http://www.politicollision.com/story.php?title=american-taliban-lawyer-appointed-to-third-highest-justice-department-position A lawyer who came to prominence for his full-throated defense of a subsequently convicted terrorist was quietly promoted to the No. 3 slot at the Department of Justice last month, a post that puts him in charge of the administration's policy regarding Guantanamo Bay detainees. The Obama administration appointee at the center of the debate is Tony West, a longtime Justice Department lawyer who received national attention for his aggressive defense of John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban who is currently serving 20-years in prison for colluding with al Qaeda in Afghanistan and taking up arms against U.S. troops. "In any other Justice Department, in any other administration, representing the enemies of the United States would have been a disqualifier for a job inside DOJ setting detainee policy," said J. Christian Adams, a former DOJ official in the department's civil rights division. "But in [Attorney General] Eric Holder's DOJ, it seems to be the chief prerequisite." Rep. Joe Walsh (R., Ill.), who has been a vocal congressional opponent of Obama's national security policy, said that West's promotion reveals a hazardous pattern and practice within the administration. "When I first learned of this, I thought it is outrageous; but it's getting redundant with this president," Walsh, who said he plans on authoring a letter to Holder expressing his dismay, told the Free Beacon. "They're not taking this war on terrorism seriously to put a guy like this in that position-it almost seems like a real conflict of interest." ... Continued Family Security Matters http://bitly.com/Qhpt0T Fri, 28 Sep 2012 06:13:04 EDT en http://www.politicollision.com/story.php?title=american-taliban-lawyer-appointed-to-third-highest-justice-department-position#c14521 Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:30:12 EDT Fender Stratocaster 1 14521 http://www.politicollision.com/story.php?title=american-taliban-lawyer-appointed-to-third-highest-justice-department-position#c14520 Fri, 28 Sep 2012 06:28:17 EDT Mortis 1 14520