Yet another example of the Bush administration believing it is above the law.

The Sunday New York Times reports on Justice Department letters that tell Congress “that American intelligence operatives attempting to thwart terrorist attacks can legally use interrogation methods that might otherwise be prohibited under international law.”

These are recent letters–way after anyone could reasonably claim they didn’t know any better!

Reports the Times,  “While the Geneva Conventions prohibit ‘outrages upon personal dignity,’ a letter sent by the Justice Department to Congress on March 5th makes clear that the (Bush) administration has not drawn a precise line in deciding which interrogation methods would violate that standard, and is reserving the right to make case-by-case judgments.”

Besides the morality itself of the government’s position, is the issue of the green light this gives other nations  as well as terrorist groups, to use the very same logic against U.S. citizens and service men and women.

Sliding scale

The Times article quotes one critic as saying that, in effect, the Bush administration has now put the restrictions outlined by the Geneva Convention on a “sliding scale.”

This sliding scale gives the C.I.A and other U.S. spook agencies the freedom they want to pretty much do what they want and to whom they want.