Law's detour

"From the Justice Department memos defending coerced interrogation to the firing of U.S. Attorneys who did not fit the Bush Administration's political needs, Law's Detour depicts the many detours that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney created to thwart transparency and undermine the rule of law after September 11, 2001. Bush officials set up a law-free zone at Guantanamo, pressured prosecutors to pursue political enemies, undermined the protection of bona fide refugees, and screened candidates for civil service jobs to ensure the hiring of "real Americans."" "While government needs flexibility to address genuine risks to national security - which certainly exist in the post-9/11 world - the Bush Administration's use of detours distracted the government from urgent priorities, tarnished America's reputation, and threatened voting and civil rights. In this comprehensive analysis of Bush officials' efforts to stretch and strain the justice system, Peter Margulies canvasses the costs of the Administration's digressions in the war on terror to thwarting economic and environment regulation." --Book Jacket.