We can honor service members and condemn war
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., has engaged in the kind of disgusting rhetoric that should be condemned by all. He is using the deaths of our service members as a political tool to try to defend the indefensible.
Mast said: “To belittle this mission is to belittle and demean the very service these members gave their life for” in the war against Iran. Mast’s comments could best be characterized by a term frequently used by the president, but not printable in this newspaper. We can and do honor the dedication, courage and professionalism of our service members. That in no way obligates us to support this war of choice that took their lives.
We do not honor our service members by sacrificing the lives of more brave men and women in a war with no identifiable objective or plan.
LARRY AUERBACH, ATLANTA
Presidential immunity needs challenging
It’s time to reexamine the Supreme Court opinion on presidential immunity. It is not absolute.
It only pertains to the performance of his duties as president. Many of the things President Donald Trump does fall outside the performance of his legal and constitutionally recognized presidential duties. While this is very broad, it needs to be challenged. How about some attorneys do something here?
PETER TRAGER, SANDY SPRINGS
Senate should have final say on who leads DOJ
In the July 24 opinion, “Why it doesn’t matter if Todd Blanche gets confirmed as the new attorney general,” Michael J. Broyde argues that Blanche’s Senate confirmation as attorney general “doesn’t matter” because, as the Senate-confirmed deputy attorney general, he can continue serving as acting attorney general under federal law.
That argument overlooks the most obvious point: Confirmation matters precisely because the Senate has the authority to reject a nominee. If the Senate declines to confirm Blanche and the president chooses to nominate someone else who is confirmed, that new attorney general — not Blanche — would lead the Department of Justice. To dismiss confirmation as little more than “political theater” ignores the constitutional role of Senate advice and consent and the possibility that the confirmation process could produce different leadership for one of the nation’s most important departments.
The article also devotes considerable space to repeating that the Department of Justice can continue functioning under an acting attorney general. Few readers would dispute that. The more interesting question is whether the Senate should permanently entrust Blanche with the office of attorney general. That is exactly what the confirmation process is designed to determine, and it is why the outcome does matter.
BILL BUIST, ATLANTA
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
