Stimson slinks into the night

Charles "Cully" Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, resigned late last week over remarks he made about lawyers who represent Guatanamo detainees. From the Boston Herald...

Cully Stimson, he of the absurd comments about lawyers who represent Guantanamo detainees, has called it a day - and for the sake of our nation's fundamental values not a moment too soon.

For once, American values win out in the Bush administration.

Andy in H-burg

Bush administration official smears attorneys defending Gitmo detainees

Nothing like a good dose of incredulous outrage to start your day. This morning I read an editorial in the Washington Post about recent comments made by Curtis Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs. In an interview this week with Federal News Radio, Stimpson listed a group of US law firms defending detainees in Guantanamo. He continued on to say,

"I think, quite honestly, when corporate CEOs see that those firms are representing the very terrorists who hit their bottom line back in 2001, those CEOs are going to make those law firms choose between representing terrorists or representing reputable firms, and I think that is going to have major play in the next few weeks. And we want to watch that play out."

When asked who was paying the firms, he said "It's not clear, is it?" he said. "Some will maintain that they are doing it out of the goodness of their heart, that they're doing it pro bono, and I suspect they are; others are receiving monies from who knows where, and I'd be curious to have them explain that."

It shouldn't surprise me that Stimson is mystified by the motivations of the attorneys defending detainees - it's called a commitment to the rule of law and a belief in the Constitution.

(Incidentally, a lawyer from one of these law firms who is defending detainees in Guantanamo spoke at a vigil yesterday about his clients. His comments can be read in yesterday's post.)

Sara in Philly