cover image The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld: A Prosecution by Book

The Trial of Donald Rumsfeld: A Prosecution by Book

Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. . New Press, $23.95 (242pp) ISBN 978-1-59558-341-3

The Bush administration's security and intelligence-gathering policies have inspired few critiques as thorough as Ratner's. The president of the progressive Center for Constitutional Rights presents a mock trial of 14 U.S. government and military officials, Donald Rumsfeld chief among them; with immunity from criminal prosecution while in office, Bush and Cheney are named as unindicted co-conspirators. The charge is torture and war crimes. The opening statement describes the Bush administration's alleged “torture program” in detail and the role the “defendants” played. The “prosecution evidence” includes statements of former Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo detainees describing tortures such as sleep deprivation, water-boarding and stress positions. Ratner presents the defense primarily through government documents, such as the infamous John Yoo memo rejecting the application of the Geneva Accords to detainees. This “defense” is followed by a rebuttal based on international law that systematically rejects the government's arguments. Of course, a real trial would give the defense an opening and closing statement, and books don't allow for cross-examination. Though his case appears strong, Ratner's conceit will appeal primarily to those who have already voted “guilty.” Photos. (Sept.)