Yoo Know I'm Not That Innocent

Some may say I'm being to hard on Professor John Yoo and his role in the recent human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. They say that Yoo was merely a legal advisor who merely did what his client asked him to do. Needless to say, this does not pass the smell test. A 2002 Wall Street Journal story shows that John Yoo was "the man to see" when it came to writing arguments that granted the Bush administration unlimited executive power to violate human rights:

After the terrorist attacks, Mr. Gonzales took a new look at those agreements. The reference book "The Laws of War" is the newest addition to his research shelf. It was given to him by John Yoo, a former University of California, Berkeley professor now serving in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Council. Mr. Yoo built a formidable
reputation in elite international law academic circles -- the "academy" as they call themselves -- for his provocative writings asserting profound presidential powers during time of war. He quickly became the White House counsel office's "go to guy," says Mr. Gonzales.

Please note that "Gonzales" refers to Alberto Gonzales, the White House counsel who seconded John Yoo's memos on circumventing the Geneva Convention. In addition, the above paragraph makes clear that Yoo's area of expertise is international law, military law, and the laws of combat. It's his frickin' job to know what consequences will result from his interpretations of international law. If we can't hold him to that standard, what ethical standards are there at all?

- posted by Jon @ 4:50 PM |