Control sought on military lawyers: Bush wants power over promotions

[ProSense]

Control sought on military lawyers

Bush wants power over promotions
By Charlie Savage
Globe Staff / December 15, 2007

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is pushing to take control of the promotions of military lawyers, escalating a conflict over the independence of uniformed attorneys who have repeatedly raised objections to the White House's policies toward prisoners in the war on terrorism.
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The administration has proposed a regulation requiring "coordination" with politically appointed Pentagon lawyers before any member of the Judge Advocate General corps - the military's 4,000-member uniformed legal force - can be promoted.

A Pentagon spokeswoman did not respond to questions about the reasoning behind the proposed regulations. But the requirement of coordination - which many former JAGs say would give the administration veto power over any JAG promotion or appointment - is consistent with past administration efforts to impose greater control over the military lawyers.

The former JAG officers say the regulation would end the uniformed lawyers' role as a check-and-balance on presidential power, because politically appointed lawyers could block the promotion of JAGs who they believe would speak up if they think a White House policy is illegal.

Retired Major General Thomas Romig, the Army's top JAG from 2001 to 2005, called the proposal an attempt "to control the military JAGs" by sending a message that if they want to be promoted, they should be "team players" who "bow to their political masters on legal advice."

It "would certainly have a chilling effect on the JAGs' advice to commanders," Romig said. "The implication is clear: without approval the officer will not be promoted."

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[TayTay]

1. OMG!

This is an amazing story. Charlie Savage won the Pulitzer Prize this year for his reporting on Pres. Bush's excessive use of signing statements. The Boston Globe has an archive of these articles at: http://www.boston.com/news/specials/savage_signing_statements/

This is yet another really scary attempt by the Bush Administration to make any dissenters to his policies go away.

[ProSense]

6. Thanks for the link. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

2. What is needed is for the JAG's to prosecute Bush for being AWOL

[wuushew]

3. will the Senate stop Cheney again?

-snip-

In the early 1990s, both Haynes and Vice President Cheney's top aide, David Addington, were politically appointed lawyers in the Pentagon during the Bush-Quayle administration. On their advice, Cheney, who was then the defense secretary, proposed making each service's general counsel the boss of his JAG counterpart, but the Senate Armed Services Committee forced the administration to back down.

[Dawggie]

4. Dear God, these bastards want to rule the world.

Somebody has to stop them and it's going to take more than just our votes.

[caligirl]

5. a cadre of lawyers in the mold of Gonzo to do her bushitlers bidding. Brown shirts of the jag.

[Rex]

7. So...

[ProSense]

8. Huh? n/t

[Rex]

9. Kinda like

WTF

[terisan]

10. Evidence that Bush is not intending to leave office. Bush/Cheney must be planning to stay. nt

Why push this in one's last year in power, especially if they thought a Democrat will win in November?

[flashl]

11. Bad MoJo. Members of the JAG Corps have stood up to this admin all the way to the Supreme Court.