Press Briefing

May 24, 2010

A Legal Analysis of the New Arizona Immigration Law
http://digs.by/cJ5UWM

Rand Paul's Constitution - The Kentucky candidate's bad history
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704852004575258483848750578.html

An Obama-Bush Victory. WSJ Editorial
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704226004575262821804852424.html

A court upholds Presidential war powers
WSJ, May 24, 2010

It isn't often we can say that the Bush and Obama Administrations have won a joint triumph in the war on terror, but they got one on Friday from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that detainees held by the U.S. military at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan do not have habeas corpus rights under the Constitution.

The anti-antiterror lobby filed the case on behalf of three unlawful enemy combatants to extend the reach of the Supreme Court's 2008 Boumediene v. Bush decision that gave habeas rights to Guantanamo detainees. The Bush Justice Department had opposed this intrusion on Presidential war powers, and to its credit the Obama Administration maintained the same position. A district court judge found for the detainees, but the D.C. Circuit reversed.

As the opinion by Judge David Sentelle points out, extending habeas to a facility in an active war zone such as Afghanistan would mean that any prisoner held anywhere by the U.S. military would have such rights. The opinion doesn't say so, but such a policy would put unelected lawyers in the middle of every wartime decision on military detention. Such meddling would put U.S. soldiers at greater risk, while giving them far less incentive to detain terrorists on the battlefield lest GIs have to play "CSI: Kandahar" to gather evidence so our enemies won't be released at the prodding of the ACLU.

The lawyers for the detainees vow to appeal to the Supreme Court, but it's notable that the D.C. Circuit panel included a Carter (Harry Edwards) and Clinton appointee (David Tatel) as well as Mr. Sentelle, who was appointed by Reagan. This is a bipartisan show of judicial deference that is worth applauding.


Weekly Address: President Obama Establishes Bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/22/weekly-address-bp-spill-independent-commission

The New Lords of Finance - Why Wall Street and Washington both like 'reform'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704852004575258582650393448.html

'60 Minutes' Gets it Wrong on Phthalates
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.1458/news_detail.asp
CBS' 60 Minutes may be known for its investigative news, but on Sunday it failed to thoroughly examine the claims against phthalates, a group of chemicals that help to make plastic flexible. Sunday's segment perpetuates baseless allegations against these everyday chemicals, creating unfounded health scares in homes nationwide.

Strategic and Economic Dialogue Opening Session. By Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/05/142133.htm

Congress's Carried Interest Tax Folly - The latest soak-the-rich scheme will mean less capital investment and fewer new jobs
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704852004575258401601217646.html

No Dietary Cure for Autism
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rm/2010/142110.htm

EPA to BP: Disperse a Different Dispersant
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.1451/news_detail.asp

A Message from the President: "They backed down". By Christopher Hass, barackobama.com
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/obamaforamerica/gGGBRr
On Thursday, the Senate passed historic Wall Street reform. This movement proved again that the strongest special interests, who for so long have called the shots in Washington, can be beat.

America's new culture war: Free enterprise vs. government control. By Arthur C. Brooks
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/21/AR2010052101854.html

Secretary Clinton Highlights Importance of American Exports to Overseas Markets During Visit to Boeing Maintenance Facility in Shanghai, China
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/05/142130.htm

Goldman and Washington's Wall Street Takeover - The SEC's case is weak, but it helped the government justify sweeping new powers over the financial industry
http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2010/05/goldman-and-washingtons-wall-street.html

Macroprudential instruments and frameworks: report published by the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS)
http://www.bis.org/press/p100521.htm

Remarks At USA Pavilion Gala Dinner, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Pavilion at Shanghai Expo, Shanghai, China
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/05/142123.htm

Americans Can’t Afford the Democrats’ $23 Billion State Bailout
http://rpc.senate.gov/public/_files/RPCEdFactsStateBailoutFINAL.pdf

Return of the Nervous Weekend - Two years ago the world looked to Washington and its 'Sunday night specials.' Now it's Europe's turn
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704852004575258302164643496.html