Posted Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:17 AM | By Dawn Johnsen
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/convictions/archive/2008/03/18/restoring-our-nation-s-honor.aspxThe judgment of history is clearly a matter that exercises the minds of the US administration too. History will judge us on the basis of the record we leave behind, they say in public; and over that record, they remind themselves in private, we have an unparalleled degree of control. Of the worst of our crimes let no trace survive, textual or physical. Let the files be shredded, the hard drives smashed, the bodies burned, the ashes scattered. ... On their priority list, security-by which they mean secrecy-comes first, second, and third.
Here is a partial answer to my own question of how should we behave, directed especially to the next president and members of his or her administration but also to all of use who will be relieved by the change: We must avoid any temptation simply to move on. We must instead be honest with ourselves and the world as we condemn our nation's past transgressions and reject Bush's corruption of our American ideals. Our constitutional democracy cannot survive with a government shrouded in secrecy, nor can our nation's honor be restored without full disclosure.
Glenn Greenwald
I first read these posts of Johnsen's a few weeks ago when a reporter asked me about my reaction to the possibility that she might be appointed to head the OLC. Beyond these articles, I don't know all that much about her, but anyone who can write this, in this unapologetic, euphemism-free and even impolitic tone, warning that the problem isn't merely John Yoo but Bush himself, repeatedly demanding "outrage," criticizing the Democratic Congress for legalizing Bush's surveillance program, arguing that we cannot merely "move on" if we are to restore our national honor, stating the OLC's "core job description" is to "say 'no' to the President," all while emphasizing that the danger is unchecked power not just for the Bush administration but "for years and administrations to come" -- and to do so in the middle of an election year when she knows she has a good chance to be appointed to a high-level position if the Democratic candidate won and yet nonetheless eschewed standard, obfuscating Beltway politesse about these matters -- is someone whose appointment to such an important post is almost certainly a positive sign. No praise is due Obama until he actually does things that merit praise, but it's hard not to consider this encouraging.
Dawn Johnsen on the role of the Office of Legal Counsel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8-FrzhHT_wIn the Bush administration, the Office of Legal Counsel gave a green light to many objectionable policies, from a lawless expansion of executive power to the use of torture. President Obama has nominated Dawn Johnsen to lead the office, but her nomination is being attacked by Republican senators who still prefer the Bush approach. Ms. Johnsen is superbly qualified and has fought for just the sort of change the office needs. The Senate should confirm her without further delay.
Republican senators’ harsh criticism of the nomination is groundless. They have questioned Ms. Johnsen’s commitment to fighting terrorism, but their main complaint seems to be her opposition to torture and to extreme views on presidential power. Her critics are outraged that early in her career, Ms. Johnsen worked for an abortion-rights advocacy group, but her views on abortion are hardly unusual.
....
Senator John Cornyn, a Republican of Texas, has made the bizarre accusation that despite her impressive legal record, Ms. Johnsen has not demonstrated the “requisite seriousness” for the job. It is an odd charge coming from someone who was a staunch defender of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, to whom that description actually applied.
Ms. Johnsen made it through the Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote, and there is talk that Republicans may try to filibuster her nomination. That would be an outrage. There is no corner of the executive branch in greater need of a new direction than the Office of Legal Counsel. The impressive Ms. Johnsen is an excellent choice to provide it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/opinion/26thu3.htmlseemslikeadream :hi:
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