In Search of a 'Decider'...

So now the President is interested in relinquishing executive power?

From an editorial in today's LA Times:

In an interview with German television, Bush said: "I very much would like to end Guantanamo; I very much would like to get people to a court. And we're waiting for our Supreme Court to give us a decision as to whether the people need to have a fair trial in a civilian court or in a military court."

Oh really? As the editorial points out:

From his seemingly respectful reference to the court, one wouldn't guess that the Bush administration resisted any review by the Supreme Court of its handling of Guantanamo detainees, arguing unsuccessfully in 2004 that federal courts lacked jurisdiction.

And from our own Steven Shapiro...

Conversely, as ACLU Legal Director Steven R. Shapiro pointed out Monday, the president does not need Supreme Court approval to shut down Guantanamo or to give its inmates a fair trial. To use a term familiar to the president, he, not the court, is the "decider" when it comes to prolonging the detention of all those at Guantanamo.

I hope the irony wasn't lost in the German translation.

Lisa in Pittsburgh