Not Just Another Gitmo Book

Reviews such as the following make one sit up and take notice that Jonathan Mahler's The Challenge: Hamden v. Rumsfeld and the Fight Over Presidential Power (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, August 5, 2008) is not just another Gitmo book:

“I was in the Pentagon on 9-11, and in its aftermath, I witnessed the most remarkable and chilling attempt to consolidate and abuse executive power, circumvent and ignore the rule of law, and reverse engineer due process and the rules of evidence to deny our newest enemies a fair trial. The Challenge is the riveting and very inside story of an unlikely coupling of two lawyers from two very different legal worlds, one military and one academic, who joined forces to restore our jurisprudential values. Jonathan Mahler captures the essence of their personalities and the truly heroic battles that they fought in a way that is both informative and fascinating. Do not get too comfortable though. This struggle—of epic constitutional proportions--continues, and every American who holds freedom dear must be educated about the dangers of executive power run amok. The Challenge is the book that will anchor that education.”   — Donald Guter, retired Admiral and former Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy; Dean, Duquense Law School

See also Mahler's recent NPR podcast, his New York Times Magazine article, The Fog of War-Crimes Trials and Why This Court Keeps Rebuking This President. [JH]