doesn't so much fit into my "things i have to do" book

Last week, the NY Times presented a Must-Do list to the administration.

Highlights include

• Restore Habeas Corpus

  "One of the new act’s most indecent provisions denies anyone Mr. Bush labels an 'illegal enemy combatant' the ancient right to challenge his imprisonment in court." That's you and me.

• Stop Illegal Spying

• Ban Torture, Really

  "It is still largely up to the president to decide what constitutes torture and abuse for the purpose of prosecuting anyone who breaks the rules. This amounts to rewriting the Geneva Conventions and puts every American soldier at far greater risk if captured."

• Close the C.I.A. Prisons

  "When the Military Commissions Act passed, Mr. Bush triumphantly announced that he now had the power to keep the secret prisons open. It was a defeat for America’s image around the world."

• Account for ‘Ghost Prisoners’
  
  "Human Rights Watch says it has identified nearly 40 men and women who have disappeared into secret American-run prisons."
  

• Ban Extraordinary Rendition

  You remember extraordinary rendition -- it's that special practice of kidnapping foreign citizens and shipping them off to countries that haven't banned torture. The key? Pretending that they told us they wouldn't torture our prisoners, just because we asked nicely (for a discount on torture specials number 1, 4, and 8).
  

• Tighten the Definition of Combatant

  The term “'Illegal enemy combatant' ... allows Mr. Bush — or for that matter anyone he chooses to designate to do the job — to apply this label to virtually any foreigner anywhere, including those living legally in the United States." You mean like Stella?

• Screen Prisoners Fairly and Effectively

  "When the administration began taking prisoners in Afghanistan, it did not much bother to screen them. Hundreds of innocent men were sent to Gitmo, where far too many remain to this day. The vast majority will never even be brought before tribunals and still face indefinite detention without charges."

• Ban Tainted Evidence and Secret Evidence

  You know, evidence obtained through torture or coercion that the defendants and their lawyers aren't allowed to see. A.K.A., the cornerstone of the sixth amendment.

• Respect the Right to Counsel

  "Soon after 9/11, the Bush administration allowed the government to listen to conversations and intercept mail between some prisoners and their lawyers. This had the effect of suspending their right to effective legal representation."

• Halt the federal government’s race to classify documents to avoid public scrutiny — 15.6 million in 2005, nearly double the 2001 number.
  

Sounds good. Anybody got a big felt-tip marker to start checking list items off as they're completed?

. . . Sorry, I just busted my gut laughing at the idea that the administration might actually complete any of these "recommendations." Sorry.