Internecine conflict limited White House lawbreaking...

Newsweek's article "Palace Revolt" looks into the DoJ that produced the Yoo-Bybee "torture memos" and other finalists in the annual "Least Likely to be Upheld" contest.

These Justice Department lawyers, backed by their intrepid boss Comey, had stood up to the hard-liners, centered in the office of the vice president, who wanted to give the president virtually unlimited powers in the war on terror. Demanding that the White House stop using what they saw as farfetched rationales for riding rough-shod over the law and the Constitution, Goldsmith and the others fought to bring government spying and interrogation methods within the law. They did so at their peril; ostracized, some were denied promotions, while others left for more comfortable climes in private law firms and academia. Some went so far as to line up private lawyers in 2004, anticipating that the president's eavesdropping program would draw scrutiny from Congress, if not prosecutors. These government attorneys did not always succeed, but their efforts went a long way toward vindicating the principle of a nation of laws and not men.

Comey deserves a medal...

Addington and a small band of like-minded lawyers set about providing that cover, a legal argument that the power of the president in time of war was virtually untrammeled. One of Addington's first jobs had been to draft a presidential order establishing military commissions to try unlawful combatants‚terrorists caught on the global battlefield. The normal "interagency process", getting agreement from lawyers at Defense, State, the intelligence agencies and so forth, proved glacial, as usual. So Addington, working with fellow conservative Deputy White House Counsel Timothy Flanigan, came up with a solution: cut virtually everyone else out. Addington is a purist, not a cynic; he does not believe he is in any way ignoring or twisting the law. It is also important to note that Addington was not sailing off on some personal crusade; he had the full backing of the president and vice president, who shared his views.

Addington deserves a jail cell...


So what happens when all of the people with consciences leave the Administration?

Incompetence reigns and chaos ensues... Kinda' like now...