[Anthem]

... These Justice Department lawyers, backed by their intrepid boss Comey, had stood up to the hard-liners, centered in the office of the vice president, who wanted to give the president virtually unlimited powers in the war on terror. Demanding that the White House stop using what they saw as farfetched rationales for riding rough-shod over the law and the Constitution, Goldsmith and the others fought to bring government spying and interrogation methods within the law. They did so at their peril; ostracized, some were denied promotions, while others left for more comfortable climes in private law firms and academia. ... These government attorneys did not always succeed, but their efforts went a long way toward vindicating the principle of a nation of laws and not men.

continued...

To those with whom I argued, back in '01, that the US had no history of torturing POW's and that there were not going to be abuses at Gitmo, I apologize for my foolish ignorance.

[MNJohnnie]

RIGHT! It's "Flush the Koran" Newsweek. I am sorry but until they publish a front page apology for publishing a fraudelent story last yeat that was out right Al Qeda propaganda, Newsweek has NO crediblity as a "news" source. Nice try DU.

[MNJohnnie]

Their insurrection, described to NEWSWEEK by current and former administration officials who did not wish to be identified discussing confidential deliberations, is one of the most significant and intriguing untold stories of the war on terror.

Journalistic Fraud. If you cannot name names it is rumor and innuendo NOT news. Even a High School Journalism student would know better then to publish this. This story does not even warrent an F. It gets an I. Incompetent, Incomplete and Incoherent

[Shermy]

"To those with whom I argued, back in '01, that the US had no history of torturing POW's"

Every one does. "Torture" has been redefined to be what most penetentiaries do.

"and that there were not going to be abuses at Gitmo, I apologize for my foolish ignorance."

There's abuses in every prison in the world. Catch up.

[wvobiwan]

No enough 'abuses' at Gitmo IMHO, we're fighting beheaders here, killers of innocent children. Torture them all to death if it saves one American soldier's life, or any innocent life.

[xcamel]

see also:

http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/politics/n_9353/

[Howlin]

I saw a guy on with Dan Abrams today who worked with these guys; he doesn't remember it QUITE the same way these guys do.

[RightResponse]

...the ignorance continues...

[marron]

They fought a quiet battle to rein in the president's power in the war on terror.

They quietly obstructed the war.

At each step along the way, just ask yourself what we would have done during the forties. And how long we would have tolerated men like these in positions of wartime responsibility.

[jjm2111]

I don't trust Newsweek and my instinct is to trust the President. It's easy to officially not torture prisoners when you are meeting armies in the field and defeating them through superiour force of arms and when nations make war on you in the open.

Our enemies are hidden and we must adapt.

[okie01]

So, you have chosen to trust Newsweek's reporting? Given their track record, that's an odd choice.

[Dolphy]

To those with whom I argued, back in '01, that the US had no history of torturing POW's and that there were not going to be abuses at Gitmo, I apologize for my foolish ignorance.

I hope you have more going for your change of heart than this article because it is at best, weak. Personally I'm happy that they are playing smash-mouth behind the scenes and pushing the envelope as far as they can, we are facing an uncivilized enemy.

[Torie]

You seem to be making the assumption that all of these powers are not needed to wage an effective war against terror, or if they are, just say no, because we just become more like our enemy. The first point is an assertion, the second might be characterized as an over indulgence in aesthetics that might risk life and limb. The bill of rights, and all the rest, is not a suicide pact, at least that is the way I would parse it each and every time that I was asked. One can't be dead by virtue of a Utopian reach of individual rights at the expense of communal defense, while enjoying such rights, at the same time, at least not while on this mortal coil.

[Dan(9698)]

White House stop using what they saw as farfetched rationales for riding rough-shod over the law and the Constitution, Goldsmith and the others fought to bring government spying and interrogation methods within the law...

Have you done any study of the Second Section of the Constitution, and the Laws of War that were passed by Congress in the 1700s?

Just because a Lawyer isn't familiar with the Laws of War does not mean they don't apply.

The laws of war apply to what is happening now. There still are Attornys and Politicians who want to approach this as a law enforcement exercise, and not as a hostile military operation.

Look up what the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said about Padilla when they last ruled on him.

[longtermmemmory]

Another career bureacrat democrat who had to bail out because he realised he was never going to get promoted.

This is utter BS.

The problem is the low level DOJ lawyers are trained by leftist law schools and themselves invested in the left wing agenda.

Sadly these days most ALL federal judges come from the DOJ prosecutor ranks.

[Little Ray]

There ain't enough "abuses" at Gitmo. We should torture 'em, find out what they know. When we've heard enough, give 'em a bullet in the head and a watery grave.

That's better than what they deserve or what they'd do to us.

[piasa]

Your ‘hero’ here, Jack Goldsmith , has since gone on to praise the communist Chinese’ control and censorship of free speech.