You Can Trust the Military to Tell You the Truth

Pentagon general counsel William Haynes: "We can't have acquittals. We've got to have convictions. We can't hold these men for five years and then have acquittals." This is the same William Haynes President Bush nominated In September 2003 to a key judicial seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Haynes argued on behalf of Bush that the bombing of an island in the Marianas, an important haven for many rare species of birds, would actually be beneficial for bird watchers. Haynes contended that the bombing would disperse the birds to other islands so many more people would be able to see the rare species. Haynes is known for authoring of one of the worst torture memos of the bunch. It claimed that "In light of the President's complete authority over the conduct of war, without a clear statement otherwise, criminal statutes are not read as infringing on the President's ultimate authority in these areas." In other words, when we're at war -- which is whenever the president says we're at war -- the president is not bound by law.

In September 28, 2006, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England discusses the trials of alleged terrorists detained by the US and states that "there could be strategic political value in getting some of these cases going before the elections."

The judge presiding over the Salim Hamdan case disqualified Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann from any further involvement in the case because his aims were too political, and his cheerleading for the prosecution too obvious to allow him to remain involved. Hartmann is the Legal Advisor to the Convening Authority. That office oversees both prosecutors and defense attorneys. But as the judge's ruling makes clear, Hartmann wasn't anything close to impartial. Even beyond the judge's conclusion, the ruling is a remarkable document because it involves a blow-by-blow account of Hartmann's politicization of the process.