Obama Defends Bush DOJ Lawyer

In yet another example of the stark difference between campaigning and governing, the White House has decided to provide legal backing to former Justice Dept. official John Yoo, a man often decried by civil liberties absolutists within and without the administration:

The Obama Administration has decided to press on with the Justice Department's defense of a civil lawsuit brought against John Yoo, a former department lawyer attorney whose controversial legal opinions have been roundly criticized by many members of Obama's legal team.

At a court hearing Friday morning in San Francisco, government lawyers said that despite the change in administration, there has been no change in Yoo's government-run legal defense against a suit brought by Jose Padilla, an American citizen who spent more than three years in a Navy brig after being designated as an enemy combatant.

However, in what would be a highly ill-advised legal move, a London Telegraph writer claims that Obama is considering granting the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel and government officials.

Incidentally, the British media are doing a much better job than their American counterparts in reporting about the unprecedented number of Obama nominees who have fallen by the wayside. And another one bites the dust.