Jonathan Turley has written another article that is highly critical of Ashcroft called Junk Justice. which we found via Thinking Things Through. Here's the essence:

"If there is one legal principle that seems to guide Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, it is this: Possession is nine-tenths of the law. In holding citizens and noncitizens, Ashcroft has claimed unilateral authority to dictate how and where they will be tried and, most important, executed. In the last few weeks, he has taken this control to a new level, defying states and judges who do not conform to his demands for speedy justice."

"....A military tribunal is designed for quick convictions, little appeal and easy executions. It is the convenience store of junk justice: fast service, cheap products, no substantive value. It now seems that who is and who is not subject to summary tribunal justice is up to the shifting inclinations of Ashcroft, which sometimes appear as arbitrary as his choice of breakfast meat."

"Ashcroft has become a walking contradiction, more general than attorney. Whereas his predecessors viewed the justice system as the very thing that defines us as a nation of laws, Ashcroft views justice as merely one means to an end. As he prepares his list for summary judgment and execution, the American justice system will be the first to be dispatched. "

Well said, Jonathan.