McConnell and McCain, Two Fries Short of a Happy Meal

I was wondering what to write about, I mean, it's been a quiet day. I can't even attribute our sudden inch of rain, the first real precip since January in Denver, to global warming. Then I read of an interview with the two Big Mac's, McConnell and McCain, on the Supreme Court's ruling on Guantanamo.

Republicans are having a hard time with the ruling, I mean, it was such a slam dunk. These were bad people, running around Afghanistan wearing olive green clothing and cheap Casio watches, sold to the U. S. for a few dollars as terrorists or Taliban. They shouldn't have human rights now, should they? That "We Hold these Truths to be Self-Evident" thing, well, that belongs in the "quaint old parchment" bin with the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions, two documents pulled from the Republican dustbin and returned to the position of prominence they should hold in our land. They're having trouble with two parts of the ruling:

1. The United States is a country of law with a Constitution that is above all law and office holders. It's what separates us from Saudi Arabia and other pleasant, quaint monarchies and it applies to everyone. Also, treaties carry a weight higher than the Constitution itself and we are signatories to the Geneva Conventions. McConnell frets that enforcing article three of the Conventions could expose American servicemen to war crimes accusations. Well, based on some of the atrocities I've seen reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo, they probably deserve it. They also can't hide behind the argument that they were under orders because first, none of the big fish are being implicated and second, "I'm following orders" doesn't absolve soldiers of liability for crimes. Following an illegal order is no defense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. I had to live with that. Today's soldiers do, too.

2. The ruling exposes the illegality of a number of Bush power grabs from Guantanamo to warrantless wiretapping. It also shows the Republican Congress to be complicit yes-men in allowing the extension of Executive power. Bush and Cheney have wanted from the start of their administration to grab power, to "restore the power of the Executive". In so doing, they've completely ignored laws, used 750 signing statements to say I don't have to follow the law and have avoided run-ins with their Republican majority by rubber stamping whatever Congress sends them.

In general, Republicans have pretty much indicated they don't support the Constitution. From First Amendment cases through Habeas Corpus to ignoring basic American values, they've pretty much indicated they'd prefer a Republican Taliban Monarchy to our messy, checks-and-balances-laden form of constitutional democracy. McCain, too, shows his true colors in this discussion. He's not a centrist, he's a true Conservative and as such, does not deserve to rule this great country.