Bush Apologists Use Lincoln As Model

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Whenever the Bush apologists are confronted with one of Pres. Bush's sins, they cry "Clinton Did It Too!"

Now that the national debate has turned to Bush's attempt to become all-powerful, the apologists gladly point out Pres. Lincoln's actions during the Civil War.

In 1942, the United States Supreme Court decided Ex parte Quirin, a case in which prisoners detained for trial by military commission appealed a denial of their motions for writ of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court held that "military tribunals are not courts in the sense of the Judiciary Article [of the Constitution]."

Rather, they are the military's administrative bodies to determine the guilt of declared enemies, and pass judgment.

Ex parte Quirin has since become the foundation of President George W. Bush's claim that the government has the right to hold "enemy combatants"--even Americans--indefinitely, without evidence, charge or trial. I never thought, as a veteran, lawyer, and now a judge, that I would be living through a situation where the issue of homeland security--not to be confused with that new Cabinet department--and civil liberties would once again be in conflict as it was during the Civil War.

During Lincoln's presidency, he was criticized for taking what were considered "extra-constitutional measures." But in the end, the verdict of history is that Lincoln's use of power did not constitute abuse since every survey of historians ranks Lincoln as number one among the great presidents.

So this is the logic -- It doesn't matter what the president does as long as people somewhere down the line all rank him as one of the great presidents. Ummm.... I notice they don't exactly document the surveys and they don't identify what they call "historians." Is Rush Limbaugh an historian?