This is a topic that the Office of the Legal Adviser at the State Department has considered in great detail. In fact, Legal Adviser Will Taft brought about a reversal in the administration's initial decision *not* to treat Taliban as lawful combatants. Here's an interesting back-and-forth between legal scholars featuring the current Legal Adviser, John Bellinger:

http://www.opiniojuris.org/posts/1169000173.shtml (look at the comment section for a comment by Benjamin Davis).

And here is some commentary by Taft himself, along with Yoo and others:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/themes/geneva.html

So, what is to be done? For me, the only thing possible living in an empire is to work toward returning to the original republican form of representative democracy. As this post is already too long, I will stop here. --bucky1

When you stop there, it's possible to assert many things which don't quite work out if you go on just a little farther. That's the problem, of course -- the details in which the devil can be found, even without much searching.

Not inconsequentially for my argument, it also allows you to assure the gullible of the purity of your own doctrine while casting aspersions on those who've had to wrestle ingloriously with real issues of governance in the mass societies of the present century. Yes, the U.S. kept slaves and butchered native Americans and runs an imperial war machine. Did/do the Swedes, or the Finns, or the Swiss?

What you overlook -- what every so-called libertarian seems to overlook -- is the extent to which concentrated economic activity, and the wealth it produces, acts against democracy. The sad condition of the fourth estate in our era is as much a product of this concentration of wealth as that of the Congress. Can you make that go away? Are you even interested in it? It doesn't seem so.

What does it mean to you to ...work toward returning to the original republican form of representative democracy? You know, in a world which contains Exxon and Shanghai, as well as Osama bin Laden and SLBMs?

If your answer amounts to anything more than don't tax me, don't let brown people live next to me, and don't tell me I can't ride a motorcycle without a helmet, it would behoove you not to stop where you've stopped. Otherwise, it leaves you in a place most serious people have already left.

Overmanned! danger. Code orange. Help Greenwald! apologies.

I'll learn to jitter bug with my P&P mentor. I go quickly!

reilibogie+groundhog dance= confusion. YKW best get here soon!

Confusion; a state of tumult or disorder. Conjecture forever about how to do a groundhog reilibogie dance with a groundhog is not as fun as watching you! The tune is in you and we wish to watch YKW Reel o' Bogie dance too. [from] reile, to roll.

I've maintained a belief that the Salon is a old time dance hall, a theatre, a a concert hall -- simultaneously. The best know women dancers perform here. Watch 'um high-kicking and do a risque cancan with us male Groundhogs. I not sure about proper etymology.

1) Old French- 'cancaner'= to quack like a duck; and

2) Old Latin- 'quanquam'= the conjunction 'although'...

...indicating a disagreement.

"Faire une grand quanquam pour peu de chose." or

"To make a certain noise about a trifle."

I not clear.

Abel Boyer described 'quanquan' as being similar to 'caquehan' and I'm now bold, mostly shy, but asking you again, "Cancan you dance?"

It's been hovering at #1 or #2 on the Amazon nonfiction best seller list for a while now, so those contemplating purchase need to get cracking. (Given the fact that so many of us prefer not to buy from Amazon for any number of reasons, the heady status of "Tragic Legacy" there is dambed impressive...)

But. Does it get him on the teevee? I think he used to do more teevee beforetimes. How about Digby's long-time and consistent brilliance? Does that get her a radio gig or teevee appearances? Nope.

But Ann Coulter? You bet! Bill Bennett? Pontification central.

Just a reminder of who/what's still running things... Not that anyone here needed it.

(And yes, Glenn does tend to let these threads ... erm ... ferment, doesn't he?)

If, at the time of our invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban was the legally recognized government of that state, why would those persons fighting for the Taliban be considered as Unlawful Enemy Combatants?

Also, if al Qaeda was engaged by the Taliban to fight for it (similar to Blackwater employees in Iraq), why would non-Taliban al Qaeda fighters be considered as Unlawful Enemy Combatants?

I'm not trying to start an argument about this but I am interested in opinions because, IMO, the answers to the above are central to a discussion relative to Geneva.

We need Glenn to come along with a new post, or bebop to do the Groundhog Reel or sumpin', cuz we're a-gettin' all clogged up with bucky vs kitt/lwm/new anon?-with-occasional-hash-slinging-allies bumper car smashups.

Pleez.

No poison oak here, but poison ivy sprouts its lovely deadly twinings and every opportunity, and the skeeters love all the new growing things in my 1/3 of an acre -- and they love me, too. Ouch! Itch!

First, the improper way:

WT... No.

You say that you do not believe that governments will abuse the power it has. -- bucky1

That's not what I said. What's more, I believe you know that it's not. To assert that it was seems just the teeniest bit self-serving, don't you think?

The proper way:

Yes! Now I see!

You have restated my case better than I ever could and now I see the fault in my logic and my thinking and the elegant rectitude of yours!

How about stewing with 'it' a bushel of blueberries?

I gin hungered and wuz wurrieded thunking yuze were late.

The foot long spade can lean up agerst da tree. yipee.

I haves nevers taters sumsing so great!

I saves der head, claws, tooths, and fur fers you. Bless yer head, hart, and sweets groundgogs recipe and yuze dear soul.

I blueleaf everthugs we needs ats hand.

I shuws do alls mizemush do ruspects tuze auwls. yum.

I givs a danks to the lard weze all guts too eats tuzeday.

I luv yers help on mize wensnday lucky-bucky corthouse day.