The Face of Fascism

I spent quite a while thinking about this title – not long enough, some might say – but it still strikes me as a fair description of the effort by a US government official to discourage lawyers from representing Guantanamo detainees – in this case by calling into question their patriotism and calling for a boycott of their services by other clients. This case is probably more about the abject stupidity of one person than anything else, but it still strikes me as an alarming example of the power of government to deprive us of basic liberties. Update: More to my point. Update: Apology issued. Sort of.