"It's A Global Free-Fire Zone"

So says a Pentagon adviser, to Seymour Hersh, in regards to Donald H. Rumsfeld's authority to "act swiftly, decisively, and lethally" in the so-called "War On Terror".

Given his record of incompetence in attempting to do so in Afghanistan and Iraq, Lord knows why the Bush Administration would ever consider entrusting to Rumsfeld to the task of "rolling up" the world's "terrorists".

And Lord knows how the President thinks that given H. Rumsfeld the authority to destroy any living being anywhere in the world is any different from bin Laden's mandate to his followers.

And Pentagon Spokesman Lawrence Di Rita's response is kind of interesting.

The only civilians in the chain-of-command are the President and the Secretary of Defense, despite Mr. Hersh’s confident assertion that the chain of command now includes two Department policy officials. His assertion is outrageous, and Constitutionally specious.

We'll give Di Rita the benefit of the doubt and assume he'd had a long night when he penned the phrase "Constitutionally specious", rather than "Constitutionally dubious".

But, uh, when in the fuck has the Bush Administration ever worried about the Constitutional dubiousness of its activities? Two glaringly germane counter-examples of which all the world is only too aware leap immediately to mind.

First, of course, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, conducted without UN authority were obvious violations of International Law (which supersedes the Constitution).

Second, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Guantanamo detentions are unconstitutional (not that the Bush Administration has taken heed of the ruling).

The Pentagon's indignant response only heightens the likelihood that Hersh's reporting is more less accurate. But if it would like to assuage concerns, the Pentagon need merely to provide a full line-item accounting of the its budget.

Begin holding your breath...NOW!

Posted by Eddie Tews at January 17, 2005 03:19 PM