The Bush Administration Takes Down Another American Hero
Lawyer Says Military Tried to Coerce Detainee’s Plea
As if we needed any more convincing evidence that our great nation is not what it used to be, consider the case of Charles Swift. A brilliant attorney, one of the nation’s top lawyers- civilian or military- Swift looked to have a brilliant career in front of him as a Navy barrister…until he met Salim Hamdan.
Of course, no one in their right mind would defend an accused terrorist without an acute awareness of just what their client represents. Swift carried no illusions into his representation of Hamdan, but he believed, and continues to believe, that his client deserved a vigorous defense- regardless of the crimes he is accused of.
There is little doubt, and it’s certainly no secret, that the Navy and the US Government wanted Hamdan convicted and sentenced post-haste. That some commanders would be openly and aggressively willing to cut corners in their determination to put Hamdan away isn’t exactly a surprise, either. Convicting Hamdan, who was from the start viewed as an important piece of the puzzle in the war on terror, was a political priority- a priority no doubt set at the highest levels…and yes, I’m talking about the White House.
Swift never had a chance. Determined to do the right thing for the right reasons, Swift ran up against political reality early and often. He could have caved and done what was expected of him by his superiors. To his credit, he did when he knew to be the right thing, because he understood and believed that even accused terrorists deserve a vigorous defense and a fair trial. Swift no doubt knew himself well enough to recognize that if he participated in the equivalent of a judicial lynching he’d never be able to look at himself in the same way again. He did the right thing for the right reasons, and the bastards over him decided to make him pay for his temerity and moral courage.
That so many levels of authority above Swift, including the White House, were willing to lynch Hamdan to demonstrate their bona fides on terrorism is an indictment of our current political leadership…and of the Americans who voted them into office. That Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift refused to participate in denying Hamdan a fair trial and a vigorous representation is to his credit. Those who would pass him over for promotion in retaliation should be ashamed of themselves for destroying the career of a man whose name they aren’t worthy of uttering.
