Bill of Suggestions?

Even I was shocked at the garbage that came out of the mouth of Assistant Defense Secretary Charles “Cully” Stimson recently.

Upon learning that many of the biggest and most respected law firms in the nation were representing detainees at Guantanimo, he made a not so subtle call for Fortune 500 boycott of such firms.

Even Mr. Stimson, who is in charge of the detainees for the Defense Department must concede that at least one of the prisoners there must be innocent. Even the staunchest supporter of the policy must concede that some mistakes are inevitable.

If Mr. Stimson can’t see that, then he is either a loon or fundamentally incompetent.

The issue of impeachment often comes back to finding a particular offense to charge an official with. Clinton was charged with lying under oath. While I respectfully disagree about the seriousness of that charge given the context, I wish that the precedent could be applied to Bush and company for breaking their oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution.

Mr. Stimson made his subtle attack at one of our basic American rights, namely the right to be represented by council. Though I don’t think he said it on orders, I doubt the sentiment isn’t shared by his superiors. And, of course, this assault came after Bush and the Congress agreed to put limits on another vital right: the right to challenge your detention.

When combined with the unwarranted NSA spying, secret CIA prisons, and the use of torture you get a picture of an Administration that treats the Constitution with contempt when it is inconvenient.

The test of a society of laws is not how well those laws are followed when they are easy, but how the powerful react to limits when they are impediments.

Even if you forgive or overlook the incompetence, mismanagement and wrong decisions, it is hard to overlook this abuse of our nation’s highest law.