[Supreme Court]

More on Today's Decision.

President Bush held a press conference with the Japanese Prime Minister today, and inevitably, the first question was on the Supreme Court decision: "You've said that you wanted to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, but you were waiting for the Supreme Court decision that came out today. Do you intend now to close the Guantanamo Bay quickly?" He more or less dodged the question (probably wisely--he hadn't had time to see the ruling), but it appears that he had already been talking to Senators about holding Congressionally-created tribunals in the event that he lost this case.

Interesting. Having essentially told Congress to go Cheney themselves, he's now hoping to get them to rubber stamp the same policy--autocracy, but with GOP agreement. We'll see if Congress is in a rubber-stamping mood.

As to the ruling itself, while it was historic, it shouldn't have been particularly surprising. What the court found was essentially an affirmation of democracy. Had they found that Bush did have the rights he claimed, we might as well all just go home.

The righties are incensed by the Geneva Convention citation--which they argue don't protect "non-affiliated" terrorists. Ah, but here's the great irony: since they were largely scooped up in our invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, this claim holds little water. It is, in fact, a tell to the mindset of righties, who apparently still believe there was a connection between Iraq and al Qaida.

(Stop and ponder, as a thought experiment, what these same righties would be saying if the President in question were Hillary Clinton. I imagine the imperatives of democracy would suddenly come flooding back into their little autocratic memories.)

Based on what they're saying at SCOTUSblog, I predict a lot of legal fallout. This may well have been the chink that pulls down Bush's secretive armor and allows Congress et. al. to look into the abuses of the administration.