As the world is reminded with a horrible series of train explosions in Mumbai, India that left over 170 people dead, that the horrors that can be imposed by terrorism are very real… the Bush Administration re-thinks two of its most prized strategies for the unitary executive’s dealing with its war on terror, specifically, by announcing that all detainees in American custody are now subject to Geneva Convention common article 3 protections (as the Supreme Court intimated in Hamdan), and, even more ominously (and now that most of the easy money has been earned), the Army has announced its terminating its super-sweetheart sole supply deal with Halliburton.
These events really defy further comment.
Do these signs mean that the Bush Administration has finally woken up to some level of accountability? Let’s just say that while we can hope so… that’s not how you bet. Look for these measures to be short-term, public relations oriented gimmick announcements, with the actual (more sinister) policies to come in a much quieter way, perhaps with “national security” loopholes that one could fly a C-130 through.
THAT is how you bet.
tdog
The Halliburton deal as setup during Clintons 8 years …
I’m sure the Clinton Administration can be blamed for other things, too… like, say, the federal government’s response to Katrina… or the current budget deficit… or the strength of the insurgency in Iraq… there must be others.
Since the Bush Administration appears to have had the ability to modify or terminate this particular contract with Halliburton whenver it wanted to, let’s just say that whether or not Clinton entered the deal, after over 5 1/2 years of chosing to continue it (including over 3 years in the Iraq theater)… maybe someone else should share the credit.