YOO'S TORTURE MEMO ...

The "Torture Memo" that supposedly gave the Bush administration legal cover to torture detainees is now coming back to haunt its author, John Yoo, who has returned to UC Berkeley to teach law. There are several faculty members who want a discussion on the legal arguments Yoo made while he served the president. They also want to know whether Yoo's writings violated professional standards and/or threaten the academic integrity of UC Berkeley.

Among their concerns are that Yoo ...

1. Gave more than an "opinion" and was a conspirator in pushing torture.

2. Didn't properly inform "his client" (the President) of precedent and law.

3. Committed "violations of the rules of argument" by deliberately ommitting information that he knew existed (specifically the Youngstown case).

There's more, but the crux of the argument is that Yoo was blinded by his proximity to power and failed to uphold standards of the profession. For those of you who have the time, the issues presented to the UC Berkeley faculty by Economics Professor Brad De Long are here.

- Mark