“If I catch anyone who leaks in my government,” Bush tells Chrétien in March, 2002, “I would like to string them up by the thumbs — the same way we do with prisoners in Guantanamo.”
George Bush to French prime minister Jean Chrétien with thanks to Digby
Perhaps this quotation explains why Bush wanted so badly to make sure his torture law retroactively eliminated any guilt for people such as himself who broke existing laws. This is the “Rule of Law” Republican style.

The blogosphere has done a wonderful job making quality information available to people about the GOP torture bill and its Congressional gang rape of our Constitution. The problem for many of us is finding the best posts. Without claiming that I have found all the best, here is a list of some really good ones.

By Glenn Greenwald, a first amendment attorney:
Mark Steyn and Hugh Hewitt reveal the true impulses underlying yesterday’s vote

George Bush’s vast new powers of detention and interrogation

The Legalization of Torture and Permanent Detention

Democrats and the Torture Bill

Hullabaloo (My favorite political essay blog):
Know your Place

Who Cares What the Supreme Court Says?

It’s Getting Hot in Here

Rogue Presidency

Trusting Huck

From Fire Dog Lake (another consistently good political blog):
Late nite FDL: Torture Doesn’t Work

Well Here’s a Question (on Constitution and habeus corpus)

Eschaton (Atrios) (One of the leading moderate liberal blogs):
Hillary Clinton’s speech on the torture bill (it’s good, especially the stuff on George Washington)

Obama’s speech on the bill

The Reality-Based Community (A great academic blog):
Lies, secrets and Torture, part 153

Bruce Ackerman (at the LA Times):
The White House Warden

From Obsidian Wings (Another good academic bblog, this one with a philosophical bent):
We Can All Be Enemy Combatants

From John Cole, an intelligent conservative Republican at Balloon Juice:
Just a Refresher

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