Editorial: Tough on human rights but not on terror

09/29/2006

Star Tribune Editorial
September 29, 2006

Late Wednesday, not long after considering a resolution—honest to God—to establish a national “Let’s all play day,” the U.S. House decided it would play, too: in the muck and mire, with the U.S. Constitution, the Geneva Conventions and basic human decency. What had been a serious discussion about how to treat those detained in the war on terror got turned into a fetid-smelling effort to elect Republicans in November.

The issue is what rights to accord those suspected—not convicted, mind you, but suspected—of being involved in terrorist threats against the United States. President Bush pretty much wants carte blanche, and the House gave it to him. The bill the House approved allows him to hold whom he wants where he wants for as long as he wants and do with them whatever he wants, in secret.

A week ago, a few principled Republican senators were holding out against this Attila the Hun approach, pointing out that it violated the most sacred American values, constitutional and otherwise, as well as serious international obligations. But all that got turned on its head in a maneuver that has Karl Rove’s fingerprints all over it: Republican members of Congress were warned that their party confronts a real threat of defeat this November. This bill, they were told, holds out the possibility of redemption. They could force Democrats to vote against a bad bill and then paint them as “soft” on terrorism.

So Wednesday the House voted 253-168 in favor of the bill. Reps. John Kline, Mark Kennedy, Jim Ramstad, Gil Gutknecht and that stray blue dog Collin Peterson all joined in this celebration of ignominy. (The Senate followed suit late Thursday, though with considerably more decorum) Then House Speaker Dennis Hastert, in a show of crassness way beneath the dignity of his office, excoriated Democratic opponents of the bill for wanting to “coddle” terrorists.

Perhaps Hastert means coddle folks like the hapless, innocent Canadian who was shanghaied by U.S. officials and sent off to Syria for a few months of softening up, then released with a “Never mind.” By the Hastert definition, authorities also coddled Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. because, though he was sentenced to death for killing Dru Sjodin, he also was provided the presumption of innocence and fair treatment written into our laws and Constitution.

Bush says this law must be passed NOW or these terrorist suspects can’t be tried. That’s ridiculous on two counts: First, Bush knows full well these detainees can be—could have been—tried at any time. Second, the only reason this bill must be passed now is because Bush and Rove think they can play voters for fools yet again.