm still so outraged that it's hard to know what to say. Bush was put above US and International Law. Apparently he is subject only to his 'discretion'. And presumably, his conscience. If he had one.

** Edited to add: **
More on this administration's proclivity to give itself powers above the law: an assault on the 4th Amendment: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Terrorist-Surveillance.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Apparently there was another memo, not released- because the memo they have has a damning reference to a footnote in a previous memo:

''Our office recently concluded that the Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations,'' the footnote states, referring to a document titled ''Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States.''

It just leaves me gasping for air...

*** Edited to add yet more ***

Suppressing the press- making sure that they didn't break the warrantless surveillance expose until after the 2004 election:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/04/03/BL2008040302203.html

Someone hand me an airsickness bag, willya?