I’m deeply, deeply grateful for lawyers willing to take the time and effort to translate and interpret and provide context for us ‘civilians’.

You, CharleyCarp, Katherine at ObWi, Marty Lederman, and many many others. Thanks again.

Reader @ 76:

ok guys, if it’s just Spector holding up Holder’s nomination … Spector blows hot air all the time for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. the delay is really annoying, but if Spector has anything to do with it (he’s on my tv as the ringleader) it will amount to nothing if the past 50 years are anything to do by.

Re the delay on the Holder nomination: I have read (perhaps on Glennzilla’s blog) that some in the Senate may be thinking of running out the statute of limitations on Yoo’s Torture Memos, or events related to the Card / Gonzales hospital visit to Ashcroft, and the last-minute attempts to restore a veneer of legality to the FISA violations.

Spook harder!!

so if gitmo is closed where will these people go?

Allowed their day in court, instead of thrown into a dungeon

oh yes they will fly a plane right back into the US…

hmm, don’t think that one will work again

what kinda people voted for this guy?!?

Sane ones.
.
this has been another version of Simple Answers to Asinine Questions.

Oh yeah, and BOO!

The one’s that do now mostly call themselve Independents.

They involve the closure of Gitmo “within a year”, as well as establishing “new rules and guidelines on interrogation methods and the treatment of detainees, sources who have seen a draft of the orders tell ABC News.”

Other relevant quotes from the article:

In the motion filed last night, prosecutors laid out the administration’s options: “Implicit in this review is the possibility that the administration may forgo prosecution in certain cases altogether, move prosecution of some or all cases to federal district courts, and/or make changes to the rules and procedures applicable to military commissions.”

The administration is expected to take some time to tackle the thorny issue regarding the closure of the military base. The most pressing and difficult questions are what to do with those detainees too dangerous to be released who are, or might be, tried for war crimes and cannot be tried in federal court.

There are a variety of reasons why some of the detainees cannot be tried in federal court:

Some evidence could be tainted by improper interrogations…..

It is unlikely, but possible, that the new administration would in the first week expressly prohibit some interrogation techniques or refer to new legal parameters for the CIA program.

There will be a lot to digest over the weekend. While things are looking up, there is likely to be evidence of the pushback and internal political pressures reflected in the language of the order, re what is not achieved.

I think a lot of spin is going on prior to getting the final look at the EO, trying to influence things at the last minute. The fact that this is taking a few days (look how impatient I am!) and not on the vaunted “first day” is evidence that a lot of conflict is going on behind the scenes.