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Today's Must Read
The year's end is a time for remembering -- and we here at TPM are just falling all over ourselves in a general fit of nostalgia. While the Golden Dukes constitute our tribute to the brightest stars in 2007's constellation of muck, there's just too much to commemorate for one website to bear.
Dahlia Lithwick has as good an approach as any over at Slate, celebrating "the Bush administration's dumbest legal arguments of the year." Now, as you can imagine, these arguments are not simply singled out for their stupidity. They are honored for their brazen opposition to common sense and the facts.
The administration's gravest offenses get special billing: "The United States does not torture" gets number one. And "the NSA's eavesdropping was limited in scope," kicks off the countdown.
But while the gravity of those assertions makes me question whether they can be described as "dumb," there are plenty of truly stupid legal arguments to go around: "The vice president's office is not a part of the executive branch" and "Everyone who has ever spoken to the president about anything is barred from congressional testimony by executive privilege," for example. And fittingly enough, "Alberto Gonzales" gets number three on the top-ten list, special recognition for a man who not only parroted a vast catalog of stupid and/or dishonest arguments, but looked dumb doing it.
Enjoy. We'll miss you 2007! But not to worry, as long as Dick Cheney -- and especially David Addington, who has a genius for dumb legal arguments -- remain in office, 2008 won't disappoint.
Note: Dahlia´s list is perfect as is, and she had to stop somewhere. But the White House's desperate efforts to keep the Secret Service's visitor logs secret deserve a special commendation for stupidity. Readers are invited to nominate others.
Comments (9)
FactsDontMatter wrote on December 31, 2007 11:19 AM:Dumb? Infuriating, perhaps, but as long as such statements shield the administration from any real responsibility for its actions, they aren't so dumb. While it appears that real crimes have been committed, it also appears that nothing will ever be done about it. No, but we will suffer through many years of arguments that Bush was actually a good president. Flouting the law is one thing, but it is infuriating to see how easy it is to get away with it. This is how liberty dies...
conniptionfit wrote on December 31, 2007 11:29 AM:Too much for one website to bear? Check out Hugh Makes a List:
dixiegrl wrote on December 31, 2007 12:15 PM:www.netrootsmass.net/Hugh/Bush_list.html
One stop shopping for all your Bushscandal needs!
Josh and the TPM folks...
Do you have a list of all the Dem investigations of the past year that have not continued?
mfm wrote on December 31, 2007 12:25 PM:I am thinking of what happened to Leahy's call for the missing e-mails?
What happened to the subpoenas for Rove and etc?
and all the rest of 2007 investigations.
Have to agree with FactsDontMatter--"Dumbest" suggests a blooper reel.
What Bush/Cheney have (so far) successfully pulled off is more like death by a thousand cuts. And the thing dying is the idea of America as a place where the rule of law applies.
moondancer wrote on December 31, 2007 12:48 PM:I agree with the comments that dumb is inappropriate. These criminals are calculating, committing these acts with forethought. It is in their interest to use the word dumb as it is disarming compared to the proper adjective: treasonous.
gapoboy wrote on December 31, 2007 1:41 PM:Mangled words, swagger, cowboy look,the decider... but the best portrait that says a thousand word is the ultimate "dumb look" during school visit in Florida when 9-11 occur.
bettyatthepark wrote on December 31, 2007 3:30 PM:Best portrait? Go back to the election of 2000 debate when Shrub announced Texas was going to execute another prisoner. The joyful gleam in his eyes at the prospect was absolutely sickening. Frightening, too...
MW wrote on December 31, 2007 3:37 PM:Dumb is when you go to sleep accidentally dropping a lit cigarette on a stack of papers and your house burns down.
Criminal is when you light gasoline soaked rags and put matches to them.
Get it?
Frank wrote on January 3, 2008 11:11 AM:Pelosi's "impeachment is off the table" words gave and is giving free reign to the most deserving president for impeachment this country ever had.
Each day brings more and more reason for impeachment proceedings to be held. She swore to uphold the constitution, but like Bush, she acts like it is "just another god damned piece of paper".