Quiet Heroes

The other day, after noting how truly embarrassing the DoJ's defense of the NSA spying program is, I wrote: "[i]t's no wonder that James Comey left the DoJ when he did. He would not have wanted to be a part of this." Though I can't say I know Comey well, I have met him before, more than once, and I've always been impressed by him. He's a man that seems to exude integrity. I've long suspected that his departure from the DoJ was related to his reluctance to toe the administration's line on issues related to executive power.

Today, in a must-read article, Newsweek tells the story of an internal revolt within the Bush administration, led by Comey and former DoJ attorney Jack Goldsmith, against the administration's extremist positions on issues ranging from torture to domestic spying. The story is a real profile of courage and a reminder that many conservatives continue to cherish the importance of the rule of law. I encourage you to read the entire article, but here is a passage I particularly liked:

These Justice Department lawyers, backed by
their intrepid boss Comey, had stood up to the
hard-liners, centered in the office of the vice
president, who wanted to give the president
virtually unlimited powers in the war on
terror. Demanding that the White House stop
using what they saw as farfetched rationales
for riding rough-shod over the law and the
Constitution, Goldsmith and the others fought
to bring government spying and interrogation
methods within the law. They did so at their
peril; ostracized, some were denied
promotions, while others left for more
comfortable climes in private law firms and
academia. Some went so far as to line up
private lawyers in 2004, anticipating that
the president's eavesdropping program
would draw scrutiny from Congress, if not
prosecutors. These government attorneys
did not always succeed, but their efforts went
a long way toward vindicating the principle of
a nation of laws and not men.

Amen to that.