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• Thursday, January 8, 2009 10:23 AM

  International Lawless

  The US already had its out in the 90s on this, regarding international law. Long before Bush/Cheney raped the Constitution, Clinton and Bill Richardson carved out American exemption from international law. Just follow the whole International Criminal Court stuff from that time, the establishment of "precedent" for American lawlessness -- the US opted out of the Court for fear of "politically-motivated charges" being levied against American operatives.

  That was the boilerplate phrase trotted out over and over again (by American officials and in the American media), setting the foundation that any charges against American officials (or soldiers) must be without merit, must invariably be "politically-motivated" and thus dismissed out of hand.

  This was the excuse we used to try to earn exemptions from and ultimately sabotage the War Crimes Court. That groundwork thus laid, it makes the stuff we're seeing now make more sense. We're a far, far cry from the Nuremberg Laws. If the choice is curtailing our power by adhering to principles and international law, or jettisoning international law in favor of pure power, well, it's pretty clear what the US has decided.

  Sadly, that is going to bite us squarely on the ass as a nation once we're no longer the sole superpower. Then maybe we'll rediscover the utility of international law. But until then....

  —Slackie Onassis Read Slackie Onassis's other letters
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