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As featured on p. 218 of "Bloggers on the Bus," under the name "a MyDD blogger."

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Joe Klein Takes Orders Well

Responding to criticism of yet another horrible article about FISA that proves he doesn't have even a little understanding of intelligence gathering and civil liberties, Joke Line pens this candidate for the worst line of the year:

It would also have taken a middle path on immunity for telecoms--no blanket immunity (as is currently provided in the Senate draft), but selective immunity to those telecoms who can provide written proof that they were acting in response to a direct order from the government. That seems fair to me.


Apparently the President is allowed to give a "direct order" that supersedes all legal precedent and the entire governmental system of the United States. Snipers can kill Nancy Pelosi as long as they were responding to a "direct order," I guess. Halliburton? Now a state and eligible for federal funding. That's a "direct order"!

Greenwald smacks this down:

Seriously, in what country does Joe Klein live? Can someone please explain to him that in the United States, the President doesn't have the power to give "direct orders" to violate the law? And what kind of person who isn't in the military runs around talking about "direct orders" from the American President at all? That isn't how our country works. Presidents obviously don't have the power to give "direct orders" to anyone to break the law, let alone civilians and private companies. Why does that even need to be explained?


Klein also coins the phrase "civil liberties extremists." Come again? Are they for "extreme fairness"? "Extreme lack of racial profiling?" "Extreme suspicion of a powerful central government with no checks on its abilities?" "Extreme don't tase me, bro?"

I'd had a good stretch not reading Swampland. Damn Joke Line for writing something this stupid to pull me back in.

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